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His thumbs kneaded the tight muscles beneath her skin, urging her to straighten out her leg with a firm hand under the knee. The bunched muscle loosened momentarily, but then coiled tighter than before.

"You're meant to be relaxing," he scolded, gently rubbing circles over her thigh. He trailed his fingers slowly down her leg.

"I'm trying," she sighed with a sincere attempt to wipe the furrow from her brow. The task proved impossible, so she sat up and folded her legs.

"Are we trying meditation now?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"I can't imagine that working," she shook her head. "I couldn't even get that spell to work."

"You have a lot of negative energy in your head right now," he reached out, fingering a loose tendril of hair.

"It's not easy to let go of it," she grunted, shifting positions.

He stood, carefully manipulating her limbs until her feet were on the floor and then moved behind her on the bed, pulling her back to his chest.

"Better?"

"Yeah," she closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Would you like to try the spell again?" He nuzzled her ear.

She made a negative sound in the back of her throat and curled her fingers around the dark material of his sleeves.

"Elena?" He whispered.

"Shh," her grip slackened.

He held her to his chest and listened as her heart slowed and her breathing leveled out. He wasn't surprised as she nodded into a light sleep, but he refused to move an inch once she did; her sleepless nights had only gotten worse two weeks ago when they sent Klaus and Caroline into the past.

No amount of reassurance would ease her fears. All she could think of was that she had reappeared moments after disappearing and Caroline was still gone.

He hadn't been worried at first. It was a thousand years and entirely possible that Caroline had simply mixed up the dates, but as the days dragged on his anxiety formed a lead ball in his stomach. He was starting to think Klaus had been on point with his crippling paranoia.

He gripped his brother's sleeve before he could fully approach the circle of candles. He eyed the spell, but spoke through the corner of his mouth.

"Why are you really doing this Nik?" His eyes flickered over Caroline as she fingered the heavy wool Rebekah had given her. "You're not strong enough already? You need another thousand years on the rest of us?"

"While that does sound appealing," Klaus inhaled slowly, "I have other reasons for wanting you here Kol."

"Such as?" He prompted, eyes seeking Elena where she helped prepare the spell. He had just gotten her back, and had absolutely no desire to endure another separation, but when Klaus was involved he was wary – always.

"Elena is right," he murmured. "Anything could happen in a thousand years. There is a very real possibility I will not return, and you know that…" Kol's silence answered the unasked question. "I want you here Kol, not because you're weak and not because I wish to keep you weak. I want you here because you're strong."

Kol's eyes snapped to Klaus, but his brother was busy staring at Hayley and his child.

"If I don't come back then you are the one with the best chance of protecting the girls." With that he pulled his arm free and strode towards Caroline, leaving Kol to stare after him.

He had no idea how he was meant to protect the children from Dahlia without his mother's blood. How was he supposed to save them? How was he supposed to foil Dahlia?

Perhaps he could make a prison akin to the one Elena had sent into the past for his brother, but that presented it's own slew of problems; Dahlia would have to touch the paper, and she would have known something was up if anyone came at her with a piece of parchment. If Klaus were there he could have created a painting to be spelled, and they might have tricked Dahlia into walking straight into it, but the odds of such a cage actually holding a witch – even when bound with doppelganger blood – was unlikely.

He couldn't kill her.

He couldn't bind her.

He briefly considered turning her, but that wouldn't work either since she was 'all-powerful' and 'nearly immortal'; instigating a transition to vampirism required death, and he couldn't kill her.

Could he unbind her from Freya? Would that make a difference?

It might not make her mortal, but it could lessen her power; maybe even enough that they could run. Dahlia would have to put herself to sleep again at some point if she didn't get the children. If she gave up and slept then they would only have to run until she spelled herself. But how would they know she was asleep?

They couldn't know. He would spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder, relocating his daughter and niece when rumors reached his ears; he would turn into Klaus.

Kol knew he could run if the opportunity presented itself. He could remain one step ahead of Dahlia for the many years, but that was no life for children.

It was not the eternity he envisioned when he thought of his future with Elena and their daughter. He wanted them to have everything; a home filled with her light and their family, not an existence shrouded in the darkness that had followed him since the tenth century.

