She stepped off the plane to colder weather and was hit with the weird feeling of being a different person again.
"What's wrong?" Kol questioned, coming up next to her, seeing her looking around the terminal.
"Nothing, really," she said. "It just feels odd being back; like we were gone longer than it actually was."
He nodded, knowing exactly how she felt. He felt it too. Guiding her along, they went to baggage claim and then saw familiar faces in the crowd.
Elena's smile grew big and she rushed through the crowd to get to Alaric and Jeremy. Racing over to them, she jumped into her brother's arms.
"Jer," she breathed.
"I missed you," he said, holding her close.
"We both did," Alaric said, a hand on her back.
Pulling away, she smiled at the two and then hugged Ric just as tight.
"Kol," Jeremy noted, seeing the vampire walk up slowly.
"Little Gilbert," he replied.
"You look good," Ric said when she pulled back from them. "Did you have fun?"
"I did," she smiled.
"Well, come on," Ric said, grabbing her duffle from Kol. "Let's get you home."
Elena nodded and had them get a head start while she said goodbye to Kol. He looked at her, savoring the last few seconds of what had been.
She gave him a quick kiss and stared at him. "I'll see you later tonight."
"Elena!" Jeremy called, waving her over as they were walking out the airport doors.
She looked back to Kol and found him gone. Puzzled at his odd goodbye, she glanced around and then with a sigh, left to go catch up with Jeremy.
There were buckets of paint in her room and the furniture was all covered.
"What's going on?" she asked the two men, setting down her things.
"We figured you could use a fresh start," Jeremy said with a small smirk as he crossed his arms and looked at her.
"There are a few different cans of paint we picked up. Pick a color and we can start getting to work," Alaric said.
Looking at them with surprise, she went to the paint and decided on the crème color.
Alaric got the paint brushes and Jeremy opened the paint, while Elena tied up her hair and looked around her room. She liked the idea of a fresh start. Grabbing a roller, she smiled to her family and began painting.
"So, what have you guys been doing since I've been gone?" she asked, rolling the new color over her yellow walls.
"Nothing exciting," Alaric said, working on taping the edges of the room.
"Ric's spent time with Meredith," Jeremy said. "And I've been with Bonnie."
"What'd you and Kol do?" Alaric asked.
She told them about her trip and all of the things they had done. She found the trip to be more relaxing than she thought.
"And no Klaus, right?" Alaric asked, wanting to be prepared in case they were wrong.
"As far as I know," she said. "But you'd have to ask Elijah and Finn."
"I'm surprised the two didn't come pick you up with us," Jeremy noted.
She flicked paint at her brother, who quickly flung some paint back at her with his wet brush.
"Hey! Hey!" Alaric scolded. Both Gilberts looked at him and quickly marked him with paint. The siblings laughed together as Elena got him with the roller to the cheek and Jeremy had a nice brush mark on the back of his shirt.
"Oh..." Alaric said looking to the two. "You both are so dead!"
They laughed and had a paint war together, only finishing about half of the room when the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Jeremy laughed, seeing Ric and Elena covered in paint.
"This is going to take forever to get out," Alaric said, knowing it was now drying in his hair.
"Don't remind me," she said, wiping a large splotch of it off her chest, courtesy of Jeremy.
"'Lena!" Jeremy called. "The Mikaelsons are here."
"Crap," Elena said, looking to herself. She had lost track of time.
"Don't look at me," Alaric said, wiping his own face with a rag. "I look just as bad as you do."
The two helped wipe one another's faces before going downstairs.
Looking sheepish to the waiting men, she found Jeremy laughing to himself. "Shut up," she said, shoving her brother with a smile.
"I see you've been painting," Elijah said amused.
She blushed and the men all snickered.
"Welcome home, Elena," Finn said with a small smile.
"Thank you," she said proudly. She looked to Kol who stood giving her a small smile.
"Okay, well. Uh, did we all want to talk at the table?" she asked. They all had a lot to update on each other about, and Ric and Jeremy wanted to be included in it.
They all shuffled their way to the kitchen, with Elena and Jeremy still goofing off with one another.
"Hey!" he called, feeling paint get on his cheek.
They all took their seats around the table, waiting for Elijah to start.
"As you're well aware, our mother has taken a bag of Elena's blood, angering Niklaus," Elijah remarked.
"I do," Alaric confirmed.
"Our mother has seemed to start a bit of a war. Niklaus has gone off to search for her and get vengeance for wrongs she may have done."
"May have?" Elena asked.
"As far as we're aware, our mother has not done anything to harm us," Finn spoke.
"Yet," Elijah said with a tense jaw.
Elena sat thoughtful, thinking back to the times she had spoken to Esther.
"And what's not to stop Klaus going for more of my sister's blood? You guys?"
"With the situation we are in, Klaus will not harm Elena. She is considered family and therefore protected," Elijah stated.
"Just like that?" Alaric asked skeptically.
"Yes, just like that."
"Elena?" Alaric asked. She had been quiet.
She hesitated.
"What is it?" Kol asked, staring at her with his arms crossed over his chest and across the table. He had been observing her carefully.
"The crystal," she said, looking down at the one Kol gave her around her neck. She took it off and held it in her hands. "Why give you this to show you something like love and then take it away?"
"Elena, we're abominations," Finn said gently.
She shook her head. "No…"
They weren't understanding her. She frowned and stared at the rock. There was something more to this, she could feel it.
"I can't explain it," she said with honesty. "But there's something else to this. We're missing something. I know we are."
She looked to Finn and then the group. "I know she wants to stop Klaus and she was going to use me to do it."
"What?" Alaric asked in surprise.
Elijah stared at her for answers, not having known she had been informed of his mother's plans.
Finn stared at her, running a hand through his hair. He didn't want her coming clean about this.
"My blood," she answered looking at the table. "It's powerful—magical. She told me all about doppelgangers."
"What are you hiding?" Kol asked, with narrowed eyes to his eldest brother.
"I was going to help mother," he confessed. "Before things changed."
The room got silent and then Kol sped up from his seat, pinning Finn to the wall by the collar of his shirt.
"Kol!" Elena shouted.
"I made mother back down as soon as I came to realize my crystal had changed because of Elena," Finn said calmly to his brother. "From there, we both meant her no harm."
Elijah's jaw clenched.
"Kol," Elena said. "Kol and I think that my blood is not only powerful because it's supernatural, but because of my ancestry. I had him help me research things and we found out that Katharine's father was a witch. Maybe that is why Esther took it."
Elijah looked over his shoulder, barely able to look at her. "Why didn't you come to me for help about your ancestry? Why not tell me any of this?"
She paused, swallowing down her guilt. "You loved them, Elijah—both Tatia and Katharine. I-I…I can't just come to you about them."
"Why not?" Jeremy asked curiously.
She shifted uncomfortable in her seat, suddenly feeling exposed with everyone in the room. "Sometimes it makes me question things."
Elijah looked to her then, surprised to hear what she was telling him. "Question what?"
"The whole concept of this crystal," she answered. "I-I question who I am, who you all love…if it's real…"
Everyone looked to her.
"The magic of the doppelganger made things be this way. And let's not forget how all my ancestors before me have been known to string men along."
"It never stops—all of this. I…" she faltered.
Feeling everyone's stare on her, she got up and left, needing a minute to herself.
"I got it," Jeremy said, going to follow his sister.
He found her in her room, grabbing a paint brush and throwing it angrily at the wall.
"You have to stop this," he told his sister. She spun around to look at him.
"What?"
"You do this—you act like everything is okay so no one worries about you, but you need help too."
She hesitated. "Elena, it's okay not to be okay. And it's okay to tell someone that."
"No," she objected, shaking her head.
"Why not?" he pushed. "'Lena—"
"—I killed our parents, Jeremy!" She finally let it out, tears spilling down her cheeks. She felt disgusted with herself. Bowing her head in shame, she lowered her voice. "it's because of me that they're dead."
"It's because of that stalker dickhead that they're dead, not you," he said strongly.
She shook her head and sniffled, wiping some of her tears. "He was after me. H-he watched me and probably followed me. I—" She sniffled. "I don't deserve to be loved."
He looked at his sister incredulous.
"You're not Katharine, Elena," Elijah stated from the hall. They both looked at him in surprise, not having seen him there. He walked into the room, leaning against the doorway and stared at the little Gilbert.
With a sigh, Jeremy got the hint and left the two.
"Why is it you believe we can be loved, but you cannot?" Elijah asked her. "Our mother turned us into vampires. She didn't make us monsters. We did that to ourselves."
She wiped her tears and wrapped her arms around herself.
Elijah noticed the action and walked over to her. Taking one of her hands, he pulled out his crystal from his pocket and put it in her palm.
She looked at it, tears coming back to her eyes.
"I have her face, Elijah. Not just Katharine's," she said, thinking about Tatia.
"It's not them that I see when I look at you," he replied.
She ran her fingers over the roughness of the crystal.
"How can you be okay with this?" she asked, looking to him then. "I'm just like her— like Katharine. I have the three of you and I try to make it okay, but it isn't, Elijah. This isn't okay. I'm hurting you guys. And I know that. Your mother knew that."
He looked at her waiting for an explanation.
"The last time I saw her, she wanted to know if I picked my 'truest soul' yet. She was hoping I had chosen."
He made a mental note of it and stared at her.
"H-h-ow am I supposed to choose?" she asked him with desperation. "I can't even..."
"Can't what?" He asked.
"I'm scared," she admitted helplessly, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm scared that if I let myself be happy for just one moment, the world's just gonna come crashing down. And I don't know if I can survive that."
He brought her into his arms, seeing the fear in her eyes.
"I don't want it to be like this, Elijah," she whispered. "I don't want it to feel like this."
Holding her tight, he caressed her hair and she held onto him, trying to make the hurt go away.
"You're safe," he murmured.
They gave her space the rest of the evening. Elijah put Kol's crystal back around her neck before leaving, and had her hold onto his for the time being. She made sure to keep it with her always.
In the morning when she woke, she went back to finishing to paint her room, needing a distraction from the supernatural.
"Hey," Alaric said, watching her finish her room.
"I'm sorry," she said with a sigh.
"You have no reason to be," he replied. He knew the soulmate principle was hard on her, but he never realized how much. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head, not wanting to do much more talking at all.
"Finn left you this," Alaric said, handing her his corded crystal.
With a swallow, she put her roller down and took the necklace. "Thanks."
She wrapped it around her wrist like he usually wore it and went back to painting. She had worked until she had done her entire room, finding it now completely transformed to a crème.
With a sigh, she put down her brush and went to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and taking a break. Standing at the counter, she pulled out Elijah's crystal from her pocket, and then took off Kol and Finn's. Staring at the three of them, she clutched them in her fist.
The floor felt like it fell from under her and she cried out as sharp pains filled her head. Her eyes felt like they were ready to explode and she clutched the counter tightly.
She got flashes of the white oak, the big tree burning in a roar of flames by the Mikaelsons, who stood watching it. Things then jumped, showing her each period of time the white oak had been found and changed hands or slowly died off.
Everything must have a balance, a voice said in her head.
"Elena!" Alaric yelled.
Elena was clutching her head, pulling at her hair from the pain, wanting it to stop.
More flashes hit her and she watched Esther work magic on the crystals. A woman with dark skin was yelling at her.
"You're sentencing a human to death by linking them as one!"
"I am doing what is necessary, Ayana! They cannot continue as they are!" Esther quieted and looked to the woman. "If they should be so lucky to find their truest soul, maybe it will save them, and a death together will not matter."
"I will not let you do this," Ayana remarked.
The scene changed to Esther handed her children the crystals, passing them out one by one. Then, it flashed to Esther letting out a breath when she was alone.
Elena was pulled from magic when her back hit the counter and through her tears saw a worried looking Kol.
Jeremy and Alaric were putting out a fire on the island and being cautious of the glass on the floor.
"Are you okay?" Alaric asked worriedly when the fire was out.
She stood baffled. "W-wh—"
"Elena," Kol said, needing to get her attention. She tore her eyes from the scorch marks of her countertop and looked at him. "What happened?" he demanded.
She was mystified and unsure what to tell him. There was a twinge of pain on her hand, and she looked to see a small symbol, burned on the inner part of her ring finger of her left hand.
"What the hell?" Alaric asked.
Kol looked at it. It was a ruin representing 'eternal love'. "How did you get this?"
"I'll go get the first aid kit," Jeremy said, rushing off to the upstairs.
"Uh, guys?" Alaric asked, looking to a pot floating in the air.
It quickly dropped and Kol looked to her with worry. "You tapped into magic."
She looked at him, apprehensive of what that meant.
She locked herself in her room, not wanting to be near anyone. She had no control of her so-called powers or what had happened.
"Elena?" Finn knocked.
"Go away," she begged, hugging her legs to her chest. "Please Finn, I don't want to hurt you."
"Darling, we're Originals," Kol said through the door.
The lightbulb in her lamp popped, startling her. She hugged her legs tighter.
"She's well aware of that, Kol," Elijah scolded.
Running her hands through her hair, she didn't understand how this happened. One minute she was perfectly normal and the next she was setting things on fire and levitating objects.
"Elena?" Bonnie's voice called. She knocked on the door lightly. "Come on, open up. It's me."
"Please, go away Bonnie," she whispered. "I don't want to hurt you."
Elijah told her what she said and Bonnie sighed. "You won't, Elena," she said through the door. "I'll be okay. Just let me come in."
Sniffling and running her hands through her hair, she jumped when a drawer to her dresser popped open.
"Okay, I'm going to open the door," Bonnie called. Using her own magic, she unlocked the door from the inside and turned the handle.
Elena was sitting on her bed, curled into a ball hugging her legs to her chest. There was broken glass from the mirror scattered on the floor; her windows had been blown open with the lock busted, and the drawer of the dresser sticking out with things looking like they exploded out of it
"Okay," Bonnie said calmly.
Elijah, Finn, Jeremy and Kol hovered in the doorway and Bonnie reluctantly shut the door behind her. "It's okay," she repeated.
She shut the dresser drawer and then cautiously walked towards Elena, going and sitting on her bed across from her.
"What's happening to me, Bonnie?"
"I have no idea, but we're going to figure it out," she said determinedly.
Bonnie took her bag off from around her shoulder and pulled out a few things. Feathers, a book and a small first aid kit.
"Can I see your hand?" she asked.
Elena hesitantly touched her friend, letting her tend to the wound. She had run off and locked herself away before anyone could care for her burn.
When Bonnie was done, she put it back in her bag and sat there. "Do you remember these?" she asked, looking to the feathers.
Elena nodded and stared at them. All of the sudden they were floating in the air and she slid back startled with fear.
Another drawer busted open and the girls both jumped.
"Okay! It's okay!" Bonnie said, trying to get Elena to calm down. "It's okay."
Tears poured down Elena's cheeks and she looked helplessly to her friend.
"Yes, I did the thing with the feathers," Bonnie said with a forced smile. "And it looks like you can, too."
"Make it stop," Elena pleaded. "Please, Bon. Make it stop."
Bonnie sighed and went to pull out a candle. In seconds, before she could even set it down, there was a flame and she looked to Elena with surprise.
"I-I…I'm sorry," she said, quickly blowing it out. She had no control over it.
"No, it's okay, that's good. You can control it. I can teach you," Bonnie encouraged.
They worked for hours together, trying to tame her magic. She was strong for being a half-witch.
"Can they come in?" Bonnie asked, getting ready to leave and knowing the Mikaelsons and her brother were outside the door.
She shook her head. "No. I'm not ready."
"You are, Elena."
She shook her head stronger and Bonnie backed down. "Can I at least bring Jeremy in? I'll stay here and he can just check on you. He's out of his mind worried."
Elena hesitated, tears in her eyes.
"I'll make sure you don't hurt him," Bonnie assured her.
Finally getting a nod, Bonnie went to the door and let Jeremy step in. This time she kept the door open, but made sure the Mikaelsons didn't enter.
"'Lena?" Jeremy asked worriedly.
"Stay back Jeremy," she said anxiously, making sure to keep space between them.
"What can I do?" he asked helplessly.
"N-Nothing," she said with tears in her eyes.
He looked to Bonnie and she nodded, wanting Jeremy to take cues from Elena. He looked back at his sister. "You need to eat something, okay? I'll go get something and bring it to you."
"Slow, Jeremy," Bonnie advised. He walked slowly from the room and the girls let out a breath.
"You did it," she smiled to her friend.
Elena stayed curled together, tears down her cheeks.
"Bonnie," Finn said. They needed to do something for her too.
Bonnie looked to the men and gave sympathetic looks. "I don't want to push her.."
"Darling," Kol called.
"Please, Kol," Elena begged, staring out her window. "I don't want to hurt you."
"You forget, I used to be a witch as well," he remarked.
She let out a breath and wiped her tears.
"Let me help," he urged.
A flame lit on the candle Bonnie left on her nightstand.
"Kol," both Finn and Elijah warned, not wanting him to push her.
Kol backed off and sighed.
"Give her time," Bonnie advised. Letting her friend be, she ushered the men to do the same.
It took close to a week for her to feel better. She was getting more of a handle on things, but her head was still muddled.
With the morning to herself, she finally rearranged her furniture in her room with her magic.
"I was going to offer my help," Finn remarked from the doorway. Elena looked to him with surprise.
"Jeremy let me in before leaving for the Grill," he said, observing her. "How are you?"
"Okay," she said. "Getting more control."
"I can tell," he remarked. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head.
"How about this, then?" he asked, pulling one of his journals out from his jacket and tossing it to her. "I figured you want to pick up where you left off."
She nodded, staring appreciatively at the object.
"May I enter?" he asked.
Looking to the doorway hesitantly, she gave a slow nod. He stepped inside and slowly approached her.
"You're not going to hurt me," he assured her, standing almost in front of her.
She took in a deep breath and looked at him, watching him step closer.
"There we are," he said, brushing some hair from her face. He stood there staring at her, not needing to say words to understand her.
"I'm scared Finn," she admitted.
"I know," he replied. He pulled in, giving her a kiss and holding her. He rubbed his hand up and down her back. "We're all here to help you figure this out."
After a while, she pulled back from him and then went to her dresser, grabbing his necklace and giving it back to him.
"How do you know which is mine?" he questioned, seeing the three all on her dresser.
"I just do," she replied. There was a certain intuition about it.
He took it back from her, putting it around his neck. He was debating on asking why she wasn't wearing Kol's, but thought better against it. He didn't want to upset her.
"As long as you agree to it, we settled on an open relationship," he said gently.
She looked at him with furrowed brows.
"Kol, Elijah and I sat down and had a long discussion. We want this to work and we don't want you to have to choose if you're not ready. We all will navigate this as we go. An open relationship allows us to explore relationships with you, but also with others if we choose."
Elena wasn't sure what to say.
"The only thing we ask is…sexually…" he said uncomfortably. "…that stays between us. No…uh—…outsiders."
She looked at him curiously. "You mean just me."
He nodded and she could see a light blush on his cheeks.
She was thoughtful. "Do you really think this is possible?" she asked softly, going and sitting down by her window.
"It is worth a try, is it not?" he questioned. "We always have the option to revise the terms."
She gave a nod, staring at her lap.
He went and sat down near her, glimpsing at her. "We'll figure it out, Elena."
"Thank you, " she spoke softly.
They let themselves get lost in each other, letting themselves be captured by one another with a level of intensity.
"May I stay for a bit?" he asked.
She nodded, getting up for a moment and grabbing her mp3 player from her nightstand. "Here," she said. "You need to update your taste in music."
He gave a small laugh and nodded, taking the device and settling beside her to listen to music while she read his journal.
There was a small pink stuffed pig staring at her when she woke the next morning and she looked at it confused. Touching the soft animal, she then noticed Kol in her room sitting near her window.
"What are you doing here?"
"Wanting to see you," he answered, watching her.
She sat up and laid against her headboard, putting the pig on her lap. Looking down at him and noting his round body, she found the floppy folded-down ears reminded her of swimming with the pigs on their trip. It was so odd to her it wasn't all that long ago.
He got up and went to her, climbing into the empty side of her bed and wrapping his arm around her. She curled against him, holding onto the pig, while slowly molding into his frame. The tensions in both of them seemed less.
Tilting her head up to look at him, he gave her a loving kiss.
"I missed you," he admitted. The feeling had been odd for him, unsettling even. He had never missed someone before.
"I missed you too," she said softly.
His lips connected with hers once more and he rolled to hover on top of her.
"I missed this too," she added, enjoying the feel of his weight pressed on her. He smirked against her lips and ventured to her neck, kissing and sucking on the skin.
"And here?" He questioned teasingly.
"Yes," she breathed, trying hard not to moan.
"What about here?" He asked kissing her collarbone.
"Kol," she shuddered, knowing he was teasing her.
Pushing him back, she sucked in a breath and tried to calm herself. As much as she wanted sex, her brother and Ric were home, not to mention she was trying to keep her emotions steady.
Kol laid beside her, holding her close and spooning her.
"Kol, how did you know to come over the day I started the fire?"
His brothers had asked him the same. "I felt it," he answered. "I don't know what, but it just felt different. And so, my instinct was to check on you "
"We're developing the bond," she said thoughtfully, thinking of when Esther explained it to her. "Do you think it's because we slept together?"
"It could be," he said reluctantly. He was hoping then this wouldn't happen if she ended up with his brothers.
"I heard from Finn you guys all talked about our predicament," she remarked.
"We did," he acknowledged, picking up her hand to play with.
"You guys settled on terms," she prodded. "Even sexually."
He tensed and kissed her hand.
"What happened?"
"We all agreed to give this open relationship a chance, " he started. "We came to an understanding of how it would work and that we were allowed to see others if we wanted."
He kissed her head.
"But you all want just me as a sexual partner?" She questioned.
"Why is that so hard to believe?" He asked.
"I guess if you're with someone else, dont you eventually get to that point in the relationship?"
"Maybe, maybe not," he said. "For now, even if we had interest in someone else, it's a desire to be true to our mate. And there is an aspect of respect to our brotherhood, as well."
Her brows furrowed at the sound of that, unsure of what it meant.
"Elijah is better explaining it properly, " he claimed, going back to playing and intertwining their fingers.
Dropping the topic, she laid contently with him.
"Kol," she said shyly. "Something happened when I touched all the crystals."
He looked at her intrigued to hear more. She told him about the flashes and some of the odd thing she saw.
"I think Ayana was trying to protect the ones you all would fall in love with," she said.
"And you think my mother was trying to hurt us with these crystals?" He questioned.
"No, not hurt you. Bring some of your humanity back maybe. But I dont know. Things still feel jumbled and missing." She ran a hand through her hair. Something still wasn't right.
Linking. Her mind kept going back to it.
"What are you thinking?" he asked, noticing she had gone quiet.
"What if on some level we're linked?" she questioned thoughtfully to him.
He looked at her with surprise. "From the crystal?"
"From our bond," she said. She thought about how Kol told her he could feel her. And Esther had said it too. Maybe Esther was tapping on that sort of magic. But what would she be doing with it?
Sitting up, she reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Calling Finn and Elijah," she replied. Dialing Elijah first, she waited and found it strange when it went to voicemail.
"Hey, it's me. If you get this message, will you call me or come by? Thanks."
Hanging up, she wondered what he could be doing that he wasn't picking up. It was very unlike him. With a sigh, she scrolled to Finn's name, giving him a call.
"Elena?" he wondered; his voice slightly worried.
"Hey, I'm okay. I'm with Kol actually. Do you think you can come over? And bring Elijah if he's with you?"
"I'm actually not sure where Elijah is," he remarked. "But I'll be over soon."
They hung up and Elena sat worried.
"Elena?" Alaric called, knocking on her bedroom door. He popped his head in to see her and Kol sitting in bed. "Jeremy and I are headed for school. I called the rest of the week off for you, but you should try and get some of your make-up work done. Okay?"
She nodded, noticing his discomfort with Kol in her room. "Finn is coming over in a bit. We'll be downstairs in the living room."
He nodded, giving Kol a nod before shutting her door again and leaving.
"You think our mother is still after us?" Finn asked Elena as she told him her theory.
"It's not that crazy. You even said so yourself that both you and her believe you are all abominations. What if she cut you out of the picture? What if she's looking for a way to subdue all of you?"
Finn was thoughtful. "So, then you believe she's still trying to link us?" He questioned. He then shook his head. "Yes, she has your blood but she'd still need us all to invest something—something to establish the link. And she'd need one of us to sacrifice."
Elena swallowed hard, the pit in her stomach growing. "Someone please tell me you've heard from Elijah in the past few hours."
Both brothers looked to one another and gave a small shake of their head.
Elena's hand went to her stomach, feeling queasy. "Okay," she said, shutting her eyes and trying to breathe. She had to stay calm about this. "Okay."
"Elena," Finn said worriedly.
Opening her eyes, she rushed around, grabbing her coat, bag, and keys. "Let's go," she said, opening the door and rushing from the house.
They all stood in Elijah's office, going through his things. Elena knew he was doing research of his own on Esther and she was sure on doppelgangers since their talk.
"Look at this," she said to the Mikaelsons.
Rebekah had joined them upon hearing her brother was potentially in trouble.
"It looks like Katharine's father may have been a Traveler,
she said, looking at his things. She picked up various papers and read them.
"According to Elijah, Travelers believed that they could use their pure magic to perform greater things and be more than servants of nature. The witches feared the power the Travelers possessed and the things they could do to the world, so they placed a curse on them, preventing them from using traditional forms of magic."
Kol went over to her and stared at the notes. "Because of this, Travelers created a new form of magic and found ways around the curse such as spirit possession."
Elena let out a breath and continued looking at the notes. Elijah made inferences that because they were unable to channel nature, doppelgänger blood is valuable to them. it's considered their source of power.
Elena stared at the writing, running her fingers over his pen indentations in the paper. Is that why she was stronger and felt so out of control?
"They are known to have a mastery over a darker form of witchcraft," Kol noted, seeing more of his brother's notes.
"Why is this important?" Rebekah huffed. "Elijah is out there somewhere. We need to find him, not go rifling through his things!"
"Where would you like to start looking, Rebekah?" Finn asked calmly.
"Wherever mother would go! You were her evil companion. Where would she go?" Rebekah snarked.
Finn's jaw clenched and he looked away. "I don't know. I did not believe she was up to carrying out her plan."
"Ah yes. The favorite son plays sacrificial lamb," Kol remarked with bitterness.
"Be quiet, Kol," Finn snapped.
"Enough," Elena called to the three of them with a glare. It was a wonder they could do anything.
"In order to stop Esther from whatever she is doing, we need to know more—about doppelgangers, Travelers, the Soulmate Principle and anything else we can get our hands on. Stop blaming each other and get to work. The sooner we can piece this together, the quicker we can get to Elijah."
She went back to his things, her heart aching. What was Esther doing?
Elena's thoughts went running and she tilted her head in deep thought. If Esther had all of the ingredients—a child to sacrifice, doppelganger blood and power, what was she waiting for?
Having an idea of where things were going, she ran a hand through her hair and stood playing out the idea.
What if the soulmate principle linked them together? Esther may have used it as a back-up idea after her children had destroyed the white oak tree. There was nothing to kill them. So, in a twisted way, what if love did? Was that what Ayana was talking about when linking them? They were linked by…. life?
Elena spun to look through one of Kol's grimoires.
"Elena?" Kol wondered.
"Finn, you said that you and Esther were going to link you and your siblings together. Why?"
"When one of us were to die, we all would. It was the only way to make Niklaus vulnerable. He was too strong otherwise."
And in turn, it'd also hurt her. That's why it complicated things.
Elena went flipping through the pages, looking for the spell. When she found it, she read it.
"The linking spell?" he asked.
"What about it?" Rebekah asked flatly.
"It's a spell," he replied in confusion, staring at Elena. "It allows for a witch to create a bond between beings. Where one is injured, the other will also be inflicted."
"And what if by being soulmates were linked on a certain level?" she asked, turning to them.
Finn was thoughtful. "Mother would be then looking for a way to sever our link."
"I think your mother was the one to bind your lives to the lives of your soulmates. When they would die, so would you—as long as all of the white oak in the world was gone. There would be nothing to keep you from living out of balance with nature."
"Our mother has probably been looking to separate Elena from us then," Finn told his brother.
"So, she can kill us," Kol said bitterly.
"This is ridiculous!" Rebekah shouted in an outburst. "Is it always going to be about the bloody doppelganger?!"
"Rebekah," Finn scolded sternly.
"Oh, shut it, Rebekah," Kol added. "Just because it doesn't have anything to do with you, doesn't mean you get to be—"
"Are you all children?!" Elena shouted. A vase on the table went shattering and they all looked to it. She shut her eyes and tried to calm her. "God, you people can't even save your own brother without wanting to rip each other's throats out," she said disgustedly. "We are going to save Elijah. It doesn't matter why. What matters is he is out there somewhere and he's with Esther. So could all of you just shut up so we can find him?"
They all went quiet and Elena let out a breath. Her emotions were getting the best of her. Trying to calm herself down, she went looking for a way to find Elijah.
It was like instinct to her for some reason to know. It guided her and she wondered if it was the bond. Had Esther not broken it yet?
Looking around for a map, she quickly found one and held his crystal in her hand. Rubbing her finger over its jaded edges, she held it up over the map and closed her eyes, focusing on him.
The crystal went to a space in the woods where there was nothing there. Nothing but trees and the forest and— "Oh, my god. I got it," she said. She looked to the three Mikaelsons. "We need to go to the tunnels. And fast."
"Hold on a minute," Kol said, stopping all of them. "What are we supposed to do with our mother? How are we supposed to stop her if we find her? We need a plan. We can't just go walking in there."
"We can't just wait for a plan, Kol," Rebekah scolded. "Elijah could be in danger. Who knows what mother could be doing to him?"
"Kol has a point," Finn said reluctantly. "Mother wouldn't just let us go. She wants to see us all dead."
"Well, she can't link you without disconnecting you all from the bond, and she can't disconnect the bond without a whole bunch of magic, Ayana's book and who knows what else. She has some of those, but if she had all of them, I don't think I'd be able to feel Elijah."
"You feel him?" Kol asked.
"I feel…I don't know. There is just this intuition," she said trying to explain it. "But whatever it is, I'm going with it."
Turning on heel, she grabbed her things and went to leave. She was hoping she wasn't too late.
