Notes: So my family dropped my youngest sibling off at college recently, which was sad. Now I'm the only leech living with our parents, lol Also I started my 2nd year of grad school, and it's my birthday this week!
ELIJAH'S POV
Elijah and Kol tromped through the forest after their brother, who was prancing happily ahead of them. Niklaus was having the time of his life. He kept testing the limits of his new abilities as the Hybrid. He rushed around the trees at a speed almost too fast for even Elijah to keep pace with. He jumped and skidded through the brush. He yipped and growled and howled. He pushed the limits of his new, true form, but never seemed to run out of energy or exuberance.
Elijah relished in the joy of his younger brother. There were very few moments in their lives where Niklaus was genuinely happy, and Elijah was just thankful that he was able to witness one of those moments. In all honesty, there were very few happy moments in any of the Mikaelson siblings' lives. For so long they had been plagued by their father and by their own sins. But Elijah had hope that with all the siblings working together, and Miriam's knowledge of their enemies and future, they could vanquish any threat to their health and happiness.
Of course, the lives of the Mikaelsons would always be filled with threats. Apex predators they might be, but even mighty creatures could be hunted to extinction. Even with Miriam's foresight, there would always be dangers. Such was their life.
However, the current threat to the happiness of the Mikaelsons was Kol.
Elijah's youngest brother was marching sullenly next to him, muttering curses in languages so ancient they were no longer spoken by modern people. He had been dour for the last few hours, ever since they left Miriam with Finn and Rebekah. He hadn't spoken a positive word to Elijah or Klaus. His sarcastic comments put a damper on Elijah's happiness and caused Klaus to run further ahead. Soon Elijah was alone with his whiny little brother.
Everything came to a head when the sun reached its peak in the sky. Kol, still stomping next to Elijah, pulled at his borrowed clothes in annoyance and muttered yet another curse, this time in an old Baltic language.
"Must you fiddle with your clothes like a child?" Elijah chided as they walked.
"I apologize for not perfectly fitting into your cast-offs, brother dearest," Kol retorted.
"Forgive me for not wanting you to appear to our exhausted mate in clothes stained with blood." Elijah nearly rolled his eyes at his brother's less-than stellar behavior.
"I wonder how our mate got into such a state? Was it your lackluster protection detail? Or was it Nik's wonderful decision to kidnap her and take her to the middle of nowhere? And then violently murder humans in front of her?" Kol's tone was mocking as he pushed all of Elijah's buttons. "You have both had human lovers before; shouldn't you know by now that they do not appreciate having some of their own kind executed in front of them? Or do you just not care? Is Miriam another Tatia? Will that be her future? Do you care for her so little that you do not mind if she is torn apart by your fighting?!"
"Enough!"
Elijah whirled around and shoved Kol, sending him skidding across several yards of the forest floor. When Kol finally stopped moving, he looked up at Elijah and grinned maliciously.
"Oh, so that's how it's going to be?"
And the two titans clashed.
The forest went completely silent as the two brothers fought. Animals, driven by a primal sense of self preservation, fled the area. Birds took to the air. Squirrels jumped from tree to tree. Deer used their long legs to cover more ground. In a matter of seconds the only remaining creatures within a half mile were the two Originals and a group of oblivious hikers.
Elijah and Kol crashed into trees and boulders. Their speed and strength was unmatched, and neither had faced such a challenge in a long time. In no time at all they had demolished a solid acre of the forest.
They punched and pushed each other. Elijah had taken the time to learn fighting styles from multiple cultures, so he knew he had the superior skill, but Kol was a ball of pure rage. They were evenly matched. Elijah was unsure who would win. He was too busy trying to plan each of his moves, when Kol was able to sweep his legs. Elijah fell to the ground with an oof. He was only able to climb to his knees before Kol tackled him. Kol pinned Elijah to the ground, whipped out a silver dagger, and pressed it against Elijah's chest.
Elijah froze. He stared up at his younger brother and tried to gauge what the wildest Mikaelson was going to do.
"Doesn't feel so good to be on the receiving end of one of these, does it?" Kol taunted. The blade tore through Elijah's clothes and pressed against his skin.
"If you are going to dagger me then just do it," Elijah snarled. He refused to show fear, though the emotion fluttered in his chest.
Kol pressed the dagger harder against Elijah, cutting through the first few layers of skin. His dark eyes burned with fury and pain. "The last three times I was daggered you held me still while Nik drove this dagger into my heart. Three times. Three times you have chosen him over me! It stands to reason you will always choose him over me. Despite us both being your brothers, you only vowed to stay with him. I am constantly ignored. 'Always and forever' is a load of shite, don't you dare deny it!"
"Niklaus needed the immediate assurance of his closest siblings; we did not mean to exclude you-"
"Shut the hell up!" Elijah was close enough to Kol's face to see that angry tears filled Kol's eyes. The tears made Elijah feel a modicum of guilt over an ancient vow. "Do not make excuses. Never, in a thousand years of living on this wretched earth, did you include Finn and me into that vow. We have always hovered at the edge of this miserable family."
"By your own volition!"
"No! Finn was depressed, Elijah! His human family had perished and his sense of right and wrong had been turned upside down. And instead of encouraging him to find a new worldview, we all mocked him!"
"And you believe you understand our eldest brother better now?" Elijah was incredulous that his feral, stubborn younger brother could effortlessly support their eldest brother.
"Yes! We spent time daggered together. We share a mate. And most importantly, we are the forgotten Mikaelson siblings. I am on Finn's side now," Kol declared.
"You are being ridiculous! There are no sides-"
"Oh, of course there are sides!" Kol rolled his eyes. "There are always sides. And I chose Finn and Miriam."