She deserved more than that.

Elena sank further into his arms. He held his breath, waiting to see if she would wake up. When she didn't he took a chance and carefully shifted his weight, easing her down on the mattress.

She made a small sound of protest when he sat up to lift her legs back onto the bed.

"Sh, my love," he crossed one of her legs over the other and placed a pillow between her knees. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," she mumbled, fingers twitching toward her belly, "she likes it when you're here."

"She does, does she?" He chuckled, draping a warm throw over Elena's body.

"Mmhmm," she leaned back into his chest, wincing slightly, "she's not the only one."

"Then I suppose it's a good thing I like being here," his lips brushed over her shoulder. "Do you need another pillow?" His eyes flickered to the mountain of throw pillows he had tossed on the armchair.

"No," she rolled onto her back, banishing the first pillow with a wave of her hand; it tumbled off the bed. She continued rolling in the circle of his arms until she was able to lift her knee over his thigh.

"Who needs a body pillow," he dropped his hand to her knee, carefully lifting her leg higher until she sighed.

Elena tipped her head up, peering through her lashes to his clouded eyes.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" She lifted her hand, tracing the line between his brows with her thumb.

"You," he managed a small smile, "me," he dragged his hand up from her thigh to her stomach, "us." The pressure of his fingers brought a small nudge from inside. "Have you thought of any names yet?"

"No," she pursed her lips, "I haven't let myself."

"She'll be here soon, darling," he kissed the tip of her nose, "and she'll need a name."

"I never liked the idea of naming a kid before it was born," she sighed. "I don't want to name her Jane and have her come out looking like an Elizabeth."

"I'm gonna go ahead and take both of those names off the table," he shook his head.

"What's wrong with them?" She would have crossed her arms, but she was too comfortable in that moment.

"They are too common." He lifted his nose in the air, smirking when the action made her giggle; the sound was soft and strangled, but real.

"You want something uncommon?" She rolled her eyes. "We could always name her Gravity."

"Well, she had tethered me to the earth," he smirked.

"I thought I did that," Elena pouted, eyes glinting.

"Fair point," he nodded. "Shall I start calling you 'gravity', darling?"

"Don't you dare."

"What about Hertha?"

"And have her teased by every other child she ever meets?" Elena shook her head. "No way. Mary?"

"And have her labeled a goody-two shoes?" He gasped, dramatically. "Lilith?"

"I'm not letting you name our baby after a demon."

"Well, there goes half my list," he sighed. He shifted just enough to angle his head towards her bump. "What do you think sweetheart? Do you like the name Lilith?"

Elena smirked when the baby rolled over in a lazy turn. "I think that's a no."

"I'm feeling outnumbered."

"That's because you are," she gave him a small nudge to roll over so she could use his chest as a pillow.

Kol was silent for a few minutes, to the point where Elena was nearly asleep again, before he spoke. "What about your mother?"

"Miranda?" She mumbled sleepily.

"It's a nice name," he threaded his fingers through her hair. "I know you'd never consent to naming her after my mother."

"You'd never consent to naming her after your mother," her fingers twisted in his shirt. "And no, not Miranda; I want her to have her own name, not the name of a dead relative. Besides," she hummed, "Miranda Mikaelson? M and M?"

"So she is getting my name?"

"Why wouldn't she?"

"After all the trouble my family has caused us I had thought you might shy away from the name," he admitted.

"I haven't shied away yet," she murmured, trying to make sense of the patterns he was now drawing over her spine.

"You are trapped inside," he pointed out.

"In a house big enough that I could avoid all of you if I really wanted to," she poked his chest. A warm darkness pressed on her mind, beckoning her to slip into the shadows and stay awhile. "I love you, and she loves you and she is going to have your name."

Whatever response he said, if any emerged, was lost to her ears as she drifted once more into her uneasy slumber.

"Really, Rebekah?" Finn spread out a soft blanket, cocking an eyebrow.

"Shut up," she snatched the bedding, "it's adorable."

"And definitely on theme," Elijah rolled his eyes. His hand twisted the screwdriver, securing the final board in place.

"It's adorable," she insisted. Shouldering her elder brother out of the way she bent and readied the bedding, tying ribbons in place around the crib's rails. "It's not too much, right?"

