I do not own TVD or TO.
For as long as she could remember she had wanted the normal things in life: go to school, grow up, get a job, fall in love, get married and have kids. Like most people she wanted to do things in order; she had wanted her life to follow a specific path.
She had never wanted to become embroiled in the supernatural world. She'd held no desire to be involved in vampire business, but it seemed these things had been decided before she was born.
The only good thing about Klaus finding her alive had been the promise of a mundane human life, or as ordinary as it could be for her; she hadn't had the heart at the time to tell Damon and Stefan that was what she wanted.
They wouldn't have listened to her anyway. Only one person ever had.
"What is it you really want?"
His fingers gently grazed her heated skin with each upward pass of his hand sending jolts of electricity straight to her core. She was mentally exhausted. She was physically worn out, but the combination of his rumbling voice and dextrous fingers was enough to rouse her spirits and make her heart pound.
What did she want? He had asked her that question earlier. Her response had been to capture his enticing lips in a bruising kiss and tear his wet clothes from his sinful body; in that moment she had taken what she wanted in the moment, but she knew his question ran deeper now that they laid in a post coital bubble.
What did she want? What did she crave more than him?
"Normalcy," she breathed into the still air, "freedom…" love.
"I want a life free from any supernatural entity that wants to control me… possess me." She wanted to know that someone wanted her, and not because she was a doppelganger; not for the face she wore.
She pressed her hand to his heart and counted the steady beat beneath her palm. Tilting her head she stared into his dark eyes.
"What do you want?"
Her question caught him off guard. She could see the surprise and something else flickering in his eyes; it only lasted for a minute before he composed himself.
"It doesn't matter what I want," his hand cupped her cheek, "my brother will ensure I never get it."
"If it's any consolation," she managed a half smile, "your brother will ensure I never get what I want either."
"Probably just as well," he sighed. He took her hand from his chest, placed a soft kiss to her wrist and laid her arm over his neck. "In my experience it doesn't matter what anyone wants, as soon as they get it they want something else."
"That doesn't stop me from wanting it," she shook her head.
"It wouldn't," he chuckled.
"Am I doomed to want what I don't have forever?" Her smile dropped.
"Of course not," he lifted her chin and met her eyes, "only until you until find that which your heart most desires."
"Forever then," she exhaled slowly, "I'll never have that; he'll never allow that." His brother had the power to take him away from her for the rest of her natural life; he had robbed his siblings of centuries without a second thought.
"I could try distracting you for a while," his smirk didn't quite reach his eyes when he rolled over and pinned her to the bed.
She tipped her neck back to give him unrestricted access to her throat and melted into his embrace.
Her distraction would be momentary. It would be fleeting, but she would take even the smallest taste of her deepest desire; even if it only increased her melancholy.
Which was worse: wanting what she couldn't have, or being granted a forbidden taste?
She had lied to him. It was only half-true what she had said: 'a life free of vampires'. Maybe the knowledge that on some level it was probably true had kept her heart steady. Maybe it hadn't been at all and he had attributed the thumping organ to his proximity. Maybe he even knew. He might have discerned the lie and refrained from calling her out on something so personal.
Whatever the reason was it didn't matter. He had listened to her words. He had left town. He had left her; left her behind in the care of his brother's hybrids so she might have a semi-normal life, but now she needed him back.
She needed answers. She needed him to know the truth. She didn't necessarily need him, she could have done it on her own, but she wanted him.
She didn't want to lie to herself anymore.
"Yoo-hoo," Caroline waved her hand in front of Elena's face. "Earth to Elena. Come back to reality, Preggers."
"So glad we're joking about this now," Elena flattened her palm to her swollen stomach. The bump was on full display in the tight blue tank.
"Could've been worse," Caroline's eyes glittered. "I could've called you a vamp tramp."
"Vamp tramp?" Elena tried to look angry but the blonde's teasing smile was succeeding in raising her spirits marginally.
"Yeah," Caroline crossed her arms and leaned against the dishwasher. "Weren't you 'with' Stefan at the time?"
"I was not 'with' Stefan," Elena copied her friend's air quotes, "and I wasn't with Damon. I wasn't with anybody."
"Vamp tramp doesn't quite fit then," Caroline sighed.
"Not quite," Elena shook her head, "hang on to it though; it's catchy." Her hand made slow circles over her belly. "I feel like such an idiot, Care."