Elijah's hackles raised at the mention of their mate's name. "Leave Miriam out of this conversation!"
"She is just as much a part of this conversation as any person with Esther and Mikael's blood running through their veins," Kol snapped and pressed Elijah harder into the ground as punishment. "Our actions affect her."
"Which is why we need to work together to protect her!" Elijah seized the opportunity to push his agenda onto his little brother. If only Kol would stop moping and understand that Miriam's protection and safety was the only thing that mattered-
"Her protection is not enough, brother! Don't you see that?"
"No, I don't," Elijah shook his head. "I don't understand why you keep causing trouble and pushing for fights when we could be joining forces to keep Miriam safe. All four of us are her mates. We cannot afford any infighting! This situation is already difficult enough."
"You don't understand," Kol gritted out.
"Then explain it to me!" Elijah exclaimed. "Explain to me why you are so hell-bent on revenge, on tearing this family apart!"
"You can't tear something if it's already torn, Elijah," Kol snapped. "From the very beginning, it was you, Rebekah, and Niklaus. Finn and I were left out. Once Finn was daggered I was left alone. I was ostracized by the rest of you. And when I finally decided I had enough, that I could make it on my own, you and Nik daggered me in punishment. This is my point. Exclusion from the core family unit is nothing new to me. Or even Finn, for that matter. But Miriam-"
"She will not be excluded!" Elijah shouted. He managed to twist out of Kol's hold and sped away from the threatening dagger.
"How do you know that?! What if she sides with Finn and I against you, Nik, and Bekah? She has lost so much, 'Lijah! We are her only potential for family in this world. She is stuck with us," Kol laughed, and the sound was equal parts maniacal and anguished. He pointed the dagger at Elijah, the blade an accusing finger, "You, with all your faux nobility, still willingly divide this family by always siding with our bastard brother. Rebekah, despite her claims of love, helped you dagger me a hundred years ago. Nik doesn't want anyone to abandon him, but abandons me every chance he gets. We are broken, Elijah."
"I refuse to believe that," Elijah shook his head. He couldn't believe that they were damaged beyond repair. He had to believe that they could all get along, or his entire worldview would be ruined. "I believe that we can be whole again."
Kol's gaze was scrutinizing. "Will you actually put in the work to repair our broken family? Will you stop siding with your favorite sibling? Will you truly endeavor to end the schisms in this family unit? Because if you cannot do that, if you cannot put aside your favoritism and bias, then I want nothing to do with you or this family. Finn and I will leave and take Miriam with us."
Elijah stilled at the threat. The animal inside him wanted to rear its head. It wanted to destroy any threat to his mate, and Kol was a threat. But the rational side of Elijah knew that his wild brother had a point. For too long the Mikaelson siblings had been divided. The five of them had different agendas in the past. Klaus, the most forceful, the most damaged, had dominated their family hierarchy. Finn had stayed in his coffin because Klaus said so. Rebekah and Kol were daggered because Klaus was punishing them. Elijah stayed by Klaus's side because his brother needed him the most out of all of their siblings.
But where would Miriam fit into this mold? She was already proving to be a force of nature, and people like her would not be cowed by the commands of others. Klaus would have a difficult time getting her to agree to all of his schemes, and Elijah was unsure how his brother would react if Miriam vehemently opposed one of his plans.
Kol was right, Elijah realized. Their family dynamic would need to be altered if they wanted a chance to have Miriam in their lives. And, just as importantly, if the five of them wanted to have healthier relationships with each other, the way they handled arguments and disagreements would need to change.
"You may be right," Elijah allowed, unwilling to fully admit his failings. In the history of humanity, no older brother had ever enjoyed telling their younger brother that they had been right, and Elijah was no different.
Kol's countenance relaxed a bit at Elijah's admission. "I'm still plenty angry at you and Nik for daggering me, and at Rebekah for betraying me. But know this: my wrath will soon cool, and when that happens, I want to start fresh."
"Do you really want to begin anew?" Elijah challenged. "Do you understand what that will entail?"
"I won't forget what any of you did," Kol maintained, "but I will eventually forgive your various sins. Despite what you may think of me, I do want to stay in this family. I just refuse to do so if I will just be ignored or daggered again. Elijah, I am done with caving to Nik's rules. Never again."
"Niklaus won't rule this family any longer," Elijah proclaimed. "From here on out, the six of us will make large decisions together. But it won't be easy in the beginning. We have never been good at compromising and sacrificing for each other. Change will happen slowly. You will have to be patient, Kol."
"And you will have to be forceful with Nik," Kol countered. "He has ambitions of greatness. He wants to be a king. I do not fault him for wanting power, but all too often in his quest for power he willingly hurts the rest of us. You are the only one who can reason with him with any chance of success. If he tries to enact a plan that will be detrimental to our family, you will need to put your foot down, even if that means putting an end to his plans."
"I will do my best. But what of Finn? Will he put aside his anger?"
"Finn has never been antagonistic, but we knew him before he spent hundreds of years in a box. He has shared no plans of annihilation against you or Nik, though I cannot promise that he does not harbor ill will in his heart," Kol said. "How about Bex? Will she cause problems?"
"No," Elijah said sadly. "Our dear sister has enough love in her heart to forgive Niklaus for many transgressions. Again and again he hurts her, and again and again she forgives him. She may put up a token fight, but she will welcome any positive change to this family."
"Speaking of family… we should probably catch up to Nik," Kol said. He tucked the dagger into his jacket.
"Yes. Do you all have daggers?" Elijah wanted to know.
Kol looked hesitant, but answered honestly: "Yes. Emerald- or Daisy or whatever she's calling herself now- undaggered us and gave us the daggers that were keeping us prisoner."
