"AGHHHH!"
"Nicole you need to push, love." Nik said beside me, holding my hand.
"I'm tired." I told him.
"Come on Nicole. You need to push. He's almost out." the doctor told me. I screamed as I pushed one last time before hearing a high pitched crying in the room. "You did it." he told me as I breathed heavily, tired. "I know you already know this, but congratulations. You two have a healthy son." he handed our son to me and I smiled, holding him close to me.
"He looks like you." I said looking up to Nik.
"Let's hope that all he gets from me." he told me and I laughed at him before turning back to the small bundle in my arms.
"Hello Nikolas. Welcome to Mystic Falls."
Three days later, they released me from the hospital and Nik took me to The Grill.
"Oh, please tell me your are going to get me real food?" I asked him and he laughed at me.
"Of course love. I can't have the mother of my child go hungry, can I?" he asked me. I leaned over to him and kissed him.
"I love you." I said.
"I love you." We got out of the car and Nik went to the backseat and got the car seat out of the car before went inside. When we got inside I saw Elena and Damon at the dartboard, talking. "Why don't you go grab a table." he suggested and I nodded before taking the car seat and leaving to find a table.
"Hey Nicole." I turned to see Ric walking to me from the bar.
"Hey." I said to him.
"So that's the little guy." he asked me looking into the car seat I was holding.
"Yep." I told him putting the car seat on the booth and taking Nikolas out of it. "Ric this is Nikolas. Nikolas this is Uncle Ric." I introduced, handing my son to him.
"Uncle?" Ric asked me, smiling at Nikolas.
"Well if Jenna hadn't turned into a vampire I bet you two would have married." I told him and he looked at me shocked. "Who knows, you still might." I hinted.
"Like you said, she's a vampire." he said, handing Nikolas back to me.
"That doesn't mean anything." I told him, looking back at Nik talking with Elena and Damon. "Just because the person you love is a vampire, doesn't mean they wont fight to keep you by their side forever." I looked back at Ric and smiling.
"I forgot who I was talking to. Hey let's all have lunch together. You, me, Elena, Jeremy and Jenna." he told me before leaving.
"Did you have a nice chat?" Nik asked wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close to him.
"I did. I'm assuming you heard every word of it." I said and I felt him nod. "My man the multitasker. Shouldn't that be an oxymoron?" I asked making the both of us laugh.
"Are you going to eat with your family?" he asked me and I thought about it for a moment.
"I think it's a good idea. I want them to get to know Nikolas." I told him. He sighed before nodding and we left, him taking me to my childhood home. "I'll see you later." I told him before kissing him. I grabbed Nikolas and went inside the house to hear Elena, Jenna and Ric talking.
"So, you're ready?" Ric asked.
"Vampires, hybrids and originals- no problem. My rebellious brother- I'm worried." I heard Elena say.
"Proof that you're still human." Jenna told him.
"Hey guys." I called to them as the front doors opened. I turned to see Jeremy walk in and watched him go to the fridge. "Hi to you to."
"Just in time! We' re cooking." Elena said before looking up at me. "Oh my god. Is that him?" she asked smiling.
"Yes. Everyone meet Nikolas. The newest edition to our family." They all gathered around us, each passing him around and gushing over him.
"Hey I'd love to stay, but I'm just passing through." Jeremy told us.
"Ah, well I thought we would all stay in, have a meal together like a typical, atypical family." Ric said as Elena passed Nikolas to Jenna.
"Why?" Jeremy asked him and Jenna gave him a look.
"Because you got fired and you didn't tell anyone." she told him.
"You got fired?" I asked him.
"Ahh- look, can we do this later? I made plans with Tyler. He's right outside." Jeremy told us.
"Oh wait! When did you start hanging out with Tyler Lockwood?" Ric asked him.
"I don't know... Does it matter?" Jeremy asked him.
"Yeah, Jeremy! It matters. He was sired by Klaus. He's dangerous." Elena told him.
"How do you know that Elena?" I asked her and she turned to me with a look of surprise at my words. "Nik isn't all bad you know."