They dropped down to the tunnels, using their phones as flashlights and Elena used a large stick Finn had grabbed and lit it on fire. She was getting better control of her magic.
Walking through the tunnels together, they rushed to where there was light, finding Elijah on his knees his wrists in chains that were cemented to the walls.
They ran to him quickly and it was just a few steps through the small area that Elena realized Rebekah, Kol and Finn weren't behind her.
"What the hell?" Rebekah asked. It was as if there was an invisible barrier.
"Vampires must not be able to get in," Kol remarked, looking around. "Mother must have done this after she had taken Elijah. It's a way to keep us out."
"Then hold this," Elena said, giving the torch to Finn. There were enough candles around that she didn't need the light.
"Elena, get back here," Kol called quietly, not wanting his voice to echo too loud.
She ignored him and raced for Elijah bending down in front of him.
"Elijah," Elena called softly, cupping his cheek and lifting his head. His dress shirt was all torn and he was bloody. He had endured hours of torture.
"Elena?" he asked, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him.
"We need to get you out of here," she said quietly.
"Elena! Get the bloody hell back here," Kol muttered.
"It isn't safe," Elijah said, now realizing his siblings were here. "She'll be back, Elena. You need to go."
Elena looked to the chains, trying to yank at them. "I'm not leaving you," she said strongly.
Giving another pull to each, she found it was no use.
"Elena, please," Elijah said, watching her try to free him. "You need to go. Go back to my brothers."
She looked to him and bent down. "I'm not leaving, Elijah. Okay? So, stop asking. I worked this hard to find you, I'm not going without you."
She looked to the chains again, and listened to Finn, Rebekah and Kol's voices bicker. With a frustrated huff, she shut her eyes and tried to focus.
Breathe slow and deep, she recalled Bonnie telling her. Doing just that, Elena reached out her hands to the chains in the walls and with a pull of their air, the chains had come undone.
She looked at what she had done and let out a breath of relief. Focusing and doing the same to the other, Elijah's arms fell to his sides and she helped him stay upright. He was weak.
"You need to feed," she told him, seeing him ready to collapse. She stood up and looked around the area for something sharp.
"I can't," he breathed out, almost as if he was going to cry. He shook his head and sat back on his knees.
"Elijah," Elena said, going back to him. She moved her hair to the side and pulled off her scarf.
"I can't," he said, trying to turn away from her. Mustering a breath, he tried to focus on her brown eyes he thought were beautiful, and not her pulsing neck. "I crave you," he said strongly. "My hunger…could overwhelm me."
He let out a breath and bowed his head in shame.
Caressing the back of her fingers to his overly warm cheek, she waited for him to look at her. "You once told me about your hunger," she said kindly. "And I know it made you scared. But I trust you."
They stared at one another intensely and Elena's hand went to the back of his neck, cupping her hand and pulling him closer.
He stared at her with desire, fighting against his own feelings and monster inside of him.
"Elena!" Kol raged.
She pulled her hair aside again and showed him her neck. he stared at it, watching how her artery pulsate.
Kissing him with need, she pulled him close and didn't give him the option to pull back. She was the one with more strength at the moment.
He kissed her aggressively, hungry for her love…and for her blood.
"Elena," he sniveled against her lips. She pulled back only slightly, seeing his distraught face, knowing he was trying with all of his might to fight his hunger and how he felt.
"I'm not afraid," she told him, willing to see his vampire face.
His face turned into sadness and he could no longer fight the hunger, pulling her into him and sinking his fangs into her neck. He drank ravenously, fisting her jacket and pressing her body against him for more.
She held onto him as he pulled her close, letting him feed until he was ready to pull back. Wincing only a bit at the pain, she realized the sensation was all too familiar. It reminded her so much of Klaus's ritual.
He pulled back from her neck, making her let out a sharp breath. His lips were bloody, but his face back to normal. He stared at her, his eyes in a mix of emotions.
She put her scarf on the wound, keeping pressure on it.
"Here," he said, biting into his wrist again and giving it to her.
"Elijah—"
"Drink," he demanded.
Taking only a bit, she let his blood heal the wounds.
"Now, let's get you out of here," she spoke, wiping the blood from her lips and standing up from the ground. She helped him up. Walking him out from the cave, she gave one last look around before handing him to Rebekah and Kol.
"Elena?" Finn asked concerned, waiting for her to step out so he could check her over.
"Go," she told them, turning back around and walking to where she had been with Elijah.
"Elena, what are you doing?" Elijah asked weakly.
"We need to go," Rebekah snapped, holding onto her brother.
"Then go," Elena demanded in a harsh tone. She looked back to the spot where Elijah had been on his knees. Was it odd the moon perfectly shadowed where he had been kneeling?
Going and grabbing a bunch of the lit candles, she put them in a circle around light of the moon.
She wasn't sure what to expect and she thought she was going a bit crazy. Letting out a deep breath, she tried to trust her instincts and before she knew it a familiar face appeared.
"You," she said.
In front of Elena stood a small statured woman with a slim build. She wore a reddish-brown dress and had brown eyes and black hair that looked to be in dreads.
"How is this possible?" she asked Ayana.
"Dark magic," she replied. "And sheer will."
Elena stared at the woman. "You tried to protect me—protect the soulmates of those who are attached to the Mikaelsons."
"I did," she faltered.
"Why?" Elena urged. "I mean…"
It wasn't why that she wanted to know exactly, but what to be doing to stop Esther. Esther was one of the most powerful witches in history. She was the Original Witch.
"I once created a talisman for Esther," Ayana said. "It was to focus her powers and help her direct her energy."
Elena looked at her questioningly.
"Do you have something?" the witch encouraged.
Elena looked at herself and then paused. Digging in her pocket, she pulled out a necklace that had a small pendant of a feather from Bonnie and a small diamond from Jeremy. They had bought it for her after she had gotten a better handle on her powers. "Would this work?"
Ayana nodded, taking it from her and spelling it.
She handed it back to her.
Elena wasn't sure what questions to be asking. She had no idea what the necklace meant now.
"Be careful," Ayana warned, making Elena's eyes snap to hers. "She will do everything in her power to right the wrongs she has plagued this world. She will make sure they bend to her will."
Narrowing her eyes, she tried to understand what that meant.
After over an hour in the cave, Elena finally walked out. Kol stood waiting for her, anxiously pacing.
"Feel better?" he asked with sarcasm and anger.
"Kol—"
"No, you don't get to speak," he snapped. "You don't get to just go in there and risk your life like that, Elena! You don't just feed yourself to my brother! You could have been killed and none of us would have been able to do anything about it!"
Moving towards him, he gave her a warning look, wanting her to stop.
"I'm sorry," she said.
He shook his head, still bitter.
"Kol," she said softly, going up to him. Standing before him, she swallowed hard and looked at him. "I will do anything for the ones that I love," she said.
She stopped him when he turned tense and went to walk away. "And I know it can be scary and aggravating. But you would do that exact same thing for me."
"I'm an Original," he stressed.
She sighed. Setting her hands on his chest, she let her defenses down, just for a minute. "If Esther had been successful today, you all could have died. If she hadn't decided to play mind games with Elijah and go straight to the sacrifice and the spell, you could have been—"
She couldn't think of that.
Kol cupped her cheek and had her look at him. "There is no way I am ever leaving you," he said in a gentler tone.
Staring in his eyes, she tried hard to believe it. She had lost so many. She felt like she was constantly trying to hang onto all of her loved for dear life, and still lost them. And even the Mikaelsons. They were Originals but just as vulnerable.
His lips came down over hers and she melted into him, kissing him until her lungs burned. She pulled from him, only to hug him tight around the neck and bury her face against him.
He held her close and let go of the anger and tension. She had such ridiculous tendencies when it came to saving people.
"I love you, Elena Gilbert," he whispered in her ear. "I won't ever leave you, but please, don't ever leave me."
Her heart squeezed with emotion and she clutched him tighter. "I'm sorry, Kol. I really am."
He kissed her head and buried his face against her hair. He never had felt so weak before.
It was late when Elena knocked on the door and stepped inside of Elijah's room. It was dark besides the fire burning in the fireplace. He stood in front of it, just watching the flames dance. He had changed into a fresh dress shirt and pants and looked like he had fed.
"Hey," she said softly, shutting the door behind her. Going over to him, she stood near him. "I came to give you this back."
She took his hand from his side and handed him his crystal.
Wrapping his hand around it, she gave his hand a squeeze and went to leave, figuring he wanted to be left alone.
"I'm leaving, " he called over his shoulder. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. "What?"
He looked back to the fire, his stature stoic. "I can't be here any longer."
"Why? W-wh-wha—" she didn't understand what had happened to cause him to want to leave them. "You'd leave, just like that?"
He was quiet. Pensive. "There is nothing here for me any longer."
It felt like a smack across the face, or maybe what a dagger to the back would feel like. Elena choked on a breath of air, her chest hurting.
Nothing for him here. She meant nothing.
She stared at his backside, wanting him to take it back. But this was Elijah. He was always calculated.
"...okay," she breathed, tears in her eyes. "Okay."
She turned around feeling bitter, determined to get out the door without shedding her tears. She felt humiliated and so utterly stupid.
"I'm sorry," he called out, unknowing what else to say. He could smell her tears.
"You're sorry?" She asked incredulous. The tears fell down her cheeks as she stared at him with her hand on the doorknob. "You think you can just walk away and say 'I'm sorry'?!"
"What else would you like me to say, Elena?" He snapped, briefly looking to her.
Her body seared with rage.
"How about thank you?" She asked, taking steps towards him. "How about, 'wow, Elena. Impressive for a human, especially where you had to tame my hostile siblings from attacking one another'. You could say 'I'm glad to be home; to see you again; to live'. You could say anything, Elijah! Besides a damn goodbye!"
"Why?" He questioned, eager to know. "Why does it matter?!"
She gave an incredulous breath. "Why does it matter? It matters because we care! Because I care! I care about you!"
"And you shouldn't!"
"Well, I do!" She yelled with tears streaming from her eyes. "You are tied to me, just as I am to you. And it's not just the stupid crystal! I was terrified I was going to lose you today! I thought I was going to be too late!"
The fire roared high in the fireplace and Elijah looked to it startled.
She faltered in her anger, struggling with her emotions and shame. Gathering a deep breath, she focused on the fire and lowering the flames to a normal level.
He went quiet, staring at her.
She tucked some hair behind her ear and stared at the ground. "Do you know why your mother did what she did to you today? She wants to take away your happiness and bring you to you lowest point and deepest despair," she explained. "She wants to make it so you have no choice, no other desire, but to beg to be released from the pain of living."
She had learned of Esther's motives from Ayana, who had tried to counsel Esther while in spirit form, but Esther was past reason.
Elena wiped a tear, sick of her own crying. "You're letting her win, Elijah. You're running away like a coward and letting her make you believe you are a horrible creature. "
"And what if she is right?" He challenged. "Maybe I'm not the noble man you see me as."
"Or maybe you are," she said right back. "But maybe you're too scared to believe it because the bad that you've done is still there too."
She went to walk away but then stopped again. Her emotions were getting the best of her and she didn't want to end like this. He was scared and afraid. And she wanted him to know she cared for him.
"I used to think the worst feeling in the world was losing someone you love, but I was wrong," she told him. "The worst feeling in the world is the moment that you realize you've lost yourself."
With a hard swallow, she looked at him one last time. "Take care of yourself, Elijah."
She walked out from his room, disappointed and hurt.
"Elena," Finn called, trying to catch her midway down the stairs. The entire house had heard them. "He'll come around."
"When its real, you can't walk away," she stated. Elijah was going to leave. Their whole relationship meant nothing to him. He had made it clear she meant nothing.
She wiped a fallen tear that rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry, Finn. I have to go. I'll talk to you later."
With that she rushed from the house and went home silently crying.
"You are a bloody idiot," Kol stated, not bothering to knock to enter Elijah's room.
"Kol, I don't want to hear it," Elijah said coldly.
"Well, thats too bloody bad," Kol replied angry. "I don't enjoy hearing half the things you or Nik say either, yet somehow you both still make me endure listening."
"Kol," Finn called, coming into the room to try and diffuse the situation.
"No. You're hurting her," Kol snapped to Elijah. "She cares for us-for you, and all you are doing is hurting her. We spoke of this open relationship and vowed to put her first. We agreed that she was what mattered. And here you are, Elijah, backing on your word."
"Kol," Rebekah called, hearing the commotion. The last thing their poor brother needed was a scolding.
"I don't give a damn about how you feel!" Kol shouted to Elijah. "But for some unknown reason, Elena seems to care about all of us. Its not because you are noble or moral that she fancies you. It's that you are kind to her and that you are the only one, out of any of us, to reason with her when it comes to how she feels about being a doppelganger and Katharine. "
Kol faltered, wishing he could be her everything.
"She risked her life to save you tonight, Elijah. And was adamant for us to all do the same." He stared at his blank faced brother. "The girl was willing to leave us all to go and find you. And she's about to take our mother on for hurting you and trying to take away the bond she shares with us."
Kol's anger grew when he couldn't seem to get a rise out of his brother.
"Stop taking her for granted. And for God's sakes, if you leave, take your stupid vow of 'always and forever' with you."
He brushed past his siblings and walked out of the room. Finn and Rebekah watched him go, seeing him grab his jacket and storm out the mansion.
Elena was the only one who could probably calm him down. They wondered if he'd go to her or go on a blood binge instead.
"...she put us all in our places," Rebekah reported, thinking back to the evening. "We were all fighting and she actually yelled at us to pull our heads out of our asses. It was very you."
Elijah was still and quiet.
The blonde sighed. "I was wrong about her and I have some apologizing I know I need to do to make up for it."
Elijah then stared at her.
"She brought me my brother back," Rebekah shrugged. "And probably saved my life from our mother. I at least owe her for all of that."
Rebekah then left, calling it a night and going to bed.
"And you, Finn?" Elijah asked, looking to the fire while his older brother lingered in his bedroom.
"I don't know if I have anything to say," he spoke. "You heard Elena walk away."
Elijah did hear it. And her words had rattled around in his head.
"When it's real, you can't walk away."
"I don't think we've ever met a woman quite like her," Finn spoke thoughtfully. "So oddly ready to be a martyr for others. Its quite the opposite of our family. And us."
Elijah stood thoughtful.
"I've learned a great deal from her and her humanity," Finn stated conversationally. He had never really been one to talk much, but he found that changing about him. "I think we all have."
Elijah silently agreed with that one. He loved most was her compassion. It reminded him of traits he lost long ago. She tended to bring that back in him and remind him of who he used to be-who he could be again.
He faltered, remembering how he had just tried to cut Elena from his life and reject their bond openly. He looked down at his hand and saw their crystal.
"I thought Kol was going to go off on her today," Finn added. "He was furious she had entered the cave that we could not. They grew close on their vacation."
Both men knew it was more than likely the two had been intimate with each other. They were both somehow different and Kol had shown a change in his behaviors. Finn wondered if he had actually grown to be the most mature out of all of them.
"I do believe we are abominations, Elijah, " Finn spoke. "But Elena continuously corrects me by saying that even abominations can be loved and love others."
Elijah pursed his lips with a small smile, finding that was very Elena-sounding.
"She sees us for more than we are," Finn concluded.
"...Yes. She does," Elijah finally spoke.
Finn stared at his brother. "I'm not saying mother is right or wrong for what she did tonight. But involving Elena in any matter, whether for or against us, I will not stand for. Though this bond between all of us share has been awkward and difficult, we do want it. And I think Elena wants it too."
Finn then said goodnight and departed, leaving his brother to his thoughts.
When Elijah was alone, he sat down on his couch and let out a long sigh, regretful for what he had done.
"He is just leaving?" Caroline frowned, as she stood at Elena's locker with her and Bonnie to go to class.
"Yup. He probably already left," she remarked, exchanging her books in her arms. Though Ric had called the week off for her, she found herself going stir crazy after a few of the days. Finn and Kol were trying to do their best to keep her mind off Elijah, but she was tired of being coddled by them. She decided she needed to keep moving.
"Elena..." Bonnie started, unsure what to say after hearing what had happened. It was clear their friend was hurt by everything that had went on.
"I didn't mean enough to him," she said thinking of their bond and then shutting her locker.
"I'm sure that's not—"
"He couldn't find a reason to stay," she told her friends strongly. "I... we...I stood there like a fool and he just…it didn't even come to mind," she said, judging their relationship. It had all been a lie. "It's over you guys. Please, just drop it."
"What's over?" Stefan asked, coming up to them.
"Nothing," Elena said, excusing herself and walking ahead to class.
Stefan looked back at her and then to Bonnie and Caroline.
"It isn't you, Stefan," Bonnie stated, seeing his sullen face.
"She's going through some things," Caroline added.
"With the Mikaelsons, " he guessed.
"With—..." Caroline looked to Bonnie.
"It's just complicated, " Bonnie summed up for him.
The three walked to class together and tried to get through the rest of their day.
"What are we doing here?" Elena asked Finn quietly. It was later in the evening. She had made it through her day of school and even finished some of her makeup work before Finn had taken her out to dinner in the city.
He flickered on the lights to the museum building.
"Finn, this place is closed," Elena said, tugging on his hand to go back to the door. She was worried they'd get caught.
"We won't be destroying anything," he teased her lightly, bringing her into his arms. "I just want to show you things." And he didn't want their night to end yet. She had been in smiles most of their evening and he missed that. He knew she had been upset with how things were with Elijah.
He took her around the museum, showing her artifacts and giving her examples in her lifetime.
"You are showing your true age," she laughed.
"As opposed to not having before?" He questioned lightly, bringing her in his arms.
She smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I think at least then we could have just called you not very tech savvy."
He tickled her sides and she gave happy giggles, surrendering quickly and hugging herself to him.
"I love that laugh of yours," he stated lovingly, brushing some hair from her eyes.
"Yeah?" She blushed.
"Most definitely," he murmured, kissing her lips lovingly.
Finn was a very good kisser, powerful and hungry. His lips always dominated hers and she was left just to submit to him.
"Finn," she shivered as he kissed her neck. He was getting better at being more forward with her and taking what he wanted.
"My god, Elena," he whispered in her ear, sensing her arousal to him as he unbuttoned her jacket and ran his hands up and down her sides.
He had never felt so overwhelmed by his desires.
He kissed her hungrily, groaning as she tugged on his hair and neck. She was enjoying him, almost as much as he was with her.
"Hey! Who goes there?!" A voice echoed.
The two quickly broke apart and Finn held her by the waist, speeding her out of there and to a back alleyway.
The two looked to one another and then busted out laughing.
"'Who goes there'?" Elena laughed breathlessly, her head against his chest.
Finn smiled, running his hands up and down her sides. "We should get you home."
"Not yet," she begged. She hadn't felt this normal in a while.
Pulling him in for a kiss, he quickly deepened it, pressing her to the brick wall.
"Finn," she trembled as he kissed her neck.
He groaned again, his senses knowing how she felt.
"Come with me," he said huskily, speeding them away.
He dragged her into a nice hotel, quickly getting a room and then bringing her into an elevator.
"Are we doing what I think we're doing?" She asked him intrigued, as the doors closed.
Seeing her expression, he ran a hand through his hair and dropped her hand. He was an idiot and moving entirely too fast. He was incredulous hoe much of a boy he turned into just then.
"I apologize, Elena. I don't know what came over me. This was incredibly too forward of me. I—"
She cut him off with a kiss, pressing herself against him. "Finn," she murmured calmly against his lips. "No such thing as courting right now. Remember?"
He kissed her back then, being as powerful as he usually was. When their elevator dinged, she took his hand and pulled him out from the cart, wondering which way it was to their room.
"You're sure?" He asked as they walked down the hall.
"Do you not want to?" She asked unsure of his question.
"Thats not what I asked," he replied.
They stopped at the door and he looked to Elena, holding her close. "I want to know your wants," he told her gently.
Her breath hitched at the way he stared at her. Desire was clear in his face, and in his pants. And yet, he was willing to walk away if it was what she asked.
Taking his hand on her waist, she slid it upward, letting him touch her warm bare skin. "I think you know what I want," she said quietly, knowing he had heightened senses.
Kol often remarked on it when he'd arouse her.
Finn shuddered, feeling the softness of her skin, and she let go of his hand, sliding her arms around his neck. "Finn," she breathed, waiting and watching for him to make the next move.
Quickly pressing his mouth to hers, he kept her pin to the door and let his desires guide him. She moaned softly as he kissed her and he used the key card to gain entry to the room, not daring to let go of her.
They struggled their way inside, shedding their coats and clothing as they tried to go to the bed. They found each of them had far too many layers on.
"Finn," she gasped when he protruded from his pants. He was much thicker than Kol as a man. Setting her warm hand on him, she touched him with haste, enjoying his sounds as she pumped him.
She moaned loudly when he fondled her breasts, enjoying how he kneaded them.
"Elena," he breathed, pressing her to the wall near the bed. Grabbing her by the thighs, he wrapped her legs around his waist and found he couldn't wait. Removing her hand on him and plunging himself inside of her, he groaned loudly, burying his face against her neck.
He waited for her to adjust to him, knowing he was a fairly large man. He savored the feel of being inside a woman again, of being in her.
"Relax your body," he commanded, feeling her tensed at their pleasure. He held her up with ease, running his hand over her body, kissing her skin. "I'll take you soon enough. I want you to enjoy this," he murmured, his lips running over her shoulder. He could tell how much she desired him and it only fueled him.
When she was able to relax more, he began giving small sharp thrusts to her, smirking when she moaned.
"You're a needy one, aren't you?" He purred to her.
"Finn," she whined as he pumped slowly. "You're teasing me."
"Because you feel good, Elena," he murmured, nibbling her ear. "I've wanted you badly."
He thrusted faster, satisfied to feel her take pleasure in his actions. He had wanted her for a while now, desiring her intensely in his dreams. He had never fantasized before.
"Please," she whined, holding herself to him and rolling her hips. She couldn't believe how different was when it came to sex. There was no second guessing or unknowing. He knew exactly what he was doing and he wasn't requiring her to lead the way. He was taking what he wanted and it turned her on to see him like this.
He punished her with a slow sharp thrust. Pulling almost completely out from her, he shoved his length back in her warmth and watched her mew with pleasure.
"You drive me absolutely insane, Elena," he growled.
"Good," she trembled, bringing her lips to his. They pulled and struggled against one another. She found that putting up a fight with him, made him give her exactly what she wanted from him, and that was hard and deep thrusting.
"Yes," she gasped, holding onto him. Their bodies jumped as he had her against the wall. Her body was slick with a thin layer of sweat.
He loved to tease her.
"Finn...please," she begged. She couldn't take how badly she wanted an orgasm.
He gave a groan, quick to help her to pleasure. Pounding into her with force, he held onto her and made her take him.
She gasped and called out loudly when she climaxed, unable to control how she felt when her body spasmed. She could tell he enjoyed it thoroughly, as he didn't bother stopping until he had finished with her.
They were breathless and clinging to one another. There was a light blush to his cheeks as he stared lovingly at her.
"Hi," she said, kissing him softly when she recovered from her mind-blowing orgasm.
"Hello," he replied, caressing her hip bones. He pulled out from her and helped set her down back on her feet.
"Finn?" She asked, looking down between them and still seeing him tall and erect. He was covered in their fluids, yet looked like they hadn't gone once.
"I apologize, " he said with a blush, feeling ashamed at his own body.
"Hey," Elena said, catching his face with her hand. "It's okay. I just—...did you not..."
She had thought she felt him finish. She felt his cum on her skin and between her thighs, but he looked ready to go again.
"I-It's been a very long while since I've had a woman, " he said with a blush.
She looked at him intrigued. "And so..." he was ready again?
"Y-yes...I could." He admitted. He saw her surprised look. "But I understand if-"
She kissed him gently to shut him up and ease his discomfort. She wasn't used a man being so ready again so quick. Even Kol needed a moment.
Finn pressed her back into the wall again. "Elena," he breathed, parting his lips from her. He did not want to pressure her.
She smiled lovingly at him. Klaus had deprived him of sex. Of experiencing a woman all night in bed. She could see he hadn't done it often before he had been daggered. Finn was the most moral and gentlemanly of them all.
"Again, " she requested. Kissing him and running her hands through his hair, she pressed herself to him. "Again, Finn."
He groaned against her mouth, spinning her around and sucking on her neck. She moaned and closed her eyes at the feel, enjoying how he had her and was touching her breasts.
Moving her to the bed, he bent her down, setting her over the edge.
He kissed her entire back, making sure she felt good and ready, for when he pushed back between her wet folds.
She gasped and grabbed onto the bedsheets, looking back at them. Finn's body stood towering her. He was quite more muscular than she had imagined.
He smirked to her, seeing her staring at him, and began to rapidly thrust against her.
She gasped at his pace, enjoying how he was no longer teasing.
Her body bounced against him and she pushed back on him so their skin would make a nice slap. She was surprised how much she enjoyed him being rough with her in sex. "Finn," she trembled, finding him now teasing her.
He slowed down his pace and pulled back, only letting her have the head of him. "More," she begged.
He slid in a little further, thrusting just the same. He loved to hear her call his name and feel her entrance so slick.
"Finn," she whined.
He gave her his complete length, satisfied when she moaned. He caressed her rear and gathered her hair, tugging it back so he could control her better. He rode her forcefully, directing her to give up any control as he brought their pleasure.
"Oh!" She cried as he moved against her powerfully. It didn't take long for her to climax and he followed her soon after, calling out for her as he finished again.
"Elena," he gasped, covering her body with his and shuddering above her. He never felt so good before.
She smiled, feeling his length. He was still as taunt as ever.
"You never do go down, do you?" She teased to him.
"You're far too beautiful to let me," he murmured, kissing the back of her shoulder.
He was a man with no refractory period. They went for hours, until finally she was too exhausted to keep up with him.
Parting from one another, they laid in the bed and fell asleep in one another's arms.
She woke to the sound of the hotel door closing. Giving a groan at her achy body, she rubbed her eyes and found Finn up and dressed with coffees in hand.
"I went to get us breakfast," he said, bringing her over coffee and pastries.
"Thank you," she murmured, grabbing the caffeine and curling back into bed with him.
He held her close, his pants tight again. He found his desires for her suddenly untamable.
"You need to get dressed," he warned. If she laid in bed much longer with just a sheet around her, he'd have his way with her again.
"Why?" She asked, leaning back and kissing him. She could feel his aching desire and he had slid his hand over to pull the sheet down and touch her breast.
"You have school," he remarked.
"I do," she replied. They had about an hour before she had to go back.
She moaned as he touched her and she reached to put her coffee on the table.
"Would you call in sick?" He wondered, watching her body stretch.
"And what would I do instead?" She asked.
He brought her hand down to him, caressing his length together through his pants. He'd have her all day with him.
"You've unleashed something inside of me, Elena," he said, looking at her helplessly.
"You're horny Finn," she answered kindly, going to do his pants. "That's to be expected."
They shed his clothes and he was quick to bury himself inside of her again. She moaned against him as he thrusted and shivered as he kissed her neck.
"Yes, Elena," he groaned as her body was getting tighter. She was close. He loved it.
"Ohh..." she moaned as his hips went faster. "Finn..."
She cried out in satisfaction and he continued past her tight walls, loving how she clutched him. He sucked on her earlobe and let her body relish how he could satisfy her, continuing to push its limits.
She whimpered at the highs of her pleasure. He was unstoppable. Untamable and completely wild in bed. "Finn!"
His body released for her and he grunted and moaned, burying himself as deep as he could go inside of her.
"Was I too much?" He asked panting, seeing her exhausted looking, though, she looked well spent.
"No," she replied, running her hand through his hair. "But I do need a break. You may be a vampire, but I am still human, and I have not had this much sex before," she teased lightly, feeling sore.
He kissed her lovingly and tried to massage her muscles. "Thank you, Elena."
"For what? She asked curiously.
"Letting me be so..."
"Horny?" She filled in.
He nodded and blushed.
"You're not the only one who likes sex," she joked lightly. "And you're fairly good at it."
"Fairly?" He wondered interestedly.
She rolled her eyes at the male ego.
"Show me-when you're ready," he asked. He wanted to always make sure she was satisfied.
"Finn..." she didn't mean anything by it.
"Later," he insisted. "But...show me." He wasn't the most well versed in sex, but he was now in-tune to her body. She liked his roughness and she did like sex. Kissing her lovingly, they laid in bed and he continued to massage her limbs.
"Put it back, Kol," Finn reprimanded to his younger brother.
Elena rolled her eyes and shook her head. She wasn't sure why she allowed both Mikaelsons to come with her to do the holiday food shopping. The two were worse than children.
Taking the gourd from his hand, she grabbed Kol's arm and dragged him along.
"How about this one?" Finn asked, picking out an eggplant.
"You would pick something bland," Kol remarked.
She sighed and pushed the cart forward, leaving the two and continuing to shop. It wasn't much longer when Kol caught up to her with a box of cereal in hand.
"What—"
"We are out shopping for dinner. Enough of your childish antics," Finn said, going and taking the box of cereal. Kol added two more from behind his back and Finn went to grab them.
"What—"
"Elena," a voice called. The three of them froze and Elena dropped her hand from the cereal boxes the two men were fighting over and turned around, finding Elijah standing a short distance from her. His eyes were solely focused on her, though she could tell he was irritated by his siblings.
Elijah felt like his heart was beating again. he had waited over a week to apologize to her, hoping she would come by the mansion, but she never did. He thought about stopping by, but the time he did, Kol was with her and they were playing video games and laughing with Jeremy.
"Drop it, Kol," Finn warned.
Elena looked back to the two. "Give me this," she told them both. Dropping the cereal into the cart, she looked back to Elijah, startled when he had walked closer.
She wasn't sure how to feel about him. Part of her was electrified that he was back and looked just as good as he did before. And the other was still aching with hurt at how he left her.
"You're back."
"I never left," he remarked. Her brows furrowed and she looked to each of the men beside her, seeing them avoid eye contact with her.
"We thought it was best he give you space," Finn spoke, finally unable to hide anything from her.
She wanted to be mad at them, but she couldn't. She had been avoiding the mansion because it reminded her so much of Elijah. And had mourned him, feeling less than a person because of him. Finn and Kol could see it. Kol even called her out on it, reminding her she still meant something to the two of them.