Elijah kept a note of that in his mind. Multiple daggers in play was dangerous, but those daggers also leveled the playing field for the Mikaelsons. Niklaus would always have an advantage, by virtue of what he was, but those daggers meant that the remaining siblings had the ability to do damage to each other. If used correctly, Kol and Finn could incapacitate Elijah and Klaus long enough to run away with Miriam.
Kol sighed. "'Lijah, I can see your mind working. One of the first steps in starting anew is trust. You have to trust that I won't use this on you."
"If you were me, would you trust you?"
Kol's smile was wicked. "Not at all. Now, let's go!"
When Elijah and Kol had finally caught up with Klaus, the Hybrid had found a group of young hikers and was in the process of eating the hikers that he had deliberately injured. Kol had taken advantage of a hiker's broken legs and drained the man dry before the poor creature even understood what was happening to him. Elijah had sighed at the carnage, but hadn't turned down his own meal.
Now, hours of cleanup later, the two brothers were lounging next to a roaring campfire. Neither needed the heat that the flames provided, but both found the experience soothing. Elijah relaxed in the fold-up camp chair. The chair, along with the materials for the fire, were a perk of Niklaus slaughtering the group of campers.
The sun had set, giving allowance for the night creatures to come out of their homes. Night birds chirped and screeched. Bugs scurried across the ground and floated lazily through the air. The darkness was comforting to Elijah, who viewed it more as a blanket and less of an oppressive force. He was also comforted by the fact that the only creature strong enough to kill him was sniffing around the campsite like an overgrown puppy.
As the night deepened the brothers talked. Elijah explained several key moments in human and supernatural history to Kol. He also explained some of the many technological advancements that humans had made. Much had changed in one hundred years, and even though their relationship was still strained, Elijah wanted Kol to succeed in the modern era.
During a lull in the conversation Elijah turned introspective. The darkness might not frighten him, but it did inspire him to think about his family.
"I worry, sometimes, that Miriam will not be able to handle our life," Elijah admitted to Kol and to the fire in front of him.
"Why do you say that?"
"She… she is beautifully human. She cares about people with an ease that scares me. She believes that a social security number and a driver's license will give her protection. I don't have the heart to explain to her that any form of documentation that I provide her will become outdated after only a few years," Elijah explained. Vampires did not age, and after a decade or so most vampires had to create a new identity for themselves. Documents like ID and social security numbers and birth certificates were changed frequently for vampires who had the means to do so. But Elijah hadn't wanted to explain that fact to Miriam, especially when she explained that she had been putting her meager money aside to purchase the documents. How did one explain to their mate that their noble efforts were futile? "But she does not think like I do. She thinks of others first, and not just the ones she loves. I would sacrifice many for my family, but she would sacrifice herself for the many. Sometimes I want to shake some sense into her, but it would be a crime to rid the world of her virtue," Elijah shook his head and sighed.
"She sounds like a strong person," Kol noted. "It takes strength to be selfless, and us Mikaelsons have never possessed that kind of strength."
Both brothers chucked self-deprecatingly.
"I believe Miriam will be able to endure our lifestyle," Kol said once the two of them calmed down. "You told me about the incident with the werewolves; she was strong then. She was the one who came up with the stone punishment for that werewolf bitch. She witnessed the entire execution. She has the strength, Elijah. You just need to trust her."
"When did you get so intelligent?" Elijah teased.
Kol rolled his eyes. "I have always been intelligent. You just have never appreciated my intelligence."
At that moment Klaus strode up to the campfire. He plopped his large body down next to Elijah and rested his big head on Elijah's lap. Kol snorted but wisely didn't say anything. Elijah shot his youngest brother a look before slowly petting Klaus's head. The fur was soft and the weight of the head was comforting to Elijah. Klaus obviously found the feeling of being petted relaxing, because he soon closed his eyes. He wasn't sleeping; his ears twitched whenever a bird screeched or an animal chittered. But he was relaxed, and he trusted Elijah to touch him without hurting him.
The three brothers sat in silence until Kol spoke up.
"I never did learn to keep it in check; my rage or my bloodlust. I never really cared to."
"But you do now?"
"Elijah, she's human. And I was not known for keeping humans alive," Kol looked up from the fire, and Elijah could see the sorrow in his eyes. "How can I even touch her, knowing what my hands have done?"
"I cannot speak for either Finn or Niklaus," Elijah said slowly, "however, I can say that I have had similar concerns."
"It is more than a 'concern', Elijah," Kol said testily.
"Peace, brother," Elijah soothed. "I understand your emotions. Despite my current claims of unity and familial harmony, I too have done many evil things. Many of my actions have been in the defense of my family, but some of them were due to the evil beast inside of me."
Elijah stared into the fire as memories of his past assaulted him. He had killed many guilty people… but also many innocent people. Though, he mused, maybe the person's level of guilt did not matter. Either way, there was enough blood on his hands to drown in.
Klaus whined and pressed his head harder against Elijah's hand. Elijah smiled down at his wolfy brother. He knew Niklaus was probably also doubting his right to be with Miriam. As arrogant as the Hybrid was, Elijah knew that his brother was also wrestling with the same feelings as Kol was. Elijah made a note to discuss Niklaus's feelings about Miriam when he was no longer covered in hair.
"Miriam would not be our mate if the gods did not will it," Elijah said with finality. "As you said earlier, Kol, she is strong. And we do her a disservice if we place her on a pedestal. She is a woman we will never deserve, but we are blessed with her anyway."
"What, no great speech about how we need to change to be deserving of her affections?" Kol was incredulous.
Elijah shot him an amused look. "Would you listen to me if I did give a speech?"
"Hell no!" Kol laughed.