"You're not one," Caroline crossed her arms again. "You were working with the knowledge you had at the time."
"Look at me," Elena hissed. She hopped down from the stool and gestured to her stomach. "How did I not see it? How did I not believe you?" Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm an idiot! I'm a dumb, blind slut!"
"Hey," Caroline took Elena's hands and forced the brunette to meet her eyes. "Don't you ever say that about yourself again, Elena Gilbert! You are one of the smartest people I know. You had no reason to believe it was possible; that doesn't make you stupid. It makes you rational."
A knock sounded on the door. The quick rap echoed through the long hall to the door. Caroline turned towards the front of the house.
"That must be him," she released Elena's hands. "I'll get the door."
"No," Elena shook her head, "I'll do it. Better to get the shock out of the way first."
She swiped at her tears and drew in heaping breaths on her path to the entry. Her eyes grew round when she pulled the door open and saw her evening company.
"Stefan?" Her eyes darted to his brother. "Damon? What are you two doing here?"
Damon crossed his arms and rolled his eyes as if the answer should have been obvious to her.
"We came to check on you," Stefan verbalized his brother's thoughts. "We haven't heard from you in days, and we haven't seen you in nearly a month."
"And now I see why?" Damon's eyes fell to her midriff. "Hiding the fact that you were cheating on Saint Stefan here?" He patted his little brother's shoulder.
"We're not together Damon," Elena crossed her arms and glared at the blue eyed vampire. "We haven't been together since he left with Klaus, and we will not be getting back together."
"Obviously," Damon scoffed. "So whose is it?"
"That's none of our business Damon," Stefan caught his brother's arm. Damon had been about to take an intimidating step closer to Elena.
"He's right," Elena agreed, "it's not. It's my business, and his business, and since I haven't even told him yet I will most definitely not be telling you."
"How far along are you?" Stefan rolled his eyes.
"Twelve weeks," Elena swallowed and placed her hand on her bump.
Stefan's eyes narrowed in confusion. "That would have been before the accident."
"That was not an accident," Elena's eyes hardened, "Rebekah deliberately sent Matt and I off the bridge. And it wasn't before."
"Pregnancy takes the weeks from conception and adds two on for ovulation," Caroline took Elena's elbow and pulled her back into the house.
"That's the week of the accident then, darling? What precisely happened that week? I've only just arrived."
Stefan and Damon spun on their heels and gaped at the Original vampire climbing Elena's porch steps. He paused at the stop with his hands in his pockets and allowed his eyes to flicker over the assembly with curiosity. He could just make out Elena where she was positioned in the house behind her 'guard dogs'.
"What are you doing here?" Damon snarled.
"I was invited," he cocked a heavy brow. "Judging by the look on Elena's face you were not."
"No," Elena's voice had suddenly grown timid, "they weren't." Her mouth was dry when she looked at him, and she couldn't maintain eye contact for more than a few seconds.
"Then perhaps they should leave," his eyes flickered from Stefan to Damon; neither brother moved.
"Perhaps I'm not making myself clear," he stepped forward and smiled sweetly; something dark passed through his eyes, "this is a threat." Stepping back he held out his hand to clear a path. "Leave… now."
Damon looked for a moment as if he wanted to stay and cause a fight; he never did have much sense. He was the sort to jump in first and ask questions third. Luckily Stefan was the opposite; most of the time. The younger Salvatore took the initiative, and his brother's elbow.
Elena watched from the door as her ex-boyfriend pulled his hot-headed brother towards the car.
"So…"
She turned her gaze to him and found he was staring at her stomach.
"It appears congratulations are in order," he smirked. The light didn't quite reach his eyes. "But the question of why I am here remains to be answered."
"It's a long story," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "one that will be better told over a steaming cup of tea, I've got something stronger if you'd like."
"And why is Miss Forbes here?"
"Moral support," Caroline smirked. "And to make sure she doesn't chicken out."
"I'm not going to chicken out," Elena rolled her eyes.
"You called me to town for story hour?" He leaned against the door frame and watched the bickering friends.
"I called you to town for your help," Elena clarified, "maybe answers, but primarily your help." She stepped to the side of the door. "Why don't you come in, Kol?"
She saw the genuine surprise flicker in his gaze. He hesitated before stepping over her threshold and following her into the kitchen.