June 22, 1001

Dear Diary,

Is it wrong of me to sometimes want to murder my husband? Don't get me wrong, I do love him, have no doubt about it for a second. Always and forever is a family motto coming from apparently Esther's side of the family and its meaning is of a great importance in our growing family. No, I'm murderous towards my Lijah because my body is growing so much in the last five months of my unplanned pregnancy, it's become damn near impossible to move around without someone's assistance. Elijah wants to be there for me and I do appreciate the intent of his need to be there for us, but with the growing tension in the town with the increase in attacks by Ansel's pack in the last few months he and his brothers have been busy fortifying the town. Building a wall around everything would be pointless, so instead we are making the existing structures like our home even stronger. I would much prefer to be safe in the caves during the full moon, but one of the drawbacks of my father-in-law being the Jarl is they expect him to lead by example. Hiding in the cave, as Mikael put it one day, isn't what a Mikaelson does. I can see the truth in some of what he says, but I fear that something awful is heading in our family's direction.

As I feared, Nik has been sneaking out of our homes during the full moon to watch the werewolves change and so far he has come back without nary a scratch. Yet I have done nothing to stop him. I don't want to get him in trouble again. The beatings I've seen him receive at the hands of his would-be father discourages me from doing so. I can't even tell my own husband my fears of what this curiosity of his might lead to. Elijah knows that something is bothering me and thankfully he believes that I'm just worried about my pregnancy or my pending delivery date.

I've been trying to keep a watchful eye on Henrik and so far I haven't seen him try to copy his brother. It doesn't help that his friend Lokar is curious about werewolves, too. My pregnancy is making it difficult for me to keep better track of them both. I'm half tempted to talk to Elijah or Nik directly, but the questions they'd ask would reveal too much about me.

Esther is determined that both of my babies be safely delivered. In fact, she gave me a charm in the form of a clear crystal necklace pendant that is supposed to protect my children from harm. But she made me promise to tell her immediately if the clarity of the crystal changed in the slightest. The day after my pregnancy had been confirmed, she gifted me it but made me swear a binding oath to never take off the necklace without her being present. Not really having any other choice, which, as you know, I dislike, I grudgingly accepted and promised.

Another oddity that I feel I need to write about is that both of my in-laws have decided that we will no longer be taking new immigrants into the fold for the foreseeable future. They have converted all the existing boats to be used to gather fish and forage further from our home base for the time being. Not that this is a bad idea, but I'm not fond of salted fish. And in my current state, the smell of it makes me retch. Here I am thinking that my morning sickness had lessened. Life is a bitch sometimes. Now for your information, I can write that I'm a hormonal pregnant woman, so watch it!

My friend Adric and his daughter shared with me the rumor that our own Jarl, at the insistence of my mother-in-law, has used the scant few of communication crystals- our only two-way link to the old world- to spread a rumor that we are suffering from the unknown plague that has started to ravage our population. If this is a clever attempt to keep the next group of immigrants from making the voyage, it apparently worked. I'm not sure why they went to such an effort to make such a maskriovka. Neither Esther nor Mikael are approachable on the matter, and that has upset some of the newer additions to our community. Not that our Jarl seems to care about it.

Now onto more important matters. If my math is right and I've counted up my daily tick marks, today is my twenty-first birthday! Not that they celebrate birthdays the way people in my time do. Ironically, if I was still back in my time, I could legally drink alcohol, although I started experimenting when I was fifteen. However, here in the past it's entirely another story. I have insisted that I drink only boiled water or goat's milk during my pregnancy. My family finally agreed to my demand, but don't really understand my insistence.


June 22, 1001

"Why does it have to be so bloody hot right now, Bekah? It's not even mid afternoon and I feel like I'm roasting like a fatted pig in this stupid dress!" Elena complained.

If someone else made a crack at her being a tad hormonal again, she was privately betting fifty-fifty odds that she wouldn't straight up stab that particular someone. It had taken some time to get used to the fact that birthdays weren't all that important to people living in the eleventh century. Not that she could go out partying like in her naïve days before even being aware of the supernatural world she had taken for granted far too many things. And yes, maybe she was feeling a little hormonal, but wasn't she allowed to be?