"Now you want an opinion?" Sage leaned beside the changing table where she was busy folding freshly laundered clothes. The corner of her mouth tipped up. "Has Elena seen any of this yet?"

"Neither one of them are aware I'm doing it," Rebekah tilted her head, considering the empty wall above the crib.

"I don't think it's too much, sister, but I do believe you're trying to annoy Kol." Finn turned over a cardboard box in his hand until he figured out how to break it down.

"Obviously."

"That wall needs something," Elijah followed her gaze.

"I've got something coming," Rebekah twisted her wrist, glancing at her watch; "the delivery should arrive any second."

A knock echoed through the house summoning the gaze of everyone in the room. Elijah's eyes swung back to Rebekah. He lifted a single eyebrow.

"You had that timed well."

"Sometimes things just work out," Rebekah smirked. She waved a hand around the room imperiously. "Finish up in here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She could practically see the way Elijah and Finn looked at each other behind her back as she swept from the room. She traveled on swift feet by the next door in the hall, she caught a glimpse of Kol and Elena napping, and down the stairs through the sectioned off courtyard toward the compound's entrance.

Her brow furrowed when she reached the gate.

"You're not my delivery man," she tilted her head, stopping at the barrier that held her inside.

"No," Stefan shook his head, smiling, "but I did bring a delivery."

"What a coincidence," a smooth voice drew their gazes to where Marcel approached with a large bag in hand, "so did I."

"Marcel," she glanced to the bag in his hand, "perfect timing."

"What about me?" Stefan frowned.

"I didn't realize time was an issue with whatever you brought," Rebekah frowned. She slowly looked Stefan over, but there was no baggage to speak of on or near his person. "What exactly did you bring me, Stefan?"

"Technically I brought it for Elena," he reached inside his jacket.

"Technically so did Marcel," Rebekah caught the bag as it swung inside. She wanted to riffle through the contents to make sure he had gotten exactly what she specified, but Stefan had aroused her curiosity. She nearly dropped the bag when he pulled a slim leather portfolio from his pocket.

"Is that what I think it is?" She reached for it, heart pounding in her ears.

"That depends," Stefan smiled, eyes twinkling, "do you think it's your brother and my friend?"

Her hand shook as she flipped open the leather and caught a glimpse of the parchment inside. Her brother and Caroline trembled as they stared up at her, and it took Rebekah a sharp breath to realize that they were not actually moving.

"Where did you get this?" She took a deep breath.

"Technically I've had it since 1992," his hand rubbed the back of his neck, "but I just remembered a few days ago."

"You just remembered?" Marcel frowned. He had been informed of their plan several days after it happened, and could only assume that his sire was now in Rebekah's hand.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Caroline came and told us everything. She needed help."

"Us?" Rebekah leaned back on her heels. "Are you about to tell me that Damon knew everything too?"

"He knew nothing," Stefan scoffed. "Caroline had Sheila Bennett lure me back into Mystic Falls. Then she told us everything and basically made me promise to keep her and Klaus hidden until three days ago; it wasn't much of a problem since Sheila took my memory of everything Caroline told me after I hid that little book away. She was the only one who knew."

"If she took your memory then how did you remember?" Rebekah frowned.

"I guess she left a spell with instructions for Bonnie," Stefan's eye flickered to the book. "She got a letter from her grandmother's lawyer with instructions to perform the spell inside on me. Don't you want to get them out of there?"

"The only one who can is sleeping," Rebekah admitted, glancing over her shoulder, "and I honestly don't want to wake her up. Thank you," she smiled, "I'd hug, but…" she motioned vaguely to the threshold. "You know."

She spun on her heel and disappeared into the house, catching the start of a conversation that tapered off as she climbed the stairs.

"Stefan Salvatore?"

"Yeah, and who are you?"

Voices floated around her; hushed whispers tickling her ears.

"Do you think they're actually sleeping?"

"They'd probably sleep better if you woke them up."

"I will rip out your vocal cords."

The threat came in a rumbling voice above her head. She stroked his chest with a fingertip and peeked through her eyelashes. "Don't start a fight in close quarters."

"Elena?" Kol stilled beneath her cheek.