She stood unsure what to say.
"Brother. Maybe it's best you—"
They were then preoccupied by the whispering. A few townspeople were looking at them, commenting on the sight before them. It was no secret that Elena had grown closer to the Mikaelson family. Rumors had all gone on for months about her being close with the richest family in the small town. Everyone was trying to wonder her business and labeling her a slut.
"Why don't we all move along and mind our business?" Kol barked to the ones who stared.
"Kol, it's fine," she said with her head bowed.
"It's not, and you know it," he remarked. Their bond had grown and he was starting to be able to feel her emotions when they were strong. She felt shame, fear, and embarrassment.
"Look, can you guys just…go?" she asked, glancing to all three of them. "I've got an entire list to finish before tonight."
"We can help," Finn stated.
"You can't," she told them, knowing how their 'help' was going so far.
"Thanksgiving is at 3:00 tomorrow," she said, even telling Elijah. "Come over then, okay?"
Giving Finn a hug, Kol a kiss to the cheek, she waved to Elijah and went off to finish the rest of her shopping list.
"You really had to make an appearance here?" Kol challenged his brother.
"Don't start, Kol," Elijah said coldly, before walking off.
She got through her shopping and with the help of Jeremy, brought in all of the groceries.
"Please tell me someone besides you is doing the turkey," her brother said, seeing the bag with the frozen bird.
She gave him a shove, making him laugh. "Ric is."
Jeremy made a face. That didn't sound like a very good idea either. "Can't like…Finn or something?"
Elena raised an eyebrow, amused her brother was now deferring to the Mikaelsons. He didn't often comment about the odd relationship she had with them.
"I'm not blind, 'Lena. And I know for a fact, Finn can cook. He's done so over here before."
He had. Finn had come over in the week to make dinner for her.
"I'm not asking him to cook for thanksgiving, Jer. They're coming over to our house as guests tomorrow."
"Jeremy has no faith in me," Ric said, rolling up his sleeve and going to help the kids with the grocery.
"It's not like you two are the greatest cooks," he told the two.
Both threw food at him and he laughed.
"Let's see you try," Alaric said.
"Or not. We might not have a house to live in if he did," Elena said jokingly while putting away things.
Jeremy playfully tackled his sister, making her laugh.
"How hard can it be?" Ric asked, putting the canned cranberry towards the back of the counter.
It was very hard. Ric stared at the undercooked bird, unsure what he was doing wrong.
"That looks disgusting," Elena noted, coming down to help make food.
"Please tell me we aren't eating that," Jeremy said, looking to the turkey in the pan.
"Do you think it needs more time in the oven?" he asked the kids. "It's already been in there for hours and the thing…."
"Nope!" Elena said, shaking her head profusely. She didn't want to know what was in the turkey or how to cook it.
"That is disgusting," Jeremy said, looking horrified at whatever Ric pulled out of it.
Alaric put his hand in the turkey and then made a disgusted face as sliminess from the turkey was all over him. "Elena, would you—"
"—call Kol, yeah," she agreed, wiping her hands and pulling out her phone. The bell ringed and they looked to her with hope.
"Maybe it's that bond thingy you guys share?" Alaric asked.
She gave a look of doubt and went to go answer the door. There were still a handful of hours until guests were to arrive. Swinging it open, she stiffened. "Elijah."
He stood trying not to frown, seeing her reaction to him. "Elena."
"Elijah!" Alaric called from the kitchen.
"Dude, please tell me you cook," Jeremy said, walking over to them.
"I do," he remarked.
"How do you feel about turkeys?" Jeremy asked.
Elijah looked to Elena curiously and she reluctantly opened the door further for him to enter.
Elijah stepped through the doorway and Jeremy motioned him to the kitchen.
"Look, I know you guys—"
"—Jer," Elena warned to her brother. She didn't want to get into this with him. "I invited him to thanksgiving. I didn't think he'd show up early."
"Oh. Wait, he's been back?" Jeremy asked. He figured the two hadn't seen each other or talked yet.
"I ran into him at the grocery store while I was with Finn and Kol."
"That's…"
"Awkward?" Elena offered.
He nodded and gave his sister a hug.
"Come on," she sighed, going to see if Ric needed help.
The Gilberts walked into the kitchen finding Elijah already taking over.
"I don't know what happened," Ric said, wiping his hands dry.
Elijah tried hard not to make a face as he assessed the situation. His coat was already draped over a chair and his sleeves rolled up.
He looked up to see Elena standing awkwardly in the kitchen with Jeremy beside her. The tension was palpable.
Elijah turned back to the day's main course. He wasn't sure what to do with it. "You're going to need a new turkey."
"On it!" both Jeremy and Alaric called. It was clear Elena and Elijah needed to talk. Alaric threw the teen the keys and grabbed his coat.
"We'll be back," Jeremy said to the two. The two quickly scurried from the house and she rolled her eyes. They were not at all subtle.
Elena went to wash her hands and go back to peeling the potatoes at the sink when Elijah came over to her with a knife in hand, grabbed a potato of his own. He began peeling it beside her, occasionally glancing to her.
They peeled the pile of potatoes when Alaric and Jeremy came home.
"Okay," Alaric said, plopping the turkey down.
"Three stores later," Jeremy complained.
Elijah set his knife down, gently brushing the back of his finger over her bare arm, before going to start the turkey.
They all worked together, with Elena and Jeremy occasionally goofing off. Elijah glanced to the three of them, smiling slightly at the family's antics.
"You both suck," she smiled, seeing Jeremy and Alaric steal the carrots off her cutting board to eat. She chopped a few more and then threw a bunch at them, laughing at how they ate them.
"I'm going to go get ready," she decided. Kissing their cheeks, she went upstairs and showered.
She was attempting to zip the back of her crème lace dress when Elijah came and knocked on her open door. He stepped inside. "May I?" he asked, seeing her struggle with her dress.
Giving a nod, she stood and waited as he came over and pulled up the zipper to close her dress.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
"I regret what I said to you," he remarked. "I let my emotions get the best of me."
"You didn't," she disagreed. "It wasn't your emotions, Elijah."
She looked to her dresser, picking out earrings to wear. She stood in front of her mirror, trying to focus on putting them on and not him.
"My mother…" He stopped from saying more. She had gotten to him. Elena had been right. "I hurt you," he settled on.
She didn't deny it, but she didn't say much more to it. She didn't know what to say.
"Elena—"
"—What do you want me to say, Elijah?" she asked finally, turning to him. "Are you looking for forgiveness? Then fine, I forgive you. But it doesn't change anything. You meant what you said and you were willing to just run away from everything."
She was hurt and disappointed in him for that. She felt like she meant so little to him.
"I couldn't walk away," he stated as she started to leave the room. She had grabbed her heels to go and put on elsewhere and he knew it was because of him.
She stopped where she was. He could hear her heart beating harder.
"When it's real, you can't walk away," he declared. "And I couldn't. I can't."
He turned to face her, hoping she'd turn around to do the same. "I had thought about it. I thought my mother had been right. I am not noble. I've done things I abhor. I am not the man worth…worth all of this," he said, thinking of his own happiness.
She let out a breath, her shoulders sagging. She turned and looked at him.
"I couldn't walk away," he repeated, taking a step towards her. "Not from us—not from you."
She stared at him, so badly wanting to believe it. She wanted to forget all of what had happened between and make the hurt go away. But she couldn't. He had showed her differently than his words.
"I don't believe you," she said helplessly.
She went to walk away again and he sped in front of her. "Please. Don't walk away," he asked panicked.
He had pushed her away, pushed her too far. He denied their bond, denied his love for her. And openly done so. He hurt her. Immensely.
Leaning in, he kissed her.
His heart nearly exploded at the feel of her kissing him back. He pulled her closer and cupped the back of her head.
But then with her hand on his chest, she pushed away from him.
He stared at her red lipped and lost. Had he made the wrong move?
She gathered the courage to look up at him, and his heart clenched with hurt to see her pain.
"You were never a monster to me," she said simply. With tears growing in eyes, she dropped her hands from him and walked out from her bedroom, leaving him stand there.
Thanksgiving had been in full swing by 3:00. Caroline and her mother showed, and then Bonnie with her dad, Rudy; Meredith Fell came bringing pumpkin pie and even both Salvatores with booze.
The doorbell rang again and Elena let Finn, Kol, and Rebekah inside.
"Thank you…for having me," Rebekah said with an awkward kindness. She had realized she had no where to go on the holiday, with her brothers had been invited to the Gilberts. She had planned to stay home until Elena had found out and invited her, too.
"Of course," Elena said with a small smile. While Rebekah wasn't often kind to her, since rescuing Elijah, they had grown to at least be civil.
"Hello, darling," Kol greeted, interrupting the girls and giving her cheek a kiss.
"Hey," she said, taking the box of cereal from him with a small laugh.
"You look beautiful, Elena," Finn remarked, giving her cheek a kiss, as well. He handed her a bouquet of flowers.
"Thank you," she blushed.
"Elijah," Rebekah said, surprised to see his brother already there.
"Rebekah," he nodded, keeping an eye on Elena. "Kol. Finn," he acknowledged.
Both men looked to Elena and she forced a smile to her face. Before anyone could say anything, the doorbell rang again and Elena set down the things to get it.
"Matt," she said brightly with a large smile on her face. He smiled widely, opening his arms and hugging her tightly.
"God, it feels like it's been forever," he said, holding onto her.
She pulled away from him with a smile. "Did you bring it?"
He smirked. "Like I'd ever forget it." He pulled out the DVD from his back, showing her their favorite movie from when they were kids.
She smiled brightly and let him inside of the house, taking his jacket.
"Hey, Matt," Jeremy said, walking over and giving the guy a handshake. "Did you bring it?"
Elena held up the movie with a smirk.
Nice," Jeremy praised, taking Matt's jacket for his sister and going to hang it up.
Matt greeted the Mikaelsons, seeing them standing about.
"Come on, food should be ready," she said, trying to ignore the stare of the Originals.
"Matt," Bonnie and Caroline cheered.
"Matt," Stefan nodded.
"Why does Matt Donovan get so much attention?" Kol asked his family.
"He's an overall good guy," Stefan answered, taking a sip of his beer.
"Show off," Damon muttered.
"Elena, will you finish setting the table?" Alaric asked, pulling out the turkey.
Elena grabbed the napkins and candles, going to add the last few touches.
"Need any help?" Bonnie asked, following her into the dining room.
"Nope," Elena said, putting the candles down in the middle of the table and lighting them with her magic.
The Bennett witch grinned. "Very nice control."
Elena smiled and hugged her best friend. "Come on, let's go get the food."
Everyone grabbed a dish and brought it with them to the table.
"Wow, Ric. The turkey looks amazing," Liz Forbes complimented.
"You're going to want to thank Elijah for that one," Jeremy noted. "I think Ric would have killed us all with what he was going to serve."
Both Alaric and Elena gave the little Gilbert a shove and amused expressions went to Elijah.
"Well…looks good. Thanks, Elijah," Liz said, going and taking her seat.
"Yeah, thanks," Damon said sarcastically.
"Damon," Stefan warned.
Elena sat beside Matt and Jeremy, smiling and laughing with her friends.
"Okay, time to make a toast," Rudy declared. He looked to his daughter. "To family."
"And friends," Matt added.
"To all of us," Elena settled. "Friends, family and loved ones."
Everyone clinked glasses and laughter went back around the table. It had been a rare and enjoyable moment, where there were smiles on everyone's faces.
"Oh, that thanksgiving was horrible," Matt declared as they laughed.
"It was cute," Elena smiled.
"At your expense," Bonnie joked.
They all laughed again.
"Okay, Matt, did you bring it?" Caroline asked.
"Why does everyone think I'd forget it?" he asked.
They all began to talk about the times he had forgotten and had to go back for it.
"Okay! Okay!" he said, calming down the crowd. "Yes, I brought it. Elena took it."
"Come on," she smiled, puling out her chair and putting down her napkin.
They all gathered into the living room, sitting on the furniture and floor. It had been a tradition for them to watch a favorite movie of theirs.
"Why are we watching a kid's movie?" Damon complained.
"Tradition," Bonnie answered simply.
"Every Thanksgiving the kids would all sit down together after dinner and watch this," Liz Forbes explained.
"It was the only way to get them to stop running around for a minute," Rudy added.
"It just sort of adapted to everyone watching it as we got older," Matt said.
"It's a good movie," Elena stated, enjoying how peaceful it was to be with everyone. She laid back against the sofa and smiled when Jeremy pulled her hair together and went braiding it.
"Her mom used to play with her hair when they'd watch this movie," Caroline explained to the Mikaelsons softly.
"I taught Jeremy to braid," Bonnie grinned proudly.
"Yeah, cause Elena sucked as a teacher," Jeremy joked.
Elena grabbed a couch pillow and threw it at him making him laugh. "Yeah, because of years of hair pulling by you."
"Okay children," Liz said, grabbing the pillow and giving them a stern look.
"Jeremy used to chase Elena around when she was little pulling on her big tails," Rudy stated to all of them.
Meredith smiled. "Why can I imagine that?"
They all went back to the movie. But Elena was then half pre-occupied, staring at the picture of her family on the far table.
Feeling a sinking pit in her stomach, she got up from her seat on the floor and excused herself.
"I got it," Ric said softly, before anyone could get up.
He found her in her room, holding her stomach and trying to gather a breath.
"Hey," he said softly.
She looked up at him, tears down her face.
With a heartbroken face, he went to her, bringing her in his arms. "I know, kiddo," he said, knowing she was grieving her parents.
"It should have been me, Ric," she sobbed. "I should have died that day, not them."
"Hey," he said, pulling her back and wiping her tears. "Don't say that. The accident was not your fault. You lived for a reason."
"I miss them so much, Ric," she cried. "It hurts so bad."
"I know," he sighed, holding her again. Her stalker had stirred up a lot for her. "You're gunna be okay, kiddo. You will."
She hugged him tightly, closing her eyes and soaking in his comfort.
"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her. "I'm here."
She nodded, sniffling and holding onto him.
When she was ready and re-applied some makeup, they went back down and continued to watch the movie. Matt reached his hand over and gave it a squeeze. She looked to him and gave a soft smile, holding onto it as they finished with the movie.
"You okay?" Stefan asked when they all started getting ready for dessert. She had been fairly quiet the rest of the movie.
"Yeah," she said, curling some hair behind her ear. "I think just everything got to me for a minute."
He nodded, knowing how that felt.
"Sometimes, I feel like all the hurt…it's like it's trying to explode out of me," she admitted.
"You've been strong for everyone," he stated, going to sit at the kitchen island. "You don't let yourself feel everything because you're too busy caring for everyone else."
She was quiet, thinking over what he had said. And part of it felt true. "I miss you Stefan," she stated. "I miss us being friends."
"I do too," he conceded.
It was awkward trying to move forward and try to talk about other things, but the longer they stood in the kitchen together, the easier it became.
"Isn't this a cute moment," Damon declared, interrupting them.
Both Stefan and Elena went quiet.
"Oh, come on. The big couple—or well, not couple, getting back together and being cordial," he announced.
"Damon, that's enough," Stefan said.
"Right. I mean, we can't talk about Elena and her love interest. She has so many," he teased drunkenly.
"Damon, just stop," Elena said. She didn't want to go through this with him, and certainly didn't want to talk about her predicament while everyone was around at Thanksgiving.
"Am I interrupting?" Kol's voice called. He looked over at Elena, seeing she was safe. He had heard Damon being antagonizing from the other room.
"As a matter of fact, you are," Damon glowered. "Though, I was just talking to Elena about the will they won't they couple. Who is it nowadays, Elena? Kol? Stefan? Maybe Matt Donovan again?"
"Damon, seriously, enough," Stefan said, getting up to temper his brother.
"Ah," he said, pushing Stefan away from him. "That's right," he said a drunken smirk on his face. "It's all those Mikaelson men. I'm surprised Klaus isn't here to try and get under that dress."
Damon was sped around and shoved against the kitchen wall with a loud bang by Kol. "Watch your tongue."
"Kol," Elena called, not wanting thanksgiving to be ruined by them.
"Yeah, Kol," Damon glared.
Kol went and plunged his hand into Damon's chest, grabbing his heart. "Give me a reason," he demanded, ready to kill the man. He was growing tired of him.
"Kol!" Elena exclaimed, now seeing what was happening.
"Let him go, Kol," Elijah declared, having come into the kitchen.
"Kol, please!" Elena said. Stefan kept her back not wanting her close to the situation.
"I'm sick of you, Damon Salvatore," Kol stated. "Leave. And do not return."
He let Damon go, angered that he did. He hated the man getting another second chance.
Elena went over and grabbed a towel, wiping Kol's hand of Damon's blood. She noticed Damon still standing there and everyone gathering to see what was going on. "Damon, just go," she said tiredly. She was tired of his antics. Every good thing that happened, he tried to destroy.
Stefan excused himself and called it a night, telling Elena he'd see her later, as he went and shoved his brother out the door, making sure he'd get home.
"Everything alright?" Alaric asked.
"Fine," she sighed. She was stupid to think her life could be normal. Even for just one moment.
Washing her hands, she finished dusting the dessert with powdered sugar and went to go serve the rest of the meal.
"Elena. Elena," Elijah said, shaking her awake. It had been a few days since thanksgiving and Elena had spent most of her time the Mikaelsons trying figure out things about Esther and the Corded Soul concept.
"What time is it?" she groaned.
"A little past 1:00am," he said, bending down and handing her coffee.
"What are you doing in here?" he asked, having found her in the library.
"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. I wanted to finish this," she said, looking to the grimoire on her lap. He frowned, knowing she was pushing herself too hard. Kol and Finn had even noted it.
"Elena—"
"—please don't," she said, interrupting him. "I have a very good idea of what you're going to tell me and I really don't want to hear it, Elijah," she said.
She didn't want to stop working. She needed to know what Esther was going to do. If Thanksgiving made her feel anything, it was that she was tired of losing people.
He stared at her, pushing some hair from her eyes. He missed her. "I heard from one of my contacts. There is a witch far from here that may know something," he told her. "I'm going to go see her in the morning."
"I'm going," she said adamantly. "I need to."
"Then you need proper sleep." He pulled the coffee from her hands and set it on the table. Taking the grimoire from her lap, he closed it gently and helped her stand.
"I'm not tired, Elijah. I'm fine. I—"
"—you're not, Elena," he said as gently as possible. He tipped her chin to look at him. "You need sleep. If you're going with me tomorrow, you need to go to bed. It's over a day's travel."
Pondering the idea of arguing with him, she decided against it, knowing how stubborn he could be. "Fine. But you better wake me tomorrow so I can go with you."
"I will," he assured her, running his thumb gently over her cheek. He stared in her eyes, missing how she looked at him. Most days now, she could barely look at him.
They were captivated by one another, an undeniable chemistry between them.
The fireplace lit with a fire and their heads snapped to look at it.
"Uh, I should go. Goodnight," she said, quickly stepping back from his arms and rushing out.
He was left with an odd feeling of emptiness without her standing in front of him. Turning back to look at the fire, he savored the warmth of it, only comforted by the fact that she had felt a fire blaze in her too.
Both Kol and Finn were against her going with Elijah to seek out an unknown witch, but Elena was stubborn.
"I'm going," she told them, pouring her coffee in a travel mug.
Finn sighed and Kol hung his head in frustration.
"If you're not back in three days—" Kol warned.
"I know, you'll come for us," she said, giving his cheek a kiss.
"Your phone is charged?" Finn questioned.
"Full battery. And I have my phone charger," she nodded, giving his cheek a kiss too.
"We'll be fine," she told both men, seeing Elijah waiting for her in the kitchen doorway. Turning to him, she realized she had never seen him in casual clothes before. He was wearing jeans and a grey tee-shirt under his leather jacket.
"Elena?" he questioned, seeing her stare at him.
"Uh, nothing. Let's go," she said, grabbing her bag. He took it from her hands and led her to the car, opening the door for her.
"Elijah," Finn called.
Elijah looked to his brother and gave a nod. Elena was going to be safe with him.
Getting seated in the driver's seat, he glimpsed over to her to make sure she was set and then buckled in, starting the car and driving off.
They barely spoke the entire day. Kol had given her his music player, so she had listened to that most of the car ride.
"Elena," he said in their quiet as they laid next to one another, sharing a bed for the night.
"What, Elijah?" she asked softly, laying on her side.
"We haven't spoken to one another."
She nuzzled her face deeper into the pillow. "Maybe there isn't much to say."
He sat up on his elbow then, looking over at her. "There's plenty to say."
She laid quietly, lost in her thoughts, thinking about the damage they had done to one another. Elijah gently set his hand on her arm. "Elena," he pleaded. He wanted to take away the pain he caused her.
"Please, just go to sleep, okay?" she asked him. Her heart clenched with agony, thinking of how he had turned her away, denying their bond. She wasn't anything to him. And she wasn't about to fool herself into thinking she had meant something again.
He removed his hand from her arm and laid back down, running a hand through his hair. He was starting to doubt he'd ever get her trust or love back.
It was another long drive of silence and Elijah wasn't sure what to say. He wondered if maybe she was looking to get out of their bond completely. He knew denying it was hurting both of them; he could just feel it.
When they pulled up to the location, it was a bit of a walk.
"How do you know this woman has answers?" she asked as they walked through the woods. He was surprised to hear her voice. It soothed the ache in his chest.
"Supposedly she is familiar with old witchcraft such as this," he replied.
They walked a bit further until Elijah stopped her. A back was turned to them, a man feeding off an older Hispanic woman, who laid dead in his arms.
They listened to the grizzly noises and then watched her body drop to the ground.
"Elijah!" he cheered, turning around, his lips and mouth bloody.
Elena sucked in a sharp breath. Klaus.
"Doppelganger," he said with a mischievous smirk.
"Niklaus. What have you done?" Elijah asked, seeing a bunch of people on the property, all dead and fed on with their throats torn out.
"Well, since I couldn't find mother, I thought I have a bit of fun. This woman seemed to know quite a bit about these crystals that were given to us."
"And so, you thought it was best to kill them?" Elijah asked, stepping towards his brother and in front of Elena.
"They weren't being the most cooperative," he stated, glancing around.
Elijah shook his head. "What did she tell you?"
"Nothing we didn't already know, unfortunately," he said. "Though, she did mention that soulmates were linked as one. Our mother linked us with them. But it seems like you already knew that," he said, staring at his brother's unsurprised face.
"When all the white oak is gone from the world, yes, we will be linked to our soulmates," Elijah confirmed.
Klaus stood with anger and hurt; furious his brother had kept this from him.
"We found out only recently," Elijah clarified. "Mother had paid us a visit and held me captive to play a little game."
Klaus flinched to hear his brother had been harmed, and his curiosity was peaked at the 'game' their mother played, but knew didn't dare let on that he cared. He had written them all off. "And I bet you were so wishing for your bastard brother to be there."
"No, actually," Elijah remarked. "Elena saved us all."
Klaus's eyes flickered to the doppelganger, both upset and relieved at the news.
"Looks like we owe her our lives for stopping our mother and her games," Elijah announced.
"Esther is not yet dead," Klaus said flatly, looking back to his older brother. "Let's not go celebrating yet."
Elijah sighed. "Niklaus, come home. Stop this nonsense. We will find mother as a family."
"Are you all still bonded together?" he asked, thinking of how Kol and Finn shared relations with Elena, as well.
"That does not concern you," Elijah replied clipped.
"I'll take that as a yes," Klaus stated. He stepped towards Elijah. "And this is what you choose? This is the life you want? You want to bond yourself to her?"
"Yes," Elijah stated clearly.
Klaus's eyes went dark and his expression flat with hatred. His own brother was choosing the doppelganger over him. Over his own flesh and blood. His family. "As long as you are bonded to that wench, you are no brother of mine."
Klaus then sped, grabbing Elijah and biting him in the neck. Elijah let out a cry and then fell to the ground when he was released. Elena ran to him and knelt down.
"Let that be a clear warning," Klaus stated. "And do enjoy that bond you two share. I'm sure there will be much to discuss once the hallucinations and dementia set in."
He walked off, leaving the pair alone.
"Come on," Elena said, helping him to stand. She led them to the witch's house. Elijah was able to enter now that the owner was dead.
Shutting the door behind her, she glanced around the home. There were all sorts of talismans hanging and sage was burning. They must had been moments too late.
"Go sit down," Elena instructed, seeing the bed. She went rifling through all of the things, looking for things to help him. When she found some towels and clothes, she grabbed a bowl of water and went back over to him.
"Elena, you need to go. I will be fine here," Elijah spoke.
"Why are you always doing that?" she asked him, removing his bloody hand. "You always want me to leave you behind."
"It's not safe," he stated. "I'm not safe."
"And you think me walking through the woods on my own, trying to get back to the car would make me any safer?" she asked.
She dipped the cloth in water, wringing it out. "You don't just leave people behind, Elijah. Especially the ones you love."
"Is that what I am?" he questioned, raising his head to look at her. "Someone you love?"
She faltered, finding she had said words she didn't want to talk about with him. Deciding to focus on the wound, she inspected the bite mark.
"The bleeding stopped," she remarked. The skin around it looked dark and veiny.
Elijah stared at her, debating whether to push her. Seeing her turn away from him, he decidedly let it go. "Yes, I should be fine. The venom will pass in a few hours."
"We'll stay here until then," she said. "I'm not leaving."
He watched her go, seeing her change out the bowl of water and then continue to look around. He stood up and went to help her.
"You should lay down," she said, seeing him go through some cupboards.
"We came here for answers, did we not?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Then let me help," he replied. He went back to what he was doing, gathering a pile of things that could be of use to them upon closer inspection.
Elijah ran a hand over his face, blinking a few times and rubbing his eyes. Going and shedding his jacket, he rolled up his sleeves.
"Elijah," she said, glancing over to him. She stood up and set a book down. She felt his head. "You're feverish."
"I'm fine," he said, denying he was feeling ill.
She frowned. "You're not."
He stood frustrated with himself. "You came here with me to gather information on our bond, not to play…nurse-maid to a vampire with a temperature. Please, let us continue.
She shook her head, taking the book from his hand. "No. now, you please, go sit."
He stared at her worried face and gave in, doing as he was told. She went over with him, dipping the cloth in water and patting his head.
"Elena," he breathed, his eyes closing at the feel of her kindness. He savored it, taking comfort in how she pressed the rag to him.
"You're pale," she remarked worriedly. She pulled at his shirt to look at his wound. It was growing more gruesome.
"Elena," he begged. "This fever is going to make me even more unstable. Once the hallucinations start to set in, I'll start to see things. And when that happens, you must leave me here."
"I won't," she said adamantly, going to go wring out the cloth. He grabbed her wrist and waited for her to look at him. "I will be a danger to you. Please. You must do this for me."
"I can handle myself," she said strongly. "I'm not going, Elijah. So, stop asking me."
She wrung out the cloth again and went back to patting his skin. He soon began coughing and Elena took off her jacket, rolling it up and setting it behind his head as she pushed him to lay down.
"Elena—"
She stared a small fire in the fireplace nearby.
"Stop worrying about me," she said, having known what he was thinking. She pressed the cloth to him, sitting at the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry, Elena. I am so sorry," he said, his voice almost on the edge of tears.
"I know," she said calmly. "I know."
He stared at her, his entire being aching with pain. It wasn't from Klaus's bite, but his bond with her. He ached inside because of what he had done, of how they were denying one another.
"Rest," she demanded lightly.
He coughed harder and she got up, going to try and make him some tea. She wasn't sure what else she could do for him.
When the tea was ready, she had brought it over, helping him to sit up so he could drink. Only after a few sips, he pushed her away and threw up a large pile of blood.
"Forgive me," he groaned, seeing some of it was on her boots.
"It's okay," she said, setting down the drink and running her hand through his hair. She helped him lay back down and wiped his lips.
He coughed a horrid hoarse cough.
"What can I do?" she asked feeling helpless.
"Search through the witch's things," he instructed. He didn't want to hold her back. "Go." He squeezed her hand that rested on her forehead and had her go. He gave a hard cough.
She looked to him, taking a book from their large pile and going to sit with him. Helping him to sit up, she slid behind him and then put his head in her lap.
"Elena," he breathed, putting her hand over his that went back to his forehead.
She set the book beside her and opened it.
"You are stubborn, you know that?" he groaned.
She smiled down at him and then went back to running a hand through his hair while reading. He fell asleep for a little bit before waking up with a gasp. His body contorted in pain, spasming at the venom that ran through his body.
He gave a painful grunt and she held onto him.
"Shh, it's okay," she said soothingly. He looked up at her, his eyes helpless and in pain.
"I'm here," she assured him, caressing his warm face.
"Don't leave," he begged, running his hands up her arm and caressing her elbow. He craved her touch.
"I'm not going anywhere," she assured him.
Elijah did end up hallucinating, but it wasn't about his past like she thought. It was of her
"Come back," he begged. "Please…"
"Elijah," she called. She had stepped away to try and call Finn and Kol, but there was no service. Picking up his head, she slid back behind him and pressed a wet cloth to his head.
Suddenly she saw herself walking out the night they had fought and he had given up.
"Elena, please," he begged. "Please come back."
"Hey," she said loudly, needing him to snap out of it.
He looked at her, surprise on his face. He then blinked a few times and swallowed hard. He was out of breath. "I-I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she said, patting his skin.
"I-I…"
"I'm not walking out on you like that again, okay?"
He looked at her puzzled. "D-Did I let you enter my thoughts?"
She realized what he was saying then, about what had happened and how she was able see things from his point of view. Vampires could do that?
He pushed himself to sit up from bed.
"Hey," she scolded.
"N-No. I'm not well. I should go," he groaned, coughing again.
"Stop, Elijah," she said. "You're sick, I'm taking care of you."
"N-No."
"Elijah, lay your ass back down," she demanded. He looked at her in surprise and she let out a sigh. "If you want to make this right, then please, let me help you."
He gave it some consideration and then laid back down with her, putting his head back in her lap. She pressed the cloth to his skin again, trying to let it cool him.
"W-Wh-what I had said before…that night…" he thought about how he had let her believe she was unwanted.
"We can talk about it later," she said. "For now, just rest."
He held onto her, soaking in her comfort.
The hours progressed and he was only getting worse. The dementia set in and she watched over and over, every interaction of them, every failure he thought he had done by them. He awoke startled and gave a large yell of angst.
