2 ½ Months Later

The old governor's mansion stood silent on the secluded acres outside the city. The only outward signs of inhabitation were the gleaming cars parked before the porch; without them nobody would have guessed the house was occupied by two hybrids, a vampire and a witch, but they were there.

Freya Mikaelson slept soundly in a room near her brother and Sage. Across the house, a silencing distance away was the only other occupied room.

Elena had wanted a little space from the noise of the Quarter, and the looming presences of his family; Kol had been only too happy to oblige. Finn had followed along with Sage, and Freya took up residence with them rather than chafe under the gaze of little brothers who didn't trust her as far as Hayley could have thrown her.

A crescent moon illuminated the bedroom with a sliver of light. It shone down on Elena's bare toes where they poked out from beneath the sheets she had done her level best to kick off.

In her sleep she nuzzled closer to Kol, hugging his waist. He stirred, as he always did when she moved; a thousand years of life hadn't cured him of light slumber. He blamed Klaus really; one too many times under a dagger and he was bound to rest uneasily, though it was easier with her in his arms… half on top of him.

I could get used to this; he fingered a strand of smooth hair. He was in the process of placing a kiss on the top of her head when she jerked up with a gasp.

"Elena?" He moved with her, reaching for her shoulders.

Her hands were pressed to her stomach, but he wasn't sure she actually heard his voice; she was too busy staring down at her stomach with wide eyes.

"Elena, darling," he turned her chin with his fingers, "you need to say something."

She opened her mouth; no sound came out.

"Is something wrong with the baby?" Panic gripped his heart.

She shook her head. Her breath hitched as tears swam in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" His brows lowered. "Elena," his tone sharpened, "are you alright?"

She made a vague motion with her head somewhere between a headshake and a nod to the point where it looked like she was bobbing in a circle. She couldn't find the words to describe what was happening – what had roused her from a reasonably deep sleep – so she took his hand from under her chin and flattened his palm over her belly button that had recently flattened.

A single tear slipped down her cheek as she waited for him to feel it. A moment passed and then champagne bubbles started popping under his hand; each one sent a small zap through her bloodstream.

"What is that?" He frowned; a strange feeling rose in his chest.

"It's…" she sniffed, wiping at her eyes. "It's the baby; she's kicking."

"She's kicking?" His eyes snapped up. "She?"

"Just a feeling," she shrugged. "Hayley said it felt like flutters, but I think it feels like bubbles."

"I just feel movement," he grinned. He gave her a gentle nudge, urging her to lie back down.

With Elena on her back he flipped up her shirt and brushed his lips over her taut skin in a tender kiss, scruff tickling her stomach.

She giggled.

"Now you listen to me young lady," he spoke in a semi-stern voice, "you need to keep your kicking to daylight hours so mummy can sleep; she doesn't get enough as it is."

"Are you giving our unborn baby a stern talking to?" She bit her lip to hide her smile.

"She woke you up." Under her skin more bubbles popped.

"That's nothing her daddy hasn't done on many occasions," she lifted her head. "A couple of times in this position," she smirked.

"I think you're misremembering, my love," his eyes sparkled, "I was several inches lower."

He expected her to laugh – maybe flirt – but he got a strangled sob in response. He didn't think much of it since her hormones had been triggering various out of place reactions.

He moved up her body, propped himself on his elbow and hovered over her.

"Why the tears, love? This is a happy moment," he stroked her cheekbone with his thumb.

"I… it…" she waved towards her rounded belly. It took her several tries to get the words out. "She's re…really in there. We… we're h-having a baby."

"What was your first clue?" He couldn't resist teasing her.

She rolled her eyes, shoving his shoulder.

"Really though, my darling," he swooped down for a stolen kiss, "we've heard her heart beating for weeks."

"This is different," she cradled her stomach. "She's not just a ticking time bomb anymore…"

"Lovely analogy," he snickered.

"You know what I mean," she sighed, trying to roll over.

He stopped her with a hand on her hip, spinning her back and kissing her tear stained cheeks.

"I do know and you don't need to worry about Dahlia," he whispered. "We have the weapon to stop her."

"Klaus has the weapon to stop her," she amended.

"Well, Hayley is going to deliver before you," he kissed her forehead, "but I've gotten us off topic. You were comparing our baby to a time bomb?"