"I'm already awake," she murmured. Slowly she used Kol for leverage and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She squinted, rubbing the sleep from the corner of her eye. "Kol, don't threaten in front of children."

"Sorry, darling," he sat up, kissing her shoulder, "I didn't see Hope."

"To be fair," Hayley rubbed the baby's back, "I was around the corner; just came in."

"I'd never threaten you Hayley," he stifled a yawn, "that was clearly meant for my infuriating sister."

"Which one?" Freya smirked.

"Rebekah, love," he hugged Elena's waist. "She heals, you don't."

"Technically I'm still bound to Dahlia, so I would," Freya rolled her eyes. "It would just be very painful and very slow."

"Still not risking that," he blinked, turning his head towards the alarm clock. "How long were we asleep?"

"A couple hours," Hayley swayed slightly. "Rebekah's been hovering for a while."

"I was waiting," she shrugged. "I didn't want to wake you from a peaceful sleep."

"Who said anything about peaceful?" Elena sighed.

"Nightmares again, love?" Rebekah perched on the bed.

"No," she shook her head. "It just wasn't very restful," her hand reached for Kol, squeezing his palm. "What are you doing in here?"

"I've got some surprises for you." Rebekah tried and failed to hide her grin. She reached out, pulling Elena from her brother's arms and onto her feet.

"Are you kidnapping my lover?" Kol rubbed a hand back through his hair.

"Don't be silly," Freya snickered. She grabbed his elbow and pulled him up. "You're coming too."

Elena let Rebekah drag her out to the hall, watching her friend carefully as she walked backwards. There was a twinkle in the blonde's eye that increased her resemblance to Kol, and that made her equally nervous and excited.

"What sort of surprises?" Elena tilted her head.

"Ones that you'll like," she swore, "right, ladies?"

"I only know about one surprise," Hayley's brows furrowed, "so I can't speak for the other, but I'm pretty sure you'll like the first."

"Close your eyes."

"That's not anxiety inducing," Elena sighed, but listened. With her eyes closed she held tight to Rebekah's hand, waiting to be pulled further into the house, but to her shock Rebekah steered her around and through what she assumed was the door beside her room. "My surprise is in the spare room?"

"Yup," Rebekah grinned. She turned her head sharply to the left to admonish her brother and demand he cover his eyes too.

"You know," Kol shut his eyes, "I really don't like being told what to do."

"You love being told what to do," Elena smirked.

"Only when you're the one doing the telling," he reached for Elena, finding her elbow, "and nowhere near as much as you like being told what to do."

Rebekah glanced from her brother's smug expression to Elena's slight blush and made a very loud gagging sound in the back of her throat.

"Isn't it bad enough that we can you hear you," she rolled her eyes.

"You shouldn't be able to hear anything," Elena's brow furrowed. "Every room has been soundproofed."

"Yeah, but that only works if you close the windows and doors," Hayley snickered.

"Perhaps we should let them look before Elena's mortification sends her straight through the floor," Freya suggested. Her voice came from low down, as if she had sat in a chair. "I would hate for your hard work to be ruined."

"I suppose you're right," Rebekah sighed. "Just give one second…"

Elena heard the sound of curtains being dragged over their rod.

"Okay, now you can look."

She opened her eyes, blinking against the gentle light; it filtered through the clear glass to kiss the dark wood in the edge of its beam. Her breath caught in her throat as she slowly waddled closer.

The dark wood made up a crib. Inside was a white blanket with hints of coral and teal. A grey fox had been stitched onto the quilt; it was far from the only fox in the room. There was an identical fox on the lamp, and two stuffed ones poking out of a basket.

"Oh my…" tears sprang up in her eyes. She ran her finger over the mobile of grey foxes and lifted a stuffed toy from inside the crib. Her eyes read the pillow as Freya replaced it on the rocking chair – 'Wild ONE' with a pink arrow – and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Seriously, Bex?" Kol motioned to the room as a whole, but not even he could hide the soft light in his eye. He could see his daughter sleeping in the crib and taking her first steps over the cream rug to get to her mother. He could picture himself in the rocking chair, soothing her back to sleep. He could hear Elena singing to her off key as she had once done with Thierry, and himself promising their poor child that he would never let mommy sing again; he could feel the softness of the pillow Elena would whack him with.

