Here it is everyone. The Final Chapter before the epilogue.

I tallied this story up in word and it's 410 pages, which is 122,971 words.

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this story. Each review meant alot, even if I didn't respond to them individually.

and a special thanks to Kol-and-Elena-fanfiction for being my sounding board throughout and suggesting this idea in the first place.

We've had a wild ride.

3 Weeks Later

He completed the painting with a final stroke of the brush and stepped back, lifting Hope from her blanket on the floor.

"What do you think?"

She waved her arms, but didn't look at the painting. Her large blue eyes were glued to his face.

"Hmm?" He smoothed the fine hair over her head.

"I think this is adorable."

Klaus turned around in time to see Caroline walk in the room.

"It's cute how you haven't let her out of your sight," she smiled.

Hope curled her fingers, grasping his necklace. She made an attempt to lift the crest to her mouth, but was stopped by her dad.

"I don't want to miss anything," he admitted in a quiet voice.

"I'm sorry," she met his eyes. "I thought I had the right date. I was sure I told her May 18, not June."

"It's not your fault, Caroline," he shook his head. "I know you told her the right date; Sheila Bennett either wrote it down wrong or the people she trusted sat on the information for three weeks."

She nodded slowly, smiling as Hope reached and grasped her necklace. Predictably she tried to lift the howling wolf to her mouth. Caroline reached up to hold her hand away from her mouth, but then frowned.

"Wait," she looked up, "how do you 'know'?"

"I heard you, love," his brows drew together. "I've heard the ebb and flow of your voice for a thousand years; your German accent needs work."

"My German accent is excellent," she lifted an eyebrow. "How could you hear me? I didn't hear anything."

"You didn't…" his eyes widened. "Would you mind?" He handed Hope to Caroline. "I have a doppelganger to interrogate."

"Okay," she tickled Hope's toes, making the girl wiggle and coo, "just try not to put her in early labour."

"I won't yell," he promised.

Caroline shook her head and rolled her eyes. She balanced Hope on her hip and picked up the painting, carrying both out of the studio and down the hall to the sitting room.

"I think auntie Elena pulled a trick on your daddy," she cooed.

Hope pulled on Caroline's necklace.

"Yes, she did," Caroline bounced. She hung the painting in its designated spot, careful of the wet paint near the bottom. "Should we go find him? Huh?" She gave Hope her full attention. "Should we go find daddy? Or should we find mommy?"

Caroline's mouth formed a perfect 'o' as Hope's tummy rumbled. She made a show of lifting the baby girl up and pressing her ear to her stomach.

"Or do you want Caroline to get you something to eat?" She teased. A smile lifted the edges of her mouth as Hope continued to gurgle and coo.

Caroline made her way out of the room and downstairs with the intention of getting a bottle, but her path was blocked by Hayley and Rebekah.

"Let me guess," Hayley's head tilted to the left, "Klaus had her in the studio again." She reached for her daughter and cradled her then lifted the bottle she had carried from the kitchen.

"He doesn't wanna miss anything," Caroline shrugged. She hooked her finger under her necklace and toyed with the pendent; it was a habit she had picked up centuries ago.

"He was only gone for a few weeks," Hayley frowned.

"For him it was nearly fifteen years and then he came back and she was bigger than he remembered. I think he feels like he missed something important."

"Speaking of missing things," Rebekah's eyes narrowed, flickering to Caroline's throat.

Caroline frowned, and then realized exactly what the Original was staring at.

"I am fairly certain that necklace was around my brother's neck when you two went back in time."

Kol leaned over the back of the chair to read the book in her lap.

"Does anything in that book really apply?" He frowned.

"A few things," she pursed her lips, "but nowhere in here has it touched on blood cravings."

"Perhaps you should write your own book," he smirked.

"What to Expect When You're Expecting: Vampire Edition?" She turned her chin so she could meet his eyes.

"Hybrid Edition," he gave her a playful kiss. He felt her wince and leaned back. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she grunted, "just a little cramp. I'm fine."

"I may not be an expert on the subject, but I'm fairly certain cramps are not fine," Finn glanced up from his book.

"It's probably just Braxton Hicks," Elena flipped through the book until she reached the chapter. "They can start around 33 weeks."

Kol sat on the arm of her chair and took the book, skimming the section on Braxton hicks. He then flipped through until he found a chart.

"Oh, this is interesting," he nodded.

"What is?" Elena shifted in her seat as the baby moved, settling low.