"Elijah," she called.
He held tightly onto her arm that reached out to him.
"Elijah, it's me. It's Elena," she said.
He looked to her, the features in his face struggling to change. His eyes went dark and the veins protruded around them.
"Elijah."
He sped towards her and she quickly used her magic to deflect him, sending him into a wall. Scurrying back, she stood and tried not to show him fear. Instead, she focused on calming her heartbeat and their bond, trying to lower his own anger and self-hatred.
"There goes my heart beating," she lightly sang. "'cause you are the reason. I'm losing my sleep. Please come back now."
He faltered, his features no longer transforming. He looked at her mystified. "Elena?"
She nodded. He rushed to her, checking her over to make sure she was uninjured, before hugging her tight. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he breathed.
"It's okay," she said holding onto him. They laid him back down, where his hands went up and down her. "I'm okay," she assured him.
"W-What...what were you singing?"
She gave a small laugh and blushed. "I'm not a very good singer."
"That's not what I asked," he said with a light smile, then coughing.
She put the cloth back to his head, patting his skin and wiping his blood-soaked lips. "And there goes my mind racing. And you are the reason," she sang gently, "that I'm still breathing. I'm hopeless now."
He stared up at her, enchanted to hear her.
"I'd climb every mountain, and swim every ocean, just to be with you and fix what I've broken."
He smiled lightly at the higher notes, enjoying her voice.
"Oh, 'cause I need you to see, that you are the reason."
"Keep going. Please," he requested with a cough.
She swallowed nervously. "There goes my hands shaking. And you are the reason. My heart keeps bleeding. I need you now," she said, watching him close his eyes. "And if I could turn back the clock, I'd make sure the light defeated the dark. I'd spend every hour, of every day keeping you safe."
She ran her hands through his hair. "And I'd climb every mountain," she sang, hitting the high note, "and swim every ocean, just to be with you and fix what I've broken."
He held her close, opening his eyes again.
"Oh, 'cause I need you to see, that you are the reason."
"Forgive me," he begged, reaching for her hand and putting their crystal in her palm.
There was a loud pop from the fireplace and the fire slowly died out. "I'll be right back," she said.
He held onto her. "Don't go," he requested. He didn't know if it was safe for her to go anywhere alone.
"I'll be okay," she said with a small smile. "I'll be right back."
Sliding out from the bed and sticking the crystal in her pocket, she left the cabin and grabbed some extra wood. Glancing around the dark outside and feeling the night's peace, she let out a breath. She was incredulous to believe her heart could hurt so much because of one man.
Going back inside, she looked to see Elijah asleep. With a smile she went and added the logs, restarting the fire with her magic. She dug in her pockets, pulling out the small corded crystal. Running her fingers over it, she thought about their history and all that he had shown her.
He had tried to fight it then too, but then had started to believe it, to fall for her, to love her.
She sat down at the small table and chairs and clutched the pendant.
Elijah woke feeling groggy. Rubbing his eyes and slowly sitting up, he looked around a smiled softly. Elena was asleep with her head resting on her arm at the table. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he rubbed his neck, finding his wound had healed. Slowly getting up, he re-adjusted to the venom out of his system and then went to her.
Kneeling down, he noticed a crystal in her hand. Seeing that Kol's was around her neck, he searched in his pocket for his and found it missing. He must have given her his.
"Elena," he said softly with a hand on her arm. "Elena."
She gave a groan, her eyes fluttering open. "Elijah?"
With her brain starting to wake, she picked up her head and looked around. The fire had gone out again and it was bright. It had been morning.
She looked down at him. "How are you feeling?" She pulled the collar of his shirt, seeing the wound completely healed.
"Better," he said staring at her. "Come. Let's get you back home."
He pulled her up and brushed some hair from her face. She turned and gathered some of the witch's belongings they deemed useful to their needs and stuck it in her bag. Walking back to the car together, they got in safely and she pulled out her phone seeing messages from Kol and Finn.
As Elijah started the car, Elena dialed Kol and they hit the road.
"Darling," he said relieved. "Where have you been?"
"Hey, we're okay," she replied.
"Elena?" Finn asked in the background. Kol must have put her on speaker.
"Hey. We're okay," she repeated. "There was a bit of trouble. We ran into Klaus."
"Niklaus?" Finn questioned.
"He killed the witch we were hoping to talk to and had bit Elijah. We had to stay and wait for the venom to pass. We're on our way back now."
"What?" the men snapped.
She spent the next few minutes calming them down and assuring them she wasn't hurt. Elijah glanced over at her.
"It'll take us an extra day to get home," she stated to the men on the line. "We should be in service the entire drive home. I'll have my phone on me."
Hanging up after another few minutes, she let out a breath.
"Well, this was quite the awkward little adventure, wouldn't you say?" he tried to joke.
She gave a nod, staring down at her lap.
"Elena—"
"—it didn't seem like the witch knew more than we did," she said, trying to switch topics. "I didn't find much in her things I looked at and I read through some of the books."
He glimpsed over at her. "How much sleep did you get?"
She shrugged. She wasn't sure.
He sighed. "The next stop we find, we can pick you up some coffee."
She gave a small smile at that, then glancing out the window. "Okay."
They stopped for breakfast before getting back on the road and driving for hours. The silence was maddening to Elijah and he could no longer take it after almost an entire day of it. "May we discuss the subject of us now? Or shall we continue to sit in awkward silence and try to ignore it?"
"If I said ignore it?" She questioned.
He gave her a frustrated look.
"What do you want me to say, Elijah?" She asked, glancing out of the window. Tears gathered in her eyes and she grew frustrated with herself. She ran a hand through her hair. "Maybe our bond is better left how it is. We are trying to fix something that is clearly broken."
"To me the very definition of broken suggests that something can be fixed," he stated. He took his eyes off the road to glimpse at her. "I have all eternity to accomplish one single task—earn your love back. And I will, Elena. Because if I surrender this, tell me what value would I be to myself…t-to…to you…."
She swallowed down a ball of growing emotions.
He glimpsed over at her again.
"I could have killed you that evening my mother held me captive," he said with hard eyes. "Esther made it so I had no choice but to feed from you—from the woman I love. I was weak. And if I had been unable to control myself..."
His chest felt tight when he thought about it. "She wanted me to see I was no more a man, but a monster like the rest of my siblings."
She was quiet.
"And yes, I did believe her," he admitted. "The fact I could have hurt you, that I—"
"—But you didn't, " she stressed. "You stayed in control and pulled away."
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "But I didn't want to."
She had tasted amazing. Her blood called to him, to drink more, to fulfill his desires not just his needs.
They went quiet.
"Then why do you want this?" She finally asked. "I'm giving you an out, Elijah. We'll find a way to break our bond and you'll be free."
His eyes narrowed. "Is that what you think I want?"
She glanced out the window. "I know how you had felt about this," she said quietly, thinking of his memories he let her see.
His brows furrowed and then he vaguely remembered letting her into his mind. "Then you also saw how I believed in it, how I still do."
She kept her focus elsewhere.
"I meant what I said to Niklaus, Elena. I want to be bonded with you." He looked down at her hand near the gear shift. Hesitant, he reached for her hand, encasing it with his.
Her teary eyes looked down at their embrace and part of her heart felt like it was mending. But the other wasn't sure what to be doing. "I-I need time," she said, pulling her hand away.
He swallowed the clump of hurt, fighting the tears from blurring his vision. Glancing over to her, he saw tears from her eyes fall down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away.
They drove in silence until nightfall. Elijah grabbed them a hotel and they laid in bed, each lost in the own thoughts.
"Elena," he said. "That song you sang to me…"
"Elijah," she sighed, rolling over to look at him. "You have to let that go."
He turned on his side to look at her, cupping her cheek. "I can't."
"You can," she said, putting her hand over his. She swallowed hard and pushed it down from her face. "It's a song. And I'm not a good singer."
"Why'd that song?"
She tensed and gave a half shrug. "It's the first that came to mind."
He stopped her from rolling back over. "Don't do that. Do not lie to me."
She let out a breath and looked at him. "It's something I heard once. And…" she felt nervous. "And that night I walked in to give you back the crystal, I thought of it—of you."
He stared down at her, his eyes searching hers. "Please forgive me," he begged.
"Elijah," she whispered softly.
He leaned in and kissed her, trying to convey how he felt for her. It had been such a few simple moments for them that night but somehow, he had ruined it all between them.
He sighed happily, feeling her kiss him back. All he could think about was the words to the song she sang to him. "Don't give up on me," he pleaded. "Not yet."
He watched her eyes flutter open and look at his. He swallowed hard and stared at her. "I need you."
She set her hand gently on his cheek and gave him a soft kiss, before pushing him to laid down. Setting her head on his chest, she curled herself against him and he held her tight.
"There goes my heart beating, 'cause you are the reason. I'm losing my sleep, please come back now," he said with a light singing voice.
"Elijah," she said with a small laugh, blushing and burying her face against him. She had never meant for this to be a thing.
"Come on," he encouraged, giving her head a kiss. "For me."
She sighed, shaking her head and taking a breath. "And there goes my mind racing. And you are the reason, that I'm still breathing. I'm hopeless now." She looked at him. "I'd climb every mountain, and swim every ocean."
"Just to be with you," he said staring back at her. "And fix what I've broken."
"Oh, 'cause I need you to see," they sang softly. "That you are the reason."
"Now go to sleep," she demanded, rolling over onto her other side and facing away from him.
Looking over to her, he debated for a moment about cuddling her and decided to at least test the waters. She hadn't said they were okay or speak much of if she wanted their bond gone, but she had laid her head on his chest. And kissed him.
Wrapping his arm around her waist, he curled behind her and kissed her head. She set her arm over his and he pursed his lips to hide his smile. Holding her close, the two quickly fell asleep with one another.
They got back by mid-afternoon and Kol raced out to hug her, making her laugh as he picked her up and twirled her around.
"God, I've missed you," he declared, pushing some hair back from her face and kissing her. She blushed when they pulled away, knowing it was fairly awkward for everyone for such shows of affection. "I haven't even been gone a week."
"It was damn close," he muttered.
She rolled her eyes and removed herself from his arms to go and hug Finn.
"You're alright?" he asked, checking her over to make sure there wasn't a mark on her.
"Yes, perfectly fine. Tired, but good."
"Well, let's get you to bed then," Kol teased, sweeping her off her feet bridal style and taking her inside.
"Kol," she laughed when he set her down in his bed and laid practically on top of her.
He smirked at her. "Life has been a bore without you, Darling."
She gave a laugh. "You act like I've been gone for weeks."
"It's been days at least," he noted, giving her a loving kiss.
She hummed in happiness and kissed him back eagerly. She missed the feel of his lips.
"Kol," she breathed, feeling his hands go under her shirt. She gave a small gasp as his thumbs swept under her bra at the underside of her breasts
"We can't do this here," she said, trying not to moan. She was sure Elijah and Finn would be able to hear her.
"I love your body," he complimented, getting lost in the way he could arouse her. He kissed and sucked on her neck.
"Kol," she shivered.
Before he could take things further her phone rang in her back pocket and so she lightly shoved him off her.
"Hey Bon," Elena said, her breath then hitching as Kol undid the button of her jeans.
"Hey. Care and I were going to go shopping. Did you want to come?"
She blinked a few times while trying to stop Kol's wandering hands from slipping under her panties. They both knew she was wet. "Uh, yeah. Right now?"
"Yeah, we'll all meet downtown."
"Sounds great" she replied, shutting her eyes as Kol went back to kissing her neck. Hanging up with Bonnie, his lips went back to hers.
"I-I..." she couldn't seem to speak words when he was on top of her. "Kol," she trembled as he lifted the bottom of her shirt and kissed all over her abdomen. "I have to go."
She ran her hands through his hair and pulled him up to her. "I'm not doing this here with you." She kissed him quickly and then stood and re-buttoned her pants. She kissed him one more time, seeing the discomfort in his pants. "I'll see you later."
She walked out of his room and tied up her hair.
"Bye Finn! Bye Elijah!" She called through the house. Making her way downstairs, she was surprised to see Rebekah. "Hey," she said awkwardly.
"You might as well just have a foursome with my brothers already," she complained, having heard Elena and Kol.
Elena's cheeks blushed dark red and she bowed her head.
"Rebekah," Finn scolded, coming into the large front room.
"What?" Rebekah asked with her hands on her hips. "It's not a big deal and you all want her. Just get it done already."
"Rebekah, how about you stay out of this?" Kol asked from the top of the stairs, a narrowed look at her. He could sense Elena's discomfort. "Or better yet, focus on your own sex life."
She rolled her eyes. "As if a sexual awakening isn't something you all need," she stated. She looked to see Elijah walking into the room with an unhappy look on his face.
"Having sex with Elena put both Kol and Finn in better moods for days," she justified. "And I half assumed you'd finally get some on this trip with the girl, Elijah."
"That is enough, " Elijah said in a curt tone. He knew sex was not a very open topic with Elena, and he worried if his sister kept talking and pushing, she would start to question things about all of them.
"Fine," Rebekah snapped, going to walk off.
"Rebekah," Elena called awkwardly. "I'm on my way to go shopping with Caroline and Bonnie, did you want to join?"
The blonde failed not to show her surprise, as did all of the brothers.
"Why not?" She questioned, going to grab her bag.
"Elena, you don't have to take Rebekah with you," Finn stated.
"Oh, shut it, Finn," Rebekah snapped.
"We would understand, considering her behavior," Elijah added, giving a glare to his sister. She quickly backed down and went quiet.
"We'll be fine," Elena said, not quite able to look at them. She turned to Rebekah. "Ready?"
The female Mikaelson nodded and the two left.
Elijah, Kol and Finn were each left sighing. "How bad do you think she blew it for us?" Kol asked his brothers. It was clear Elena was now questioning things.
Elijah was quiet. He was frustrated and worried. He had just started to get her back and now Rebekah was ruining things.
"Even for how remarkable she is handling our situation, Elena has been getting looks from townspeople," Finn noted. He knew it bothered her but she didn't like opening up about it.
"I'll speak with Rebekah," Elijah stated.
"Would she do it?" Kol wondered, thinking of what his sister had said to Elena.
"Kol," Finn scolded with narrowed eyes.
"I'm not saying to do it," he bit back at his brothers. "But I am wondering if it would help her."
"That is not something I could see Elena being ready for at this moment," Elijah replied.
"She's young, Kol," Finn added, though, he thought it didn't make her any less sexually experienced. She sometimes showed him things. He ran a hand through his hair.
"We need to respect her boundaries," Elijah concluded. "And help her as best we can through this difficult situation. "
"Then deal with Rebekah," Kol snapped, finding himself to be in a foul mood. He stomped his way back upstairs. His sister had to ruin everything.
Shopping hadn't been too bad with Rebekah. While Bonnie and Caroline were shocked at the add-on, she got along fairly well with them.
The girls had armfuls of new things by the time they were done and called it a night. Elena was shocked how successful and normal the whole thing had been.
A knock on her bedroom door broke her from her thoughts and she saw Kol lingering in her doorway.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" She asked, putting some of her new things away.
"I wanted to see you," he replied, coming to lay on her bed. The furniture was almost mirrored from how it once had been. "Jeremy let me in before he left."
She went and grabbed a hanger for her top.
"Elena, about what Rebekah said."
She tensed.
Kol sighed and dragged her over to stand in front of him. "My sister is jealous. She always has been. "
"Kol, its fine," she said, curling some hair behind her ear.
"Then why is it you can't look at me?" He challenged.
She hesitated, gathering the courage to prove him wrong. She glimpsed up at him briefly before shifting in his arms.
"It bothers you, Darling."
She swallowed hard and her cheeks flamed. "Would you guys...would you really want that?"
"Not if you didn't," he replied. "It doesnt matter to us."
She bit her lip. "But you guys only want me..."
"Elena," he sighed, knowing she was hung up on the pressure of it all. They hadn't mean to do so; they just wanted to let her know they didn't want to go off and explore other women like they did with her. They thought she'd feel comforted by it.
"Did you want me to sleep with other women?" He wondered
She made a face and tried to pull away, but he held her close. "Darling, I just want to help."
"Kol," she said awkwardly. She played with the buttons on his Henley and he waited patiently. "I've...I've never done something like that before," she whispered.
"A foursome," he stated.
She nodded uncomfortably. While she hadn't slept with Elijah yet, she wondered if she should be thinking of doing a foursome.
"We're not asking you to do that," he stated.
"I know. I just..." She thought she should consider it. But then she feared something like that would be incredibly awkward. And how would it work? She wasn't into some of the things that she knew could be done in those sorts of situations. She was inexperienced. Maybe vanilla. Maybe—
"—stop it," he demanded. He could feel her growing panic. It was easier to know her emotions when they were together. "Don't let my sister say these things to get in your head. We're all fine, Darling."
He grazed his thumb over her cheek and she let out a breath, glancing at him. "Kol, is this right? What we're all doing together... maybe I do need to pick. Or maybe breaking our bonds are best. I mean—"
"Stop," he demanded, this time now strongly.
She went quiet and looked at him.
"We're not breaking this, Elena."
"But—"
He kissed her. "You're afraid."
Her brows furrowed and she pushed away from him. "Of course, I am, Kol," she said. "I mean, all of this... when there is no white oak left in the world, you'll be tied to me and my lifespan. I know I'm part-witch and my aging has slowed, but is that what you really want?"
He stepped towards her and pulled her back to him. "I want my life with you," he confessed vulnerably.
She looked up at him, staring in his eyes. He leaned in and gave her a loving kiss. He wanted her to forget about everyone else.
She moaned against his mouth that teased her, kissing and sucking on her lips.
"We do happen to be alone," he smirked, his head pressed to hers and their bodies against one another.
"Jeremy could come home at any time," she countered, knowing what he was thinking. Alaric was going to be at Meredith's for the night and they had the house to themselves.
Her eyes fluttered closed as he kissed her neck.
Jeremy Gilbert left not too long ago. They'd have plenty of time with one another.
He sped her to bed and kissed her hungrily. He missed being able to touch her and hear her.
"Kol," she shivered, feeling him nibble at her neck and unbutton her jeans again.
She went for his pants, teasing him by rubbing her hand over the large bulge she felt.
"You are going to pay for that," he whispered in her ear, feeling her rile him up. She bit her lip in anticipation and he groaned, sensing her arousal.
She quickly undid his pants and he pulled at her top, removing the layers of fabric that covered her chest.
"Kol," she gasped. Her back arched as he sucked greedily on her breasts as she pumped him with of one her warm hand.
He let go of one of her perky nipples, burying his face between her breasts as he groaned. She was so good at touching him.
Pulling back slightly, he helped her with her pants and took off his own shirt. Taking her hand from around him, he set it on her
"Touch yourself for me, darling," he commanded, going and kissing all over her chest some more.
He guided and helped her hand, groaning as she covered her own fingers with her wetness. She was always willing to try things with him.
"Kol," she pleaded.
He pulled her fingers from her core, sucking them into her mouth. She gasped and whined, watching him watch her.
"My god," he murmured going and spreading her thighs apart. He latched onto her mound hungrily, drinking up her arousal. She gasped and moaned, panting heavily as she watched him.
"Oh...god..." she whined. He nipped her clit and looked to her, smirking from between her thighs. His beard was wet with her.
"You love this, don't you?" He teased.
She nodded, running her hand through his hair and watching him. "More."
He grinned. "As you wish."
He went back down on her, teasing her with his tongue. He sucked happily on her clit and it quickly brought her to an orgasm. He moaned happily to hear her call his name and tug at his hair.
"Kol," she shook, pulling him upward. "I need you."
He kissed his way back up her body, kissing every bit of her skin before joining lips again. His hand came down to play with her, fingering her back to a slick wetness.
"Oh..."
"That's it," he encouraged, sucking on her neck. He took himself in his hand, aligning at her entrance and sliding in.
She moaned loudly, arching her back as she felt him. "Yes," she panted. She kissed him hungrily, sucking on his neck and down his arm. She gasped as he thrusted.
"You are so wet for me," he murmured, nibbling her ear.
He thrusted fast and she mewed with pleasure, holding onto him as he did. It wasn't long before she tensed and called out again, clawing his skin and clutching the sheets in orgasm. He groaned at the heavenly sight, soon spilling inside of her with jagged thrusts as he finished.
"Oh my god," she panted, not having felt so good since Finn.
Kol smirked and kissed her lovingly. "You look well satisfied."
She blushed and he laughed.
"So do you," she countered.
"I am," he replied, leaning in and kissing her.
They made out with one another until they were ready again. Kol rolled her on top of him, smirking at her, knowing the position he wanted her in.
"You know you love it," he told her, pressing his thumb to her clit while he was buried inside of her.
He loved to not only see her ride him, but lose herself when he touched her; or when he made her touch herself.
"Kol," she moaned, rocking herself on top of him and riding him for pleasure.
He watched her go, moving her hips and moaning for him. He loved to see her head tossed back and her rounded peaks of flesh at attention for him.
She gasped as he rubbed faster, moaning loudly at the sensation. He was entirely too good with his fingers.
Whimpering uncontrollably, she held onto him and cried out when she was satisfied, her entire body tensing for him.
"Fuck, Elena," he muttered, having watched her climax on him. He quickly rolled her over, pounding inside of her, needing to hear her again.
"Yes...yes..." she gasped, arching her back as he controlled them.
She sucked on his neck and cupped his rear, pushing him inside of her to go deeper. "Oh...Kol...yes…"
The coil in her stomach tensed and she could feel herself getting to the edge. "Don't stop," she pleaded. She held onto him, whimpering as he thrusted. It felt incredible to be loved by him.
He pulled back from her, changing their position slightly. He sat on his knees, raising her hips to meet him and stimulated her clit.
She found herself gasping at the different angle and with his thumb stimulating her, her body tightened around him and the both finished together.
He pulled out from her slowly, proud to see her body so spent and able to take his complete length. He was covered in her and he loved to see it.
Going and laying beside her, he gathered her into his arms and kissed her lovingly.
Sex was exactly what they both needed.
"A foursome. Really?" Bonnie asked with eyebrows raised high.
"Hot," Caroline noted, eating some popcorn and painting Elena's nails.
"Are you going to do it?" Bonnie wondered.
"What? No," Elena said quickly. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment. She couldn't believe she was talking about this. "I mean…I don't think so. It's not like they're pressuring me or anything, but I don't know...its…weird. It's not like I'd know what to do. I—…I-I don't know."
"Do you think they've done one before?" Bonnie wondered to her friends curiously.
Caroline looked interested at the thought and Elena buried her face. "It wouldn't hurt to ask."
"Yeah, because that isn't uncomfortable at all," she said to her friends. "It's…it's not like we talk about this. I mean, Rebekah brought it up, but it's not something I want to mention to them."
Caroline glanced to her friend and went back to painting her toes. "It wouldn't be the worst thing to consider it. If it's what makes you happy, I say go for it."
Elena groaned.
Bonnie sat trying to absorb the information. It was still odd to her sometimes that her friend was stuck with all of the Mikaelsons. "What about asking Kol? Or talk to Elijah or Finn? Maybe you don't have to approach each one of them, just whoever you feel most comfortable."
Elena sat struggling. "I only talked with Kol about it because he brought it up. And Finn and I haven't really done much since that one time. And I…I haven't slept with Elijah."
"What?!" Both girls shouted in surprise. Elena looked at them alarmed.
"No offense, but Elijah was the first one we thought you'd both do it with," Bonnie clarified.
"You two are like…I don't know. You've got vibes," Caroline justified.
"You always have," Bonnie noted.
Elena blushed and shifted in her spot on the floor. "Well, we haven't…" she ran her hand through her hair and let out a breath. "Honestly, I'm still trying to trust him again and believe he wants this whole bond thing."
Both girls frowned.
"Well, if you do decide to do a foursome, I want to hear all about it," Caroline stated.
Both Bonnie and Elena gave a laugh and Elena blushed.
"It's hot," Bonnie admitted.
"They're hot," Caroline added.
Elena's smile faded at that.
"What's that look for?" Bonnie asked, catching her look.
"Nothing," Elena said. "It just…I feel like a foursome would just complicate everything more than what it already is."
"How so?" Bonnie asked.
"Esther made it seem like I could choose—like I should choose. And while we are trying out this open-relationship thing, I feel like I'm dragging them along still," she sighed. "And I feel like I've got enough comments about all of them as it is."
Both girls frowned.
"Elena, don't listen to the people around town," Bonnie said kindly.
"They're stupid," Caroline stated.
Elena ran a hand through her hair. "I know how it looks."
"Who cares?" Caroline asked. "It's not anyones business."
Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Live life how you want to live it."
She groaned and put her face in her hands. If only it were that simple.
As soon as December 1st hit, Elena and Jeremy were decorating the house with Christmas decorations and ignoring Alaric with the holiday music.
"Stop being scrouge," Jeremy told their guardian with a laugh, chucking him some tinsel to hang around the house.
"It's the first day of December," he complained.
"You're lucky we didn't start hanging things right after thanksgiving," Elena teased.
The Gilberts both smiled to one another while Alaric rolled his eyes.
"It's tradition," Jeremy declared. Christmas had been their favorite holiday and as soon as the moth had hit, they were all putting up decorations.
"Ric's just grumpy because he has to go shopping," Elena teased.
"Hey," he said turning to the kids. "You both are terrible to shop for."
"Excuses, excuses," Elena teased. Ric threw some popcorn at her and she laughed.
The doorbell rang and Elena got up to go and get it. Her smile faded when she saw Mayor Lockwood standing on her doorstep.
"Elena," The woman smiled brightly.
"Hi Mayor Lockwood. Is everything okay?"
"Oh of course," she waved off. "May I come in?"
Elena nodded, stepping back puzzled and letting the woman into her house. She wasn't sure of a time Tyler's mom had ever stopped by her place.
"Alaric, Jeremy," the mayor smiled.
"Mayor Lockwood, what a surprise," Alaric said, glancing to Elena for insight why the woman would be in their home. Elena gave him a bewildered look.
"I know it's a bit unexpected," she said. "I was hoping to actually have a moment of your time. I wanted to talk to you about a big project coming up for the town."
"Oh?" Jeremy asked.
The mayor smiled. "We are going to be restoring Wickery Bridge, and I was hoping not only as founding council, Alaric, but you, Elena and Jeremy would also be there."
"That bridge killed our parents," Jeremy said somewhat angrily.
"I know," The mayor said in a moment of somberness. "But that is why it would mean so much if you both were there to support this cause. Our town could really use the update and honestly, it'd be safer so no accident ever happens like that again."
Alaric glanced to the kids, seeing them upset. "You know Mayor, it is something we will need to think about. Thank you, though."
"Honestly, it would mean so much if you could be there. Maybe even speak for a few moments. We are going to be putting on a fundraiser event and you can be there when we get to the big reveal when the bridge is restored."
Alaric nodded, escorting the woman to the door.
"We'll give it some thought, thanks," he said. Closing the door, he sighed and looked to the two kids. Jeremy looked angry, while Elena was consumed with hurt.
"Guys. Come on, talk to me," he said.
"That's pathetic," Jeremy declared. "And just—" he held in his anger and looked to Elena. She was quiet; lost in her own world.
"Elena," Alaric prodded.
She looked to Alaric and Jeremy. "I'm not going," she said strongly. "I'm not."
"Okay," he said. He wouldn't dare force them into such a thing. They stood quietly with one another.
"I need to get some air for a bit," she said, going and grabbing her coat.
"I'll go with you," Jeremy added quickly.
"No…I…I'll be okay. I just need a bit to myself," she said. Kissing both men on the cheek, she slipped from the house. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she walked her way to the flower shop and bought a small bouquet.
Walking to a familiar area, she sighed and looked down to the plots of land. Picking apart the bouquet, she placed flowers on each of the stones. John. Jenna. Her mom and her dad.
"Hey mom. Hey dad," she said softly. Her fingers traced their names and she hung her head. Her heart ached for them, for things to be different again. She hated them being gone.
She thought about what the mayor said and how they were redoing the bridge.
"Elena?" Finn called. Elena turned around, finding Finn, Elijah and Kol standing with her in the graveyard. She quickly wiped her face and looked at them. "What are you guys doing here? Did Ric or Jeremy call you?"
"No actually," Elijah remarked, interested to know why they would.
"We could feel you," Kol stated.
Her brows furrowed.
"What's going on, Elena?" Finn asked.
"Nothing," she said, curling some hair behind her ear and looking from them. "Look. I appreciate you guys being here, but I'm fine."
"Which is why you wondered if Jeremy or Alaric would have called us," Elijah said pointedly.
She fought from rolling her eyes at him. Looking back to the graves before her, she stared at her dead loved ones, focusing on her parents.
"Mayor Lockwood came by today," she told the three. "They're going to be restoring Wickery Bridge."
The three raised eyebrows.
"The mayor requested Jeremy and I attend to show our support in a few days."
"You're not serious," Kol remarked.
She gave a dry laugh. "I wish I wasn't." But the mayor had asked her.
"Elena, you don't have to go," Finn said as if it were obvious.
"I know," she remarked. But part of her felt like by not going, she was letting her parents down. They went to almost every Founder's event. They did everything that was asked of them and more.
"You're considering it," Elijah said knowingly.
She was quiet. Her back stayed to them.
"Darling," Kol said, stepping towards her and putting a hand on her arm.
She looked to him; her eyes wet with tears. "I should go." She gave one last glance to her parents and then walked from their graves trying to keep her head up and face dry.
Walking out from the graveyard, she saw a group of girls talking and laughing. They stopped at the sight of her with the Mikaelsons behind her, and walked off, hushly talking about her.
"Elena," Elijah started. They listened to the girls calling Elena a slut and wondering why she was with them. He despised them.
"Please," she asked, moving herself away from his touch. "Just…I have to go," she told the three of them, walking away.
"Remind me to kill Rebekah," Finn muttered. Ever since their sister had made those comments to Elena, it hadn't been the same. She was holding back from them. Kol had said they had talked about it, but the days that followed showed she was still asking herself questions.
"Yes. Remind me to remind you to get in line," Elijah remarked, staring a deadly glare at the girls who had made comments. They quickly scurried away.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jeremy asked.
She nodded, a hand to her stomach in nausea. Letting out a breath, she took her brother's arm and the two walked down to Alaric.
