"And I failed my little girl, didn't I?", whispered Noah. Elijah walked up to the man and told him, "I have reassured Elexis time and time again, and now I say this to you. We are bound forever, to those with whom we share blood. And while we may not choose our family, this bond can become our greatest strength or deepest regret. I urge you to let go of the guilt and welcome your daughter with open arms. She'd like nothing more."
"But family, doesn't end in blood. We know it better than anyone else", said Rebekah, glancing at Marcel and then at Elexis.
"Ah yes. I do quite agree with that", smiled Elijah.
Vincent then began telling them how Elexis had discovered her magic, and small incidents from her life in an effort to lighten up the mood.
Every now and then, a few pack members would leave and come straight back after freshening up. Stiles and Noah refused to leave, so Scott went to their house and got them a fresh pair of clothes. Rebekah took Hope to the supermarket and they shopped to their heart's content.
That night was spent recollecting fond memories and telling tales that some people may have missed out on. The Originals told the pack how they came into existence, and the story behind Hope's birth.
They slept in a similar manner, with everyone strewn about on mattresses and on the floor, with Hope snuggled up close to Elexis. Even the regal Elijah chose to sleep on the floor, snuggled close with Hayley.
The next morning, Davina and Hope were out in the pool, swimming with Kol, when the ears of every supernatural being perked up. Klaus motioned for Kol to stay outside with them, to which Kol nodded. Everyone rushed towards Elexis' room, where she was whimpering and tossing in the sheets.
"What is happening to her?", asked Noah.
"She's having a nightmare", said Klaus, looking at her with utter devotion.
"Well how do we help her", asked Malia.
"Shh! Don't speak. Too many voices will make her scared", said Elijah.
Vincent moved towards the bed and said, in a soft voice, "Elexis?"
"What is happening", asked Jackson?
In an instant, they were all on their asses. They looked up and realised that Elexis had thrown them backwards with her power, and was now sitting up straight on the bed, eyes wide and hazzled.
Rebekah and Hayley were the quickest to recover. They moved swiftly towards a dazzled Elexis and held their arms up as if they were surrendering.
"Lexi, look at me, hey, hear my voice. We're here. We're all here. For you. We're together.", Rebekah soothed her.
Elexis whimpered, "No, no, I'm sorry, I won't do anything I'm sorry."
Everybody's heart went out to the girl who suddenly looked 10 years younger.
Hayley continued as she bent down in front of Elexis and looked her in the eye, "Hey, lexi! Look at me, hear my voice. Calm down, you're with us. You're safe, you're in Beacon hills, hey."
"No, not beacon hills. Can't no"
"Lexi! Lexi! Relax". Rebekah's shouting did the trick. Elexis looked around and took in her surroundings.
"Oh my god! Oh my god when did you guys get here!", she exclaimed, slumping against the back of the bed.
"As soon as we came to know of the stunt you pulled", said Hayley, trying to glare at her.
Elexis looked suitably chastised when Elijah spoke, "Lexi, I do not need to remind you how dangerous what you did was. You can't keep doing this again and again, no matter how regrettable the loss."
Before Elexis could respond, Stiles was smothering her. He wrapped his arms around her and started crying like a baby. The moment was so heartbreaking that people actually started looking away.
"Hey, Miracle. I'm okay, buddy. I'm okay. And I'm so sorry for putting you through all this.", she soothed her younger brother.
"What the hell are you sorry for? How can you look at me after I said all those things to you?", sniffled Stiles.
"Hey, you're my brother. There is nothing you can do that will make me stop loving you, you get that? Absolutely nothing."
Before she knew it, Noah was hugging her and apologizing. She could not make out what he said, but once she took in the sympathetic faces of everyone around her, everything made sense.
Elexis could feel her residual strength in her nerves. While she was pretty good at controlling herself, even a small amount of her magic was enough to make the lights in the room flicker, like now.
"Hey, hey, Elexis, it's okay. Remember, control. Harness your power." Vincent said, as everyone took in the flickering lights.
Elexis gently removed herself from her fathers grasp and stood up, "you told them?", she asked in a calm voice.
Rebekah flinched. "We had to", Hayley said, gently.
"Are you guys incapable of respecting my boundaries? Are you insane?", she shouted.
Surprisingly, it was Melissa who spoke up, "Now you listen to me, young woman, and you listen good. These friends of yours did the right thing. You obviously had no plan of telling us everything that went down. How do you think it was like for your father, when he came to know about everything you have been through, from someone else on top of that."
"You were never supposed to know", she roared, before a wave of dizziness hit her and she fell back on the bed.
Noah was coddling her in an instant. After much persuasion, she was able to convince her father that she loved him despite everything and it wasn't his fault. She broke down when Noah offered her similar reassurances. Stiles joined the hug and Noah breathed a sigh of relief, having both his children in his arms again.
Marcel smiled when Elexis called out for him and rushed into his arms. He ruffled her hair and held her close to his body, as if she would disappear. Derek thanked her profusely, but Elexis waved off his concerns and held out her hand. To their collective surprise, Derek took it and hugged Elexis awkwardly, who laughed.
The mood improved considerably when Hope entered in her bathrobe and simply rushed towards Elexis, Davina and Kol right behind her. Hope hugged her tight, as Davina and Kol smiled at her, which Elexis returned before returning Hope's embrace.
"Hey, baby? How are you?", she asked.
"Better now that you're awake. No one tells me anything. You're the only one who treats me like I am seven, not stupid", the little girl pouted.
"Okay, so how about this. You go upstairs, get ready and watch some TV. When I'm done down here, I'll call you and then we can hang out. Sounds good?", Elexis asked.
Hope nodded happily and went upstairs.
Elexis got up from the bed and looked at Elijah with a sombre expression, who simply nodded.
"Oh good, time to face the music, pay the piper, yada, yada", she mumbled, which caused everyone in the room to snicker, even when some of them looked confused.
Elexis walked out of the bedroom, towards the sofa, where a grumpy original was sitting with a glass of bourbon in his hand, and a bottle next to it.