"Right now she is roughly the size of a pineapple," he turned the page to Elena.

"Are you kidding me?" Elena winced, reading and putting her hand on her hard abdomen. "She only weighs 4.23 pounds; feels a lot heavier than that."

"That's likely the fluid surrounding her," Kol flipped pages. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Her belly softened.

"Fine," she exhaled. "She's just decided to use my bladder as a pillow."

"Well," he smirked, "as long as she's comfortable."

"Now if only we could both be comfortable at the same time," she rolled her eyes.

Elena shifted forward, reaching for her glass. She nearly dropped it when Klaus stormed into the room, startling her.

"I have a question for you, sweetheart," he clenched his hands into fists, making the red paint stand out against his fingers.

"Shoot," she willed her heart to slow back down and sipped her glass of blood.

"I've just spoken with Caroline," his eyes narrowed, "and came to an interesting discovery."

Elena frowned, watching the way his jaw ticked.

"She didn't hear a word," he went on speaking through gritted teeth. "Twenty years passed in blissful silence, but I heard everything."

"Is there a question in there?" Elena rubbed her stomach. She could feel the questioning gazes of Finn and Kol; their curiosity was joined by Elijah as he walked around his brother and glanced at Elena.

"What did you do?" His eyes flashed gold.

"I made a few modifications," Elena licked the velvety blood from her bottom lip and carefully shifted toward the edge of the chair. "I do keep my promises," her eyes flickered to Finn before back to Klaus.

It took a second for her words to sink in, but when they did Finn started laughing. The foreign sound startled everyone into dragging their eyes to the eldest brother.

"Elena," he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye once his laughter was under control, "I think I love you."

"As long as you're not in love with her," Kol smirked, "because I don't share."

Elena smiled around her wince and rolled her neck. A strong cramp gripped her stomach and she couldn't help but gasp and rock forward; just when she felt the pain would never end it stopped and she was able to feel Kol's hand on her lower back.

She took quick breaths and managed to look up. The words were on the tip of her tongue when Kol cut her off.

"Don't you dare tell me you're fine."

She struggled not to scream; it was difficult with the muscles in her abdomen twisting tighter and tighter. The pain grew. She clutched his hands and arched her back as if stretching would alleviate the pressure.

When it passed she panted and blinked, relaxing momentarily against his chest. A new smell had entered the room; a combination of blood and other fluids.

She didn't need Freya to tell her.

"You're definitely in labour."

The blonde had barely lifted the sheet when her water broke.

"I can't be…" she shifted, shaking her head. "I'm only…"

"To be honest, Elena, I'm surprised you made it this far," Freya folded the sheet up. "You haven't exactly had a stress free pregnancy. Hayley delivered early too."

"Not seven wee…" Elena cut off as another contraction caused her to double over.

"Just breathe," Freya coached. She spread Elena's legs and bent to get a good look. "I've got good news."

"What," Elena's voice rose to a screech. It had been a mistake to open her mouth.

Freya waited patiently for the contraction to pass. When Elena was resting again she lowered the sheet.

"You're six centimetres dilated," she smiled.

Elena's brow furrowed. "How is that good news? The pain started thirty minutes ago."

"It's good news because it means you'll most likely have a short labour," Freya patted her knee. "I'm going to run and grab some supplies alright?" She didn't allow Elena a chance to respond before turning her gaze to her brother. "Kol, give me a hand?"

"There are seven other people in this house," his eyes narrowed.

She gave him a look that brokered no argument, reminding him that she was in fact the eldest sibling. He pressed a kiss to Elena's sweaty temple and stood, promising to return in a few seconds.

Freya caught Hayley on the way out the door and sent her inside. Kol just heard her telling Elena the pain was going to get a lot worse and Elena releasing a strangled laugh before he was pulled into the nursery.

Freya shut the door quietly and double checked the window.

"Your supplies are in the nursery?"

"A few of them," she cleared her throat.

He watched her stride to the dresser and pull out several receiving blankets, onesies and hats.

"Are you going to tell me why you needed me?" He tried not to snap, but every instinct told him to return to the bedroom. "That's hardly an armful."

"I need you to make a golem," Freya met his eyes before he could look away. She pulled a silver bracelet from her pocket. "And I need you to give this to Klaus so he can put it on Hope."

She dropped the bracelet in his hand. It coiled in on itself, completely innocuous.

"Then get the weapons and make sure that everyone has one."