"He can still hear you. He is right outside. Besides you of all people are gonna lecture me on who I can and can't hang out with?" Jeremy asked her.
"What is with the attitude?" Jenna asked him.
"Well it does seem a tad hypocritical with Elena gets on to him about hanging out with a Hybrid when she's dating a vampire." I told her.
"Yeah, whatever, this is lame. Tyler is waiting." Jeremy said. He started to leave but Elena blocked his way.
"Oh, no no! You're not going anywhere, especially not with Tyler." Jer looked to the three of us for help.
"I'm with her on this, Jer. Sorry." Ric told him and Jenna nodded.
"All right, fine. You want me to stay in? Let's all stay in then. Yo, Tyler! Come on in!" Jeremy shouted to him.
"Jeremy...!" Elena said shocked as Tyler walked inside.
"Thanks." Tyler told him before sitting at the table with Jer.
"This is weird. Klaus has hybrids stalking me and now you're just sitting in our kitchen." I heard Elena whisper to Ric and Jenna.
"Look, maybe I should go." Tyler said.
"No, stay." I told him sitting down with Nikolas in his car seat in a chair. "You´re not doing anything."
"Unless you have to, you know, check in with your hybrid master." Elena told him and he laughed.
"It's not like that Elena." Tyler told him.
"Tell me Tyler...What is the difference between being sired and being compelled?" Ric asked, sitting at the head of the table with Jenna sitting next to him.
"Compulsion that's just mind control - like hypnosis. And being sired is...it's like faith. You do something because you believe it's the right thing." Tyler explained to him.
"So you believe that serving Klaus is the right thing?" Jenna asked him.
"I don't serve him. Klaus released me from a curse that was ruining my life. I owe him for that." Tyler asked him.
"What if he asked you to jump off a bridge?" Ric asked him.
"He wouldn't! And even if he did I'd be fine. I'm a hybrid." Tyler told us.
"Okay, so what if he asked you to rip your own heart out?" Elena asked and I gave her a curious look.
"Again, he wouldn't." he told her.
"What if he did?" she asked him.
"i don't know! Then I'd rip out my heart!" we all looked at him shocked. "You guys sound like Caroline, getting all freaked out over something you don't understand."
"You´re right Tyler I don't understand. Klaus has terrorized every single one of us and you're just blindly loyal to him. And you, Nicole, you claim to love him but with everything he's done how can you?" Elena asked us.
"You're over thinking it. I can still make my own decisions." Tyler told her as Jeremy's phone rings.
"As for me, how dare you lecture me about who I'm with. Stefan was a ripper, Elena. both he and Damon have lists upon lists of the dead following them." I reminded her. "So don't you dare decide who's good enough for me." I told her before walking back to the table as Jeremy hung up his phone.
"What was that about?" Elena asked Jeremy.
"It was nothing." he said, joining us at the table.
"I got to go. Umm, thanks for the food offer, but..." Tyler said to us.
"Next time." Jenna said smiling at him as he left.
"That was illuminating." Alaric said and Jenna hummed in agreement with him as they and Elena both got up and went to the island in the kitchen. I turned to Nikolas and saw him awake, finally. I smiled at him and gave him my finger, which he held on to.
"So, Tyler Lockwood is a lunatic who has access to our house." Elena said and I rolled my eyes at her. Tyler wouldn't do anything to hurt us.
"I mean this whole sire bond thing is... wild. I don't even think Tyler is fully aware of what little reason lies behind what he's saying. It's this weird cult logic." Ric said.
"Well, great, that's a wonderful influence for you Jer..." Elena said and I lifted my head to tell her something when we noticed Jeremy was gone.
"Jeremy?" I called for him until I saw his protection ring was lying on the table.
"That's his ring." Ric said and Elena came to the table and picked it up.
"Where did he go?" Elena asked and I shook my head at her. I picked up Nikolas and we all went outside to see Jeremy standing in the middle of the street.
"Jeremy?" I called out to him but he just stared down the street.