"I believe we will commit many sins in the coming years," Elijah said after a lengthy period of silence.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because Miriam has shared the details of some of the enemies that come for us in the future. I am convinced that there are many battles that she has not discussed with me that we will face. And let's face it," Elijah said ruefully, "our family has made many enemies over the centuries."
"I do not mind a fight," Kol's smile was bloodthirsty. "Every enemy we have ever made will lose if they challenge us. While we have little in common and we agree on very few things, one thing I believe we all agree on is that anyone who threatens Miriam will die screaming."
"Agreed," Elijah said.
Niklaus snorted, which Elijah and Kol took as an affirmative.
Their family had many obstacles to overcome. Despite Kol's present docile attitude, Elijah knew his feral brother would cause problems with Klaus. And Klaus was not subtle in his unwillingness to let his siblings argue with him. Finn was harboring an agenda that Elijah had a feeling would cause issues. Rebekah would probably feel threatened by Miriam's position as the newest female member of their family. And Elijah had realized that he had unwittingly played favorites with his brothers. Actions like favoritism couldn't happen again. The five siblings had to re-learn how to interact with each other in a more healthy way. Discord between them would be deadly.
The road ahead of them was long and winding. They each had their own hang-ups and issues with each other that they would have to address. Elijah wasn't even sure that Klaus would be willing to share Miriam with the rest of the brothers. Or if the four of them could even handle the jealousy that would come with all of them having one mate. But Elijah hoped they would try.
The Mikaelsons had the opportunity to be a family again. The only ones who were keeping that reality from happening were the Mikaelsons themselves.
Elijah desperately hoped they wouldn't ruin their opportunity.
JENNA'S POV
Jenna could think of only a few times in her life when she was stressed out to the point of feeling ill. She had been a happy child with a sister ten years older and parents who were well into their middle age. She had been doted on, and with the age difference between her and Miranda, it was almost like she was an only child. Her parents had been middle-aged when they had her, so they gave her everything that they couldn't afford when they had Miranda. Jenna got the presents she wanted for Christmas, she got an allowance, and she had her parents' undivided attention.
As a teenager she had been defiant. She began to experience life and meet new people, and some of those new experiences and people were not healthy. During this time one of her friends overdosed, and Jenna had stayed with her until the paramedics arrived. That half an hour, waiting to see if her friend would die, was the first time she had experienced extreme stress that caused her to feel nauseous. She hadn't thrown up, but it had been a close call.
During her partying phase in college she had made several stupid decisions. One such decision was forgetting to use a condom. The five minutes it had taken for the pregnancy test to show up negative had been the second most stressful moment of her life. After partying hard in college for two years, Jenna decided to get her degree in psychology. She had wanted to be a counselor for high school aged kids that had made some poor decisions, like she had. And despite all the tests and papers she had to complete, her last remaining years of college hadn't been too stressful. Even applying for the master's program hadn't been as stressful as the other two moments in her life.
Dealing with the lawyers and other official people after Miranda and Grayson had died had been the third most stressful time in her life. She had been forced to juggle the funeral, the child custody papers, the Gilbert house deed being switched to her name, and so many other hurdles. Both teenagers had been despondent and angsty, and Jeremy had dived deeper into his budding drug habit. For months a hand of stress and anxiety had squeezed Jenna's heart, and had only recently let go in September. With the start of school came routine, which all three of them had thrived on, or so she thought. Of course, Jenna hadn't been aware of the vampires circling her emotionally vulnerable niece. If she had, she probably would have spent the last several months in a constant state of panic. Jenna was going to kill the Salvatore brothers for getting involved with her niece and dragging them all down this horrible road they were now on (realistically, Jenna knew that even without being involved with the Salvatore brothers or the supernatural world, eventually someone would have recognized Elena as the Petrova doppelganger. But knowing and accepting were two entirely different things, and at the moment Jenna was much more comfortable blaming the Salvatores for her problems).
Jenna blamed the Salvatores for her fourth and final moment of extreme stress in her life. She was currently sitting in a chair in Elena's room, holding a cold cup of coffee and staring out the window. She hadn't moved from her spot all night, even with prodding from Greta. The witch came into the room every hour or so to check on a still-dead Elena. Greta didn't seem concerned as Elena continued to lay unresponsive on her bed. She made sure to note when anything changed, and despite Jenna's impatience, Elena was changing. Slowly but surely, the elixir she had drank was encouraging her body to replenish all the blood she had lost the night before. Until her body had enough blood, her heart wouldn't beat. And so Elena had spent the night still technically dead.
Jenna hadn't spent the night dead, but her night had still sucked, big time. She had spent the first several hours regretting every choice she had ever made. Several hours after midnight Dr. Martin and Maddox had come over and erected a protective barrier around the house 'just in case'. Apparently the farmhouse was under siege, and Miriam had decided to protect Jenna and the others as best as she could. The two male witches had stayed at the Gilbert house until about an hour before dawn, and the entire time Jenna had been stressfully waiting for the house to be attacked. They had then received a frantic phone call from August. Miriam had been taken by a werewolf Klaus, who at least had the presence of mind to kill all the people who were attacking the farmhouse. To add to the chaos, the rest of the Mikaelsons had been released from their coffins, and were now running free. Jenna didn't know the order of things, but eventually almost everyone went to find Miriam. Maddox went out and brought Jeremy home and dropped off Bonnie at the Salvatores' place. After, he and Dr. Martin left to re-spell the farmhouse's protection spells.
Now Jeremy was home. He had been exhausted, and passed out in his room after briefly checking in on Elena. Jenna was miffed that Jeremy had been in danger yet again, but she knew that hindsight was 20/20, and she had made the best choice in the moment.