"Freya, what is going on?" He couldn't feel anything special about the jewelry. "Why do we need a golem?"

"The golem is to distract Dahlia," Freya shook her head. "Get a little blood from Hope and make it."

"I understood that bit, but why does it have to be done right now?" He gestured to the wall separating him from Elena. "Her body is preparing to give birth to my child as we speak."

"Which is why it needs to be now!" Freya motioned with her hands. "Last time she showed up while Hayley was in labour."

"She couldn't possibly know," he shook his head.

"She understand that stress can lead to preterm labour," Freya gripped the tiny hat in her hand. "Do you really think she's not watching this compound? She's a blood relative to nearly every inside; if she wanted to she could look through our eyes."

"She knows," he whispered.

"She knows," Freya hissed. "The only safe room to talk in is this one and Hope's. I placed barriers to keep out any unwanted eyes. Now go!"

"Why am I the one doing this?" He moved toward the door.

"Do you know how to deliver a baby?" Freya countered.

"No."

"Then you've answered your own question."

They stepped into the hall and were instantly assaulted with noise. Freya heard nothing beyond Elena's screech, but Kol heard Elijah's voice from where he stood in the courtyard.

"Bloody hell!"

"Go," she shoved his shoulder.

He didn't require a second push before racing through the compound to Hayley's room. He was unsurprised to find Klaus and Caroline in the adjoining nursery.

"Caroline can you go and help Elena?" He started wrapping the silver around Hope's wrist, overlapping the chain to keep it in place.

"I can help her, but you know that I'm physically older than all of you, right?" She crossed her arms. "Do you really think home birth is the best use of that strength?"

"How did you…?"

"We have ears, brother," Klaus fingered the bracelet on his daughter's tiny wrist. "What is this?"

"No idea," he shook his head and held out his arms. "Give her here," he instructed. "I need to make a decoy."

"A decoy?" Klaus frowned, carefully handing his child over.

"Freya said a golem, but I'm a little short on mud," he looked around the room.

The first time Dahlia had tried to take the first child it had been pure chaos, but she had been watching the compound for months, both from within and without. She knew exactly how many people were inside, and vampires were easily dealt with.

She would have liked to have killed them all to prevent them ever coming after her and the children, but alas that remained an impossibility. She could have done it with a sliver of white oak, but the second child's mother had ensured every last scrap was incinerated.

That was fine.

She could cloak them all; nobody would find them.

The first time she took the compound had been chaos, but the second was easy.

She knew how many to anticipate. She knew how many necks she had to break.

Finn, Elijah and Sage had fallen first within the confines of the courtyard. Rebekah went down on the stairs. That left her with the parents, the spare, and the ungrateful child.

She could sense the magic from the firstborns in the house. Two of them were behind a closed door near the end of the hall, but one was closer. She veered towards that one and found herself in a dimly lit sitting room.

Caroline shifted from one foot to the other, telling herself that she was soothing the perfectly calm baby girl in her arms and not herself.

"It's okay," she breathed, "we're okay…"

She reached into her pocket, curling her fingers around the hilt of the dagger she hoped she wouldn't have to use.

Elena gasped bending forward until she was doubled over her stomach. There was no conceivable way her baby girl was comfortable inside.

Freya patted a damp cloth over her forehead.

A loud thud sounded outside the bedroom door.

"Wha..." Elena groaned, shutting her eyes against the pain. It subsided a fraction and allowed her an opportunity to grit out the question. "What was that?"

Hayley exchanged a cloak with Freya over her head; she heard something tight in the hybrid's voice that set her teeth on edge.

"I'm going to go check."

Hayley fled the room before the pain faded, shutting the door behind her.

She slumped against the pillows, longing for Kol's solid chest. He had been by her side for weeks, and without the threat over their heads she might have found the adorable way he hovered annoying.

She yearned for his sweet reassurances.

"Freya," she rubbed her stomach, "what's going on?"

"You're having a baby," she refolded some towels.

"Well, that explains the stomach ache," she rolled her eyes. "That is not what I meant..." she broke off in a strangled moan.

When the contraction passed she fixed the eldest Mikaelson with a tired glare. "What's going on? Where's Kol?"

"You know," she attempted to change the subject; "traditionally men were not involved in childbirth."

"Since when is Kol concerned with tradition?" She gritted her teeth, rocking forward. "He wouldn't miss this!"

She pressed the cloth to her head and was silent, hoping the pain would make her forget her question.