"I'm saying she's not," her fingers curled over his cheek. "She's… real…" more tears shimmered in her eyes. "There's this little person we made and she's kicking, and she's… real."

"She's very real, and hopefully you're right about her being a girl, or else he'll come out thinking we're both wrong all the time," he chuckled.

"We're only wrong some of the time," she rubbed her stomach.

"But nobody else needs to know that."

"Then maybe we should find out for sure," she pursed her lips.

"While you should never underestimate mother's intuition, I do have a spell for that," he sat up. "Give me your locket."

"Seriously?" She looked him up and down, pulling the necklace over her head when he nodded. "What is this going to do?"

"Your necklace will rotate." He steadied her locket so it hung straight down over her naval. "If it swings from side to side it's a boy, but if it swings in a circle it's a girl."

"I thought that was an old wives tale," Elena snickered.

"When accompanied by actual magic it is very real," he grinned. With a wink he said something in a language she didn't recognize.

Elena dragged her eyes from his face to the sudden swing of her necklace. The pendent swung in tiny circles as the baby kicked harder.

"I guess that settles it," he chuckled.

"Score one for mother's intuition," she grinned. "Maybe she's kicking because she wants beignets?"

"Or you're using that as an excuse for beignets," he shook his head.

"Would you deny the mother of your child her beignet craving?" She gasped, pressing her palm to her heart.

"I can't deny you anything," he chuckled. "I'll have you spoiled rotten by the time she comes along, and then I'll spoil you both."

"As long as you don't turn me into an authoritarian or her into an entitled brat, I'm happy," she refastened her locket.

"I can be strict," he gasped. "Did I not just discipline her?"

"She didn't listen," Elena hopped out of bed. "She already knows not to take you seriously."

He knelt on the edge of the bed, pulling her towards him with his hands on her hips.

"Or perhaps she just likes the sound of my voice," he smirked, bending to talk to the bump.

"Now if only she liked it for the calming effect," Elena sighed.

"If I were in any way calming I would not be the man you fell in love with."

"I happen to think you have a very calming presence." She looped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer for a kiss.

"Only with you," he rubbed small circles over her shirt. "You make me calm… and crazy."

"I think that's a good thing?" She tilted her head.

"It's an excellent thing," he chuckled.

"You make me calm and crazy too," she grinned, kissing the corner of his mouth. "Now put on some clothes. I love the view, but I'm not sharing it with everyone in the French Quarter."

He watched her locate her shoes. "You really want those beignets, hmm?"

"Actually," she found her bra, fitting it in place under her shirt, "now I feel like gumbo. I think Rousseau's is still open."

"I'm not so sure about the kitchen, darling," he stood and pulled on a pair of jeans. The horrified set of her mouth made him chuckle.

"Don't worry, love," he pulled a shirt from the closet, "Rebekah assured me that Hayley's latest craving is Sophie Deveraux's gumbo, and that Elijah keeps a store of it in the compound's kitchen."

"So much for space," she hummed and then tilted her head. "Elijah, not Klaus?"

"Nik's not overly in touch with Hayley's needs."

"I'm pretty sure she likes it that way," she shook her head.

"They'll make great parents."

"It will be a miracle if their daughter turns out reasonably well adjusted."

The Mikaelson compound comprised two stories – three if one included the basement – sprawled over half a city block. There were three points of entry: the front door, the back door and the hidden door.

The hidden door was located within the walk in pantry next to the flour and opened on to a narrow set of stairs spiraling down to the prohibition tunnels.

"How did you know this was here?" Kol glanced back to the dusty stairs they had taken.

"I did live in this house from 1919 until I put myself to sleep," Elena snickered. She wrinkled her nose as dust flew. "I think Elijah had them added when Prohibition was rolling in… not that he ever put them to use."

"I see," Kol hummed. He shut the hidden door and brushed a cobweb from her shoulder. "What was wrong with the back door?"

She grunted, slumping her shoulders. "One of your brothers might have heard us come in," she tilted her head, "and I can't deal with either of them until I have my gumbo. What?"

She crossed her arms and lifted a single eyebrow watching him suppress a smile.

"Nothing, darling," he held her upper arms; a grin broke over his features. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she smiled, eyes darting to the pantry door.