"You guys okay?" he asked with concern.
"No," Elena answered with honesty.
"But we will be," Jeremy noted. She looked to him and nodded. Alaric went and hugged the two them, knowing how hard it was for the two of them.
It wasn't long before they pulled up to the Mikaelsons, letting valet take the car. It had been a huge surprise to Elena to know the family had taken over the fundraiser, hosting it at the mansion.
"Ready?" Alaric asked the kids.
Both looked to one another and then nodded. "Ready," the Gilberts said.
They walked into the mansion where twinkly lights were hung and waiters were walking around.
"This is definitely more than just a suit type of occasion," Alaric noted quietly to the children, glancing at everyone's attire. He felt underdressed.
"You think?" Jeremy muttered, fixing his suit coat.
Elena took a glass of champagne off the waiter's tray and Alaric gave her a look, taking it from her. "What could of parent would I look like if I let you underage drink in front of me?" he questioned.
"One understanding to the horrible stress of this evening?" she questioned.
He frowned. "One sip."
She took a large gulp and Jeremy gave a laugh while Alaric rolled his eyes, snatching up the drink.
"Alaric," The mayor said with a smile. "Kids."
"Mayor," they nodded.
"Isn't this great?" she asked, glancing around to the founders and the Mikaelson mansion.
"Yeah, it's…something," Ric said. Elena and Jeremy held back their snickering.
"We'll leave you both to it," Jeremy noted, putting his hand on his sister's back and guiding her to the bar.
"Elena," the mayor said, stopping her from leaving. "I was hoping you would say a few words."
"Mayor…" Alaric trailed.
"Uh…I…."
"It would mean so much," the mayor said.
Elena faked a smile and nodded. "Sure."
She then walked off with Jeremy, heading for the bar.
"You didn't have to say yes," he stated.
"What was I supposed to say, Jer?" she asked. "Sorry Mayor Lockwood but I'm dying inside?"
He frowned. "Maybe people need to hear it."
She disagreed.
"Darling," Kol remarked, coming up behind her. "Jeremy."
Jeremy nodded to the man and Elena turned around and took in his handsome figure. He looked very good in a suit. He kissed her cheek and handed her some champagne. "You look like you could use this."
"Thank you," she murmured, taking a gulp of it. Jeremy grabbed the glass from her and finished it off. "Hey!"
"We both need this," he said.
She let it go, momentarily forgetting how he was handling things. They each ordered another glass of champagne, swallowing it down before Alaric came to re-join them.
"I'll pretend I didn't see that," he told the kids. He looked to the Mikaelson. "Kol."
"Alaric."
Elena looked to the crowd of Founders. Here stomach was doing turns.
"You look beautiful, Elena," Kol murmured with his hand on her bare back. She wore a fitted black dress that was long sleeve and open in the back. It stopped mid-thigh and hugged her curves perfectly.
She looked to him beside her and gave a soft smile. "Thanks."
They stared at one another intensely until a throat clearing interrupted them.
"Damon. Stefan," Alaric noted.
"Ric," Damon spoke.
"Elena," Stefan acknowledged.
"Hey, Stefan," she said with a small smile.
"That's fine. I'm not here or anything," Damon said sarcastically.
"Damon," she said with a glare.
"Elena," a voice called behind the Salvatores. They looked to see Elijah.
"Elijah," Elena said with a small smile, relief in her voice. If there was one to break the tension and keep things from falling completely out of control, it'd be him.
"Oh goodie," Damon muttered. "You again."
Elena frowned.
"Damon," Stefan scolded.
"What are you even doing here, Damon?" Jeremy wondered.
"Showing our support," he said with a charming smile.
"Right," Alaric and Elena said disbelieving.
"We heard about the event from Mayor Lockwood. She told us you were planning to be here and have you speak. We wanted to be here for you," Stefan said in a kinder manner.
"You're speaking?" Kol asked surprised.
She shifted uncomfortably. "The mayor asked me."
Elijah looked at her with concern.
"Alaric," a voice interrupted. Heads turned to see Meredith Fell in a dark purple dress. "Hey Elena. Jeremy."
They each gave her a hug.
"Damon, Stefan. Elijah, you have such a wonderful place. And you too of course, Kol," she said.
"Thank you," both Mikaelsons stated, shooting a quick glare to one another.
"Elena, would you like to dance?" Stefan asked.
She looked at him with surprise. She usually had to drag him to the dance floor.
"I'm only asking once," he said with a teasing smile. Smiling to him, she set her hand in his and excused herself from the group.
"Thank you," she breathed when they were away from everyone.
"You looked like you needed it," he shrugged. She gave a small smile he mirrored it back, happy to see her smiling at him again. Giving her a twirl, the two danced and talked for song after song, until a being came to stand near them.
"My turn little brother," Damon said.
Stefan hesitated and Elena gave a reluctant nod.
Stefan stepped back and let Damon dance with her, making sure to keep an eye on her.
"You can't still be mad at me," Damon said, slowly moving with her.
"You snapped my brother's neck and got drunk over Thanksgiving, once again, causing a scene. Yes, Damon. I am mad."
"What about the time I saved your life from your crazy stalker?"
"You didn't," she replied, glancing around the ballroom. "Elijah, Finn and Kol did that."
"Right and I was just the vampire outside with a bomb."
"Don't," she snapped.
Damon huffed, his jaw tensing. "Yes, I got mad," he admitted. "My little brother was a crazy blood-binging ripper and I…went a bit off the rails too," he remarked. "But you can't blame me."
"I'm not blaming you, Damon," she said blankly. "I've finally come to accept the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities. That's what you wanted wasn't it, when you snapped Jeremy's neck? You wanted me to hurt because you did. So, you got what you wanted, Damon."
"That's—"
A throat cleared and they looked to see Finn standing near them. "May I?"
Damon glared and Elena took a step back, ready to go to someone new. They both waited for Damon to take his exit before dancing with one another.
"I haven't seen much of you lately," he stated, looking down at her.
She nodded. She had been avoiding them. She wasn't sure what to do or how to feel and everything felt like it was out of control.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
"No," she confessed.
He frowned. "You know you always can, Elena."
"I know," she said softly, glancing around to the crowd. "It's just hard, Finn."
"Which part?" he questioned.
"All of it," she said, looking up to him with her doe eyes. "All of it is."
He stared at her, wishing badly to kiss her and take away the pain. But he knew kissing her would only make it harder, especially in public. Instead, he opted for staring in her eyes, showing her safety in his arms and calm through their bond. He wanted to assure her as best he could, that things would be okay with them.
"Elena, dear," the mayor interrupted. Both Finn and Elena looked to the mayor. "Come on. Let's go have you speak to the crowd."
"Mayor—" Finn interrupted, not comfortable with Elena doing such a thing.
"It's okay," she murmured to him. Giving him a kiss to the cheek, she left with the mayor through the crowd.
"He's a bit old for you, don't you think, sweetie?" she asked.
Elena swallowed hard, taken aback by the open commentary. Glancing up, she noticed Elijah and Kol waiting for her. She could tell they could see how she was feeling, looking at her with concern and the mayor with distain.
Before Elena could walk up the stairs, Elijah caught her arm. "Are you sure this is what you want, Elena?"
She looked at him, her eyes unsure. "I…I think it's what my parents would want," she spoke in honesty.
Finn and Rebekah came to join them and she let out a nervous breath. Looking to the stairs, she walked up them with the Mikaelsons and the mayor and waited for Elijah to gather the crowd's attention.
When Elijah step back and let her have the floor, she froze. Staring at all of the blank faced people, her heart felt ready to pound out of her chest. Catching Jeremy's eye, he gave her a nod. Alaric nodded to her as well, mouthing to her to breathe.
"I used to think that the worst day of loving someone is the day that you lose them," she blurted to the crowd nervously. "…Jeremy and I lost our parents to an accident on Wickery Bridge."
She glanced to the mayor, who was trying not to make a face and revoke Elena from speaking. This was supposed to get people to donate money. She took another breath and tried to calm herself and try again.
"I had a plan," she told the crowd. "After their death, I wanted to change who I was—create a life as someone new. Someone without the past." She gave a sad smile and looked to her hands. "But it's a bit hard to do that when you live in a small town and everyone knows who you are."
The crowd gave a small laugh.
"I wanted to be someone who wouldn't hold pain or loss—someone alive," she admitted, staring at all of the faces. "But It's not that easy. Bad things stay with you. They follow you. You can't escape them as much as you want to." She swallowed hard. "All you can do is be ready for the good, so when it comes, you invite it in."
She looked to the mayor. "This project in restoring Wickery Bridge is that. It is the good and something new we can come together as a town and be proud of. With a new bridge comes new memories—good ones. I hope you can help my brother and me by joining in Mayor Lockwood's newest project of restoring Wickery Bridge. Thank you."
Elena backed up to let the mayor speak and let out a breath.
"Beautifully said," Elijah murmured in her ear while slyly reaching for her hand.
She gave a smile and linked fingers with his, relieved even more when he gave her hand a squeeze.
They mayor talked for a few minutes before dismissing everyone back to the party.
"Come with me," Elijah murmured.
They walked down the steps and Elena followed Elijah out the back door, slipping away from the party.
"Elijah, where are we going?" she asked. He pulled her away, taking her to a gazebo she didn't even know existed on the property. There were twinkly lights hanging, champagne on ice and some glasses for them. He also had a small fire pit and a bag of marshmallows.
He shed his jacket and set it over the back of the sofa.
"Come. Sit," he said causally.
She smiled to the scene and gave a laugh. She wondered how he had done all of this while at a party, but it was Elijah. He was full of perfect plans.
"There is a party going on in your own home, you know," she said lightly.
"Yes, well. Let them party then," he remarked, giving her a smirk as he poured them champagne. "I think you've done quite enough."
He handed her a glass and sat down on the sofa, waiting for her to join him.
She couldn't help but ogle at how good he looked in a three-piece suit. Even just his black vest and white dress shirt had her tingly.
She went and sat next to him and he pulled her in gently to lean against him.
"Someone could see," she said slightly worried, though she was comforted by his touch.
"Then let them," he replied simply. He looked at her and ran a hand down her curled hair. "I know this is difficult for you, Elena," he murmured. "This situation is…complex, but we only want what is best for you."
"I know," she said softly, reaching over and setting her drink back down on the table.
"Caroline and Bonnie have this theory," she said curling some hair behind her ear. "Most of why the town talks about me in the way they do is because I took Mystic Falls most eligible bachelors."
A smile grew across his face and he gave a laugh. "Interesting theory."
She nodded with a small smile on her own lips.
"How are you holding up with tonight?" he asked in their silence.
"I miss them," she said thoughtfully. "—my parents."
He was quiet, watching her carefully.
"I also kind of told Damon off today," she confessed.
"I heard," he remarked. He had seen the pair dancing and was glad when Finn had stepped in.
She blushed.
"Elena. You've been avoiding us. Why?"
"…I feel like a mess," she said frankly. "Every time I feel like I have something together, something else falls apart."
He stared at her. "And you feel you have to be…what? Put together?"
She sat thoughtful. "I'm not sure," she said in honesty. She sat back and tucked herself against him. he kissed her head. "I guess part of me does. I don't want to rope you into more than what I have."
"Look at me," he commanded lightly. She looked to him.
"We want to be there, Elena. I want to."
She frowned. "I'm the talk of the town, Elijah," she said softly. "If I'm not being asked what I'm doing with the three of you, it's being judged or blamed for seducing you. I'm the slut of the town."
His jaw clenched. He began setting plans in motion in his head to rectify the situation. He didn't care if he'd have to get the entire town off of vervain to make it right.
"I know I'm not supposed to let it get to me," she said. "But…I don't even know what I'm doing exactly," she said. "What if it is better to cut the bonds with all of us?" she urged. "Start fresh and not like…this. Kol says no, but…"
"Would you be asking this if the town was not speaking about you?" he questioned.
She hesitated. "I think I'd still have my doubts."
"But would you want to break the bonds?" he asked again.
"No, probably not," she said softly. She was caving to social pressure and letting townspeople get to her. "…but I did find a way to break it, maybe."
He stared at her, his eyes demanding answers.
"I-I don't know if It'd necessarily break our bond, but it might change how your life is linked to mine."
Realization crossed his face. "You found something in the witch's book."
She gave a guilty nod. She had finished a different one she took from the cabin and found some answers that she had been sitting on for days now.
"This is part of why you were avoiding us, isn't it?"
"I…I needed time to think about it."
"And what have you concluded?" he wondered, setting his own drink down.
She looked at him. "I have feelings for each of you," she admitted. "And I feel ridiculous because of it."
"Why?"
She looked away ashamed.
"Elena," he said gently.
"I know what this is—what we're doing," she spoke. "But…it's like Esther gave me this choice. And then what happened between us…"
He ran a hand through her hair and to the back of her neck. "I'm not going anywhere."
She closed her eyes briefly as he kissed her head. "I will always be here for you," he murmured.
"Promise?" she asked softly.
"Always," he replied, brushing some hair from her eyes.
She laid her head against him and watched the fire dance in the fire pit. They sat together in silence, enjoying each other's company and rekindling what they used to have. Eventually Elena roasted a marshmallow and was giggling when she made Elijah try one and got his lips to be all sticky.
"Why thank you for that," he said with a smile, trying to wipe his mouth of the gooey gunk.
Smiling, she leaned in and gave him a kiss, giggling again when their lips stuck together from the stickiness.
Finding he liked that, his eyes sparked and he leaned in, kissing her again.
"Okay," she laughed, pulling back from him after a few minutes. They were both red-lipped and gluey.
They talked casually while roasting a few more globs of sugar and then Elijah pulled her up to dance with him. Swaying to a light beat from the house, she laid her head against his shoulder.
"Thank you for this, Elijah," she said, finding she liked being away from the party.
"Anything for you, Elena," he murmured.
Elijah had discussed with his brothers on Elena's secret concerning their linking and they called her over to discuss it all as one.
"It's like an unlinking spell," she told them, handing over the book to Elijah when he requested to see it.
"Elena, why didn't you tell us?" Finn asked slightly hurt.
"I needed time," she admitted. "I'm not saying I want to do the spell, but maybe if it helps not tie our lives together... I mean, you'd be less vulnerable then, right?"
"We're not doing this," Kol said adamantly.
"I agree," Elijah remarked, handing his younger brother the witch's book to analyze.
"I, as well," Finn stated. "We all want this bond."
Kol came and sat down with Elena, giving the back of her hand a kiss. "You're stuck with us, Darling. For better or for worse."
"Kol," Finn said irritated. It sounded like wedding vows and he didn't want Elena scared or intimated more than she was.
"What about Esther?" She asked them worriedly. They needed to figure out what she was up to. She was out scheming somewhere, probably planning another attack. "And Klaus."
"Let us handle them," Elijah spoke.
"We will let you know if we hear anything," Kol added calmly.
"In the meantime, " Finn spoke, standing up and holding his hand out. "Come with me."
She looked at him curious and briefly to the two other men before taking his hand. He pulled her up and into his arms.
"Hold on," he cautioned.
Doing as she was told, the two sped off and arrived outside a very fancy hotel in the city.
"Okay…what's going on?" she asked.
Finn dragged her inside where they went through the circular revolving door. He dragged her past the reception area and to the elevator, pressing the down button.
Seeing him hit the button for the spa, she looked at him intrigued.
"You are quite tense these days," he remarked. "You need a break. And I'm here to help you with that."
She gave him a raised brow. "Is this the part where you tell me you were a masseuse in your past centuries?"
"Funny," he remarked giving her a kiss. "I see Kol's humor has rubbed off on you."
She gave a jokingly appalled look making them both chuckle. She lightly shoved him and grinned.
The doors opened and he dragged her out. "A couple's massage was more my line of thinking."
He went and checked them in while she marveled at her surroundings. It looked to be a very top of the line place.
"Right this way, miss," a receptionist said with a robe and things in hand. Elena looked to Finn hesitantly.
"Go, I'll meet you in there," he said, giving her a kiss to the head. He went walking off with his own attendant.
Elena was taken to a fancy locker room and give a robe and sandals to change into. From there, she was taken down a long hall and to a room where Finn was already waiting for her. The lights were dim, candles were burning, and two tables were set up beside one another.
"Have you done this before?" Elena asked Finn when they were left alone to lay down and get comfortable. He seemed perfectly calm and content with practically being naked in just a robe.
"Not at all," he remarked, going over to her. He watched her tie her hair up. He thought she looked beautiful. "This is completely new."
She analyzed him, wondering how he could be so collected about the new experience. She had never had a massage done before and it felt awkward to her to be so exposed to strangers.
"Relax, Elena," he said in an assuring tone. He guided her to lay on her stomach and then rolled down her robe from her shoulders when she was situated. Giving her smooth skin a kiss to her bare shoulder, he went to his table and adjusted himself.
The attendants came in a few minutes later, grabbing lotion and beginning the soothing treatment. Elena laid looking to Finn, who reached out his hand for her and held it to ease her.
The two stared at one another, getting lost in their own world, and it helped to calm her. She was eventually able to find the massage relaxing instead of awkward and she enjoyed herself and the way her muscles got kneaded.
"Was it so bad?" he wondered, watching her get up from the table after the masseuses left.
"No," she blushed. "It wasn't."
He smiled to her, pulling her to him and giving her a long loving kiss. "Would you want to continue?"
She looked at him interestedly. "There's more?"
"Much if you agree to it."
She gave a nod and kissed him. "As long as you're there."
"Most definitely," he murmured, kissing her further. They stayed making out with one another for a while until they felt they were going to get carried away.
"Later," he assured her. He guided her from the room, where some employees were waiting. Finn had treated her to everything—full body and scalp massage, facial, steam treatment, pedicure, hot stones, and more. It was an incredibly pampering day.
"Is it bad I don't want to leave?" she said lightly, smiling and giving him her neck as they laid in a private jetted jacuzzi together. He kissed up and down the column of her neck as she sat in his lap. They had been making out while the bubbles roared around them.
"Not at all," he replied, groaning as she craned her neck back to meet his lips with hers. "Though there are other activities we could do in this hotel."
She looked at him with a smirk. She turned in his arms, straddling him and feeling how his thick member bobbed against her stomach. "Why, Finn Mikaelson, I like the way you think."
He brought his hand up from the warm water, pulling her into a hard kiss. "Get out of the tub, Miss Gilbert. Before I have my way with you."
She grinned, standing up from him and giving him a teasing look. She could feel how his stare swept over her entire body, taking in every inch of her skin. "Like what you see?"
"You know I very much do," he remarked, standing up with her to follow her out. His hands grabbed her waist before she could leave the water and he pressed her back against him; his lips finding her skin again.
"Finn," she breathed, holding back a moan that wanted to escape her lips.
"You drive me absolutely insane, Elena," he murmured, touching her body like she showed him. She moaned against him and laid her head back on his shoulder. "We need to get out if we are going to go further."
He gave a small pout, nipping at her neck a bit more before letting her go. He groaned as he watched her exit. He didn't like seeing her covered back in her white fluffy robe.
"Are you going to get out?" she teased lightly, seeing him standing there aching for her.
He was with her in less than a moment, robed and taking her by the waist, speeding them away. Part of her wondered if he stole the room they barged into, but she then saw the key card in his hand.
"No more teasing," he declared, stripping himself and undoing the tie of her robe. "You've had me bothered all day."
She grinned and closed her eyes, soaking in the pleasure of his lips as he kissed her neck and down her skin. "You're the one who kept telling me later." She gasped as he went down on her and kissed her clit.
"It's a good thing it's later," he said looking up at her. She quickly pulled him up, mashing her lips to hiss and moaning at his aggression. He grabbed her by the thighs, wrapping her legs around him and plunging inside of her.
"Oh my god," she breathed, feeling him bury himself deeply.
"My god, Elena," he groaned, feeling lost in her and the sensations she brought him. "I've missed you."
He was quick to start thrusting, amplifying the pleasure that was already. She shivered at how different he was in bed with her. He was vigorous and forceful, like a wild side had been released within him.
"Oh…yes…," she groaned, finding herself unable to move. He had pinned her to the wall, taking completely control of her hips and thrusting deeply.
"I love your body," he stated needily. He pulled out from her and set her down, turning her around to continue.
"Oh!" She gasped, her body convulsing with pleasure. He breathed happily, feeling her intense climax around him. He kissed her back and waited for her to come down from the high.
"Finn," she shivered, looking back at him and feeling him still inside of her. He rubbed her rear cheek and groped it gently. Giving a push to bury himself within her, she let out a groan and leaned in to the wall. "Deeper," she requested.
He assisted her by stepping them back slightly so she could bend further and get the angle she desired. He held onto her hips tightly as they rocked against one another. He enjoyed when she was withering beneath him.
"More," she moaned.
He smirked at her. She was needy.
Pulling out from her, she whimpered at looked to him. In a flash, he had her in his arms, tossing her gently onto the bed.
He gazed at her, seeing her naked and sprawled out for him. She was biting her lip, partly focused on his length covered in her cum.
"Finn," she said, her voice carrying a slight plea.
He went over to her, quickly setting his mouth on hers and giving her a powerful and rough kiss. She moaned against his lips and he quickly made his journey downward, sucking on her breasts and slipping his fingers in her slick entrance.
"Finn!" she gasped, her hand going to his between her thighs. Her back arched and she moaned.
He looked up at her. "Like this, Elena?" he questioned slightly unsure, his fingers moving in and out of her and curling. He wanted to make sure he was doing this right for her.
She nodded, giving a long moan and helping him to give her clit attention. "Oh! Yes!"
He watched her unravel beneath him, feeling her clench around him.
He smiled to see her look so fulfilled. She brought him down for a hard kiss, removing his wet fingers from her. "Finish," she requested.
He obliged enthusiastically, taking his length in his hand and placed himself at her entrance. With a push, he slid his way back inside of her tightness.
"Elena," he groaned, dragging his hand through her hair. He brought her in for a kiss and covered her with his body. His hips began moving with haste and it wasn't long before he was having her endure a rapid pace. "Oh yes," he moaned.
She held onto him, panting at how he could make her feel. Sex with Finn was nothing short of raw and rampant.
He brought her lips in for another kiss as he thrusted. She watched him when he shuddered and held onto her tightly, letting his body spasm. She felt warmed at how he called for her while releasing. He always made her feel like she was the only one for him.
She brushed some of his hair back and smiled softly at him, enjoying how he was trying to re-gather his bearings. He kissed her passionately and pulled her closer to him. "That was amazing, Elena."
She hummed in agreement, enjoying how he was still ready for her.
"I know," he said, embarrassment staining his cheeks slightly pink. It took him a while to go down.
"I love it," she assured him, kissing him gently. She'd gladly go again with him.
He moved them further on the bed and buried himself further inside of her. He groaned as she gasped with pleasure.
He was hasty to start something with her again, sliding his hand up and down her leg and pulling her closer.
"Finn," she trembled, feeling them intimately joined against one another. He kissed her with hunger and she responded eagerly, pulling him against her and arching her back as he kissed everywhere.
He hiked her leg high to get deeper and she moaned against his mouth.
"Like that," she begged, keeping her leg locked around his shoulder and bouncing against him.
"You…" he groaned, stopping her hips. "Cannot do that."
"Why?" she whined, tossing her head back and groaning as he thrusted.
"I will definitely embarrass myself," he said with a blush, giving more forceful jousts. His mouth collided with hers again and he brought her over the edge again. For Finn, there was nothing more pleasurable than seeing her orgasm from sex.
"Elena…Elena…" he groaned and grunted, shooting warm seed inside of her as she rode out her climax around him.
"Oh God, Finn," she breathed, clutching onto him tightly as he pumped into her forcefully just a few more times for both of them.
She felt sex crazed with him.
"I love this," he panted, giving her a kiss.
"What?" she asked breathless, seeing him gazing all over her.
"You. Your body. It's heavenly." He kissed her lips and down her skin, driving her crazy again. She tended to forget how much stamina a vampire had.
They went until she was exhausted and her body needed a break. They laid in bed together, holding each other close and she smiled to him when he entwined their fingers and kissed her shoulder.
"You are absolutely beautiful," he complimented to her from behind.
"You're not so bad yourself," she teased, craning her neck back to get a kiss from him.
They made out with one another lazily until Finn's phone rang. She let him go with a sigh.
"I'll make it up to you," he murmured, giving her head a kiss before slipping out of bed to get his phone. He looked at the caller and pressed ignore.
"Who is it?" she asked, holding the sheet to her chest.
"Wrong number," he said, bringing his phone over. "I answered the number once and no one was on the other line. Now it won't stop calling."
She held out her hand and took his phone. She showed him how to block the number and handed it back to him. "There. You should be good."
He turned off his phone and slid back into bed with her. "Thank you."
She leaned in and kissed him and he laid back in content, happy to feel her naked body against his. He never wanted to leave the bed while she was with him.
"Elena?" he questioned as her lips went to his neck and down his chest.
He gasped as her mouth went around his member. He never required this from her.
"Oh, dear God," he muttered, giving a thrust against her lips. He looked down at her and ran his hand through his hair, groaning loudly, as he watched her. "Elena…you don't have to."
She released him with a pop and he held back a groan. "Do you not want me to?"
"I didn't say that," he said, seeing her face flush and doubt in her eyes. He cupped her cheek lovingly. "But I don't require it from you."
It had been ages since he had a woman on him like that. And though he thoroughly enjoyed it, they were still getting comfortable with one another sexually. He didn't want to move too fast with her or make her feel uncomfortable by obligating her to do this.
He learned he had quite the high-sex drive and 'unsatiable desires' as Elena called them.
He moaned as her mouth went back around him. He looked down at her, enjoying the sight of her. He found her talented at what she could do. Her lips parted around him and her head bobbed with smooth movements. It wasn't long before he was calling for her and tensing with pleasure, cum spilling from him.
"Oh…Elena…" he trembled, watching her clean him up.
He pulled her back up to him, kissing her body and breasts. He rolled her onto her back and went down lower, wanting to give her the same treatment as she did to him.
"F-Finn," she shuttered, feeling electrified by his lips against her wet center.
He kissed her clit. "Tell me what feels good," he instructed. He had only been down on her briefly. He kissed her folds and used his tongue on her, drinking up her nectar. Her moans encouraged him and she pressed him closer.
Sucking hard and using more of his tongue she gasped and her back arched. "There!"
He made sure not to let up on her, giving her what she asked of him. She was moaning and thrashing. He pushed her legs to spread out further and put a pillow under her, diving into her deeper.
"O-O-Oh God, Finn!" she called with her eyes clamped shut in pleasure.
He watched her with hooded eyes, seeing her claw at the sheets for him. He continued his actions, letting up only to kiss her clit. "How about here?" he asked. His tongue teased the sensitive bud and she whimpered.
"You like that," he observed, seeing how her body thrashed. He did it again, getting the same response. Soon he used his thumb to rub the sensitive nub and his mouth on the rest of her. She came hard and loud, calling out her pleasure. He smirked in satisfaction and continued until her limbs were shaking and she was panting for him.
"I think you enjoyed that most," he murmured, kissing his way back up her body. She had a fairly strong orgasm for him.
"You've thoroughly worked my body," she replied, holding him to her neck as he kissed her skin. She was incredibly sensitive after the hours of sex with him. She was mystified how her body could keep up with him.
He gave her a needy kiss and laid back down behind her.
"I think I'm going to need another massage after this," she breathed. He gave a laugh and she smiled. He gently and lovingly rubbed her exhausted limbs.
"That is just ridiculous," Rebekah declared, coming in the house with Elena after school. They had stayed to help with some school activities and went home together. They had becoming closer friends, moving past their rocky history. "He is a pig."
"Who is a pig?" Kol asked, racing down and giving Elena a kiss.
"Damon Salvatore," Rebekah declared.
Kol looked to the two. "What did he do now?"
"Nothing," Elena calmed him. "We're just swapping boy stories."
"Uh oh," Finn said, coming into the room.
"Yes. Be afraid," she told her brothers. "I have dirt on all of you."
Elena gave a small laugh and looked at their nervous faces.
"Don't believe a thing she says, Darling," Kol murmured behind her.
"Too late," she replied, giving him a kiss and laughing as Rebekah motioned for them to go to her room.
"Rebekah!" Elijah called.
"Yes, Lord Elijah?" Elena teased when they stopped at the top of the stairs. His face had been priceless and the girls laughed.
"Come on. I've got plenty more," Rebekah told Elena.
The men all went rushing for the vampire and the blonde took Elena, speeding her to her bedroom and Elena used magic to lock the door so vampires could get in.
"We can still hear you!" Kol called from behind the door.
"Did you want me to change that too?!" Elena yelled.
There was bickering amongst the men and the girls laughed. They hung out together doing homework and gossiping until dinner.
Elena smelt a variety of wonderful smells.
Unlocking the door and going downstairs, she found Elijah cooking.
"You're staring," he called over his shoulder.
She gave a smile and went to sit down. "I was busy picturing you with long curly hair," she teased.
Elijah turned and looked to her with playfully narrowed eyes.
"I'm happy to see you and Rebekah getting along."
"No, you're not," she said with a laugh. He went over and kissed her head. "No, I'm not," he admitted. He didn't need all his dirty laundry aired.
She smiled to him. "What are you making?"
"A favorite of yours, I heard," he remarked. He was making chicken parmesan.
She smiled to him.
"How was school?" he asked while chopping up some fresh basil.
"Fine," she shrugged. "We've got winter break. Today was my last day. I had a few things to turn into my teachers before tomorrow. Ric is pulling me out so we can go to the restoration event. The mayor asked us to attend."
"Just you and Ric?" he questioned.
She nodded. "Jeremy doesn't want to go. It's too hard for him."
Elijah frowned. "And you?"
"It's weird more than anything," she said. The bridge hadn't been touched since the accident. There was a temporary rail guard up from where their parents' car crashed through.
"Have you been asked to speak again?" he wondered.
"No, thankfully," she said, stealing some of his fresh mozzarella he was cutting. "Once was plenty."
He gave a smile at her.
They sat together, chatting about random topics until dinner was ready. The rest of the Mikaelsons joined, with Kol grabbing a plate of his and sitting next to her so she wasn't alone in doing so.
She gave him a kiss to the cheek and dug into her food, laughing at some of the stories Rebekah decided to share with her.