It didn't.

"Freya!" She curled her fingers around her sleeve, pinching skin in the process. "Where is he?"

Freya winced, pressing her mouth into a thin line until Elena's contraction subsided and her arm was released. She knew there was going to be a bruise. She resisted the urge to rub the spot in order to save Elena the guilt she would undoubtedly feel.

"He's down the hall," she perched on the edge of the bed and reached out to hold her face with one hand. "He wants to be here, but he has to be there; some things he won't leave to Klaus."

Elena's brows lowered and then shot up, breath stilling in her lungs.

"He… She…"

"You need to keep breathing."

"I need to kill that bitch!" Elena struggled to get up.

"Elena," Freya grasped her elbow. "I know you want her dead. I want her dead too, but you can't take care of her right now. You have to leave the task to Kol and Klaus; you have a more important job to do."

She stood up and guided Elena back into a more comfortable position.

"You just focus on giving birth to your beautiful baby girl, okay?"

Elena nodded slowly.

"Tell me what you're going to do when all of this is over."

"What?" Elena frowned.

"Tell me," Freya adjusted the sheet over Elena's legs. "Talking will distract you."

"I'd love to sleep for a week, but that seems unlikely to happen with a newborn," she gritted her teeth. "I don't think I'll sleep for a year."

"You've got Kol and a house full of family," Freya dipped the cloth in a bowl of cool water. "If you want to sleep he'll make sure you get the time to sleep. He'll probably insist on it."

"Who said we were staying here?" Elena managed a small smile.

"I think you'll have a hell of a fight with Rebekah if you try to take one of her nieces out of the compound," she shook her head, smiling, "that, or she'll insist on relocating that beautiful nursery and moving in with the both of you. It might be easier to stay here for a while."

"Maybe," she gripped the bedsheets. "What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Freya blinked.

"What are you going to do when she's gone? What are you going to do when she's not hovering over your head anymore?"

Elena took quick breaths to get through her next contraction and found that a little easier; it allowed her to see the way Freya lowered her eyes when she didn't answer the question.

"What is it?" Elena squeezed her eyes shut, rocking forward to hold the backs of her legs.

"It's not important right now," she pulled Elena's dark hair away from her face.

"You said talking would distract me." She ground out, leaving out the fact that it really wasn't helping. "So talk. Tell me what you're gonna do."

"Nothing," Freya whispered.

"What do you mean nothing?"

"I mean nothing, Elena," she sighed, sitting back on the bed. "My life is still bound to Dahlia…"

Elena wanted to straighten up and look her in the eye, but her body wasn't responding anymore.

"… I had planned to unbind myself with a spell I found in Esther's grimoire, but I didn't get the chance…"

She knew what Freya was going to say when she broke off: she didn't get the chance because she had gone into early labour. Freya was going to die because she was bringing life into the world ahead of schedule.

"Is it the unknotting spell?" A pressure built in her body.

"How do you know about that?" Her head tilted.

"Kol… Kol… showed it to me," she breathed quickly. "He used it for Hayley and Sophie. Will it work?"

"Yes…"

"Then do it."

"I'm a little busy at the moment," she shook her head.

"No, I'm a little busy at the moment," she wanted to roll her eyes, but an intense stinging made her snap them shut.

"I don't have rope," she lifted the sheet.

"Bottom drawer," she nodded in the direction of the dresser.

"Elena I can't do it right now," Freya bypassed the question of why there was rope in the bedroom, knowing the answer would likely lead to a mental picture and that was not the last memory she wanted in her head.

"Do the damn spell," her voice rose as she shifted and bore down, "or I'll do it myself." She threw out her arm.

The dresser toppled, crashing in a mess of wood and fabric.

"I can see her head Elena!"

"Then you'd better work fast," she panted, doing her best to not push.

Hayley raced into the sitting room faster than the eye could see, positioning herself between Dahlia and Klaus.

"You have a wonderful sense of timing, little wolf," Klaus lowered Hope into a bassinet. She blinked up sleepily.

"I'm not letting that bitch anywhere near my baby," her eyes flashed gold.

"There is no need for that Hayley," Dahlia sighed. "It's really quite pointless. The child is mine by right, as is the other."

"You're not getting near her either," Kol slipped inside, shutting the door with one hand.

"Do you propose to stop me?" Her brows rose. She spun in a slow circle, keeping the three within her sights.

"That was the idea," Kol's eyes hardened.