Early morning evolved into early afternoon. Jenna left her post briefly to use the restroom and accept a slice of toast that Greta handed her. She wasn't hungry, but she knew she had to keep her strength up. Even if Elena stayed dead (the thought made Jenna nauseous), Jeremy still needed her.
Just as Jenna was finishing her toast, Greta entered Elena's bedroom again. The witch knelt down next to the bed and raised her hands over Elena's body, as if blessing her. After a moment the witch rose to her feet.
"I've never done a spell like this before, but my best guest is that she'll wake up any time now."
Jenna's heart lurched in her chest. "Really?"
Greta nodded. "Really."
And a half an hour later, Elena took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
"Oh my god!" Jenna started crying and dove for her niece. Jeremy, who had woken up from his nap, joined her. Soon all three of them were crying and hugging each other.
"Is it over?" Elena asked once they finally separated. "Is the ritual over? Is Klaus gone?"
"The ritual is over," Jenna confirmed. She brushed away tears of relief.
"But Klaus is still here, and he's a Hybrid now," Jeremy added.
Elena's face darkened. "Why hasn't he left yet?"
"It's only the day after the ritual," Jenna soothed. "Apparently he's running around the wilderness in his werewolf form."
"He took Miriam with him, and Elijah and the others went after her," Jeremy informed. "Also, Elijah undaggered the rest of his siblings. There are five Mikaelsons now."
"Five?!" Elena looked devastated. "How are we supposed to kill five of them?"
"Wait, who said anything about killing them?" Jenna held up her hand.
"Aunt Jenna, they tried to kill me!"
"Elena, they kept you alive," Jeremy refuted. "They could have killed you, or killed us, but they didn't."
"That doesn't change the fact that they're dangerous, Jer!"
"Elena," Jenna said seriously, "don't do anything stupid. You can't go up against the Mikaelsons and win. And I won't support you if you try to challenge them."
"Jenna-"
"No, Elena. I've done my best to protect you, but if you go after them, I won't be able to keep you safe," Jenna's eyes smarted with a fresh batch of tears. "I'm trying so hard to keep you both alive. Please, please don't do something that will take you from me. You two are all I have left."
Elena's face softened. "Okay. I'll let it go, for now."
The small family embraced again.
They went downstairs to make a late breakfast (technically lunch). Greta and Maddox (who had returned from the farmhouse with updated news of the Mikaelsons and Miriam's whereabouts) were in the kitchen when Jenna, Elena, and Jeremy entered the room.
"How are you feeling?" Greta asked Elena.
"I would feel better if Klaus- I mean, I feel fine," Elena said quickly after Jenna shot her a scathing look.
"I'm glad you're feeling fine. There should be no negative side effects, but if there is, you need to let me know," Greta said seriously. "You are the first person, to my knowledge, to ever use an elixir that brings a person back to life. We have no previous cases to look at. So you need to tell me if you feel ill, or if you start coughing blood, or if you faint. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, ma'am," Elena said meekly.
Lunch was a stilted affair. Elena refused to talk unprompted, Jeremy was too tired to make small talk, and Maddox looked like he would rather be anywhere else. Jenna and Greta were the only ones making an effort to cut the tension.
"So…" Jenna frantically racked her brain for a topic, "how long have the two of you been together?"
Greta smiled at Maddox and took his hand in hers. "We've been dating for three years. We met the summer before college, and we've been together ever since."
"How does your family like him?"
"It took a little bit for my dad to warm up to him, but once I explained that I was not seduced to the dark side, everyone has been civil."
"The dark side meaning Klaus?" Jeremy finally joined the conversation.
"Yeah. There are two main schools of thoughts for witches: the whole 'we are caretakers of nature and vampires are against nature' shit and the philosophy that Maddox, and now I, subscribe to. We believe that witches are connected to nature, yes, but vampires are a part of that nature as well. The gods would never let a creature walk the earth that did not have purpose."
Elena scoffed. "What purpose do vampires have?"
"They keep the human population down," Maddox said. "And even then, most vampires do not kill humans. They have no need to. They just feed and compel their prey. Most vampires are just giant mosquitoes."
"Bullshit!"
"Elena!" Jenna snapped.
"Just because you know horrible vampires doesn't mean the entire species is evil," Maddox pointed out. He remained calm in the face of teenage defiance. Jenna wished she had his poker face. "Not every vampire has some halfcocked revenge plan against his brother or the vampire version of alcohol addiction to human blood. Most vampires are just living their lives without drama and without much death."
"Witches like Maddox, like me, believe that we can work with vampires and live harmoniously with them," Greta added to her original point as if Elena hadn't rudely interrupted. "We believe that vampires have souls, and as such, have a place on this earth. My dad and brother have come to see things our way, thank the goddess."
"Being a vampire sounds like a better option than remaining human," Jenna mused.
Elena looked at her, aghast. "Aunt Jenna, you can't be serious!"
"Yes, I am! If I was a vampire, I couldn't be compelled. I would be strong and fast and I could protect you!" Jenna argued.
If she was being totally honest with herself, Jenna had been thinking about becoming a vampire ever since she learned that vampires existed. When the events of the past year had been revealed to her, and she had been told of all the times she had been compelled to forget something, she had gone ballistic. She had been fucking stabbed and compelled not to remember it! That type of manipulation was damaging to her mental health. And yeah, she understood that the Originals could compel both humans and vampires, but the list of Originals was way smaller than the list of total vampires that could compel human-Jenna.
In Jenna's mind, being a vampire totally outweighed the negative. Even as a baby vampire Jenna would be stronger and faster than her current human form. She could escape dangerous situations faster, or completely avoid them with her super-hearing. If push came to shove, she could even fight anyone who tried to attack her. As a vampire, she would be stronger than every human who would seek to do her harm. And, somewhat vainly, Jenna liked the idea of never physically aging. She already found a grey hair; she didn't want any more.