"What is he doing?" Elena asked. Suddenly, a car came whipping around the corner and sped toward Jeremy. Alaric, Elena and Jenna ran to him as fast as they could. Jenna got to him first and pushed him out of the way. Ric got to her and pushed her out of the way at the last second and was hit by the car instead. I made my way to Ric's body and Elena turned him over and the car pulled next to us. I recognized the man in the car. He was with Nik at The Grill today. He was a Hybrid.
"There I go again. Bumping into people..." he said before driving away. I looked down at Elena as she made sure his ring was on. Jeremy and Jenna got up and ran over to us.
"He's gonna be alright. Are you all right?" Elena asked Jeremy.
"I don't understand." Jeremy told us.
"Who was that on the phone earlier?" I asked him. I had to know.
"It was Klaus!" he told me and I closed my eyes.
"You were compelled, Jeremy! We've gotta get him inside- help me!" Elena said. Jenna picked him up and we all went inside. Jenna placed Ric on the sofa and Elena called Damon who came rushing over.
"How is he?" Damon asked.
"He's dead, but he had his ring. Klaus's hybrid hit him. Now we just wait." Elena said.
"Jeremy, why aren't you wearing vervain?" Damon asked him.
"Where is your bracelet?" I asked him.
"I don't know." Jer told us.
"It was Tyler! It had to have been. That's why he was hanging out with you. To get you off the vervain." Elena said connecting the dots.
"Klaus is trying to send us a message. He wants us to find Stefan who stole his coffins full of his dead family members." Damon told us.
"Coffins?" Elena asked him.
"Wait, Stefan stole Nik's family?" I asked him.
"Yep! So all we have to do is find four coffins and- voila no one else on your family's Christmas list needs to die!" Damon told us.
"Wait- that's your big plan? To steal back four dead originals so this evil hybrid doesn't kill me and everyone else we know?" Jer asked him.
"You got a better idea?" Damon asked him.
"Yeah, give me five minutes with him." I told him and he gave me a look.
"Let's get the hell outta here! Pack our bags and go!" Jeremy shouted at us.
"Hey, Jeremy calm down." Elena told him.
"No, no! I'm not gonna calm down, Elena! This happens every time, no matter what we do! Get on my case about school and work- who cares? None of us are gonna make it out of this town alive." He said before leaving.
"He said he wants his family back." Elena said turning to Damon.
"No! No! I know what you're thinking- the answer is no!" he told her.
"If we give him Rebekah..." Elena said.
"Rebekah?" I asked her confused.
"Yeah, then Klaus undaggers her, first thing she does is kill you! Frying pan, fire- not an option!" Damon told her.
"You daggered Rebekah?" I asked her shocked.
"Not now Nicole." she told me.
"Now now? Are you serious?" I asked her. "Rebekah is my friend, Elena. How could you do that to her?"
"She's Klaus's sister! She was never going to be on our side to kill him." she told me and I shook my head at her.
"You've got to be kidding me." I said giving Nikolas to Jenna. "Jenna can you watch him, I have something I need to do."
"Yeah sure." she said and I left to go confront Nik.
"Nik!" I called into the house that he was having built.
"Nicole, to what do I owe the honor. Where's Nikolas?" he asked me.
"He's which is more than I can say for my brother. Jeremy. Remember him?" I asked him.
"Not sure I do love." he told me.
"Really." I asked him and he just smiled. "Cause I could have sworn you called him earlier today." his smile fell. "That's what I thought."
"I think we need to talk about this before you do something rash." he told me.
"Before I do something? You tried to have my brother killed by one of your Hybrids. You used Tyler to get him off of vervain so you could compel him. So tell me, what should I do?" I asked him.
"I need to explain." he told me. "Stefan..."
"Stole the coffins that housed your family except Rebekah. Elena daggered her before Homecoming. I've been hearing and putting the pieces together." I told him. "Look, I understand why you're upset. Family is everything to me just as it is for you. But find a way to keep my siblings out of it. Please."
"Nikky..." he started saying.
"Please, Nik. Give me your word you wont use them against Stefan." I begged him, cupping his face in my hands.