"I admire your enthusiasm," Dahlia smiled, "but you're not capable of it. You've failed once already. It would be best to just give in to it. No?" She spread out her arms, shrugging when nobody budged. "Very well."

She twisted her wrists, watching with boredom as the trio dropped to their knees and clutched their heads. She could only imagine the pain burning through their minds. She supposed she could have broken their necks, but there was a small part that wanted them to watch her take the baby from the room for daring to defy her; she could always seal them in after.

When they were broken and panting she lowered her hands and stepped over her nephews, and bent over the bassinet.

A genuine smile rose on her face.

She reached inside and lifted the silent infant who blinked up at her curiously.

"Don't touch her," Hayley hissed. She wanted to jump up and rip her child from the witch's arms but her body wasn't responding to her mind.

"Don't touch her!"

Caroline's head jerked towards the hall as she lowered the baby into the crib. She fingered the knife in her pocket and carefully slipped the talisman from the onesie's pocket.

"What?" Disbelief coloured Dahlia's tone.

Hayley's eyes focused on the witch and then darted to Klaus when she spotted the stuffed bunny in her arms.

He flashed a tight smirk, jumping to his feet. He grasped Dahlia's arms, wrenching them behind her back.

Kol stood pulling a knife from his jacket in the process. His arm swung up in a smooth arch. Her skin spread apart with the consistency of warm butter for the invading weapon.

Dahlia's mouth formed a perfect 'o'. In the process of looking down she froze.

The trio watched as her skin turned grey. It flaked slowly, ashes drifting to the floor.

Kol twisted the knife, pushing it in farther. Ash fell, clinging to his sleeves.

He pulled his arm back, thrusting forward again. He repeated the motion, until more and more ash littered the floor.

"Kol!" Rebekah stumbled in the open door. "Hey!"

Klaus spotted his sister. The body fell from his arms, falling apart in a grey cloud when it hit the floor.

Kol breathed heavily, slowly turning around with the cursed knife in his hand.

"I think you got her," Rebekah gave the carpet a pointed look.

"And now you've got somewhere to be," Klaus knelt, sifting through the ashes for the toy.

Kol forced his fingers to uncurl and ran from the room before the metal hit the floor.

"Do you think Hope would notice if we replaced this?"

He pushed around his eldest brothers and nearly collided with Sage, missing her by a narrow margin on his mad dash down the hall.

The bedroom door banged inwards, catching at the halfway mark. He sidestepped inside, eyeing the broken dresser for a moment before lifting his eyes.

Elena was screaming on the bed.

Freya knelt between her parted legs.

A length of rope hung over the nightstand.

"What the bloody hell happened in here?"

Elena moaned. Her head turned to the side when she heard his voice.

She extended her hand.

He moved to her side and reached for her hand before catching sight of his appearance in the mirror. He stripped off his filthy jacket, brushed the worst of the ashes away and grasped her hand.

"Did I miss anything?" He knelt, kissing her brow.

"Nearly," Freya glanced up. "Just a couple more pushes, Elena."

"I was starting to think you forgot about us," Elena gasped.

"I'll never forget you, darling," he promised, meeting her glittering eyes. "Now do as my sister says, and push."

"Not yet," she shook her head.

"Elena…"

"No," she clutched his fingers. Sudden panic clawed at her throat. "I don't think I can do this…" tears shimmered in her eyes. "I can't… I can't bring her into this world and lose her."

"Hey," he cradled her cheek, rubbing his thumb over her blotchy skin, "we're not losing her. Dahlia is dead."

"She's dead?" She swallowed a lump.

"She's dead!" Freya's brows rose.

"She's dead," he nodded. "I killed her." He stared into Elena's eyes until the panic eased and only pain was left; he hated himself for causing it. "Can we meet our daughter now?"

She nodded, fast, and squeezed his hand. Bones cracked under the pressure of her determination; she pushed with all of her strength, and then again when Freya urged.

A few seconds ticked by, half a minute passed.

The pressure eased completely, leaving her with a great feeling of emptiness. There was a long torturous moment where all she could hear was her own laboured breathing.

Then a glorious sound filled the room.

She shifted slightly, a broad smile stretched over her face.

"There we go," Freya cooed, wrapping a receiving blanket around the infant, "that wasn't so bad, was it?"

The snappy part of Elena's brain wanted to make a smart retort but with her eyes on the red faced infant she couldn't help but agree; the pain seemed like nothing now.