Wickery Bridge was breaking ground incredibly fast. The mayor had a full construction crew out working and clearing the area, while she talked with a small huddle of people of the plans, the vision of the bridge and more.
"Remind me why we have to be here?" Elena murmured to Alaric as they stood on the outskirts of the group watching the scene. She thought it was weird to see the mayor in a hardhat.
"Optics," he frowned. He listened to the mayor talk and felt incredibly bored.
"Do you think she'd notice if we left?" Elena asked.
He glanced over at her with a look. She surely would.
Elena sighed and leaned against him. They stood listening to the mayor and Elena's eyes ventured to the construction crew on the bridge. They were pulling apart the temporary guard rail from the accident.
"You okay?" Alaric said, catching where she was staring. The gaping hole from where the car fell into the water was now visible.
"Yeah," she said with a breath.
"I beg to differ that," Kol remarked, coming up behind her. She brightened at the sight of the three men, happy for some company and entertainment.
"What are you three doing here?" Ric asked.
"We came to show our support," Elijah replied.
Finn came and kissed her cheek. They all looked to the mayor.
"This is boring," Kol declared.
"Kol," Finn scolded quietly.
"It is," Alaric said frankly.
"So boring," Elena muttered.
Letting her eyes wander back to the bridge, she watched a bunch of the crew stand around and try to figure out what they wanted to do. A hole re-opened in her heart and she tried to ignore the sounds of her parent's car hitting the cold water.
Ever since the restoration event, Elena had been going through the things around the house and purging them. She went through some of her parents' stuff in the attic and wanted a few days at the lake house to get of more.
"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" Alaric asked, seeing Elena grab her things. He was aware it was her way of coping, but both he and Jeremy were worried for her.
"Ric, it's barely a two-hour drive. And I'll only be there for a night or two. It's not a big deal. It's just the lake house. I'll have my phone on me."
"Let me go with you. I can help," he insisted. She hadn't spoken much about how the event affected her.
She gave him a frown. "Meredith has been wanting to spend the time with you. You promised to see her over break. Seriously, go spend time with her. I'll be back." She leaned in and gave him a kiss.
"We can come too," Jeremy and Bonnie said coming into the front room.
"I'm fine," she said exasperated to everyone. "I just want some time alone. Okay?"
They hesitantly nodded, watching her grab her bag and leave.
"She's not okay, is she?" Alaric asked Bonnie.
"She's working on it," Bonnie said, giving the guys a guilty look and going back to her movie with Jeremy.
Elena pulled into the driveway of the lake house by early evening. Grabbing her things and her bags of groceries, she went into the house and got settled. It was odd how the place still smelled faintly of her parents.
Going and starting a fire, she added fresh wood and grabbed a blanket until the house could warm. She told herself she had to keep moving and not let the sadness to get her.
While the house heated, she made herself some dinner and even pulled out a book from her bag that she had borrowed from Elijah. She didn't want her brain to think about anything and getting lost in a novel was exactly what she wanted to do.
It was late when she fell asleep on the couch. And it wasn't until early morning that she woke.
She made herself coffee and showered. It was oddly lonely to be in the house without Jeremy or her friends. With a sigh, she ran a hand over her face and tried to focus on needing to clean. She started with the upstairs, going through some of her parents' things. She sorted out piles from keeping, donating and trash.
Finding a crossbow in some of her parents' belongings, she decided to take it home for Jeremy. Going outside, she stopped when she saw a familiar man get out of a very expensive car.
"Elijah?"
He looked at her curiously, seeing the crossbow in hand.
She put it down at her side and unlocked her car. Going and putting in the back, she re-locked her car and went to him. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you," he remarked. "Jeremy told me you were up here by yourself. Why didn't you tell one of us?"
She stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "I'm cleaning out some stuff from the place. It's nothing all that exciting."
He gave her a look, knowing it was more than just cleaning. He shut his car door and grabbed his duffle from the car.
"I'm fine, Elijah. You don't need to stay and babysit me."
"I didn't say you weren't," he said. He went over and gave her a kiss. "And I said nothing about babysitting."
He glanced to the house. "Now. Shall we?"
She reluctantly went back to the house and then stopped, amused when she found he couldn't get in. "This feels oddly familiar," she recalled.
"Yet things are quite different," he said, waiting at the doorway. "Not to mention, you don't seem to have a knife."
She raised a brow, wondering if it were a challenge.
He gave her a flat look.
"You knew about the crystal when we were last here, didn't you?" she questioned.
"I did," he stated, carefully watching her. "Now, if we could continue this conversation inside…"
She paused and sighed. "Elijah, please come in."
He walked in with ease and went to her, trying to figure out the emotions she was feeling. He set down his bag on the floor and pulled her into his arms. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," she said softly.
He stared at her, waiting for the truth.
"I'm just here cleaning. I told you it wasn't exciting."
He set his lips on her head, giving her a loving kiss to her hair. He found her different looking when she wore her hair up in a messy bun. It wasn't often she wore it up and he liked it. "Put me to work," he said.
She raised an eyebrow. "In that?" she was wearing baggy clothing and full of dust, while he looked immaculate.
He looked down at his attire. "Yes. This suit is quite expensive, but I think I can make an exception."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Come with me," she said, going and showing him the upstairs. She took him to her parents' room, ignoring the wall of vampire hunter supplies.
"I've been trying to sort through a lot of this," she said, showing him the floor near the closet. It had a bunch of random things out. "And I've been making pules. On the porch are trash, inside by the living room couch are things to donate, and over in the corner there," she said pointing to the small pile near her parent's bed. "Are things to keep."
He nodded and unbuttoned his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves. He worked on bagging some of the things up while she went through the rest. He'd glance to her every so often, seeing her frown at different objects in her hands.
While she was busy going through most of the rest of the house, Elijah went to get them food and texted his brothers, letting them know Elena was fine. They were all starting to worry about her.
"Hey," he said, catching her at the hall closet. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Hey," she smiled to him, soaking in his comfort. She liked when he was affectionate towards her. It was different than what she was used to.
"You should come eat something," he murmured, kissing her cheek.
"I'll be there in a minute," she said, looking back to the closet of blankets.
He stared at her curiously, wondering what these meant to her. "What is it?"
She reached up and ran her hands over the wool fabric. "Just these," she said, touching them and letting memories run through her head. "I don't know."
"Elena?" he wondered. Something was bothering her.
She took the blanket from the shelf and held it to her chest.
Elijah cupped his hand to her cheek and slid it to her neck, tilting her head up to look at him. Tears pooled in her eyes.
"I miss them, Elijah."
His thumb caressed her cheekbone and he brought her in to his chest, giving her a hug. It hurt to think about her parents and how they were no longer with her. A hole lingered in her chest.
"Let's get some air," he suggested.
He guided her outside, wrapping the blanket she had in her arms around her body. They went to the edge of the dock and looked at the water.
"I'm…feeling things that I don't…I don't want to feel," she stated softly. "I don't want to go back down all of this."
He stared at her. Grief. She didn't want to grieve.
"You blame yourself for the accident," he stated.
She looked down at her feet. "They were coming to pick me up. If I hadn't called them and asked them to get me, they wouldn't have been out. My stalker wouldn't have been able to hurt them."
He went over to her, curling some hair behind her ear. "Anything could have happened that evening."
She looked to him, her eyes glassy and filled with unshed tears. He wiped them away before they could roll down her cheeks.
"You're safe, Elena," he murmured. He brought her into his arms and held her.
They stayed out until it was getting too cold. He ushered her back inside and they ordered fresh take-out since what he brought home was cold. They sat across from one another on the couch while they picked at their cartons of Chinese food.
"You don't have to stay," she told him, knowing it was getting late.
"Is that a cue to leave?" he questioned interestedly.
"No," she said, pushing her rice around with her chopsticks. "I don't want you to feel obligated to be here. I'm fine."
"I like spending time with you," he remarked. "And I so happened to bring a few extra books. By the look of things, you finished the one you borrowed."
She blushed and looked to the book on the coffee table. She had finished it last night.
"How was it?" he asked.
"Okay I guess," she shrugged. He looked at her, waiting for more of an answer.
They talked about the novel for hours, challenging each other's thoughts and having a deep conversation into the literary work. She forgot how much she enjoyed that sort of thing with him.
"Try this," he said, bringing a book back with him as he sat on the couch again. It was a fabric hardcover book that looked old. She made sure to set away her food and wipe her hands before opening it.
The pages were thin and the print very small.
"You sure you want to let me borrow this?" she asked, glimpsing over at him.
"Yes," he replied.
They cleaned up their food and read together with a fire going. She enjoyed the simplicity of the evening and was starting to feel a peace settle inside of her.
"Come," he said, interrupting her when he caught her eyes drooping for the second time. He stood with his hand out to her. "You need sleep."
"I want to finish this," she said, almost most of the way through her book.
"Tomorrow," he promised. Taking the book gently from her, he marked her page and pulled her upward, guiding her back upstairs and to bed.
They both got ready for the night, slipping into her bed together and holding one another close.
"I've missed you," he murmured. He missed feeling her against him and how she placed her head on his chest.
She looked at him curiously. She hadn't gone anywhere. He kissed her lovingly, tasting her minty toothpaste.
"Are we okay, Elena?" he asked. He felt like she was being distant.
She gave a nod. "I'm sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."
"Like what?" he asked, pushing some whisps of hair from her face.
She was pensive. "Everything. From…Esther to Klaus, school, my parents, worrying about Jeremy…" She looked at him. "What if she goes after you again?"
She didn't want things changing between them again.
His thumb caressed her cheek and he tilted her head up so he could kiss her. He pressed their heads together. "I'm here, Elena. I'm not going anywhere."
Her hand went to his cheek and she leaned in giving him another kiss. "Promise?"
"Always," he vowed. They settled back down with one another, spooning and holding each other.
"Elijah," she asked with a whisper.
"Hmm?" he wondered, kissing her shoulder.
"Do you ever regret the bond we have?"
He pulled her back to look at him. "Why would you say that?"
She bit her lip and turned back on her side, facing away from him. "Your relationship with Klaus is strained and I wonder sometimes if I did that."
"No," he said strongly. "That has nothing to do with you, Elena. Niklaus has made his own choices. He has become everything we have hated in life—our father."
She laid pensive.
"Look at me," he demanded.
She hesitantly rolled back into him to look up at him.
"This is nothing to do with you," he urged gently. "Yes, your blood is special, but mine and my brothers' issues stem much farther back than you can imagine. This is not you. I do not want you to put this on yourself or our bond."
He leaned in and gave her a lingering kiss. He needed to convey to her it had nothing to do with her or them. Nothing was wrong with how he loved her. He couldn't let it be. She was his soulmate.
He gave loving kisses to her neck and down her shoulder and arm.
"Elijah," she breathed, closing her eyes and giving a moan. He pulled her back against him, nipping at her neck further and kissing the soft skin. "I'm here, Elena."
His hand came and cupped her breast, teasing her flesh by rubbing his thumb gently over her tank and hardening her nipples.
"Elijah," she trembled. He groaned at his name on her lips and how his senses could pick up her desire.
Pulling the strap of her top down, he kissed her skin once more and cupped her bare breast, now rolling her nipple between his fingers.
She found herself suddenly with her back pressed up against the wall. She had been picked up from the bed and placed in front of him where he was kneeling down; his head by her belly button.
"Let me," he begged, wanting to pleasure her. He wanted her in so many ways. "Please, Elena."
Looking in his eyes, she nodded. She trusted him.
He stripped her of her pajama shorts and panties quickly, hiking her leg over his shoulder. His mouth latch to her mound and he sucked greedily.
She gasped at the sensation, running her hand through his hair and holding him to her. He ate her ravenously, pressing his face hard against her and holding her hips.
"Elijah," she moaned, feeling his tongue part her folds and drink up all of her cum.
He groaned happily, pleased at the way she slid smooth down his throat. She tasted incredible.
"Oh god," she trembled, feeling close to climaxing. Holding him to her, she looked down watching him go down on her. She couldn't believe how much of a turn on it was to see him between her legs and looking back at her.
With a gasp, she felt him give a powerful suck to her clit and she laid her head back, relishing in how he mouthed her. He kept going until she could no longer take it and she was orgasming against his face.
He groaned happily to taste her fluids, sucking up what he could of her. Slowly making his way back up, he stripped her of her shirt and sucked greedily on her erect nipples. She was strongly aroused for him.
"Elijah," she breathed, pulling at his shirt. How had he gotten her completely naked and he was still dressed?
Pushing him away, she removed his shirt from his body and then stared at his tented pants. Looking back at him, she gasped when he sped them back to her bed again. He kissed her neck savagely, grinding their bodies against one another. Their desire was on full blast.
They stripped him naked and she groaned, feeling his erection press against her. "Take me," she breathed.
"You're sure?" he questioned. He wanted to make sure this is what she wanted. Their bond would only get stronger and he didn't want to go back. Not after this. They wouldn't be able to deny them any longer, especially not after being intimate together.
He waited for her, kissing her lovingly.
"I want you, Elijah," she whispered to him.
They stared at one another and he leaned in to kiss her again. with his hand weaving in her hair and his body over hers, he hastily pushed inside of her, filling her with his length. She gasped and adjusted to him, finding him satisfyingly long.
He waited until she was ready and they were rampant with one another. Neither could stop their feelings or their climaxes. Elena was incredulous to how many he gave her.
"Elijah," she panted happily, feeling him finish again. He kissed her neck and pulling her close. They were addicted to one another.
"Amazing, Elena," he breathed, staring at her lovingly.
They kissed once more until finally she pushed him to roll off her. They needed sleep. They weren't finished with cleaning out the lake house.
"You...exhaust me," she shuddered, feeling him kiss her skin. He smirked and kissed her cheek. "You seemed to enjoy it."
He felt like he was bursting with happiness at their intimacy. He had desired her and she had been more astounding than he could have ever imagined.
"I do," she said, running her hand up the nape of his neck and pulling him in for a kiss.
"Careful or we will surely go again," he vowed, kissing her back and rolling himself on top of her again.
"I can't seem to object," she murmured against his lips.
He groaned loudly and gathered her leg to wrap around him, pushing back in.
They shivered happily, joined intimately once more.
He planned to keep her awake all night if he could.
She woke to Elijah still sleeping and she laid marveling at his peaceful features. She wasn't sure if she had ever seen him so calm looking.
Her cheeks blushed at the thought of what Bonnie and Caroline had said about them having a connection. It was true that had felt something for Elijah; she felt safest when with him, but she never would have imagined herself ending naked in bed with him.
Getting out of bed carefully, she put on some clothes and started the day. She put on a pot of coffee and stuck in her earbuds to play music while she worked. She was determined to get the rest of the lake house cleaned.
It was only a half hour or so before Elijah came down. She was surprised to see him dressed in casual wear.
"Good morning," he remarked to her, grabbing some coffee and hovering near her at the table. "What are these?"
"Hey," she said shyly. "Just some old memories my mom must have stuffed in a box a while ago," she said, showing him all of the random trinkets and pictures.
Elijah smiled down at the picture of Elena and Jeremy as young children. He picked up another one of her and Matt together. Looking back to her, he gave her hair a kiss. "Did you eat?"
"Not yet," she answered half distracted. She held a picture of her with Bonnie and Caroline. They were so young and unknowing to the supernatural world.
"Elena?" Elijah asked again.
"What?" she asked, tearing her eyes from the picture. He looked at her curiously. "I asked if you wanted me to make pancakes. What is on your mind?"
She looked down at the photo of her friends again. "Do you ever think it was ever possible for me to live a normal life?"
"Would you want to?" he wondered.
"I don't know," she replied. "Sometimes I think it'd be easier," she acknowledged. "But so much in my life changed because of what I found out when I was with Stefan. And I can't imagine not knowing now."
"Elijah?" she asked, putting the picture down.
He stared at her waiting.
"What if…what if this bond ends up being a dangerous thing for all of you?"
"We have looked into this," he assured her. "It is real, Elena. My mother may have added a flare of her own magic, but soulmates were real to begin with."
She was thoughtful.
"I understand Kol has spoken to you about this, but it matters to bring it up again. Rebekah overstepped her bounds in talking about all of us."
She tensed. "Elijah…"
"It was not her place," he said calmly.
She shifted awkwardly in her seat.
"I know this makes you uncomfortable. And I don't mean to do so. But I want you to know we don't expect that sort of thing from you."
She swallowed hard. The advice of Bonnie and Caroline echoed in her ears. "H-Have you…umm…have you done that sort of thing before?"
It was his turn to be uncomfortable. He stared at the table and they sat in silence for a few moments. "…In a certain phase of my existence I did experiment with women," he replied. "Never had it been four—three maybe."
Elena shifted uncomfortably. He had threesomes, then. He was experienced.
Obviously, Elena. Look how talented he had been with you, she scolded in her head.
"This means nothing," Elijah spoke, glancing to her and seeing her face filled with uneasiness. He reached over and cupped her cheek. "We are completely different from my experiences previously."
"…Right," she said forced. A sense of queasiness hit her and she got up and went to refill her cup of coffee.
He turned in his chair and studied her. She was being guarded with him. He got up and went over to her, catching her from walking off with her coffee. He set her cup down and pinned her against the sink. "Look at me."
She sighed and looked up at him.
His thumb caressed her cheek. "You're perfect."
She gave a look of doubt. His words weren't reassuring. He had centuries of practice bedding other women, not to mention involving multiple women. She was very…inexperienced.
"Stop," he demanded, seeing her mind start to spiral. He brushed some hair back from her eyes and waited until she looked at him. "Last night was perfect."
She searched his eyes for any trace of a lie and he stared back at her. "Clearly I have failed to show you how much I enjoyed what happened between us."
His mouth went over hers and stayed there until she un-tensed, kissing him back. "Let me show you," he murmured in her ear. He moved her hair back and gave her open mouth kisses down the column of her neck. She trembled in arms, finding the sensation enjoyable.
He brought her mouth back to kiss and sped them back upstairs. He was determined to show her she was perfect to him.
Christmas was quickly approaching and Elena dragged Kol to go shopping with her.
"You're worse than a little kid," she told him as they walked out of the store. He had been nagging her to leave or that he was bored. She had definitely should have brought a different brother.
"We should be doing something fun," he declared. They all needed excitement, but especially Elena. She was too caught up in life's responsibilities.
"Like what?" she asked. She still needed a present for Kol and Elijah, not to mention Bonnie.
Kol gave her a mischievous look.
"Oh, no," she said, backing up from his steps. "We need to finish Christmas shopping. I won't have anything to give you if we don't."
He gave a look of surprise. "You're getting me something?"
She rolled her eyes. And now he truly was a kid, looking all excited and curious. "If I can go shopping. But someone keeps complaining."
"Do I get a hint at what you plan on getting me?" he asked, slinging an arm around her shoulder as they walked.
"No," she said with a laugh. They looked at one another and he kissed her.
"Kol, someone could see," she murmured, pushing him back from her. The town still talked about her.
"There is nothing to be ashamed of," he remarked to her. "This town is foolishly small-minded."
They walked together and she was lost in thought. "Kol…. have you…"
She stopped them and he looked at her curious. He watched her fidget. "Have I what?"
She glanced around for any curious ears.
"Ah, that," he said, seeing her anxious face. "I've done it with three, surely. But I can't say I've ever done one with four eager participants."
She stuffed her hands in her pockets.
"Why do you ask, darling?"
She shrugged and began walking again. She pushed some hair behind her ear. "I guess I realized how very…inexperienced I am when it comes to that sort of thing."
He grabbed her arm gently and pulled her back to face him. "Stop it. We aren't expecting that from you. Rebekah has gotten it in your head that it is necessary, and it's not. We're not going to pressure you and we certainly don't require it."
She gave a nod.
"We do things at your pace," he urged. "…whenever you like."
She gave a small laugh and rolled her eyes, giving him a light shove. He always knew how to ruin a moment. "Show me somewhere," she told him, deciding to go with his free-spiritedness.
He looked at her curiously. "Anywhere?"
"Anywhere within reason that won't take us forever to get home," she corrected.
Giving a smirk, he grabbed her by the waist, pressing them together and ran off. He took her to a bar downtown that had drinks and dancing.
She smiled to him. It was a bit familiar to how they had met.
"Shall we?" he asked, taking her hand. She smiled to him, dropping her things at a table nearby and going to dance with him.
They danced for hours and drank until it was dark. He had her laughing and smiling and she forgot what it was like to feel so light. By the time he got her home, it was past 2:00am.
"Thank you for tonight," she said with her arms wrapped around his shoulders. They stood on her porch. "It was a lot of fun."
"Of course," he replied, leaning in and kissing her.
She melted into him, reluctant to part from him.
"You know, you could come stay the night," he remarked, pulling from their kiss. He found he didn't want the night to end and go to bed alone without her.
"I can't. I'm on Christmas cookie duty," she stated. "I'm making a bunch of them for the neighborhood cookie exchange."
His brows furrowed. "You can't cook."
She shoved him lightly and they both smiled. It was true. She was a horrible cook. "No, but I can bake."
He brought his hand up to cup her cheek and kissed her again. "Well. I will have to see that for myself tomorrow, then."
They held one another for a while longer before parting for the night, each kissing a few times more goodnight.
She was up early. With one of her cheeks carrying a light dusting of flour, and dough covering her hands, she worked to make a variety of different baked goods.
Glancing to a recipe on the counter, she grabbed the rolling pin to flatten out the dough. She sighed when the doorbell rang. "Jeremy! Can you get that?!"
"Yeah, I'm going," he declared, marching his way down the door. "She's in the kitchen," he told the guests, heading back upstairs.
Elena glanced up to see the three Mikaelsons. "What are you all doing here?" she asked curiously.
"Kol told us you were baking today," Finn noted, looking around the messy kitchen. She already had three sets of cookies done.
"We came to see for ourselves that you truly could bake," Kol added.
A smile grew across her face and took a bit of extra dough, rolling it into a ball and throwing it at Kol, who dodged it and smirked at her.
"Do you need any help?" Elijah asked, going and wiping some flour from her face. He gave her a quick kiss before going and washing his hands.
"Nope, I've got it covered," she replied, trying to ignore the bit of awkwardness with the other men because of Elijah's affections. She worked on making the shapes into stars and Finn and Kol helped empty a baking sheet that she could use.
"How many kinds are you making?" Elijah wondered curiously.
"Six," she replied, sticking the stars in the oven.
"Why so many?" Finn wondered curiously.
"It was just something my mom always used to do," she recalled. "I kind of just stuck with it over the years."
"Plus, it's really the only time Elena bakes," Jeremy remarked coming downstairs to sample some cookies. "And she's a pretty good baker."
"Hey! Those are for the neighbors," she scolded, going to her brother and sighing when he stuffed the whole cookie in his mouth.
"I think the neighbors can spare a few," he said with his mouth full. He went to get himself some milk while Elena went back to baking.
"The lemon ones are a bit tart," he told his sister, grabbing himself another chocolate cookie.
"That's because I haven't put the powdered sugar on it. Stop eating them, Jeremy!"
She went to go pull the cookie from her brother's hand, but he was taller than her, holding it high and away from her. He teased her with a smile and ate the cookie before she could stop him.
"You are a jerk," she declared, shoving him away from her cookies.
The Mikaelsons watched the siblings in amusement.
"Come on. It's not like the neighbors are going to harp on you if you only bring them five different kinds of cookies instead of six," he stated, taking a seat at the island.
"You'd be surprised how the neighbors talk," she muttered. The Mikaelsons glanced to one another and then to her. She slapped Jeremy's hand from her bowl of dough. "I thought you were in charge of wrapping gifts?"
"I needed a break," he justified.
She rolled her eyes. "So, Bonnie had to go and you were left with the rest of them," she spoke, knowing how her brother had been video chatting Bonnie while she was away with her dad for the holiday.
"Whatever," he stated, taking two more cookies for the road. He turned back to her before leaving. "And you know, you shouldn't really care about what people think. Your situation is messed up, sure, but if you're happy that's all that really matters."
"Well said, Jeremy," Kol remarked. He looked to Elena. "I'd listen to him."
She rolled her eyes and then looked to her brother, giving a soft nod. "Thanks, Jer."
Jeremy walked out from the kitchen and made his way back upstairs.
"People are still talking," Finn stated, hoping to lead her into conversation.
"There isn't much better to do," she remarked. The oven beeped and she went to wash her hands of the dough she was kneading when Elijah stopped her, grabbing a mitt and pulling them out for her.
"Thanks," she murmured, going back to her dough.
The front door opened and shut.
"Elena?" Caroline called.
"In here, Care," Elena called back. The girl went walking into the kitchen, surprised at the company. "Uh…hello."
The men all acknowledged her and the blonde looked to her friend. "Oh, I forgot you were doing this today. No wonder you weren't picking up your phone."
"What's up?" Elena asked curiously.
"Stefan and I were going to grab dinner at the Grill later. I know he'd like it if you came along," she said kindly.
"Caroline, what are people saying around town about Elena?" Finn interrupted gently. Their mate never talked about it much with them and it was clearly a growing bother.
The blonde looked at them surprised. "Uh…"
"Just drop it, you guys," Elena said, grabbing her cookie scoop.
"It bothers you, Darling," Kol remarked. "It's not something that can just be dropped."
Caroline looked to the man with a happily surprised look. She liked that response and figured maybe they could do something. Women tended to be shamed more then men and it wasn't like they were saying anything bad about the Mikaelsons.
"Well," Caroline spoke, going and putting her bag down at the kitchen table. She went and washed her hands before going to the cookies that needed boxing. "They've been calling Elena a slut."
"Care," Elena scolded, not wanting to get into this topic.
"I'm sorry, Elena, but it's not like you can do something about this," she justified. "Maybe they can shut down all these pathetic rumors."
"Not all of them are false," Elena muttered quietly.
"They are, and you know it," her friend stated with a disapproving look. She went back to boxing the cookies.
Elijah washed his hands and went to help, observing what Caroline was doing and following accordingly. "What else are they saying?" he asked. He had heard a bit, like that time with Elena at the cemetery, but no one said much to him about the matter.
"People have these crazy rumors about her being a gold digger and pursuing any of you guys she can get her hands on to go after your money," Caroline told them. "And they blame her for pretty much getting attention. People are making comments about how she's dragging you guys around and leading you all on."
They raised eyebrows and looked to her, understanding her self-doubt more. People were talking about her and it surely wasn't easy.
"And they've made some just…degrading remarks," Caroline frowned to her friend. "Pretty much trying to slut-shame her."
"Degrading such as?" Kol inquired.
"No, enough," Elena said, putting the scoop down. She looked at them in frustration. "There's nothing that you guys can do about it, okay? People are always going to talk. It's just like with my parents when they died."
Everyone in the room frowned.
"Elena, it's not," Caroline tried. "It's—"
"Care," Elena snapped stronger. "Just don't, okay?"
"Why?" Finn pushed. It was unlike him, but he didn't like seeing Elena hurting. "Let us at least try to help."
She went and put more cookies in the oven. "Eventually, the town will find something new to talk about," she said. "It's just a matter of waiting it out."
Caroline was quiet, focusing on the boxes. It was true, but she hated how her friend had to go through the hurtful talk. "Well, at least we'll be getting out of here for a bit."
The men looked interested at what she was referring to.
She raised a brow, looking to her friend. "We are still on, right?"
"Yeah, of course," Elena said, washing her hands and checking her cookies. She looked up and noticed the curious faces. "Care, Bonnie and I are going to go visit some of the colleges we applied to."
Kol's brows furrowed. "Doesn't one usually do that before they apply?"
"With all of the Klaus drama at the time, we didn't get to schedule visits," Elena replied.
"God, that feels so long ago," Caroline remarked. From coping with Klaus's hybrid status and the roller-coaster with Damon and Stefan, their problems of college felt so small.
"But speaking of which," she said turning to her friend. "Did you want to do dinner with Stefan and me? Bonnie isn't coming home until tomorrow, but Matt's working and I'm sure he'd be happy to see you."
"Yeah, maybe if I can get these done in time," Elena agreed looking to next batch of cookies. She still had two other ones to do, but it would be nice to see her other friends.
Finn and Kol went over and washed their hands, going to work to help. All they wanted was her happiness.
Christmas had been usually nice. Without the drama was time with her family and Elena got to spend most of the day with Jeremy and Alaric. They exchanged gifts and lounged around together. Meredith came over for an early dinner before Elena headed to the Mikaelsons and Jeremy to go see Bonnie.
She smiled and laughed as she barely started pulling her things from her car and Kol came walking out to her. He grabbed her by the waist, picking her up off her feet and spinning her around. She held onto him with a bright smile.
"Merry Christmas, Darling," he stated, giving her a kiss.
"Merry Christmas, Kol."
"Kol," Finn scolded from the front door. "Get her things. It's freezing for her outside."
"Ah, and the Scrouge," Kol remarked. He had been watching Christmas movies Elena recommended.
She gave a small laugh and grabbed some of her things and giving the rest to Kol to handle. She walked to the door, hugging Finn and giving him a quick kiss. "Hi. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Elena," he replied, taking her bag to sleepover.
"Finally," Rebekah remarked. "You know I think they've lost all sense of reality without you," she stated, having watched entirely too many Christmas movies in one afternoon.
"Did you eat?" Elijah asked, having been preparing some dinner and dessert for her to keep himself busy.
"Uh, yeah, kind of," she said, going and setting some things down. He went and gave her a kiss. "Merry Christmas, Elena."
She gave a small smile. "Merry Christmas, Elijah." She looked to the group. "Did you guys want to exchange presents?"
"Kol already did his," Rebekah remarked flatly. Her brother was a true kid with little patience for waiting.
"That'd be lovely," Elijah remarked. He guided her to the living room and she dropped her mouth in surprise. There was a huge tree now in their living room with colorful lights and a bunch of presents under the tree.
She had been trying to convince them for weeks to do something festive.
"So?" Finn wondered.
"You guys decorated."
"I wouldn't get used to it," Rebekah noted, going to sit down.
"And you called me Scrouge," Finn muttered to Kol.
They gave small laughs.
"I think I might have something to help with that," Elena murmured. She went to her bag, pulling out a wrapped box for the blonde. "This is from Matt. I know you two ended up saying no gifts to one another, but he had something picked out for you weeks ago before chickening out."
