A/N: I was intending to end this series with this story… but I had a weird dream featuring the siblings and Elena in a log cabin with Klaus trying to cook… interested?

I woke up early the next morning and sat up slowly, disorientated. It took me a few minutes to work out where I was. I was in the courtyard, curled up by the stairs. I was wearing unfamiliar clothes… when had I got changed?

I stumbled up and headed upstairs. I reluctantly let myself into my room, went to the wardrobe and grabbed some clean clothes at random. I undressed slowly, removing the small pouch of rings that I'd been hiding on my person since I'd got them. I placed them into my jewellery box, smiling to myself. I brushed my fingers lightly over the smooth velvet of the bag. Then I closed the lid and finished getting dressed.

I headed to the living room. The girls were asleep there, as their room only contained cots. I smiled, the smile growing when I noticed Kol propped up the corner. I went over and touched his cheek lightly. He stirred and opened his eyes.

"Hey…"

"Hey… I still can't believe you're here…"

"I'm here."

He sat up slightly.

"I… I didn't want to be away from them anymore…" he explained sheepishly, looking over at the girls. "It's not just me… Elijah was in here too." He nodded over at a chair where Elijah's suit jacket was hanging.

"I get it." I cuddled up to Kol. "But we're home now, we're not going anywhere."

"Good." He kissed my cheek, then hesitated. "You know you said Lucien was trying to recreate the fertility spell?"

"Yes…" I stiffened slightly, a sense of cold dread settling in the pit of my stomach.

"Did he… did he do anything… to you?"

I felt bile rising in the back of my throat and the colour drained from my face. I forced on a cheery smile.

"Of course he didn't Kol..." I bit my lip, unable to meet his eye. I saw him smile uncertainly, not quite believing me. I looked away.

"Did you sleep okay?" he asked, sensing my discomfort.

"I think so. I went for a walk… I don't remember coming back though."

We lapsed into silence, my head resting on his chest. He idly stroked my hair, comfortable in our little bubble.

"The others are up…" he said after a while. I nodded slowly but didn't move, quietly content. I'd spent so long being fearful and rushing to ensure that Lucien was calm, I was enjoying being able to take a moment of serenity.

Eventually the sounds of the others downstairs reached me as well and I was forced to concede that the moment was open. I unwound from Kol's arms and woke the girls gently. Kol came over to help me, lifting Blair into his arms. I picked Lilah up and the four of us headed downstairs together. A breakfast table had been set up with a variety of food, which the siblings were gathered around, and I saw Lilah's eyes light up. We set the girls down and they ran over to eat. Klaus was pouring himself a drink and he smiled at the sight of them.

"Nice spread," Kol said.

"Well I figured it was a special occasion."

I went over to Freya, who was sitting quietly and smiled.

"Are you feeling better?"

"I am… it's good to see you again Elena."

She touched my hands. Her face seemed relieved, like a great weight had been taken off of her. I smiled and turned my attention to the table that the girls were descending on. Elijah came over and helped the girls fill their plates. I couldn't help but smile at the tenderness he showed towards them.

"So I suppose now Elena's back, we should probably inform her subjects. Maybe stop some of the infighting?" said Finn.

"I'd… I'd honestly prefer if I can just keep things low key for a little while. I've only just gone from being a prisoner to being… me again. I'm not ready to be a queen." I took my plate and sat down. "I mean, you can tell people I'm back but I'm not ready to take charge or anything." A thought occurred and I continued hurriedly. "And no parties! Those never end well for me!"

The others laughed.

"Alright Elena, no parties. And we won't trot you out to the royal speech quite yet," said Elijah.

"But we will be telling the witches your back. They've been causing a lot of trouble in your absence," added Klaus.

"I'll go see Sophie. That'll spread the message quickly enough," I said.

We settled into our seats, the girls on the floor, as we ate. Elijah looked over at them thoughtfully and then turned his focus to me.

"Do they know how to read? Write?"

"A little bit. Blair more than Lilah."

"Why's that?"

"Umm… well… one of Lucien's methods of keeping control of me and getting me to follow an order I had a particular objection to… was to take Lilah away… for a year and a half…" I looked down and my hand went to the wedding ring. I had hated it so much but I'd not even thought about taking it off… it was like it was locked onto my skin. Klaus' eyes narrowed.

"He married you?"

"He did. He threatened to kill Lilah and I had to agree. And then he took her away to ensure I behaved the way he wanted. It's why she doesn't talk."

I couldn't look at them. They were judging me. They had to be.

I heard the sound of one of the chairs scraping the stone floor. Elijah knelt down in front of me and took my hand.

"You're not there anymore. You're home, where you belong." He carefully took my hand and slid the ring from my finger. "No more thinking about the past, focus on the future." He kissed my hands lightly. I smiled gratefully.

"Thank you." He returned to his seat. I looked over at the others. "So, I guess we have to put them in school?"

"Nonsense. We can teach them. We taught Marcellus," said Klaus.

"I agree," said Elijah. "But Kol, we are not letting you teach them Shakespeare. You get far too carried away."

"Okay, okay…" muttered Kol. "However, I think we should get a specialist in to teach Lilah sign language or something. So she can communicate until she feels comfortable talking again."

