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"New Orleans?" Elena's hand settled over her stomach. There was a sickening feeling deep in her body that said finding Elijah wouldn't be easy; New Orleans was not a small city.
"Nik's settled down here for the time being," Kol steered his car through the crowded streets, "and Elijah followed him. Apparently he's made quite the mess."
Caroline shifted so she was in the middle of the back seat, leaned forward and peered through the windshield. She couldn't count the number of people on the sidewalk; moving along the slab of concrete would have been impossible. She turned her attention from the street to Kol.
"Why's Klaus settled down here?" Caroline tilted her head. From the corner of her eyes she saw someone take a second look at the car.
"And why did you think I'd slept with Klaus?" Elena spun around to look at him. She hadn't asked yet; she had been preoccupied with her own thoughts; in fact she'd barely said anything during the entire ride down.
Kol steered the car out of town and chuckled.
"Would you believe both questions have the same answer?"
Elena tilted her head and frowned at Caroline.
Kol inhaled slowly before explaining how his hybrid brother had gotten a werewolf girl pregnant. His werewolf half meant he was capable of fathering children.
"Too bad that doesn't explain how I got pregnant," Elena sighed.
"I'm thinking your explanation will be far more complicated," Kol nodded. And incredibly simple.
Elena settled back into her seat and closed her eyes. Her hand made slow circles over her abdomen as her head began to swim.
"I'm gonna be honest, Kol," Elena pressed her lips together; "I don't think I really care how right now. I just want him to know, and I want to know he's alright."
"Try to calm down, Elena," Caroline leaned back, "I can hear your heart going a mile a minute."
"How am I supposed to calm down?" Elena gritted her teeth. "Something's wrong, Care. I can feel it."
Caroline gave Kol a pointed look in the rear view mirror. She cocked an eyebrow as her eyes darted to Elena.
"I don't know what you expect me to say, Caroline," he sighed, "she's right something is wrong. Elijah would never ignore her calls."
"Thank you, Kol," Elena crossed her arms.
"Don't look so smug," he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Caroline is correct as well: you need to calm down. Stress is definitely not good for your babies."
"Since when are you an expert on pregnancy?" Elena arched an eyebrow.
"I'm not," Kol smirked, "but stress isn't good for anyone; I would imagine it's worse for you. Try taking some deep breaths."
"And if that doesn't work?" Elena took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly.
"Well," Kol counted the slowing beats of her heart, "if it comes down to it I can compel you to calm down."
"I really hate compulsion," Elena took another deep breath and exhaled.
"Then focus on your breathing," Kol turned onto a winding driveway.
"Elijah," Rebekah kicked her car door, "if not answering your phone is part of your clever plan to get me back in this city then well done, I'm here."
She stomped across the yard and up the steps; her heels clicked loudly on the wooden boards. She hadn't heard from her big brother in months, and she was officially worried.
"Now pick up your phone before I kick your bloody door in." She ended the call with more force than was necessary causing the screen to crack beneath her thumb.
She wasn't about to actually kick the 'bloody door' in though. There was only one weapon in the world that could cause her brother lasting harm, and it was safely in the custody of her other brother who was far from New Orleans; he had sworn never to come back.
Since there was no immediate danger, there wasn't a need to ruin her new shoes, but she did throw open the door so it crashed against the wall. Certainly her brother had earned a little property damage for not returning her calls.
"Elijah?" She called into the house and peered through the door into the sitting room. Her head snapped around when she heard approaching footsteps.
"Oh," she spared the brunette a curt nod, "you must be the maid. My bags are in the car," she masked her sneer when she looked at the other girl's blouse, "get them won't you?"
The brunette scoffed and lowered the fire poker, but she didn't let go of it.
"Hello," she looked Rebekah up and down, "not the maid."
Rebekah turned from the crunch of tires in the driveway and scrutinized the brunette. Sniffing the air daintily she felt her eyes widen in realization; they darted to the woman's midriff.
"You're that werewolf girl my brother knocked up," her lips lifted in a slight smirk. "I was expecting some sort of miracle baby bump," her eyes lifted to Hayley's. "I guess you're not showing yet."
"I can provide that," an amused voice drawled from behind her.
Rebekah had heard the sound of feet coming up the porch, but she had assumed it was Klaus. The last person she had expected to see was Kol. Actually… scratch that… the last person she had expected to see was Elena Gilbert. Caroline Forbes fell somewhere in between.
"Hayley," Kol pointed to the girl on the stairs, "right?"
"Yeah," Hayley looked the newcomer up and down, "and you are?"
She recognized the women that had entered with him. The blonde was Tyler's ex-girlfriend, Hayley was only partially responsible for their breakup, and the other was Elena freaking Gilbert; everything in Mystic Falls revolved around the self-righteous brunette.
She didn't recognize him though; as far as Hayley was aware she had never met him, but he did look a bit like Elijah; he looked a lot like Elijah.
"This is Kol," Rebekah crossed her arms. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"
"Apparently showing you the miracle baby bump," Kol smirked. His eyes darted pointedly to Elena.
Rebekah followed his gaze and felt her mouth pop open when she saw the swell of Elena's stomach. Her eyes lifted to the doppelganger's face.
"You slept with Nik, too," she shook her head. She had honestly thought her brother had better taste than that.
"Why does everyone just assume I slept with Klaus?" Elena rolled her eyes. Her hand came up to massage a sore spot below her breast. She blushed furiously when the pressure released in a silent burp.