Rebekah perked up at the sound of her love interest, grabbing the box from Elena and tearing it open. It was a thick silver chain bracelet with her name engraved.
"He was afraid you wouldn't like it," Elena told the girl. She had picked it up from the store and wrapped it. "He had paid for it and everything. He just needed to pick it up, but he was afraid it wouldn't be something you liked and backed out."
Rebekah stared at the piece of jewelry, unsure if she had received something so kind. "It's beautiful."
They went about exchanging gifts, drinking hot cocoa, and wine. It was unusually normal.
"How'd you get this?" Elena asked Elijah, opening a hand carved picture frame that had a picture of her, her family and friends.
"One of your family's boxes," he replied, gauging her reaction. "I happened to stumble upon it and thought you might like it framed."
She smiled at the picture and nodded. It was a picture that was rare picture with all of her loved ones. It had been taken when she started high school.
She ended up with a spa certificate from Finn, a very expensive nail polish set from Rebekah and witchcraft supplies from Kol.
Elena laid with her head on Elijah's lap, watching as Finn tried to set up his slide projector that she had gotten him. She figured she'd show him all of the different technology of the times.
"I thought Finn trying to work a computer was bad," Kol remarked, lifting Elena's feet and setting them on his lap as he sat down.
"Be nice," she scolded.
She watched as Finn tried to figure out his projector, her eyes eventually drooping. She fell asleep within moments and the men smiled down at her.
"I'll take her," Finn said, going to his brothers on the couch and scooping her up from them. He was careful not to wake her as he brought her to her bedroom in the house. He set her gently on the bed and shed her shoes.
He kissed her head and lit a fire, knowing how she still liked one going at night. Watching her sleep for a few moments, he quietly stepped from the room and shut the door behind him to let her sleep.
"I cannot believe I'm not invited," Kol remarked, watching her pack for her trip with Bonnie and Caroline to go visit colleges.
"We'll be gone a week, Kol," she rolled her eyes, knowing he was being dramatic. She went and pulled out a black sheer shirt from her closet.
"And what do you need that for?" he questioned, suddenly feeling possessive.
She shrugged. She wasn't sure what to expect from the colleges and Caroline had told her to pack a variety of things.
"Where are you headed first?" he asked.
"You know I'm not going to tell you," she replied, going back to her closet and grabbing some heeled boots.
"Come on, Darling," he stated, seeing very sexy heels being packed.
"It's a week. I'll be fine and you're not coming," she remarked, going over and giving him a quick kiss. She went back to her bag, making sure she had everything.
He frowned watching her. "You know, you'll be gone for New Year's."
He had been hoping to spend the holiday with her. It was a time of new beginnings and he wanted that time with her.
She frowned. "I know."
She did want to spend the holiday with the Mikaelsons, but she couldn't also help but feel a bit relieved about it. New Year's was all about the ball dropping and having that romantic first kiss. Being between the three of them made that idea much more complicated.
She zipped her bag and went to put on her shoes. She glanced up to Kol, seeing him lost in thought in her doorway. Going over to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and melted against him. He held her close.
"I'll see you when I get back."
He kissed her lovingly. "It will be boring here without you."
She chuckled. "You'll survive."
He gave her another kiss, unwilling to let her go right away. "I love you."
"I know," she murmured, pressing her forehead to his. "Kiss me again."
He willingly obliged, getting lost in her.
"Elena!" Caroline called, walking in the front door.
Kol groaned at the baby vampire ruining his kiss with his mate. "Go away," he called.
Elena gave him a shove. "I'll be right down, Care!"
She went and grabbed her bag, but Kol grabbed it from her, taking it out of her hands and following her downstairs. He loaded it into the car for the girls and gave Elena one last hug.
"Call me if you need anything. And be safe."
"I will," she replied, pulling back from his arms. Alaric and Jeremy joined her and she hugged them both.
"Call me when you get there," her guardian instructed. She nodded.
"Eep! Let's go," Caroline said excitedly, getting in the driver's seat. Elena waved to the three and got in the car, off next to pick up Bonnie.
They had looked at five different places around the state. Each had their own vibes and atmosphere. The entire trip felt like a whirlwind and the three girls were incredulous to believe they'd be graduating not too far in the future.
Elena had to admit it was a breath of fresh air to be away from Mystic Falls. Everywhere she went no one knew her. She was just another in the crowd and she liked that.
"Let's check this place out," Bonnie told her friends, dragging them towards a bar. Caroline compelled the bouncer to let them in and that they were over 21 so they could get in with stamps on their hand to get drinks.
"You guys, it's New Years," Bonnie realized, seeing everyone in holiday garb.
"This definitely calls for shots then," Caroline declared. The three made their way to the bar and ordered themselves shots. They cheered to their time together and down their drinks. They took hands and went to go dance while waiting for the ball to drop.
At one point, Elena excused herself, and went towards the back of the building near the bathrooms. She pulled out her phone to see Kol and Finn having texted her. She messaged them back telling them she had been out and she'd video chat them when she was back at her hotel.
"Elena!" Bonnie called through the crowd. Elena looked up and saw Bonnie pushing her way towards her. "It's getting pretty crowded. We thought about heading back before the ball drop. Are you cool with that?"
"Perfect," Elena said. She quickly re-texted Kol and Finn and then slid her phone in her back pocket. They went and found Caroline flirting with a stranger and dragged her away.
"What happened to things with Tyler and Klaus?" Bonnie asked her blonde friend.
"Apparently I just have bad taste in men because both men are keeping their distance from Mystic Falls," she stated. "Distance with Tyler has been really hard. And Klaus, well he's been gone chasing Esther. It's not like he's bothered to call or anything."
The girls frowned.
"Sorry, Care. That sucks," Elena said, going and hugging her friend. Bonnie nodded and hugged her other side.
"Ugh, water. I just want to go…sleep into the New Year or something," she frowned.
"Or," Elena said thoughtfully. There was a bakery open near where they were. "Cupcakes?"
The girls all smiled to one another and went locking arms, marching for the variety of desserts they were surely going to be ordering.
With all of the sugar, they laughed and talked until it was into the new year. When they finally called it time for bed, Elena left the room to go call the Mikaelsons.
It was only a few rings before she was met with the sight of the three of them.
"Hey," she smiled.
"Happy new year's, Darling, " Kol remarked first.
"Same to you guys," she replied, staring at the trio. She hadn't realized she missed them as much as she did.
"You'll be back tomorrow, yes?" Finn asked.
"Or the day after," Elena answered. "We got a late start today so we are going to check out campus and the area before heading back."
"Be safe," Elijah remarked. She nodded. "I'll catch you guys tomorrow, maybe?"
"Sure thing, Darling," Kol stated.
She stared at them a while longer, before saying goodnight and hanging up. Slipping back into the room and getting into bed, she tried not to think of how she missed the men.
"So, you had fun?" Elijah asked, caressing her arm with his fingers as they laid in his bed together.
"Yeah, it wasn't too bad," she shrugged. "I kind of like the idea of college life."
She kissed him with a smile and went back to her book.
Elijah's arm went snaking around her waist and he pulled her in closer, giving kisses to her neck and collarbone.
"Elijah," she warned, attempting not to moan.
He opened his mouth just slightly to drag his soft lips over her sensitive skin, knowing how it drove her crazy. "You love it."
She looked to him and peered at his pink lips. She did love his sensuous kisses.
A knock on his bedroom door broke them from their trance and they looked over to Rebekah poking her head in.
"I'm off to go see Matt. Don't wait up. Oh and, keep in mind the whole house can hear you two."
Elena's cheeks blushed red and Elijah glared at his sister. She was impossible sometimes.
The door shut and Elijah guided Elena's face to look at his before she could go back to her book.
"Where were we?" He asked glancing down at her lips. "Ah, yes..."
He captured her lips in a firm kiss, expressing how strongly he desired her.
He closed the book from her hands and tossed it further away on the bed, pulling her into his arms.
"Elijah," she said, trying to hold back a moan as he put her on top of him.
He nipped at her lips and ran his hand through her hair.
Another knock on the door interrupted them and Elijah huffed.
"As lovely as this is, I respectfully ask you both to go elsewhere," Kol said with a bit of snark. He didn't enjoy hearing the two of them or seeing his girl on top of another man-his brother none the less, pleasing her in ways he wanted.
Elena bit her lip.
"And where shall we go, Kol? Maybe you should the one to leave," Elijah remarked.
"Why don't—"
"—Hey, okay," Elena said, stopping the argument before it could get nasty. She glanced to Kol shyly.
"Did you..." her cheeks blushed pink. "I mean, you can come in and join us if you want, Kol."
Both men raised an eyebrow at her.
"Are you trying to do what I think you are, Darling?" He questioned.
She shifted on Elijah's lap and looked down at him, seeing his intrigued, too.
"...yeah, I guess I am."
She was in a room with two experienced men that at least had participated in threesomes. Could four be that different?
"...Finn is welcome too," she blushed.
"Elena, we don't have to do this," Elijah remarked, seeing her growing discomfort. He set his hands on her hips, trying to ease her through touch.
Finn came into the room, a curious expression on his face in hearing them.
"I know," she said shyly. "I'm not really sure how this goes, but I think it's something to try and at least figure out if it works for all of us."
If there was one thing that stuck out from her trip, it was the feeling of missing all three of them equally. She was determined to figure out what that meant for all of them.
Kol stared at her. "Are you sure about this, darling?"
She bit her lip and looked to Elijah and then Kol. "Tell me if I'm doing something wrong, alright?" She asked.
Kol went over to her and tucked some hair behind her ear. "There is no wrong or right, Darling."
She looked to Kol, getting off from Elijah's lap and kneeling on the bed in front of him.
"I'm not sure what to be doing," she said in honesty.
"Whatever feels comfortable for you," he murmured, leaning in and giving her a soft kiss. "You let us know if you feel like this is too much."
He cupped her cheek and pulled her in for another kiss. Elijah stared at them with a bit of envy and sat up, pulling her hair to the side and giving her neck and shoulder kisses.
Elena pulled back from Kol upon feeling Elijah behind her and glanced to him. With a nervous expression, she went to him, starting to undo the buttons to his white dress shirt.
Kol had made it easier for her, pulling off his own shirt and then helping to discard hers.
She was kneeled on the bed with both men when she looked over her shoulder.
"Finn?" She asked nervously. She knew he had no experience with threesomes, let alone foursomes. It was an odd comfort to know he was new to it too.
"You're positive, Elena?" He questioned. He had observed her and watched how nervous she was with both of them. He wanted her to be comfortable and enjoy sex. None minded if it was just sex alone with her.
"Yeah," she said shyly in her jeans and black lace bra.
He went over to the bed, following his brothers cues of undressing with her. Elijah unbuttoned her jeans and kissed her stomach, while Kol undid her bra and removed it from her. Finn came over and nervously kissed all over her bare back.
Kol pulled her into a lustful kiss and Elijah took the moment to undo his belt and rid himself of his pants. He and Finn both watched her melt into Kol's embrace.
"Just take turns," Kol suggested, still seeing her apprehension. She was struggling to get a feel and balance for this dynamic.
She decided to focus on him then. Helping to free him from his pants, she stripped him naked and looked appreciatively at him.
"Lay back, Elena," Elijah suggested, guiding her to get more comfortable. They wanted this to be about her.
She laid back at Elijah's suggestion, seeing him in just his boxers. He was protruding from them, eager to see her like this.
Finn went for her pants, helping her shimmy from her jeans.
The men groaned at the sight of her thin black cotton panties.
"Now what? She asked, moaning softly as their hands roamed her body.
"Now you enjoy this," Kol murmured. He kissed her lovingly and smirked when her back arched at the feel of him touching her breasts.
He eased her by kissing down her neck and focusing on her body.
She gasped as Elijah went down on her, his mouth sucking her nectar.
"Elijah," she groaned, shivering in pleasure.
It was as if the calling of someone else's name did something to the men. They found a need to start exploring her body to elicit that same sort of reaction.
"Elijah," she gasped, feeling how his tongue ran over her folds and played with her. He sucked on her clit and she shivered.
"My god, Elena," Kol groaned, sucking on her stiff nipples. They were erect and sensitive from Elijah going down on her.
Finn kissed her neck and pulled her into a dominant kiss. She reached out for his length and rubbed him as both his brothers worked her body.
"Elena," Finn shivered against her lips.
She was interrupted by the sensation of Kol's tongue teasing her breasts. "Kol," she moaned, running her other hand through her hair. And then Elijah's tongue was in her again. "Elijah," she gasped once more, removing her hand from Finn.
She clutched his head between her thighs. Her body was humming with pleasure and soon gave in, giving her the first experience of a climax in a foursome.
"That's right, Elena," he encouraged. He felt possessive, especially to see Kol on her and Finn desiring her.
She whimpered with pleasure as Kol's fingers were next.
Elijah maneuvered her to sit up so he could be behind her. He kissed her shoulder and her neck, while his young brother was latched to her breasts and fingered her.
Finn was kneeling and getting his pleasure from Elena's hand. She worked him vigorously while he leaned in and kissed her.
Her body didn't last nearly as long as it usually did. She orgasmed again and she was guessing it was from all of the stimulation.
"...I...want someone," she pleaded. Kol sat up eagerly, moving between her legs and positioning himself at her wet entrance. He coated himself in her cum to help him slide in her easily, though he doubted he'd need it with how aroused she was for them.
"Kol," she begged.
He smirked at her, giving her what she desired. He pushed in slowly and she moaned and thrashed, finding their foursome intensely satisfying.
Kol was letting her adjust to his size and all of the new sensations before thrusting, while Elijah was sucking her neck and playing with her chest. Finn had his hands all over her; partly preoccupied with her getting him off.
"Elijah," she begged, wanting her free hand to be touching his length. He slid down slightly from behind her so she had a better angle to stroke him.
Kol tensed possessively, seeing her body laid out for him but her hands on two different men. He never felt so territorial.
Giving a thrust, he was rewarded with her sounds that helped to sate the jealousy.
"Oh...Kol..." she groaned.
Elijah leaned down and kissed her, making her moan against his lips.
Finn then had her breasts and teased them with his tongue. She removed her hand from Elijah's length to run her hands through Finn's hair, appreciating his actions.
Pulling back from Elijah's mouth on hers, she closed her eyes and bit her lip while moaning.
"She's close," Elijah stated, seeing her trying to hold back. Ravishing her neck and letting his brothers continue, he smirked as he saw her body unable to stop itself from climaxing at the pleasure.
"Elena," Finn groaned, adding his own hand on himself to help her pump him while she climaxed. He quickly came from their touch, spilling on the sheets.
She smirked at him when they both finished. There was a glow on her face because of Kol.
"My turn," Elijah murmured in her ear.
He got up from behind her, switching positions with his younger brother. Kol looked satisfied and went to kiss her, happy to see her just as content as he felt.
"Elena," Elijah called, wanting her full attention. He had been painfully hard because of her touching on him.
Guiding himself inside of her, she gave a gasp and moaned as her body adjusted to him.
"Elijah," she groaned. Her body had barely come down from Kol and he was burying himself inside of her.
"Let yourself have it, Darling," Kol murmured to her, kissing her deeply and touching her breasts. He could see how she liked it.
She whimpered at the sensations, feeling it send sparks down to her lower belly. Elijah groaned with pleasure, not yet thrusting for her. "You're tight, Elena."
She hadn't completely finished or come down from her high.
"Help me, Elijah," she groaned. She felt on edge, like she needed them again. It was almost frustrating how intense her sex drive became for them together.
The men all groaned at her plea and Elijah held onto her hips, raising her leg over his should as he began jousting against her.
She gasped and arched her back, feeling him deeper inside of her. She moaned loudly and clutched the sheets, quickly climaxing and riding the wave.
He grinned at how she could take them. She was doing well for her first time with more than one partner. Her body was still orgasming.
While he continued with her, Kol found himself hard again and watched as Finn touched and fondled Elena.
"I like...that," she whimpered to Finn, feeling him roll her nipple around with his fingers, while her body bounced for Elijah.
"Kol," she groaned, finding he set his mouth back on her chest. He used his fingers to rub her clit while Elijah pounded her.
"Oh...oh!" Elena unraveled rapidly into another orgasm and Elijah buried himself deep inside of her, finishing right after her. Her channel was tight and hugged him snuggly. He let warm jets of his cum fill her.
Elena panted heavily and the three eased up on her body. Elijah pulled out from her, Finn lightly kissed her and Kol stopped touching her and instead did himself.
"Kol," she groaned. Seeing him sit with her and stroke his own length ignited a horniness in her.
"You love it, Darling, don't you?"
Her body could keep up with them and he smirked at how well fucked she looked. Finn hadn't even gone in her yet.
Elena went to help Kol by using her mouth and allowed Elijah to touch her over-pleasured body. Finn groaned pleased at the sight of her on all fours and quickly took advantage of it.
"Elena," he groaned, sliding himself against her opening. He wanted to make sure she was ready for him. She was dripping a mix of fluids he knew were his brothers.
She pushed back against him and he groaned as the tip of him entered her.
He was slow with her and took his time to fill her completely. She whimpered against Kol's length in her mouth and left him with a pop.
"Finn," she said with a small whine.
"What, Elena?" He replied, cupping and groping her ass cheeks.
She looked over her shoulder to him. "You know how I like it."
The three all gave varying groans. Both Kol and Elijah felt a flare of possessiveness.
"You're going to be the death of me Miss Gilbert," Finn muttered.
She paused in working on Kol again and looked back at Finn. "Says the man who's in a foursome and has already cum once."
"Exactly," he said, pulling out, only to give her a hard thrust like she wanted.
Finn was the roughest of the three, but she didn't seem to mind. When she finished blowing Kol, both men helped her achieve two orgasms before Finn came inside of her.
She curled up on Kol when she was done. Elijah was above her and Finn behind her. They all seemed to be a mess of cum and sweat, but each had finished at least once and were pleasurably spent.
"So, Darling," Kol said tiredly, stroking her skin; Elijah played with her hair and Finn kissed her back. "Can you see yourself doing this again?"
Her cheeks flushed and she looked to each of them.
"Yeah," she said softly. It wasn't nearly as awkward or clumsy as she thought it would be. They made her feel incredulously good. "I'd be willing to keep experimenting. Would you all?"
"Yes," Finn stated positively.
"I would," Elijah said supportively
"Absolutely Darling," Kol remarked. "You did wonderfully."
She blushed and Elijah leaned down and kissed her upside down. She smiled at him.
"Time for you both to go," he said, dismissing his brothers. It was his room after all and he had been spending time with Elena.
Finn gave her a quick kiss and then gave one to her shoulder before gathering his clothes to leave; whereas Kol sped to get half-dressed and then kissed her lovingly, telling her he'd see her later.
When Elena and Elijah were finally alone and Elijah had his entire bed back to himself, he gathered her in her arms and held her.
"You were amazing, Elena," he said kindly. She had kept up with all three of them, letting them all finish in her body. She gave them opportunities to satisfy their strong desires in ways they could have only imagined.
"It was different," she admitted, "but it felt good. You all did," she blushed.
He held back a small groan, turned on by her innocence. Running a hand through her hair, he kissed her with desire. "You're beautiful."
He loved to watch her cum.
"Elijah," she said, giving him a raised eyebrow and seeing the erection he was starting to grow again.
"It's alright, Elena," he said, caressing her cheek with his thumb. She had gone through quite a bit of vigorous activity with the three of them. He wasn't going to push her. It was an inappropriate time to show his arousal and he didn't want her to feel obligated.
She bit her lip and looked at him. "So, if I asked for just you this time, would you tell me no?"
He pressed his head to hers and gave a groan. "No, I would not."
She peeled back the sheet and straddled his lap.
"Elena," he moaned, excited to have her all to himself. He was surprised she wanted to go again with him. He sat up and kissed her hungrily. and
She hovered herself over him and they were quick to sit her down over his length as he devoured her neck with kisses. She moaned loudly, tilting her head back as he nipped at her skin. His hands groped her breast and he moved his mouth to go sucking her peaked nipples.
"Elijah," she breathed, her body humming. She bounced on his lap, clutching him as they moved at a fairly rapid pace. "Oh...don't stop," she begged. "Please dont stop."
He cupped the back of her neck and kissed her greedily, while sliding his hand down between them to touch her. She gasped against him and he smirked, nipping her lips and helping her feel good.
She rode him as he rubbed circular motions on her clit and caressed her rear. He watched when her orgasm hit, but his eyes then clamped shut when his own soon followed. He filled her with his seed, grunting and moaning as he finished again.
They were both out of breath when they collapsed against one another. She kissed him quick and smiled. She liked things that way too.
She had become much more open to kissing and touching around the mansion since their sexual encounter. It bothered her less to show displays of affection for them and they enjoyed it. The foursome had taken away some tension and they could see she felt more comfortable in their relationship all together.
"You did it, didn't you?" Rebekah asked Elena one day when they were getting to walk out of the mansion. They were going to be having a girl sleepover at the Gilbert house "You slept with all my brothers together."
"Rebekah," Finn admonished, as he watched them gather their things to leave. He wondered to himself if his sister could ever learn her lesson.
Elena's cheeks darkened. "That obvious, huh?"
Rebekah shrugged. "Well considering how good of a mood my brothers have been in, and you don't get flustered when they kiss you, you must have done it. And been good in the sack."
"Shut up, Rebekah," Kol stated with an edge in his tone. He came down the stairs in anger in hearing the conversation
"I do agree with Kol," Elijah remarked in displeasure, walking to them. He glared at his sister, reminding himself to have another talk with her.
"It's fine," Elena said with red cheeks. She looked to the blonde. "Can we go now?"
"Say goodbye to my brothers. I'll wait in the car," she teased lightly.
"Rebekah!" the men all scolded. Elena put a hand over her face. And here she thought Kol was the sibling that would tease the most.
Elijah's eyes narrowed and he excused himself to follow his sister to have a quick discussion. He didn't want her speaking of the matter while the two were at the sleepover.
"Don't let her get to you, Darling," Kol said supportively, coming over to her first.
"It's fine," Elena repeated. She let Kol kiss her and it eased her body's tensions slightly. "Plus, it isn't like it isn't true," she stated. leaving his
"Why do you bother with my sister?" Finn asked, pulling her out of Kol's arms to hug her goodbye. She gave him a quick kiss and backed away from them.
"Be nice. She's your sister," she scolded to the two men, giving them shoves.
"Yes, and she must know her place," Elijah remarked, coming back inside and shutting the door. She gave him a look. "You did not just say that."
"Oh, but he did," Kol said teasingly. It sounded very old-century.
Elijah glared to Kol and then looked to Elena. "What I mean by that is she needs to know to mind her business and keep her nose out of matters that are none of her concern."
He pulled her into his arms and gave her a gentle kiss. "If she bothers you, call me."
"I'm not five, Elijah. I can handle myself."
"We'd rather handle her for you, Darling," Kol remarked.
"She tends not to listen to many," Finn added.
"Elena! Let's go already!" Rebekah called from the driveway.
"Case and point," Finn muttered irritated.
Elijah shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Shut it, Rebekah!" Kol called back.
Elena rolled her eyes at all of them and pushed Elijah's arms away. "Goodbye, I'll see you guys later." Backing away, she gave them a wave and walked out the door to go have her sleepover.
"You did it?!" Bonnie and Caroline gaped when Elena told them she had finally caved into the idea.
"Well, how was it?" Caroline asked.
"Oh no. Absolutely not," Rebekah stated. "Elijah made me promise not to tease you about this, but I will not sit here and listen to you three discuss the sexual conducts of my brothers."
"I wasn't going to," Elena said with a blush.
"Details, later," Bonnie stated to her.
"Oh, come on, just tell us a little bit of something," Caroline whined. "—without going into the details and grossing Rebekah out."
Elena sat thoughtful and curled some hair behind her ear. "They were all patient and kind. Elijah and Kol had…some experience," she said awkwardly. "But it was nice that Finn didn't."
"Surprising for Finn considering he is the most self-righteous," Rebekah complained.
"He seems pretty gentlemanly like Elijah," Bonnie noted.
Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Yes. We tend to consider Finn the most moral out of our group…and noble and virtuous. Whatever," she disregarded. "Finn lacks experience everywhere."
"He was the longest daggered Original out of all of you," Elena justified.
"Yes," Rebekah agreed. "Nik and his stupid daggers." She had difficulty justifying her half-brother's actions for keeping them in coffins. She wanted to be understanding and she loved Nik with almost all of her heart. But he hurt her over and over again, and never stuck around.
Bonnie looked back to Elena. "But, it was good?"
She blushed. "Yes. Very good."
The three girls giggled and Rebekah rolled her eyes. "We need a new topic."
The night went off without a hitch. They talked about topics other than the Mikaelson men and watched movies. Elena plugged her earphones to her phone when everyone went to sleep and called Elijah.
"Hi," she said quietly, smiling seeing his face. Finn and Kol soon appeared on the screen and she giggled softly at the irritation on Elijah's face.
"Is Rebekah behaving?" Finn questioned.
"Yes," she confirmed. "You can stop worrying about her. She's upholding her promise to Elijah."
She looked to the particular Original with appointed look. His face gave away nothing. "Good," he stated.
She rolled her eyes and got up from her spot on the floor when she saw Bonnie stirring slightly. She went to slip outside to the porch. "I was calling to say goodnight and to stop all of your worrying."
She knew they were still bothered by the teasing and grief Rebekah had given her. Since their experience together, she felt less troubled by the remarks. It gave her a bit of confidence in all of them and their bond.
She went to sit on the porch swing. "It's been fine, with little talk about you guys."
Their interest all peaked, inquisitive to what she had to say about them to her friends.
"Do we come up often?" Finn asked curiously. "What is said about us?"
"I hate girls' nights," Kol muttered to his brothers.
She gave a laugh and shook her head. "Don't you guys have to go to sleep?"
"Vampires need little rest," Elijah remarked, staring at her on the screen.
Her cheeks flushed. She had no doubt about that. They had exceptionally high stamina.
Pushing her sexual thoughts aside, she looked back at the camera. "Well, humans do. I should go."
"You can't just leave like that, Darling," Kol remarked. "What do you say about us?"
"Good things," she assured them. She sat thoughtful. "We…mostly talked about Finn."
Eyebrows were raised and Finn waited for answers.
"Goodnight, you three," she said with a smile. Quickly hanging up, she shook her head and couldn't seem to wipe the smile off her face. Pulling out her earbuds, she wrapped the cord around her phone and got up.
There was a rush of wind and she found Finn before her.
"You can't possibly expect to leave our conversation like that," he remarked. She went over, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He stared at her, kissing her lovingly. "You're beautiful," he murmured.
She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt anything but beautiful with her hair in a messy bun and in her pajamas.
He shed his jacket for her and put it around her. he backed her up to a banister on the porch. "Now, do tell me what you happen to say about me."
She looked up to him, giving him a gentle kiss. "We talked about you being moral and noble and a very good man."
He was quiet at that, disbelieving himself to be as great as she thought. He was a monster inside. "Is that so?" he questioned.
"Very," she said, pulling him close and kissing him again. "Can I go now?"
"Absolutely," he remarked. She went to leave him and he pressed her to him. "Not."
He kissed her hungrily and she matched his passion.
"I'm starting to hate this girls' night, just as much as Kol," he remarked huskily when they parted.
She gave a laugh and ran her hand through his hair, kissing him again. "Get out of here. I'll see you tomorrow."
He gave her another kiss, not wanting to leave just yet. They made out for a while longer before their hands began to roam inappropriately. He groaned against her when she stopped him from touching between her thighs.
"Goodnight, Finn," she breathed.
He stared at her, giving her a kiss. "Goodnight, Elena."
She shed his jacket, handing it back to him. Walking to the door, she glanced back at him and then walked inside, closing the door.
"Kol," Elena asked one evening when they were in his room making out.
"Yes, Darling," he said huskily, running his hands up and down her bare sides under her shirt. He groaned lightly as she practically gave him a lap dance.
She pulled her mouth back from his and he stared at her, seeing the seriousness of the moment. Something was on her mind.
"What is it?" He asked gently.
A blush colored her cheeks and she stared at his chest, unbuttoning his Henley. "If I wanted to do more than us again... how would I go about that?"
Kol's pants stiffened. "You want all of us again."
She blushed deeper. It had been something on her mind for a few weeks now.
"Darling, it's nothing to be ashamed of," he said, sitting up and caressing her warm cheeks. They had done it only once, but she had enjoyed herself enough that she wanted to try more with the three of them again. He was glad she was opening up and allowing for the relationship to blossom.
"Is that what you want right now?" He questioned gently, giving her sweet kisses to her.
She kissed him back, pulling him in closer, and shrugged. "They could join us if they wanted, but we don't necessarily need to go get them."
She had been so busy with the return of school after the holiday, she hadn't had much time to be with any of them.
Her mouth went back to his and Kol quickly discarded her shirt. He knew his brothers would be able to hear them.
"Kol," she shivered as he kissed her neck and down her chest. She was startled when an extra pair of hands came behind her and unclasped her bra for them.
Finn stared lovingly at her, already stripped down and naked. He was not a shy man when it came to nudity if the moment was appropriate.
"Finn," she sighed happily, feeling him kiss the other side of her neck and down her back.
She brought him in for a kiss while Kol was busy on her breasts.
Finn moved her off Kol and pressed her to him while they both kneeled on the bed. He rubbed himself against her and took over caressing her breasts while she stripped Kol of his clothes. He moved to kneel in front of her and she kissed him hungrily.
His hands went to the button of her pants and he quickly pulled them down. Finn helped her remove them.
She found herself between them and touched Kol, while alternating in kissing both men. She wondered where Elijah was and upon looking to the doorway, she noticed him then. He was watching her, staring at the scene of them. He was still fully dressed.
She stared back at him, seeing his eyes full of desire for her. She gasped when Finn brought his hand down between her legs and began to touch her.
She looked to the eldest Mikaelson and kissed him, whimpering against his mouth and holding onto Kol, who had her breasts.
There was a rush of wind and Elijah came to join them, no longer dressed. He ran his hands over her body and his fingers went between her legs, joining his brothers for a brief moment.
She gasped at the intrusion and broke her mouth from Finn. She turned to Kol and pushed him to lay down. "I want one of you to watch."
She had been incredibly turned on by Elijah just standing there and wanted to see what it was like to make them observe. They all had said they enjoyed staring at her.