Jenna wasn't stupid. She did realize that becoming a vampire wouldn't solve all her problems. Older vampires could still kill her, and werewolves weren't friends to vampires. Also the whole 'burn to death if you go out in the sun' thing was a total drag, but Jenna was sure that one of Elijah's witches wouldn't mind making her a daylight ring.
The drinking blood aspect of vampirism was neutral ground, in Jenna's opinion. Greta and Maddox believed that some vampires could live without killing, and it made sense to Jenna. Why have the ability to compel humans if you were just going to kill? It made more sense to compel victims to forget that they had been dinner instead of killing for every meal. Jenna hoped that she would react positively to being a vampire, and not go all angsty-murderer like Stefan Salvatore.
"You wouldn't need to protect me if you hadn't given me to Klaus Mikaelson to slaughter!" Elena shouted. Jenna reared back as if she'd been struck.
"Elena!" Jeremy shouted.
Jenna took a deep breath and stood up. "I'm sorry you feel that way. But I got you through the sacrifice without any of your friends or the people of Mystic Falls dying. I took responsibility for your life, for Jeremy's life, when your parents died. I am doing the best that I can!" Her voice broke as angry tears filled her eyes.
"You're doing a great job, Aunt Jenna. Elena's just being a bitch," Jeremy scowled at his older sister.
"I'm being honest!" Elena protested hotly.
"No, you're being a bitch!"
"Enough!" Jenna held up her hands. "The topic of me being a vampire is closed. That will be a decision I make for myself. Now, Elena, I am doing the best I can with the options that I have. I chose an option that kept you fucking alive and I know it was sucky, but at least you're alive to scream at me!"
"But-"
"No buts! God, get it through your head!" Jenna shoved away from the table. "I-I can't do this right now. I spent all night going insane because I thought you would never wake up. And you're not even grateful. I love you, Elena, but right now I don't like you very much."
Jenna was able to hold her tears in until she reached her room, where she promptly broke down and cried.
ELENA'S POV
Elena was in her room, sulking. Aunt Jenna had been brainwashed by the Mikaelsons, and Jeremy was on his way to becoming a slave as well. Neither her aunt nor her brother were talking to her after the disastrous brunch they had shared earlier that day.
Elena didn't understand why they were so upset with her! She should be upset with them. Elena had been the one protecting her family and dealing with all of the supernatural problems since September. It wasn't her fault that she was some mystical doppelganger. And she wouldn't apologize for decisions she made to protect her family.
She did understand Jenna's complaints, or at least some of them. She knew that lying to Jenna hadn't been the best choice. And yeah, Jenna had to overreact because she was an adult. It was, like, in the handbook or something. But Jenna should also realize that Elena wasn't being selfish or mean by keeping information from her! Elena had been trying to keep Jenna innocent of the messy world of the supernatural.
Elena's phone buzzed, bringing her out of her sulking. She walked to her dresser and picked up her cell.
John: You're awake. Any side effects?
Elena frowned. John never texted her. She had only given him her number in case of emergencies. She quickly typed: No. How do you know I'm awake?
John: We are watching the house.
Elena: Who's 'we'?
John: Damon, Stefan, Alaric, and Bonnie. Once those witches leave, we can enter the house. Bonnie says it's spelled, and she doesn't have her powers back yet.
Elena: It is spelled, they told me today. They are waiting for Klaus to return, then they'll leave.
John: Good. I have something to talk to you about.
Elena: What?
John: Do you think Jenna is doing a good job of protecting you?
Guilt ate at Elena's gut, but she answered truthfully: No.
John: I'm your biological dad. You could always stay with me.
The idea wasn't horrible. Jenna was obviously not fit to keep Elena and Jeremy safe anymore…
Elena ignored the guilt and the sense of wrong that fought for control of her stomach and mind. John was creepy, but he wouldn't lead her astray. He was her dad. And besides, Alaric, Bonnie, and Stefan and Damon were siding with him. That had to mean something.
And so, tucked away in her room with her cell phone, Elena Gilbert ignored her instincts that told her she was making a mistake, and began to plot.
MIRIAM'S POV
Miriam slept deeply the night of her return to the farmhouse. The previous day had been… difficult, to say the least. Between the previous night's fearful circumstances and yesterday's horror (she would have nightmares about those poor hunters for a long time) Miriam knew she wouldn't be returning to the woods of her own volition anytime soon.
She stretched in her bed, relishing the feeling of the soft blankets and their weight on her. She could smell bacon cooking, and the aroma was the only reason she pulled herself out of bed. She went through her morning routine sedately, and didn't bother getting dressed. Her pajamas (a different pair than the pink cupcake pajamas she had worn the night of the ritual; these ones were blue with donuts on them) were comfortable, and she didn't feel like dressing up for brunch. When she opened her bedroom door, she was confronted with a happily domestic scene. August was in the kitchen making brunch. The radio was on, and the witch was singing along to the top hits of the 80s. Caroline was sitting at the counter, sipping orange juice and teasing August for his taste in music. Rebekah was in the family room, flicking through a book about the evolution of clothes over the last one hundred years. Through the open back doors Miriam could see June and Finn outside on the lawn. Finn was perched on a stool and June stood behind him with a pair of scissors.
"Good morning, lazy head!" August greeted when she walked into the kitchen. "I hope you're hungry."
"Famished," Miriam grinned and accepted a glass of orange juice that Caroline handed her.
"Great! Brunch will be ready as soon as June finishes playing hair salon with Finn," August motioned to the two vampires outside.