"But right now you really want that gumbo?" He guessed, chuckling when she didn't answer. He leaned closer, to whisper against her ear. "What if I said I wanted you right here, right now? That I'd spend the rest of this night, and most of the day, bringing you unspeakable pleasure until you're unable to stand?"

She chewed her bottom lip, tipping her head back as his fingers teased down her arms.

"That's just mean," she breathed. It was a little embarrassing how easy it was too turn her on these days; he could do it with a single look. "Now I want you, but the baby wants the gumbo."

"Then let us take care of our daughter first," he kissed her cheek. His hand steered her towards the door.

The gumbo was easy enough to find; it was a rather large container on the center shelf of the refrigerator. Kol moved about preparing a bowl as Elena scrutinized the bags of blood. At some point in the past few weeks someone – probably Elijah – had rearranged the fridge, most likely to suite Hayley's cravings and morning sickness triggers, so the blood was stored in the meat tray where it was hidden from view.

"A positive," she murmured, flipping through bags, "O negative…" her eyes lit up as she reached the back. "AB negative," she squealed.

"Has she got a taste for the rare blood types?" Kol placed a steaming bowl on the island.

"Most definitely," she grinned.

Elena hopped onto the stool with a little awkward jump and opened the bag like a juice box. She sucked down a mouthful, moaning in pleasure at the rare delicacy.

"Amazing," she grinned.

"Is it worth Nik's wrath?" Kol tilted his head; mirth sparked in his gaze. "That is his favorite."

"I'll just blame you," she looked over his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her middle.

"You would throw me to Nik?" He gasped.

"You can handle yourself," she nudged his cheek with her nose.

She picked up her spoon and dipped it into the bowl. Her mouth watered as she stared at the tantalizing morsel. It was halfway to her mouth when the silent house came to life.

Crash; wood broke somewhere beyond the courtyard.

Her head snapped to the left.

For one never-ending moment silence reigned. Then, a scream of pure agony broke the air, followed by shouting, crashing and threats that would have made lesser people quiver in fear.

Her heart leapt into her throat.

She dropped the spoon with a clatter and jumped off the stool, but halfway to the door strong arms curled around waist. It was a grip she could have broken with ease had Kol not spun her around and met her eyes; what she saw there froze her in place.

"I will tear you apart!" Klaus' threat was followed by a muffled thud and a second screech from Hayley.

She tried to turn her face to the door. Kol cradled her cheeks.

"Please don't," he whispered.

"They need help," panic flashed in her eyes. "She's here, Kol." Elijah's voice had confirmed her fear. "She came for the baby. I have to…"

"No you don't," he shook his head, still whispering. He lowered one hand to her naval. "I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to either of you, so please don't charge in there. Please, Elena?"

"Kol," she shook her head. Every instinct told her to help.

"I have never begged for anything in my life," he pleaded with his eyes, "but I am begging you now. Alright? I am begging you, darling."

The sounds of a struggle continued.

"I can't do nothing," she licked her lips. "She's stronger than your mother. What if she knows how to kill you?"

"I would rather lose my life than lose either of you," he held her gaze. "I want you safe, here with me always."

"That only works if you're here too," she grasped his arms. "Kol?"

"I promise I will come out the other side of this alive, but I need to know you're safe." His feet itched, urging him out towards the action as bones snapped. "And I know you can't sit back and do nothing; I learned that lesson in 1914."

She straightened her spine, scrutinizing his features before following his gaze towards the second door out of the kitchen.

"She's taken them unaware," he silently opened the door to the servant's stairs. "I'll try to distract her; you get the knife."

"It's in a safe."

"Since when has a lock stopped you?"

Kol raced into the courtyard, skidding to a stop at the fountain before he could step on Rebekah. He had barely reset her neck when Finn appeared and placed Freya on her feet.

"Do I want to know how?" His eyes darted from Freya to Finn and Sage. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen his oldest brother so unkempt, and Sage was in pajamas.

"Where the bloody hell did you lot come from?"

They turned to the open study together. Elijah's body had broken the door open; he lay on top of it with a broken neck and blood all over his shirt. Beyond the door Klaus was restrained against the far wall by magic and glaring at the witch standing over Hayley.

"Does it matter at this point?" Kol muttered. His question was lost under a string of profanity from Hayley.

"Dahlia," Freya's voice trembled, she swallowed, focusing.