"Wouldn't you be a sight to see without it, big sister?" Henrik teased. Bekah thankfully slapped him on the back in admonishment. It still amazed Elena how much he had grown since August. He would be turning thirteen years old and being a teenage boy entering puberty made his comment even more awkward.

"Henrik, behave. Elena is just having a rough day of it. Leave her be," Rebekah retorted on Elena's behalf, which she was privately thankful for. They were gathering a sprig of the vervain plant for Esther's potions and it was considered an easy work for Elena. Esther and Ayana had insisted on that, considering the potential risk of her pregnancy consisting of twins. So she couldn't really complain about the precautions imposed. Elena still worried about it as well as how her ancestor Tatia was doing with being a single parent after Lodur's untimely death. It had been a surprise that Klaus was spending time with her and her daughter and from what Elena could see he was very gentle and caring of the pair of them. So maybe some good might come of it, however it was still early and their relationship was being kept private, especially from Mikael. Elena suspected Esther was aware of it, but she wasn't about to voice it aloud.

The clang of clashing metal pulled all three sets of eyes to a spot several yards away where Elijah and Niklaus were sparing with their swords. Elena frowned when she noted they were not the typical training blunted edge variety and her anger climbed. Her inner brewing of emotion went apparently unnoticed by either Henrik or Rebekah as they all watched the two brothers.

"Come on, Henrik, help me get our sister Elena to her feet. It seems our brothers are fighting again!" Rebekah exclaimed excitedly. Elena couldn't resist a shake of her head in sad amusement. While her own practice with her quarterstaff was, for obvious reasons, put on hold, Rebekah's desire to learn how to fight had only been increasing in the last few months. Part of her wondered at what point Rebekah might wear her father down enough that he finally relented to his daughter, but she wasn't going to put any silver coin on it. Mikael Mikaelson was a very stubborn, obstinate man.

Once Elena was safely on her swollen feet, Rebekah and Henrik took off in a run towards the impromptu match. Elena was content to waddle her way to the scene. She knew that they were both just blowing off pent up steam. Ansel's pack mates were becoming more brazen with each passing month and nobody in the community understood why.

"Oh look brother, our sister and my lovely Elena have arrived to watch my fast approaching victory!" Elijah playfully taunted his brother with a practiced flourish. He blocked his opponent's thrust before pushing them apart for another go. Although not as well practiced as her husband Elena hissed a sharp intake of breath when even she saw the opening he had given Klaus. She was still trying to guess if it had been intentional or not when Klaus acted.

"On the contrary, Elijah…" Klaus swung his sword and with expert skill, successfully cutting Elijah's belt off his waist and allowing gravity to drag his trousers down slightly. If he had not positioned his footing as he had, they might have dropped all the way, Elena dryly noted. "They come to laugh at you!" Klaus said in triumph.

She couldn't help laughing, but stopped when her hair on the back of her neck stiffened as she felt Esther and Mikael approach from behind. It wasn't difficult to guess they had come to investigate their children's laughter together. This was not going to end well, Elena thought.

"Relax, Mikael, Niklaus means well," Esther said reassuringly. Her voice was low in volume, but because of her proximity to them, Elena could unfortunately hear their every word.

"That is precisely my problem," Mikael grated out and with a furtive glance as he passed by his daughter-in-law, he approached his children. Not surprisingly, the mirth that had been so prevalent before everyone was suddenly present stopped their laughter at the somewhat embarrassing scene. Wordless Mikael took Elijah's sword and turned to Klaus. It suddenly occurred to Elena that perhaps Mikael was angry on her behalf since technically her husband had been bested in such a manner. Not wanting to cause another beating, Elena took a step forward but a firm hand on her shoulder prevented her.

"I know you mean well, daughter, but this is how it must be," Esther said sadly. Like hell it did, but what could a pregnant woman do?

"So, why don't you teach me that clever trick, young warrior?" Mikael demanded, hefting his borrowed blade into attack position. Klaus's blade came up at the last second to block, but his father continued his attempt at dominance over his son. It sickened Elena to witness this: she knew Klaus hadn't meant any harm in how he was handling his blade. She knew his heart wasn't into fighting his father, either. Thankfully Klaus did manage to dodge his father's latest strike.