"I swear. I wont use your family against Stefan." he told me.
"Thank you." I said to him before he kissed me gently. I kissed him back gently, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pulled me to him so there was no space between us for air and the kiss became rougher, as if we needed each other to survive. He picked me up and used his vampire speed to move us upstairs where, surprisingly, there was a bed. He laid me on the bed, his mouth never leaving mine. I sat up, breaking for air and taking my shirt off leaving me in my black bra and pants. He kissed me again before going down my neck to my chest. He stayed there for a moment before getting on his knees and quickly shedding his clothes along with what remained of mine. "Impatient?" I asked him and he smirked at me.
"It's been far too long." he told me and I smiled as he attacked my mouth again.
"Maybe you should hurry up then." I told him. I spent the rest of the afternoon with him.
When I got home I night had fallen and there was a man on the porch.
"Might want to invite me in, Elena." I recognized the voice from earlier. It was the man who his Ric with the car. Suddenly, something flew past my head and the man was hit in the back with an arrow, he fell to the ground and I saw Elena run to the door and turned to see Jeremy with the crossbow.
"Jeremy?" we said in harmony.
"He's not dead yet." Jer said and I followed him into the house.
"Where are you going?" Elena asked him. He came back out of the house with a knife.
"Jer, what are you doing?" I asked him. He suddenly bent down and brought the knife down on the man's neck, causing Elena and I to scream in shock.
"Now he´s dead." Jer told us standing up. "We've gotta get Alaric to the hospital now." Jeremy dropped the knife and went back into the house as Elena and I stood next to each other in shock.
"Where's Jenna and Nikolas?" I asked her.
"Upstairs." I turned and went upstairs to collect my son and leave.
"Where are you going to go?" Jenna asked me.
"The Boarding House. Nik can't come in without an invite here and there it'll be easier for him to come and go as he pleases to see both Nikolas and me. After that we are going to move in with Nik." I told her.
"Are we going to see you two again?" she asked me and I gave her a confused look.
"Of course you is my family, I would never keep Nikolas or me away from you guys." I told her. I quickly grabbed everything I needed and left the Gilbert family house for the Salvatore Boarding house. A couple hours later Elena joined me and looked at me guilty.
"Nicole, I wanted to apologize for earlier." she told me. "I know Rebekah's your friend..."
"I understand, Elena. What are you doing here?" I asked her as the doorbell rang. Her lips thinned as she left for the door. "Elena?" I followed her to see Nik standing outside. "Nik?"
"Thank you for coming." Elena said to him, moving as he walked inside the house.
"I trust you have news of Stefan." he told her walking to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist pulling me to him. "Where's Nikolas?"
"Sleeping upstairs." I told him.
"I couldn't find Stefan." Elena told Nik. "But I have something else." We followed her to the cellar to see Rebekah in her red Homecoming dress with a dagger in her back.
"My poor sister. I can´t turn my back on her for a moment." Nik said looking down on her.
"You have Rebekah. A deal is a deal." Elena told him.
"The life of my sister in exchange for your brother? Yeah I´d say that´s a bargain. Consider him spared." Nik told her and I looked at him confused. He swore to me he'd spare my family so why was he making this deal with her. Unless she made the deal first.
"You should know I was the one that daggered her. When she wakes she'll come after me and maybe Nicole if she can't tell the difference." Elena warned him.
"I can control Rebekah. Besides I still need your help finding Stefan." Nik told her, bending down to his sister.
"I told you I don't know where he is." she told him as he undaggered Rebekah.
"You´re lying. Fortunately you have no shortage of loved ones. If I don't find my family the question you should be asking yourself is who's gonna die next! Bonnie? Caroline? Damon? It's only a matter of time before Stefan gives me what I want." Nik told him.
"He doesn't care about me anymore. You made sure of that. You turned him into a monster. Now he's your problem. And just so you know I'm not the only one that Rebekah wants dead." Elena told him and he just stared at her. "She knows what you did to your mother. She knows that you killed her." I saw his eyes widen in fear at her words. "You can let yourself out."