"You have no business here, aunt," Finn strode toward the study.

"On the contrary," Dahlia glanced up from Hayley, "I have every right to be here. Your mother and I made a promise, and when I make a promise I keep it. It was quite the surprise waking early and learning of this child. You need to push dear."

"Fuck you!" Hayley grunted.

"Language, love," Kol flashed into the study. He shoved Dahlia into Elijah's mahogany desk, breaking her concentration and freeing Klaus; he dropped and wavered between attacking Dahlia and rushing to Hayley.

"I'll swear if I want to swear," Hayley gasped. "I bet Elena swears too when she's pushing your baby into the world."

"Did I hear that right?" Dahlia rolled her shoulders back as she stood unscathed. "There's another child?"

"Thanks Hayley," Kol growled.

"She would have found out eventually," Freya hurried into the room, kneeling by Hayley. "She's right, you need to push."

"Fuck you, too," Hayley snarled as a contraction wracked her body. "Sorry," she whimpered.

Kol lost track of things after that. Honestly it got a little crazy between the screaming and fighting. He remembered in flashes: Sage pinned to a shelf by a length of wood dangerously close to her heart, Finn at her feet, Elijah and Rebekah broken in new positions after healing. Magic tossed him across the room, and he refrained as long as he could, but when a baby's cry broke the noise and he realized that all of his siblings were incapacitated he revealed what he had been holding back.

He raised his hand. The spell should have frozen Dahlia in her tracks but to his horror she continued moving, albeit slowly. He leapt to his feet, forcing Dahlia into the courtyard with magic.

He spared Hayley and Freya a quick glance before running after her.

"What are you, nephew?" She tilted her head. She could hear the infant sobbing in the next room; the sound slowly tapered off.

"Something new," he smirked. From upstairs came a small bang.

"Come on," Elena bounced impatiently. She blasted the safe with another spell. She had no idea why Klaus had elected to lock the knife up and keep it locked up with such a short time before Hayley's delivery, and honestly she didn't have time to think about it.

None of her spells were working and she could hear the escalating conflict.

She ducked under the desk, closed her eyes and focused, wincing at the explosion; the metal door crashed to the floor a few inches in front of her. She scrambled out, snatching the knife from inside amongst the daggers; any other time she would have collected them but she doubted she had the time.

She ran out through the hall, pausing at the top of the stairs until Kol saw her. He lowered his eyes and raised both hands.

Elena ran when the woman was frozen again.

She drove the enchanted blade through the older woman's heart and backed away, holding out her hands as if burned.

Dahlia lowered her eyes. Her mouth popped open as she stared at the blade. She looked up, exhaling through her nose slowly as she curled her fingers around the handle and pulled the knife free; the skin slowly knit back together.

Elena backed towards Kol, stomach dropping.

Dahlia's gaze followed her, darting from Elena's wide eyes to her swollen stomach; she pointed with the bloody end of the knife.

"Elena, I presume?" She smiled.

Kol pulled her behind him.

"I'll take that as a yes," Dahlia chuckled. "Lucky for you, my dear, because that child is now the only thing keeping you alive. I can't say the same for your friend." She tossed the knife into the air and made a swift gesture with her hand; it vanished.

A split second later Elena and Kol heard a shriek.

Elena met his eyes and then glanced towards Dahlia before racing into the study, jumping over fallen Originals and nearly tumbling onto the couch where Hayley lay. Her hand flew up to her mouth; tears flooded her eyes.

The knife protruded from Hayley's heart.

Freya's hands shook as she pulled it free, but it was too late. The werewolf's heart had stopped beating.

In the courtyard Kol raced forward, grabbing Dahlia around the waist. He physically tossed her outside onto the street.

"Otum adnarvet esnavit atim." The air shimmered around the door.

Dahlia slowly got to her feet and dusted the dirt from her black coat as she approached the open door and reached, pressing her outstretched hand to an invisible barrier.

"Is that the best you can do nephew?" The corner of her mouth twitched up in a smile. The barrier itself wasn't half bad, but crudely erected and lacking a proper binding agent; the raw power behind it was quite extraordinary, but simply manipulated. "Aven safa sa belise, de la mer…" she murmured.

Horror flashed in Kol's eyes. At first he reached out tentatively, but then his fist pounded on the inverted barrier that had transformed their fortress into a prison.