"I'm going to go out and say hi," Miriam said. She ignored Caroline's eye brow waggle and headed towards the patio. Miriam nodded politely to Rebekah (the youngest Mikaelson was still wary around her) before walking outside.
The two vampires were set up on the grass just off of the patio. June was methodically clipping Finn's damp hair shorter and shorter. The two of them were talking in a language older than countries and religions. Their tones were cordial, and both seemed relaxed. Finn's eyes brightened when he looked at Miriam, and she was reminded all over again that he was one of her mates.
"Hello," he said in accented English.
"Hello," she beamed at him. "What made you want to cut your hair?"
Finn rattled off his answer, and June translated: "He wanted to blend in better with this era."
"I understand that. It's weird, isn't it, being in a different time? I know I can't possibly relate to your experience, even with time traveling twelve years in the past, but know that I'll help you adjust in any way I can," Miriam said. He nodded gratefully and June resumed cutting his hair.
In a weird way, her journey and Finn's were two sides of the same coin. Miriam had gone back in the past. She had known slang words that hadn't been used yet, she knew songs that hadn't been released yet and bands that wouldn't be formed for years. Miriam was waiting for the world to catch up to her knowledge of art and technology and fashion. Finn was the opposite. He knew slang words and languages that had been forgotten by the human race. The songs that he had grown up with had been lost to time. His knowledge of art and technology and fashion was outdated in the extreme. The world was waiting for Finn to catch up to it.
Finn's journey would be difficult. He needed to learn modern English. He had to get used to all of the new technological advancements that the human race had invented in the past millennia. The big ones were obvious: cars, electricity, materials for buildings and height of buildings. But there were a million smaller changes that were jarring to Finn: eating utensils were slightly different, the world was more colorful due to an abundance of dyes, clothing was made out of different materials, teeth cleaning was different, and so many other small things. But Finn was doing his best to adapt, and that was all anyone could ask of him.
June finished cutting Finn's hair. She took off the towel she had wrapped around his shoulders and handed him an extra one. As June cleaned up Finn toweled off his hair. When he finished he met Miriam's eyes and motioned to his head, as if to ask 'what do you think?'
"I like it," Miriam praised. "Short hair looks good on you."
He grinned, and the act made him look young and carefree. He was a handsome man; tall, broad-shouldered, and he had a strong jawline. He also had gentle eyes and he was trying to do his best with communicating with Miriam. If he could refrain from killing his siblings, Miriam could even see herself falling for the eldest Mikaelson brother.
"Let's go eat," June encouraged.
The three of them went inside and found Caroline and August ladling the dining room table full of food. Rebekah reluctantly helped by carrying a bowl of fruit to the table before sitting down and refusing to provide additional help. Miriam suppressed a smile at the bratty behavior. The Original vampire would get over herself soon. Meals in Miriam's house were abundant and served family-style. There would be no cooks to cook the food or servants to serve the food. All the steps leading up to the meal would be done by people living under her roof. Miriam would give Rebekah several weeks to acclimate to how she ran her house before asking her to help out. Maybe in a year Rebekah would be willing to carry two bowls of fruit to the table.
In no time all the food was on the table and the six of them were sitting down to enjoy the food. August had really outdone himself this time by providing pancakes, waffles, French toast, crepes, half a dozen kinds of spread, fruit, bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns, home fries, and toast. The group would probably eat most of what was in front of them, but anything they didn't finish would have a preservation spell put on it and it would go into the fridge to be used for breakfast the next day.
"Where are the Martins and Maddox?" Miriam asked as she covered her French toast in fruit and maple syrup.
"They are at the Gilbert house right now. They will protect the Gilberts until Klaus, Elijah, and Kol return. Once that happens, Elena is on her own," August shook his head. "She's causing problems. She wants to leave the house, even though we keep asking her to stay for her safety. When she doesn't get her way she tries to smuggle the Salvatore brothers and Bonnie in, even though the house is currently spelled to keep them out."
"Elena is the doppelganger wench, correct?" Rebekah asked.
"Yes," Miriam grimaced. "Elena is only seventeen, but she and her friends have been a problem almost since day one. I've asked Klaus and Elijah to spare her, since she's a child and her aunt Jenna is a friend, but if she keeps it up, she's going to end up on their bad side."
"I love Elena, but she keeps making choices that are going to get her hurt," Caroline shook her head sadly.
"That will be her choice, then," Rebekah said tartly. "Now, has there been any discussion on where we are going to live?"
"What?" Miriam blinked.
Rebekah rolled her eyes. "We can't all live in this house. We need more room."
More room they would need, indeed. The farmhouse had five bedrooms: June's in the basement, Miriam's on the ground floor, and August, Caroline, and Elijah's rooms upstairs. Finn had slept in Elijah's room and Rebekah had taken over August's room (August had spent the night in June's room). The arrangement had worked for a night, but if anymore Mikaelsons wanted to stay at the farmhouse people would need to share rooms.
"And we should probably leave Mystic Falls," June advised Miriam. "There is no reason to stick around. Klaus has broken his curse, you have no attachments to this town, and like Rebekah said, we need a place big enough for all of us."
"I hadn't even thought of that," Miriam let out a little laugh. She ran a hand through her loose hair. "What are our options? Do we even have options?"
"Of course we have options," Rebekah scoffed. "It shouldn't surprise you that my family has homes all over this country."
"It doesn't surprise me at all." Miriam hoped her easy smiles disarmed Rebekah. She really wanted to be friends with one of the few characters she had actually been looking forward to meeting (no offense to her mates, but Rebekah was 10x more badass and beautiful than they were). "Is there a list somewhere of locations?"