"Father, we were just having fun."

Heedless of his pleas, Mikael continued to fight. If it wasn't for Esther's firm yet still gentle grip, she might have intervened. So she could only do what everyone else was doing, watch and wait for the inevitable. Elena prayed silently that it happened sooner than later. She was so going to chew out her husband, she decided, standing there.

"We fight for our survival! And you find time for fun?! I want to have fun! Teach me! Come on!" Mikael snarled and then struck again, but Klaus blocked it yet again. Elena could see that he was tiring and her heart went out to him.

"Father, it was nothing..." Klaus pleaded. What happened next Elena wasn't sure. One second they were upright with weapons in hand and the next Mikael had somehow disarmed his son and Klaus was laid out flat on his back with the tip of Elijah's sword at his brother's throat. The look of terror in Klaus's eyes made Elena almost cry out. If she didn't cover her mouth, she might have.

"You are foolish and impulsive, my boy. What? No more laughter?" Mikael asked in a raised voice. Elena cringed and felt Esther's grasp lessen as she moved to stand closer to the fray.

"You've made your point, Mikael!" Esther said sternly. Mikael doesn't bother to look up at her. Instead, he thrusted the sword deep into the ground right next to Klaus's head.

"Some days, it's a miracle you're still alive, boy," Mikael grated out, taking great pains to stress the word boy, Elena noted sadly.

Not having anything else to say, he left and now they had to pick up the pieces, Elena thought regretfully. She watched as Klaus's trembling body quaked in his sister's arms. Elijah looked regretfully too at his brother and had a resigned look on his face when he caught sight of his wife glaring at him. Oh yes dear husband, there is hell to pay! And you better believe it! And like you, I always keep my word. Elena's eyes spoke volumes to her husband.


June 22, 1001
Elena and Elijah's bedroom:

Elena waited until they were safely back inside their own room. It must have been at some point in the almost one year and ten months since she took up occupancy with her new family. One of her in-laws, Finn she most likely suspected out of his quiet since of propriety, had placed a semi permanent silencing charm on their room. Meaning that while they could hear anything from outside, their room sounds coming from within were purposefully blocked from leaving. Perfect, Elena thought, she was going to make use of that little feature as soon as Elijah closed the door behind him. So she contented herself with waiting. She didn't even sit on the bed like she normally did when she was angry with him. No, she wasn't having any of that nonsense!

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Elena asked, having started without any preamble. She had to silently give him credit. He didn't wilt or change his typical stoic stance, but his eyes said she scored a direct hit. It both pleased and worried her at the same time, too. She hated fighting with her husband, but in their nearly two years together they had their fair share of arguments, and they did have an agreement never to go to bed together when they were still angry with each other. It didn't mean that whatever they were upset about had to be resolved. They only needed to reassure each other that their relationship did not suffer.

"My Kærasta-" Elijah started, but Elena cut him off with a jab of an extended finger into the very hard center of his broad chest.

"Don't 'my Kærasta' me Lijah! You of all people should know how Mikael looks for the slightest hint of excuse to go after Niklaus," Elena almost spat out. Suddenly feeling drained by the events, she was tempted to take a mid afternoon nap but she needed to clear the air first.

"I know, and yes, I didn't think that father would react like he had. I know that is a poor excuse, but what else can I say?"

Elena turned away from her husband. She didn't want to be mad at him. She'd been wary at first in her interactions with her brother-in-law. It had taken some time on her part, but this Nik, as she called him now openly, she knew was far different from the Klaus that killed her and tormented her in what seemed like another life now. She hated her father-in-law and wished often that the Spirits would see fit to remove him from their lives.

"Elena?"

She wished that he wouldn't be so noble sometimes and would take her in her arms, but he was maintaining his physical distance from her. Elena turned to face him again and the remorse filling his brown eyes was almost too much for her. They stood in silence, watching each other. It was Elena who broke first.

"Elijah, I know that Nik and you have a brotherly bond and you both were just trying to lighten things up around here. We are all tense with how things have been going this year. If you wanted to have a practice spare, you could have gone somewhere more private than in the middle of our town," Elena said finally, after a rather awkward minute of silence.