There was a murmur of agreement. I bit my lip, feeling a little like a spare part. I'd got used to being the only one to make decisions for the children. Now I had three dads, all eager to contribute, as well as some very opinionated aunts and uncles.

"On that subject… I would like to make a suggestion," said Finn. "Obviously, they're your kids… but I feel that… maybe we should get them someone to talk to. Professionally I mean."

"A psychiatrist?" Rebekah raised an eyebrow. "You want a psychiatrist to get involved in our affairs?"

"We could ask the blonde that Klaus talks to."

"Cami?" Klaus said. My head lifted.

"Wait… Cami? She's… your psychiatrist now?" I asked, staring at Klaus in disbelief.

"I needed someone to talk to…" Klaus begrudgingly admitted.

"Right. Okay. Wow. I guess I can go and ask her when I go see Sophie? They both still work at Rousseau's right?"

I received an affirmative nod. I took a bit of my breakfast, chewing it thoughtfully. It would probably be a good idea for Lilah to have someone she could talk to. Blair too. I had no idea what they'd seen and how it might have affected them.

"Okay, so sign language, therapy, home school. Future. Yeah."

I suddenly felt like the walls were crushing down on me and it was difficult to breathe. I got up and quickly left the courtyard, retreating into one of the rooms where they wouldn't be able to see my face. I closed my eyes and pressed my face against the cool brick wall, trying to calm myself. The future? Could I really think about the future? So long, my only goal had been to stay alive, to protect my girls. And now that I was free… I was lost. I had no idea what to do.

I thought about what my life had been before Lucien, what I'd been planning to do. Ruling the city? Marriage? Kids? How could I marry anyone when I could barely be near them without fear of what they'd say, what they'd see on me? The filth of Lucien's taint. Kids? The mere thought of sex… I knew that the siblings wouldn't hurt me but… every time I thought about hands on my skin, I couldn't help but see Lucien's face in my mind.

"Elena, are you okay?"

I turned sharply. Rebekah had followed me, watching with concern.

"Y…yeah. I'm fine. I… I'm going to go out… see Sophie and Cami." I patched on a smile. "Will you all be okay with the girls?"

"I think we'll be fine. And honestly I don't think you could pry my brothers away from those girls right now." I nodded. "Did you want me to come out with you? I need to refurbish the girl's room anyway."

"Umm, no I'll be alright. Maybe take them with you when you go though? They've not been able to say how their room is decorated before."

She nodded, still looking a little worried. I gave her a smile and went back to the courtyard.

"I'm going out for a little bit." I turned to the girls. "You two be good for your daddies. And Uncle Finn and Auntie Freya and Rebekah." It felt kind of good to say that.

"Yes mama," said Blair. Lilah smiled and nodded.

I said a quick goodbye to the siblings and headed out into the street. Stepping out, I felt like I could breathe again. I wasn't sure why I found it so difficult to be in the house. All I'd wanted was to be with the Mikaelsons again… why was I running from them?

I shook my head and focused on the street, falling into a steady rhythm. As I walked, I noticed people on the street pausing to look at me, vampires and witches I assumed. A few smiled. Some even bowed their head slightly.

I noticed a crowd gathered around an alley, a few police officers dotted around. I frowned and crossed over the street to avoid it. Rousseau's wasn't far and I figured it wouldn't be open yet but I couldn't help but move quickly. I wanted to see Sophie and Cami again, just to confirm that they were okay, that nothing had happened in the past five years.

Luck was on my side for once. Cami was unlocking the front door as I neared.

"Hey…"

My voice was soft but she heard and turned sharply. Her eyes widened.

"ELENA!"

She ran over and hugged me, holding me close to her.

"Hey Cami."

I felt warm and safe in a way that, despite their best efforts, I hadn't managed with the Mikaelsons. I guess I felt that if there was anyone I could talk to about what had happened, it was Cami. She was a psychologist. She wouldn't judge me.

"You're alive. You're here. When did you get back?"

"Yesterday. I'm guessing that Klaus had filled you in on everything? With your… therapy sessions?"

"Yes, he has. Come on, let's go inside and we can talk."

She finished unlocking the door and ushered me into the cool interior. We took a seat at the bar and I rested my head against the smooth surface, drawing comfort from the blank stretch of wood. Cami looked at me and her face was calm, free of judgement.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" she asked.

"I… I don't know if I can." I looked down. "It's… it scares me."

"Hey, it's okay. You've been through an ordeal. You need to take your time, to heal, to share. Have you spoken with the others about your feelings?"

"No. I… I feel like they won't want me around if they know everything that happened."

"I know that that's not true. They love you, they will always want you. I understand why you feel that way though. If you want, you can talk to me… and maybe we can work up to talking to the others about it later? Does that sound okay?"

"That sounds great actually…"

Cami reached over and touched my hand.

"I'm here. Whatever you need, I'll try and help." She regarded me for a moment. "How about, to take the pressure off, I'll start doing my work and you can just talk to me as and when you're ready. Does that sound okay?"

"That sounds good."

She smiled and got to her feet, going behind the bar to start stocking the shelves. I looked down at the bar, running my fingers over the loops and whirls of the wood. I closed my eyes, took a long, deep breath. Could I do this?

Yes. I could. And I needed to.

I took a moment to collect my thoughts, working out where to begin, and then started to talk.