"Yes," June said, then she narrowed her eyes. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking of two things. One: I'm unsure if Klaus wants to make more hybrids. If that's the case, we should move somewhere near a larger airport so he can jet across the country to look for werewolf packs. And two…" she turned to face Caroline, who was sitting next to her. "Do you want to stay with us? Like, truly want to stay? I know you said you wanted to stay with us before, but I need you to be sure, Caroline. It would mean leaving your hometown, your friends, and your mom."
Caroline looked surprised for a moment before her face cleared. "Yes! Yes, ohmygod, yes!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! My hometown is full of council members who hate vampires. My friends are acting stupid. They think they have a chance of fighting Klaus. And my mom can't even look at me," Caroline's voice cracked. "So yeah, I want to leave. I want to be around people who don't hate me or belittle me. I want to be with you, my sister."
Miriam's eyes filled with tears and she hastily wiped them away. She reached out and gasped one of Caroline's hands. "Care, you will always have a place with me. I promise you." Miriam looked at June. "Relating to my second point: now that Caroline is going to stay with us, we need to stay within driving distance of Mystic Falls."
"What? Why?" Caroline asked.
"Because your mom is going to wake up one day regretting her behavior towards you. And when that day happens, she'll want to see you. I want to make it easier for her to get to you. Also, you're still legally a minor. I don't want to take you out of the area before you're an adult."
"Miri, I'm a vampire now," Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'll never be an adult."
"Maybe, but your driver's license says you're underage, and I'd rather not give your mom any reason to cause trouble. Also, we're going to have to talk to your mom."
"But whyyyy," Caroline whined.
"Because it's the mature thing to do," Miriam grinned and took a bite of her French toast.
"Ugh, the mature thing is so boring!"
"I agree, kid," August raised his cup of coffee in agreement.
"So I guess we'll wait until the others get back before making a decision about the house?" June brought the conversation back to the topic at hand.
"For the most part," Miriam said. "You can narrow the house list down by number of bedrooms and location. We need lots of bedrooms in a house that is within a few hours of Mystic Falls."
"Will do," June nodded. She whipped out her phone and began typing.
"When should the rest of the Mikaelsons return?" August asked.
"According to my knowledge, Klaus spends two full days as a wolf. So tomorrow, probably," Miriam shrugged. "It's a toss-up if Klaus will actually follow the path I think he will," she chanced a teasing grin at Rebekah. "As you know, your brother isn't known for caving to people's predictions of him."
Rebekah allowed a small smile to grace her face. "Well, you are right about that."
The group finished breakfast and dispersed. August left the house to visit Dr. Martin so they could discuss witch business. Rebekah settled on the couch in the formal living room with a pile of history books. Caroline claimed the family room and its TV so she could watch Modern Family.
Miriam grabbed her knitting projects and a picnic blanket and set up outside on the grass. She had decided to start a colorful blanket in addition to her other half-dozen projects. She had never been a person who needed to be constantly moving to feel satisfied, and could spend hours quietly knitting, which was her plan for that afternoon. Movement out of the corner of her eye made her look up.
"Hello," Finn said, a small, hesitant smile on his face.
"Hello! Would you like to join me?"
He nodded and sat down next to her on the blanket. He looked interested in her knitting, so she slowed her movements down and explained what she was doing. Miriam knew that he understood her, though she still felt self-conscious talking without Finn answering her. But she pushed through the feeling and showed him all the projects she was working on. She talked about the items that she had already completed, and which ones were her favorite and which ones she wished she could do-over.
A few times during the one-sided conversation Miriam asked Finn if he wanted her to continue talking. Each time he nodded encouragingly and smiled at her. He was a good listener; attentive and engaging. Miriam never felt like she was talking to a wall because Finn's eyes were so animated. Finn even asked questions. Miriam couldn't understand him, but she tried to either fully explain one of the points she was trying to make or ask him clarifying questions to try to understand what he was curious about. The entire process of communicating was slow going, but worth it.
Finn began to teach Miriam some words in Old Norse. The words were simple, like blanket, sky, and hair. He taught her the words for the colors, and how to say simple greetings. She, in turn, helped him with his pronunciations of several English words. The lesson was relaxed, with no expectations of tests or conversations. Finn laughed when Miriam completely butchered a word and Miriam taught him some colorful Spanish curses. Both of them had fun, even with the language barrier. And without their knowledge, the bond between them began to develop.
Miriam knew that Elijah, Klaus, and Kol would return soon. And when that happened, discussions about moving and mates and family would happen. It was very likely that more than one fight would break out; the Mikaelsons were not known for their gentle tempers. Miriam hoped that the siblings would air out their past sins so that they could move forward with a clean slate. All of them held secrets that caused massive riffs in the show, and Miriam was hoping to circumvent those riffs by getting them to willingly tell the truth.
But all those issues would have to wait for another day. Today Miriam was sitting on the grass in the backyard, knitting and spending time with her mate.
And so several hours passed in blissful harmony for Miriam and Finn.
AN: Some of Kol's dialogue was inspired by his dialogue in TO 3x16.
This chapter was kind of a set-up for some larger plot points that are coming up. We've got the big Mikaelson sibling talk, a move, the Scooby Gang plotting, and Miriam knitting yet another blanket, lol
Up next is a Mikaelson family reunion! All the siblings are going to be in one place and attempt to not kill each other (like a true family reunion, honestly).
(Whit's Reno Update: So we built a deck! I got blisters on both my thumbs five minutes in, so that was fun. My parents, who are not necessarily young anymore, both nearly got heatstroke. We found a skeleton of what I hope was a mouse. We still need to sand and paint the deck, but we're nearly done! Also the banister has been half-finished for, like, ever. There are only a few touch-ups left.)