Before Elijah could respond, Elena's hands flew to her swollen abdomen as she winced from the sharp jab coming from within her body.

"Elena! Is everything alright?"

Elijah moved so fast to her side she would have sworn he flew. The worried concern in his eyes as he met her gaze melted away the anger she'd been feeling towards him. Taking his hand into her own, she placed it over her belly. It took a moment for him to feel the first kick, then the next.

"I don't think our little ones like when their parents are arguing about something, or anything most likely," Elena giggled as she and her husband stood in awe as they felt a new series of kicks, or maybe elbow jabs- it was hard to discern- captured their attention. Elena looked up after her unborn twins finally settled down into the captivating eyes of her husband.

"I agree with you, my Kærasta. I'm sorry," Elijah's voice made parts of her purr with need. It had been getting harder to be intimate with him, but they were managing. Still, now wasn't the time for it. She might not be as mad as she had been before, but she wasn't ready to switch up so fast. Despite her body's craving, her mind was in charge. Maybe a little compromise was in order, Elena thought ruefully.

"Perhaps you can make it up to me if you stay and rub my swollen feet?"

"Anything for you," he breathed, kissing the top of her head before gently helping her lay down on the bed, eventually ending up with her now bare feet prompted in his lap. Elena privately loved how tender and protective he was towards her. One positive aspect of being pregnant with Elijah's children was that the men that had so recently joined their community as immigrants had moved onto other available women. Sadly Tatia was now being courted as well as a single mother status or not. Nik was one of her suitors too, and Elena wished them both luck.

"What are you thinking so deeply about, sweetheart?"

She didn't answer immediately, she just enjoyed feeling his hands massage her aching feet. That is, until he took to lightly tickling her toes. She finally relented.

"Just thinking about my cousin and Nik? Don't you think they might make a good pair?"

"Maybe, but Niklaus can be prone to jealousy at times. I know that you've seen how the other men look at her?" Elijah asked.

"Tatia is not like that, you should know. She doesn't like when others look at her the way they do sometimes." Elena answered, feeling a little defensive about her ancestor. "I guess it is a Petrova curse for the women in our bloodline." Elena sighed. As far as she knew, it could even be one, considering how Katherine had played both Damon and Stefan for over a century.

"I hope so Elena," Elijah answered but paused as if considering his follow on statement. "I don't want to see my little brother get hurt more than he already has in life."

Elena looked up at her husband, considering his concern, and resolved to see if she could help in any way she could.

"I need to visit her today to check on her and her little Irina. I could talk to her if say you wanted me to?" She offered.

"Are you negotiating with me?" Elijah smiled at her and it warmed her heart. She had the strangest sense of deja vu so it took her a moment to recall their first attempt at making a deal in a decrepit mansion some weeks before she was sacrificed by Klaus.

"Well, it is our thing, isn't it?" she asked, rather enjoying her inside joke and the perplexed expression on her husband it garnered.

"Perhaps it is, when are you going to see our cousin?"

"It depends on how much longer you are rubbing my feet, husband," Elena cooed.

"I'll warn you it could lead to other things. You might have to wait till even tomorrow?"

"We'll see Lijah," she answered in her best noncommittal voice she could manage. His fingers were igniting a fire that desperately needed quenching. We'll see who wins this little negotiation of ours.


June 22, 1001

Strange how a person's mood could change given the proper motivation, and this time it wasn't driven primarily by Elena's elevated hormone levels. Well, not entirely, Elena reflected as she made her way through their growing community. She felt like she was glowing and didn't care if it was the fact that she was pregnant or the simple truth that she just performed oral sex on her husband. There were only two people she has ever performed that service on. Everyone assumed that she had sex with Matt when they were still dating, but she hadn't Stefan had been her first. To placate Matt, she had given in and performed oral on him, the first time had been embarrassing but thankfully he had been very understanding. But by the time she broke it off with him, she had become quite proficient in that particular skill. Ironically, Stefan had refused the few times she tried with him, Elijah was initially confused the first time she dared to try with him. It didn't take him very long to appreciate what his wife's tongue or mouth could do to him.