"Don't go anywhere," she tilted her head, "I would hate to miss the next birth."

And with that she was gone.

Elena wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed when she snapped back to the presence, finally managing to rip her eyes away from the grisly sight of Hayley's open wound. She lowered her hand, lightly dragging her fingers down to close the unseeing eyes.

She turned her head to the left when a loud thud interrupted the deceptively peaceful quiet, and her gaze landed on a bloody length of wood.

"Easy," Kol murmured. He met Elena's eyes for a split second while carefully lowering Sage to the floor. "Are there any splinters?"

"No," she choked.

"Alright," he nodded, standing up. "I'll be back. Elena?" He flashed to her side and wiped twin tears from her cheeks.

"Hayley…" she inhaled slowly, chewing her bottom lip.

Behind him he heard the distinct sound of healing bones.

Klaus groaned as he slowly sat up, rubbing his neck and surveying the destruction; between broken furniture and stone lay his incapacitated siblings. They lined a path to the study where Kol stood holding the doppelganger next to the couch where Hayley had delivered.

He could see her dark hair spilling over one sofa arm, but he heard nothing. Even when he strained his ears he only heard four hearts within the room.

He stood, stumbling over furniture on his mad rush to the study and nearly knocking his little brother over. His heart plummeted into his stomach; his voice was deadly quiet, on the verge of breaking.

"Where's the baby?"

"What?" Freya lifted her head from the knife she had been staring at and met her younger brother's eyes in a daze.

"Where is she?" Klaus' voice rose to a roar.

Before Kol or Elena could stop him he lifted Freya by her throat and squeezed.

"Nik!" Kol struggled to hold Elena back while shouting at his brother; he knew the hybrid's temper and pregnant or not she wasn't safe from him at the moment. "Let her go."

"My daughter has been stolen," he roared, eyes flashing yellow, "because she lied to us."

Elena stopped struggling and twisted her wrist, forcing Klaus' hand to release.

"I didn't lie," Freya wheezed, slumping to the floor. The enchanted knife clattered on the wood.

"You've been working with Dahlia from the start," he accused, face turning red. "Release me now, Elena!"

"No," she growled.

"Nik, be reasonable," Kol sighed, berating himself for the unreasonable request. "How could Freya have been working with Dahlia? She didn't know anything until after Elena woke her up."

"How did she know Dahlia was here if they weren't working together?" Klaus countered. "How did she find us?"

Kol had to admit to himself that he made a good point.

"She joined our magic when I was a child," Freya rubbed her throat, "I can sense when she is near as can she."

"Then you did lead her here!" Klaus strained against Elena's restraint.

"No!"

"Klaus!"

"My daughter is missing!"

"Freya," Elena gripped Kol's wrist, "where is the baby?" Her concentration broke.

"Where is she?" Klaus lunged, freed from her hold.

Kol swore. He let go of Elena who stumbled forward and hurried around the couch to hold Klaus back.

Elena gripped the back of the sofa.

Klaus shoved Kol into the ruins of the desk and spun on Elena.

"You brought her here…" Elena straightened her spine. "This is your fault!"

"This is your mother's fault!" She gestured to the destruction, and her deceased friend. "She traded every firstborn in her bloodline for a spell that she probably could have done herself."

"Could you all stop the shouting?"

Elena's brows lowered as she spun towards the door. "Care?"

"Why do you look so confused?" Caroline adjusted the bunched scarf in her arms. "I told you I was coming to visit. I decided to surprise you and come early. Good thing too, since I got here and almost everyone was unconscious." As she spoke she picked her way across the room around the waking Originals.

"I mean really, you'd think that thousand year old vampires could handle a single witch," she rolled her eyes, nudging between Elena and Klaus. The scarf wiggled in her arms. "Well, come on then…" she nodded to Klaus. "I have no intention of stealing the title of Rumpelstiltskin from the crazy witch."

He looked down. A tiny fist protruded from the fabric, pushing the material aside to reveal a small face. He lifted his arms as Caroline instigated a transfer. His eyes were glued to the baby as she looked back and forth from him to Caroline.

"Freya thought between your aunt and me, you'd prefer me," she murmured.

"We'll be waiting for your apologies," Elena swiped at her cheek. She shrieked, clutching her heart, when Hayley jerked up with a gasp.