"There are two people here very excited to meet you," she stood, carefully placing the tiny child in her mother's arms.

"Hello." Elena wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, so she wound up doing both; the baby's cries quieted, but she continued to squirm and fuss. "I know," a tear dripped onto the blanket, "you wanted to stay where it was nice and warm. I wanted that too."

Kol wrapped his arm around Elena's back. He longed to reach out and touch her, but he dared not while traces of Dahlia remained on his body. He wouldn't let that woman touch his daughter in life or death.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, running her finger over the tiny cheek. "I did my best."

"You did amazing," he kissed her temple.

The shrill cry of her newborn daughter roused her from sleep. She pried her eyes open and pushed up on her palms, but by the time she was sitting the whimpers had cut off.

She sat back against the headboard and rubbed her eyes, smiling softly.

Kol cradled their newborn in both hands, holding her close to his body to still the slight tremor in his arms.

"She's so small," Elena whispered.

Kol moved toward her slowly and sat sideways on the clean bed. Someone had tidied up when she took her shower; she had been too exhausted to notice, but she saw it now. Their bedroom was clean, and so was he.

"I'm terrified that I'll break her," he admitted, staring into his arms.

"You won't," she blinked slowly, letting her eyes drift nearly shut.

"Speaking of breaking things," he glanced up, "what happened to the dresser?"

She shrugged. "I got a little frustrated."

"And took it out on the furniture?" He chuckled.

"Mmhmm," she nodded. She lifted one hand to her sore breasts, rubbing the worst spots. "Is she hungry?"

She might have questioned how breast feeding her child was a possibility, but she doubted anyone would have an answer to the query. It wasn't like there were thousands of witch-vampire hybrids around the world, or anyone at all to draw experience from. She was making the rules up as she went along; magic made her and magic would sustain her.

"I don't know," he pushed the light brown hair from her face. "I thought she might be, but then she quieted down."

"She's happy with cuddles," Elena inhaled.

"She won't be for long," he tilted his head, listening to her little heartbeat. He might have laughed when she started fussing if it didn't mean he had to give her up. "See?"

He watched Elena unfasten the buttons on his stolen shirt and then carefully instigated the transfer.

She positioned the infant and winced. A sharp pinprick stabbed her nipple before she began to suckle.

"Freya examined her while you slept," he noted the lines around her mouth and brow. "She gave her a clean bill of health."

"Perfectly healthy?" She looked up, readjusting her hold when the baby unlatched.

"Perfectly healthy," he nodded, "must be the vampire in her."

Elena nodded. She held her gently.

They lapsed into silence for a while after that, both captivated by the sight of their child eating.

"I thought of a name," she whispered when she was finished, wiping a line of pink from her rosebud mouth. She shifted the small body carefully, rubbing her back until she released a tiny gas bubble.

"It's not Mary again, is it?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"No," she crossed her legs under the blankets and moved her back into the cradle of her arms. "Honestly that reminds me too much of Davina's ancestor, but she wouldn't be here without her meddling either."

"You're not going to suggest Alice are you?" He frowned. He doubted he could have denied Elena anything after the pain she endured to bring the child into the world.

"No," she shook her head. "Eve," she looked down to the tiny face. "The spell that made her possibly was cast on Christmas Eve, and as much as I would like to erase most of my time in that cottage from my memory, I don't want all of it to be forgotten."

"Eve, huh?" He leaned closer, peering into her little face.

"Eve," she exhaled slowly, releasing some of the tension that had settled during her pregnancy. "I also don't want to forget the other witch whose meddling made her possible, so I was thinking Eve Freya Mikaelson."

His eyes snapped up to her tired gaze.

"What happened to not naming children after relatives?" He held out his arms, taking the baby.

"That only applies to first names," she smirked, letting her eyes slip shut again, "and besides, Freya is alive."

"Eve Freya Mikaelson," her mouth puckered when he said the name. "I think it suits her."

She was starting to drift off when the quiet devastation in his voice brought her back to awareness.

"I take it back."

She opened her eyes and swallowed at the serious set of his features; it was a rare occurrence when he looked at her like that.

"Oh?"

There were so many things he could be taking back: the name, wanting the baby, saying he loved her. Surely it was one of those three; he wouldn't look so torn up by something trivial.

"Yes, I take it back," he exhaled slowly, turning wide eyes from her to Eve.

Her heart jumped into her throat. With his next words she vowed to punish him when she had the energy.

"There is one thing more beautiful than you."