"She's a little fox," Rebekah crossed her arms. "This seemed fitting."

Elena spotted the framed picture over the crib. Three foxes sat at the bottom in the decorated frame beneath words that made her cry even harder: 'First we had each other. Then we had you. Now we have everything'.

"I…" she cradled the stuffed fox with one hand and frantically fanned her reddening face with the other, desperately trying to calm down, but the tears were destined to fall.

"Bex!" Kol admonished, pulling Elena into his arms. He directed her to the rocking chair and propped the pillow behind her back as she sank down.

She finally managed to choke out how much she loved it after everyone had crowded around her. There as a catch in her throat that had nothing to do with the sweet gesture. The woodland nursery was the exact opposite of Hope's dark wood and glimmering crystals; it was bright and airy, fully embracing the twenty-first century's softness when it came to babies.

She just wanted it to embrace her daughter.

"Rebekah," Hayley cleared her throat, "I think you should give her the other surprise. She's in desperate need of cheering up."

She lowered Hope into a basinet Elena hadn't noticed before. Good, she thought, at least something will be used.

"What's the other surprise?" Elena hugged the stuffed fox.

"It's smaller," Rebekah opened a drawer filled with baby clothes, "but if you loved the nursery than you're going to simply adore this."

She took the leather from under a fox covered onesie and knelt next to her brother so she could slip the book into Elena's hand.

"A thousand years," Rebekah shrugged one shoulder, "maybe Caroline got the date wrong."

Elena stared for a second and then flipped open the book. Her heart stilled and then started again.

"Where did you get it?" She glanced up from the pages.

"Stefan dropped it off," Rebekah rocked back on her knees. "Apparently he's been our brother's keeper for nearly two decades, and only just remembered." A slow smile spread over her lips. "Are you going to let them out?"

"We could have a weapon by the end of the day," Kol ran a finger over the weathered leather.

"Maybe more than one," Hayley suggested. "Or a better plan than a weapon she could see coming from a mile away."

"These are problems for after," Freya interrupted. "We need them out first."

"Then give me some room," Elena motioned Kol and Rebekah away so she could slide down onto the floor. She spread the book over the rug, almost laughing when Rebekah made a comment about staining the carpet. She closed her eyes instead and placed on hand on top of her belly. "You can't kick me when I'm working."

"Would you like me to talk to her?" Kol ran a hand down Elena's spine.

"That just gets her more worked up," she snickered.

"I could sing instead," he suggested.

"I didn't know you could sing," Hayley glanced into the basinet.

"He doesn't do it often," Elena exhaled.

"I don't think I've heard him sing in centuries," Rebekah murmured.

"Perhaps you could all shut up and let her focus," Elijah leaned in the open door.

Elena nodded and leaned forward, holding her hands over the pages. The spell emerged from her lips in a whisper as she felt each seal lift. When the final lock was gone she reached into the prisons she had created and pulled.

She tumbled backwards into Kol and Rebekah.

Hayley scrambled back out of the way, pressing herself into the wall.

Elijah pulled Freya back before she could trip over limbs.

They waited for a beat with baited breath. Caroline sat up first, and Klaus followed a few seconds behind. They both looked around the room, blinking as their eyes adjusted before landing on Elena as she was righted by Rebekah and Kol.

"Really, brother," Klaus glanced toward the stuffed fox at Kol's side. "I don't recall you being this on the nose."

"Rebekah did it," he shook his head, laughing softly.

"Personally I think it's adorable," Hayley reached down, adjusting Hope's blanket, "and that you could have taken a few pointers from your sister."

"You said you loved the nursery," he frowned.

"I do," she smirked. "It's just a very different style."

Elena found her balance and scrambled forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Caroline.

"Hey," she murmured. "What's with the death grip? It's only been a couple of days?"

"It's been three weeks," Rebekah supplied, eyeing her brother and the baby vampire. Her spine straightened when she realized that she couldn't actually call Caroline that anymore since she was technically older now. "Did you get it?"

"We got it," Klaus nodded. He reached into the bag at his side and took out two drawstring bags and a jar filled with blood. "It was not easy, but we got it."