"Not that he was complaining ten or so minutes ago," Elena spoke loud enough just to relish the afterglow she was experiencing. She privately loved that she was the only one that could drive him crazy and she wasn't ashamed to admit it.

"Hi Elena!" Romona cried as she waved to her friends and took off towards her first friend she gained in the new world. Not that she knew that, thanks to the magically induced memories, Romona thought they had become friends on the voyage across the North Atlantic.

Elena smiled warmly at her friend and, after an awkward hug on her swollen belly, making such gestures a challenge. At times, she looked Romana up and down in appreciation of how much she had grown.

"Romona, it's good to see you. Look how much you've grown!" Elena laughed and she once again took in her friend's growth spurt and how her body had matured. More than once, someone in their community that didn't quite know either one of them well have commented that they could be related. Romana and Elena had the same olive skin tone and while their hair coloring differed slightly, it was the same brown doe eyes they shared and more than once Elena did wonder if there was a familial connection somewhere.

"I could say the same for you!"

It took Elena a full minute to understand what her friend was suggesting, and she waved an admonishing finger at her in mock annoyance.

"Young ladies like you should respect your elders!" she teased. Elena wished she could spend more time talking to her friend but with her pending motherhood status and having to deal with Tatia and Klaus's relationship. She was pressed for time but didn't want to be rude and run off without talking with her friend for a little longer.

"How is your father doing?" Elena asked, becoming more serious. She often worried about her friends, and neither Adric nor his daughter were an exception.

"Good, he has plenty of work crafting new weapons or repairing existing ones, too. Your quarterstaff has been copied a few times as well. It is not as popular but I think most of the people who purchase it find its other uses as a walking stick or aid in carrying things far more useful," Romana said apologetically.

"Well regardless how they use it, I'm just happy it's something else your father can make a few coins on," Elena paused, then asked in a whisper so only Romana could hear. "Has your father decided on if you'll marry Anton before the end of this year?"

Romana blushed and nodded her head, apparently happy with the pending union Elena observed. She hoped that he treated her friend right or she just might have to go medieval on him.

"Then I wish you both all the best. I don't know if my future little ones are going to keep me occupied, but I want to be there for your wedding ceremony," Elena declared.

In response, Romana hugged her friend. This time it wasn't as awkward and then she apologetically excused herself when one of her friends called over to show her something. Elena watched Romana return to her friends, who promptly resumed their rather animated discussion. It was sometimes hard to believe that the soon to be sixteen girl was the same she rescued from Jade on the journey back to a much smaller village than it was right now. Elena cleared her head and headed off for Tatia's home.

She tapped on the door once and opened it only to find her brother-in-law and Tatia kissing and it wasn't exactly an innocent peck on the lips by appearances either, the lecherous side of her mind observed.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt!" Elena blurted and quickly started closing the door behind her.

"Ella, wait!" Klaus pleaded, and the worry in his voice did make her stop and wait.

"Tatia and Nik, it's none of my business. If you both have found someone you care about. All I'm going to say on the matter is I hope the best for you both and I'm happy that you're together. However Nik, you better treat my cousin right, understand?"

The two lovers eyed each other and communicated something unspoken between them. As if reaching an agreement, Tatia nodded her head towards him and Klaus cleared his throat.

"Th… Thank you Ella. For now, can you keep this a secret between the three of us?"

Elena smiled at her brother and perceived cousin and nodded her head in agreement.

"I think I can do that and I promise not to tell anyone, including Elijah."

Mentioning her husband's name might have been a mistake when she saw Klaus's body tense, but it was his subsequent words that explained his concern.

"I'm not asking you to lie to him, Ella." Klaus explained.

"And I won't be if I don't actually tell him what I saw. Who knows, I'm a hormonal pregnant woman who was just coming to confide in distant relative my heartfelt concerns about how a father was treating his son recently."

Unshed tears marred his blue eyes, and she kissed him on the cheek before whispering to her brother-in-law.

"I love you like a brother, Nik. Never forget that. Always and forever, remember?"

"Always and forever, sister," he choked out. Taking her leave, she reopened the door and, as quickly as a pregnant woman can, left the couple alone. Relationships need time to grow and far be it besides herself to interfere with something as important as love.