Kol groaned and Elijah waited for her to express how she wanted them.
She pushed Finn to lay down as well, and then went to Elijah, heavily making out with him. He groaned against her mouth, deepening their kiss with his tongue. He wanted her badly, his erection aching.
She broke away from Elijah and looked back to Finn, seeing his member tall and waiting. She bent down, kissing his stomach and downward to take him in her mouth.
"Elena," he gasped, bringing his hand to run through her hair
"Bloody hell," Kol groaned, laying and seeing her blowing his older brother. He knew how that sinful mouth felt and craved her tongue on him.
She moaned as Elijah got behind her and parted her slick folds to swiftly enter her. She felt filled again and enjoyed the feeling of him.
His thrusts began slow for her and she continued on Finn.
"Elena," Kol groaned. He was throbbing for her, occasionally rubbing his own self for relief as he watched her.
She leaned over and helped him with what he needed. Using her mouth on him as well, she alternated between them while Elijah continued to thrust from behind.
The men groaned.
"Elijah," she moaned, looking back at him. "Deeper."
He pushed in slowly, burying himself completely again. She was tight; her body was still adjusting to feeling heavy arousal and vigorous sex.
He gave her what she desired making sure with each thrust her body took all his ling length.
"Yes...more..." she pleaded.
Arousal flared inside of him and he pulled her up, not letting her continue on his brothers. Capturing her mouth with his, he hungrily nipped her lips and battled with her for control, until all she could do was whimper.
Using his speed, he turned them around, laying her down between Finn and Kol and took control of her hips again, plunging his length completely within her.
She enjoyed the pleasure of his rough actions, knowing he liked to be in charge. He towered above her and watched her. Her eyes fluttered closed as Kol and Finn each sucked on one of her breasts. Her back arched when Elijah's thrusts began.
"Ohhh!" She cried out, feeling how the men were stimulating her to an amplifying amount. Elijah touched her clit as he controlled their thrusting hips and she thrashed with overwhelming desire.
"Let go, Darling," Kol murmured, kissing her ear and neck. "We'll make you ready again."
She looked at him unsure and then kissed him, moaning against his mouth as Elijah had her.
She felt so good, she was afraid to let herself have more. She wasn't sure there could be more.
Kol's lips teased hers and he pinched at her stiff nipples with his fingers.
"...Don't stop," she begged, looking to the man buried inside of her.
Elijah had no intention of stopping, wanting to see her unravel like he knew she could for them. He gave a sharp thrust, causing her back go arching from the mattress. Her hands slid downward and took both Kol and Finn's erections, giving eager pumps.
They moaned at her grasp as she gasped when Elijah continued jousting. They were all moving hastily.
"I'm close," Finn groaned out, looking down to himself to watch her hand go running up and down him.
He teased her naked chest.
"So is she," Elijah said through clenched teeth, feeling her get tighter.
Kol's fingers went to her clit and it only took moments before she was calling out and climaxing with Elijah inside of her.
"Yes, Kol," Elijah grunted, feeling how Elena pulsed with pleasure. He continued to thrust and hoped his brother wouldn't stop. It made Elena feel good.
She sniveled as they didn't let up on her body and she swore she saw stars until Kol's hand slowed down on her and Elijah was almost finished cumming.
"Oh..." she trembled, putting her hand over Kol's.
He kissed her softly. "You love that."
"She enjoyed herself there," Finn commented teasingly, kissing her shoulder and marveling how she looked between all of them.
"Incredible, Elena," Elijah panted. He bent down and kissed her lovingly, while pulling out slowly.
"You felt so good, Elijah," she groaned softly, feeling her body heavy. There was a certain exhaustion that came with having all of them at once, but also a comfort when they each took turns finishing inside of her.
Elijah groaned and kissed her lips. She was innocent and truthful, never realizing how her admittance made them all horny.
"Finn?" She questioned when he sat up and traded places with Elijah.
"Are you ready to handle more?" He questioned, rubbing her thighs and soothing her muscles.
"I'm a bit sensitive," she blushed in honesty. He was thicker than his brothers and her body felt on edge from the release she had got. She wasn't sure if she could handle him next or make her body feel better.
"We can help with that," Kol remarked, massaging and being gentle with her, as he touched between her thighs. Elijah kissed her skin and ran his hands over her breasts.
They alternated their fingers inside of her, taking turns plunging into her pool of wetness to help her climax again.
"You need this," Kol told her. Her body was trying to understand the multiple simulating pleasure they put her through.
"Relax, Elena," Elijah remarked, trying to help ease her tensions.
Finn rubbed her legs and gave kisses to her inner thighs. He watched as his brothers alternated their fingers at her core.
She whimpered and clutched the men beside her, feeling her body get tenser.
"Trust us," Elijah murmured, rubbing the underside of her breast with his thumb. He kissed her lovingly, being there for her when her mouth parted from his to gasp as Kol finished her with his fingers.
Her body trembled happily and Elijah and Finn soothed her with kisses and touching.
"Better?" Kol asked when she laid with them trying to catch her breath.
She blushed as she bit her lip nodding. She didn't feel so wound up as she had. Her body relaxed after that orgasm.
"You're doing amazing, Elena," Elijah murmured supportively, knowing she could be self-conscious and worried. It was to be expected with it only being their second time at this.
"You're perfect, Darling," Kol assured her. He looked to her. "Now, do you trust me?"
She gave a nod.
He helped her up, having her go to the edge of the bed. He stood behind her with his feet planted the ground. She wondered what he had planned. Elijah removed himself from the situation, knowing he was to watch like Elena had previously asked. He, too, stood from the bed to figure out what was going to happen.
"Finn, go lay on your side facing Elena," Kol requested.
Finn went and did what he was told. He was curious of the position they'd be in.
"Kol?" Elena asked nervously.
"It's alright, Darling. It will feel good, I promise," he said, giving her a loving kiss. He helped her get situated, dropping her legs over Finn's hips.
"Lay back against me," Kol instructed. "I have you."
She did as she was told, getting slightly tense.
"We can stop if you'd like, Elena," Finn remarked, seeing her hesitant.
"We can," Kol agreed supportively, seeing her looking uncomfortable.
She looked at Kol and shook her head. She trusted him. She just felt awkward and inexperienced. Reaching for a kiss from him, he gladly granted it and they made out briefly.
"Show me what this is," she told them.
Elijah gave a pursed smile at her courage. He wasn't all too familiar with what this position entailed but enjoyed the view of it. He watched Elena between both men, trying to stay open to the new experience.
Kol told her how it'd work, where he'd support her body weight and their position while Finn would have her. The position would allow her to feel Finn deeply.
She looked to Elijah, who stood bearing another erection for her. He gave an encouraging nod.
Kol and Finn helped to ease her into them. They could see she was in her head, starting to worry, so they spent time touching and arousing her. They waited until her body felt ready, and when she gave them a nod of confirmation, Finn slipped inside of her.
She gasped and clutched onto Kol.
He smirked as he held her and kissed her neck. He knew she'd love the position.
"Bloody hell," Finn muttered, feeling her body in a new way. He was going to have to say thank you to Kol for introducing this position. He never felt so full inside of Elena.
Finn began moving and she moaned loudly.
"That's it, Darling," Kol encouraged, feeling her press against him. He sucked on her neck and touched her breasts.
"Kol...Finn..." she trembled.
"Yes, Elena," Finn groaned, feeling her passage way get tighter.
Elijah watched with rigidness and jealousy to see her get close to unraveling while with his brothers.
Her head laid back on Kol's shoulder and she clutched the men on either side of her while Finn thrusted. She was overtaken by a strong climax.
Finn grunted, continuing to drive himself inside of her, and Kol brought his hand down to rub her clit, helping to prolong her climax.
The eldest Mikaelson then groaned uncontrollably, calling for Elena as he filled her with streams of his semen. The position had been breathtaking.
"Oh my god," she panted, laying back against Kol when Finn finally finished and pulled out of her. He laid near the foot of the bed; his thick spear of flesh still hard for her and coated in their fluids. He was still recovering from how amazing she had been. He kissed her long legs sensuously.
Kol settled her on the bed and Elijah went back to them.
"Elijah," Elena breathed, looking to see his very tall erection come near.
He brought her in for a hard kiss and she whimpered against his lips. He desired her.
"My turn," she murmured, pulling away from the men. She stood up from the bed, her legs wobbly as they settled to the floor. She had Kol stand up behind her again while she laid Elijah down in front of her. She smirked to the men.
"I'm all yours," she told Kol before bending down on Elijah and taking him between her lips.
"Bloody hell," Kol cursed at the sight of her. He was quick to align himself at her slick opening; his brothers' cum seeping from her.
He planned to change that and make her only filled with him. He buried himself inside of her and shook at how good it felt. She was tight and needy and wet for him. She was still aroused and could surely go again. Her body was his for the taking.
Elena pushed back against Kol, soon moving on her own accord to make skin slapping thrusts, while she had Elijah in her mouth.
"Elena," Elijah groaned helplessly. He glanced down at her, lost in the ecstasy of her actions.
She gave a long throaty moan as Kol thrusted and they all sucked in a sharp breath.
"Elena," Kol panted, clutching her hips tightly. He needed her greatly.
Her lips left Elijah's length and she looked back at him. "Take me, Kol."
He groaned at her demand, bringing her up for a hard kiss. "You'll make me lose control." He had been desiring her for too long, teased and unable to have her until now. He felt untamed.
Both Finn and Elijah stiffened, looking at their brother in worry.
"No, you won't," she murmured in confidence. She gave him another kiss. "I trust you."
She looked to Elijah and went back down on him.
"Elena," he said tensed, feeling less aroused now that his younger brother was a risk of danger. He didn't want her getting hurt.
She used her tongue in a way that had his eyes snapping shut in pleasure. "Don't, Elijah," she warned. She was willing to let him be hard and unfinished if he didn't drop it. She knew what he was thinking and it was already a sensitive matter for Kol.
She gave a small moan at Kol, enjoying the way he brought her hips back flush against him. She looked back appreciatively at him. "Again," she encouraged.
He ran his hands over her body and gave a deeper thrust, making her moan longer. The two got back into a rhythm and Elena went back sucking Elijah. He ran a hand through her hair, watching as she took him in her mouth. He groaned at the way she moved her tongue and laid back again, forgetting about his brother. He let Elena pleasure him, satisfying his need for her.
She moaned and whimpered as her skin slapped with Kol's. She climaxed quickly while pumping Elijah with her hand, and they all watched her take pleasure.
"Elena," Elijah groaned, tugging her hair. He wanted to see her climax.
She turned her head to look at him, closing her eyes and letting out a whimper of happiness as Kol was still going behind her. Her body was buzzing.
She stared up at Elijah and set her mouth back on him when she was ready, finishing him up and swallowing his load at the same time that Kol released inside of her. She moaned happily at the two men.
Elijah laid in bed seeing stars from his orgasm. She was unbelievable at that.
Kol held her still, ejaculating a large pent-up load he had from their activities. "Elena," he moaned, loving how her body handled him. He kissed her skin and waited until he was done releasing.
They all laid back in bed together. The Mikaelsons were needily curled around her from their pleasurable activities.
"It all felt good, Kol," she murmured to him, running her fingers over his cheeks. He laid in front of her while Elijah was curled behind her and Finn above her.
"I'm glad," he murmured, kissing her lips.
They made out together until they both got needy.
"Get out," Kol commanded his brothers. Elena surely wasn't ready for all three of them again, but she was ready for one, and he decided it would be him.
The two men kissed Elena's body before leaving. Kol kept her greedily to him, not letting her lips to his to say goodbye to his brothers. When the door shut behind them, he pulled her onto his lap.
"That wasn't very nice," she said lightly, knowing what he did.
He gave a grunt of acknowledgment and the rolled her to her back, burying himself inside of her. She gasped and clutched him.
"I'm not good at sharing," he murmured, feeling overwhelmingly possessive.
She kissed him and stared in his eyes. "You've been perfect, Kol. Thank you."
He kissed her strongly and savored the way she moaned in his arms, encouraging him faster as he thrusted.
"Oh...Kol..." she called loudly. Her nails dug into the skin of his back and he groaned happily.
He brought his hand down and rubbed her swollen clit. She gasped and arched her back, tensing as he made her orgasm again.
He grunted, going stiff against her, as her body pulsed around his. He gave one final powerful thrust inside of her, burying himself as deep as he could go, before discharging more of his fluids. He moaned loudly, his body shaking.
"Kol," she whimpered against him, satisfied when he kissed her hungrily.
"My god, Elena, " he breathed, keeping her close and beneath him. He pressed his forehead to hers and tried to regain a breath.
She shivered, pulling him tighter against her. Her body was still trying to come down from the high and they both felt it. "You feel so good," she whispered.
He groaned and kissed her again, making sure he stayed nestled in her warmth. She gave a small moan.
He committed the moments with her to his memory. He could never get enough of the sex they had together. It had been amazing.
He rolled them over and pulled her up on top of him, desiring her once more. He loved seeing her ride him and knew exactly how to pleasure her.
"Again?" She said breathlessly.
He stared lovingly at her, bringing his thumb to her clit to make her gasp. "You have a bit more left in you," he teased, knowing she could orgasm more. They went until they both were exhausted from their bodies powerful spasming and rolled off one another.
"Go to sleep, Darling," he said, running his fingers through her hair. "I'll be here when you wake."
She leaned up and kissed him lovingly, then snuggling against him and falling into her exhaustion.
"Ugh, I give up," Elena declared, getting up from the kitchen table and refilling her tea.
"This is stupid," Bonnie agreed, setting her head on her books.
They had been studying for hours on an AP Physics exam.
"Who needs this anyway," Caroline huffed with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Yeah, it's tough," Stefan agreed calmly.
"I'll be glad when I've got fifty years on me to ace this sort of thing," Caroline stated.
"Until then, we've got our test in under a week," Elena stated, coming back to sit with them.
"Can we skip it?" Bonnie groaned.
"Not unless you want to tank 20% of your grade," Stefan said lightly.
They all groaned.
"We all need a break," Caroline declared, getting up and going to raid the Gilbert pantry.
"You guys look like you're having fun," Jeremy commented, walking into the kitchen and seeing their miserable faces.
"Never take an AP class," Bonnie complained.
"It looks good for colleges," Caroline argued.
"Remind me that after we pass this exam," Elena muttered.
"Come on, it's not that bad. We're all close to getting this," Stefan stated.
"Has anyone told you your positivity is irritating?" Bonnie glared.
The girls and Jeremy chuckled.
"Thanks," Stefan said, looking down at the table with a small smile.
"Are you guys all going to the decades dance?" Caroline asked, bringing back some chips in a bowl.
Bonnie and Jeremy shrugged to one another, giving a nod. Stefan was quiet and Elena looked unsure. "I don't know."
"What? Why not?" Bonnie asked.
Elena shifted in her seat.
"You don't know who to bring," Stefan guessed.
She tucked some hair behind her ear and nodded. She wasn't about to bring all three Mikaelsons to a school dance, but it felt wrong to ask one brother over another.
"Well…I don't know if Tyler will be coming back in time. We could go together," Caroline suggested.
She tried not to make a face. It was nice of Caroline, but if Tyler were to show, she'd just be a third wheel.
"…you and I could go," Stefan suggested to Elena. He tried not to appear overly hopeful. "As friends, obviously."
He was well aware she was involved with the Mikaelson family.
She looked to him and hesitated to consider it. It was better than going alone, but it felt weird to also go with Stefan, her ex, while between Elijah, Kol and Finn. They surely wouldn't be happy about it. "I'll think about it. Thanks, Stefan."
He nodded.
They moved onto other conversation until they had to go back to studying. They shoved Jeremy from the room and worked until close to midnight.
"Elena, I'm going to bed. Are you still going to the Mikaelsons?" Alaric asked.
"Yeah, I was planning on it," she replied, seeing her friends to the door.
"I can take you," Stefan stated. Not only did he offer so that she was safer than driving alone at night, but he wanted more time with her. While he knew she was taken, he missed her. He felt he had a lot of rekindling to do with their friendship.
"Thanks, Stefan," Alaric remarked. He wished them a good night and left to get to bed.
Elena quickly grabbed her things and hopped in Stefan's car. "I appreciate the ride, Stefan," she said. He glanced over to her.
"I know things are still kind of weird between us, but all I want is your happiness, Elena."
She gave a small smile and nodded.
"And if you don't want to go with me to the dance, I understand."
"It's not that," she said quickly. "It's just…complicated." Her brows furrowed. "It makes me feel like I have to choose. And I know I should, it's just…I'm not sure how. And I've convinced myself that it's okay not to."
She looked down at her hands shamefully and Stefan glimpsed over at her. "You told me once, 'you should love the person that makes you glad that you're alive'. I think that if, for now, that's how you feel about each of them, then that's what it is. It'll take time."
She gave a small smile and found them pulled up to the mansion. "Thanks, Stefan."
He nodded watched her get out. "Anytime, Elena."
She grabbed her things and waved to him. Walking up to the door, she was startled when the door opened before she knocked.
"Nice timing," she complimented to Finn.
"Thank you," he replied, taking her things and giving her a kiss. He looked at her. "Something's bothering you."
"I hate that, you know that, right?" she asked. She felt like she couldn't keep anything to herself with the three of them.
"It wasn't our bond. It was your eyes," he said, knowing what she was thinking. He was getting to know her well.
She frowned. "Are Elijah and Kol home too?"
"They are," he remarked. He guided her upstairs to her room and was surprised when they gathered before needing to even call them.
"Darling," Kol said, going and giving her a kiss. "Hey," she said, watching him go take a seat on the couch. Finn was starting a fire for her.
"What's wrong?" Elijah asked, coming to her and brushing some hair from her face. He kissed her softly.
"It's nothing big," she assured him, taking his hand and leading him to sit with everyone.
"So?" Kol asked, seeing her sit with Finn.
She had their full attention, which was oddly a bit unnerving. "Uh, well," she said curling some hair behind her ear. Her issues seemed trivial. "There's a school dance coming up –the decades dance. Rebekah and Caroline have been working on it. I've been afraid to tell you guys about it because I wasn't sure what to do given our…situation."
They all frowned.
She looked away from them, pulling her sleeves over her sweater down over her hands. "Caroline brought it up while we were all studying and uh…" she braced herself. "Stefan asked if I wanted to with him as friends, since…. you know, I can't just bring all three of you."
They tensed.
"I told him I'd think about it."
"Why can one of us not take you?" Finn asked, staring at her and brushing some hair back to see her better.
"I don't want to have to pick," she said to him softly. Guilt filled her belly. "The rumors just started dying down. I can't bring all three of you and picking seems…wrong."
"And going with your ex is better?" Kol said with a bit of hostility in his tone.
"It'd be as friends," she stressed. "And it's just a dance."
Tensions filled the room and she struggled to remain calm.
"This is ridiculous," Kol said standing up.
"Kol," Elijah scolded, trying to be civil.
"No. Why does Stefan Salvatore get this?" he snapped to his brother.
She bit her lip and Finn held her waist, keeping her safe against him. He could see his younger brother's anger getting the best of him.
"Control yourself," Elijah demanded.
Kol glanced to Elena seeing he was making her nervous. And the way that his brother was holding her was to protect her. He let out a breath and stared at his love. "We've done school activities together before. This shouldn't be any different."
"…to people, it is," she said hesitantly. She glanced at her hands and back to Kol. "If I brought you, people say I'm playing you and you deserve better." She swallowed hard. "If I brought Elijah, they'd talk about how I've been seen with you, so therefore I'm using him and being a gold-digger."
The men held in their anger. "And if I took Finn, well, people see a big age difference between us, and like to tell me how I shouldn't be with someone like him. I should get someone my own age."
She frowned. "They automatically like to assume I'm desperate and whoring myself out to all of you."
"Elena," Elijah said softly.
She sighed and got up. Her nervous energy was only growing. "It's all wrong. And I know I shouldn't care about how people talk. But it has been nice not to be the talk of the school or have the word 'slut' written on my locker."
"What?" they snapped.
She shut her eyes and sighed. She had not meant to let that last part out. She had never wanted them to find that out.
"They did what?" Kol asked angrily. His hands balled to fists.
"Okay, stop," Elena said, going to him and putting her hands on his chest. Both Finn and Elijah stood, anxious at seeing so close while their brother's anger heightened.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Kol demanded.
"What were you going to do?" she asked softly. "Compel the whole down to be nice to me?"
"If we had to," Elijah stated.
She tried not to make a face at his words. She focused on Kol. "It's fine. I'm fine." She ran her hands up and down his chest. He cupped her cheek and put his head to hers.
"I don't mean to make you guys upset. I just wanted to be honest with you."
"Won't people talk if you go with Stefan Salvatore?" Finn questioned.
"Less than you'd think," Elena said, looking back at him. It was odd how people thought of her and Stefan belonged together.
The Mikaelsons all frowned.
"Elena, what else have the townspeople done?" Elijah questioned thoughtfully. There was probably more she was keeping from them.
She looked at him. "You really want to talk about that now?" she questioned, seeing how she was trying to keep Kol calm.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. There was more—clearly. He planned to discuss the matter with her later.
She looked back at Kol, who was working to control himself. "We can go out another time, okay? It's a stupid school dance. It doesn't mean anything."
"It means something and you know it," Kol muttered, pushing some hair over her shoulder.
She hesitated to counter his remark. She knew how it looked but they had to know it didn't mean anything to her.
"Please? Just support me on this?"
He huffed, trying to not let his anger grow again.
"If his lips so much as touch yours," Kol warned.
Elena gave a small laugh. "They won't," she assured him.
He gave her a long kiss and sighed when he let go of her. "Stupid school dances."
Kol took her dancing downtown one evening since they didn't get to go to the school dance together. The decades dance of the 20s, had gone on without a hitch or a kiss from Stefan. And most of the school hadn't commented when they went together.
"You're still jealous," Elena noted, seeing him bothered as they dance.
"Of course, I am," he bit out angrily. He wanted to be there to see her in her costume and be the one to dance with her. Instead, she went with an ex-boyfriend.
"It's just a school dance, Kol," she said softly.
"I know that," he snapped, his vampire features coming out for a moment. He let her go and stepped back, turning around to get a hold of his anger.
She was hesitant to reach out for him again. "Kol?" She hadn't realized he hurt this badly.
He calmed himself down and looked at her.
"I'm sorry," he sighed, taking her back in his arms as smooth jazz music played.
"Me too," she said softly. "I didn't know it bothered you so badly."
"I'm a vampire, Elena. Aa Original. I'm as possessive as they come."
She gave a nod. Sometimes it slipped her mind to think how they were even more heightened with their senses and emotions than vampires.
He sighed and kissed her head. He hadn't meant to hurt her. "Rebekah showed me pictures of the night. You looked beautiful."
She looked up at him with surprise.
"Maybe that's why I'm so jealous," he stated. He got to see her in a whole new element.
She stared thoughtfully at him. "Want to go somewhere with me?"
He looked at her curiously and she gave him a quick kiss, pulling him out from the slow dancing crowd. She grabbed her things and walked out with him, leading him down the streets to a clothing store.
"Seriously?" He asked. "You want to go shopping?"
She rolled her eyes. "Would you wait here for a little bit?"
"Elena—"
"—just wait," she interrupted, going and hustling into the store. She was barely twenty minutes before she came out with her jacket on and no bags in hand.
"You were in there and didn't even buy anything?"
"Would you stop being so grumpy and trust me?" she questioned.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair and calming his emotions. He went with her, letting her lead the way to the front of a noisy club.
"You want to go clubbing?"
"I do," she replied. She cut the line to the front of the club and waited as Kol compelled the bouncer and let them in.
She guided him through the crowd and to a table where she set down her things.
"Elena," he called, pulling her back when she went to take him dancing. He no longer was in a mood.
Sensing his irritation, she stood in front of him and unbuttoned her coat, revealing her change of clothes. She had bought a new outfit specifically to get him in a better mood. One that included a very short and revealing crop top and a short skirt.
"Bloody hell," he muttered, staring at her figure.
"Feel better yet?" she called over the music. She set her coat down and led him to the dance floor, positioning him behind her.
"This is what you did when you went in that store," he gathered.
She turned in his arms, running her hand through his choppy hair and put her lips near his ear. "You should see what's underneath."
He gave a groan, skimming his hands up and down her body.
She smirked at his better mood and they danced until the early morning.
"You're not going home," he told her. There was no way he was taking her home after their dancing and her outfit. He sped them to a nice hotel where he got them a room. She laughed and he quickly pushed them into an elevator after getting their keycard.
"I see someone is less cranky," she smiled as he pinned her to the wall. They made out until the car dinged and opened the doors to the floor. Kol grabbed her and sped her to the room, quickly unlocking the door.
She laughed at his hastiness, but it turned into a moan when he began kissing her neck. Her hands ran down his chest and quickly undid his pants. She groaned against his lips when he sprung out.
He shed her thin panties and picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. They clumsily attempted to make their way towards the bed and she gasped when she felt him drive himself inside of her.
"Kol," she moaned helplessly.
He battled lips with her while he stood with her in his arms keeping them joined together. He groaned when she began bouncing lightly as she hung onto him.
"Please Kol," she begged. She couldn't get enough leverage being carried in his arms.
He laid her on the bed, still completely joined to him. He quickly rid her of her shirt and groped her breast in his hand, sucking the flesh in his mouth.
She bucked against him as he teased her, overwhelmed at the pleasure and so he pulled out from her, getting ideas of other things to do before satisfying her a certain way.
"Kol," she whined, running her hands through his hair. She pulled his head from her chest and brought him in for a needy kiss. Her hands ran over his bare chest and she pulled down his pants the rest of the way.
He groaned at how she stroked him.
"Come here, Darling," he encouraged, laying himself on the bed and bringing her core to him. She was hesitant finding herself being placed over his face until his mouth touched her and she shivered.
He groaned against her mound, feeling how wet she was. He enjoyed her just as needy as he was
"Kol," she groaned, looking back and seeing him erect. She looked down at him, aroused at the sight of him. "Kol, let me," she pleaded.
He pulled back from her; his lips wet. "You want me, Darling?"
She nodded.
"Turn around," he instructed. She did as she was told and found herself in the infamous 69 position. She had never done it before
Embracing the change, she pushed her hair to the side and took him in her mouth. He gave a loud groan and gripped her thighs tightly.
"Bloody hell, Elena, " he grunted, thrusting himself into her mouth. She moaned and set a hand down on his hips, not letting him take control.
He went back to her, sucking down her nectar and she gasped against him, letting him go with a pop to moan and call for him. It felt a bit different, but incredibly good.
"Oh god, Kol," she groaned, using her hand to pump his shaft.
He groaned and pushed her further down on him.
She let out a whimper and put her mouth back on him. She was getting desperate for a release and she knew he was teasing her. All the Mikaelsons loved to drink her.
"Kol please," she whined, grinding her hips against his face. He worked her over, teasing her a bit longer until he finally let her go. She climaxed strongly, removing her mouth from him to make loud noises. Her body spasmed and shook and she had difficulty pumping him with her hand while she climaxed it was so intense.
"Kol!" She called out, going to get off him when he kept going on her. She found herself sensitive and her body trembling. She whimpered and jumped as his mouth and tongue continued to play with her. He eventually added his fingers to help soothe her and she was able to focus on finishing him.
"Elena, " he breathed, feeling her tongue run along his length. He groaned at the way she sucked him and found her tongue to be incredibly talented.
Her head bobbed quickly, taking all that she could in her mouth while using her hand to stroke the rest of him. All of the Mikaelsons were fairly large.
"Elena," he called stronger, feeling himself getting closer. He pulled his fingers out from her, clutching her rear cheeks as she moaned and pleasured him.
He shuddered at the way shed stroke and tease him, using her mouth in ways he dreamed. "Elena," he trembled, his body tense.
The orgasm he felt made him see stars. He called out for her repeatedly, arching his back and letting her swallow him. He couldn't describe the feeling of the woman he loved letting him sully her mouth. His possessiveness was sated.
He huffed for air as he finished, letting Elena continue on him for just a few seconds until he was ready again. "I need inside of you," he demanded breathless.
"I kind of like this position," she said, bringing her mouth down on him. He groaned as she touched him.
Speeding them around, Elena gasped when she found herself against the pillows. Kol was back to kissing her breasts and he plunged his fingers inside of her.
She went to stop his hand, moaning at what he was doing to her. "I thought you wanted inside of me?" She questioned.
"I didn't say what part, darling," he teased.
She groaned as his fingers worked her. "Kol, please."
She desired for him to fill her. She liked the way her body had to stretch to fit him or any of the Mikaelsons.
Removing his fingers, he grabbed a pillow and put it under her hips, then sitting up and thrusting himself inside of her. She gasped and clutched the sheets. Kol was ungodly good at sex.
They were pent up with need and went pounding at a rapid pace. They both were loudly moaning for one another and worked until they released.
Elena's back arched and she trembled as the wave of her climax overtook her. She felt Kol continue, being a bit rougher than he usually would. Her body hugged him and he began to finish in the middle of her climax, spurting jets of seed inside of her while burying himself as deep as he could be.
"That ended better than how my school dance ended," she remarked breathlessly as he rolled off her and moved the pillow from under her to snuggle up behind her. He scoffed and gave her neck kisses.
She snickered and kissed him. "Still mad?"
"How can I be after that?" he questioned slightly breathless. Her body was amazing. He pulled her closer in his arms, savoring their time together and what she had done for him.
"I love you, Elena," he murmured. "I didn't mean to ruin part of our night. I got so possessive..."
She turned to face him, giving him a loving kiss. "Our night worked out. And I understand why." She kissed him again. "Thank you for trying to share me even though you're not good at it."
He gave a small snort and she settled against him, laying her head on his chest and tracing every crevice of his muscles. "Kol," she said softly.
She thought about what Stefan reminded her when he drove her to the Mikaelsons. You told me once, 'you should love the person that makes you glad that you're alive'.
He looked at her lovingly. "What is it?"
She stared up at him. "I love you, too."
He was overcome with an emotion he wasn't sure he had felt before. Swallowing hard, he leaned down and kissed her hard. "Elena Gilbert," he breathed, running his fingers through her hair. "You take my breath away."
He kissed her again. He thought his heart would surely run away. She melted into his touch, taken by the kiss. Everything felt perfect.