"You know," Kol smirked, "they say when a pregnant woman burps like that for extended periods of time," his eyes glittered when he referenced the car ride, "that she's having an evil baby."
Elena's eyes grew round.
"I'm pretty sure it's also a sign of twins," Caroline gave him a pointed look.
"Evil twins," Kol chuckled and backed up a bit. He just made it out of Elena's range of motion.
Rebekah watched the exchange with narrow eyes before turning the conversation back to the subject at hand.
"If you didn't sleep with Nik then why is it a miracle baby bump?"
Before Elena could answer her eyes were drawn to the base of the stairs by Hayley. The brunette had come to the bottom and cleared her throat loudly; annoyance flashed in her eyes.
"The two of you have your brother's manners," she glared at Kol and Rebekah. They hadn't been there more than five minutes and already they were ignoring her in favour of Elena. Who cared if the doppelganger was pregnant? She was the one carrying the miracle baby; they should have been paying more attention to her.
"If you're talking about Nik, then I am deeply offended," Kol held his hand over his heart. He gasped dramatically causing Elena to release a small giggle. "However, if you're referring to Elijah then I'm flattered."
"I'm somewhere in between," Rebekah gave Hayley a sweet smile, "but I assure you I do have Nik's temper, so watch your step." She tipped her chin towards Elena. "She'll attest to that. If not for Elijah and Kol she'd be dead right now."
"And all because of your temper, sister dear," Kol's voice held an air of innocence. He returned his attention to Hayley. "Speaking of Elijah; where is he?"
"Beats me," Hayley shrugged. "He's long gone."
"What do you mean long gone?" Elena's heart clenched painfully. The blood drained from her face, she swayed under the onslaught of her emotions; she'd already been feeling light headed.
Caroline reached out and caught her friend. She steadied the unsteady brunette and squeezed her arm gently to let her know everything was going to be alright; even though she was struggling to believe it herself.
Hayley's eyes shifted from one face to the next. The Original siblings looked sceptical. Elena appeared to be heartbroken and on the verge of losing control of her emotions; fear was flashing in her eyes. Caroline had the look of a supportive best friend, but why she was being supportive Hayley didn't know.
"I don't know," Hayley shrugged. "One minute he was here making epic promises about protecting me in this predicament that a bottle of scotch and some bad decisions got me into – he was actually being really poetic about how we're family now – and then Klaus told me he bailed. I guess that's what I get for trusting a vampire."
A bottle of scotch and bad decisions, Caroline's eyes followed her ears to Hayley's stomach. She could easily hear the fluttering heartbeat of an unborn child. From the way the brunette spoke it sounded like she regretted her 'predicament'.
Elena might have been confused and upset, but she had made it clear from her actions that she didn't regret her pregnancy; a few hours before Kol had arrived at the house Caroline had found Elena in the attic running her fingers gently over a cream coloured baby blanket with a soft smile. Caroline had packed that blanket when her friend wasn't looking. Elena had always wanted kids; her only hesitation had been: knowing that eventually another doppelganger would come along.
How long ago were those 'bad decisions' made? Kol had made it sound like the deed had occurred in the weeks prior to Elena's accident, so shouldn't Hayley have been showing as well. Then again, Elena was having twins, and Hayley was wearing a trapeze top.
"Elijah's not just any vampire," Rebekah crossed her arms. Her sigh was exasperated; she hated it when people made her brother out to be anything less than what he was.
"He doesn't break promises," Elena took a few deep breaths. Slowly her head began to clear and her feet steadied beneath her. "I'm okay now, Care."
Rebekah nodded in agreement. She never thought that she would be on the same page as the doppelganger, but she found herself nodding along; if nothing else, Elena understood her oldest living brother.
"She's right," Rebekah saw the surprise flicker over Elena's face, "he doesn't break his promises. That leads me to believe that Nik has done something dastardly and Klaus-like."
"Klaus!" The blonde Original gritted her teeth and stomped through the entry. "Get out here and tell me what you've done with our brother you pathetic, backstabbing wanker!"
Hayley watched Rebekah go and rolled her eyes. It hadn't taken long for the door to pop open; she had thought he was still out, but he must have come in through the kitchen.
"Enough with the shouting," Klaus opened the doors with a flourish. He flashed his siblings a wolfish smirk. His amusement fell when he saw the full crowd in his foyer. He had come in through the back door and had thought he'd heard additional voices.
"Should I be expecting the entirety of Mystic Falls?" Klaus looked between Elena and Caroline. "Shall I be playing host to the Salvatore's as well this evening? You never go anywhere without your guard dogs."
"They're not here," Elena tucked her hair behind her ears. "Stefan and Damon are back in Mystic Falls, and as far as I know they don't know that I've left."
"Do my hybrids?" Klaus cocked an eyebrow. He frowned at Kol; his baby brother had shifted when he'd opened the doors to block the brunette from view.
"I told them you asked me to bring her down," Kol tilted his head. "They didn't question it."
"I'll have to have words with them later," Klaus smirked. "What are you doing here, Elena?" He slowly approached Elena and narrowed his eyes when his brother didn't move.
"You're not going to ask why we're here?" Rebekah scoffed.
"It was inevitable that the two of you would show up at some point," his eyes flashed to Kol, "I certainly hope you've placed it somewhere safe."
"It's far away from you," Kol smiled sweetly.
"Are you going to move, Kol?" Klaus cocked an eyebrow.
Kol glanced over his shoulder to Elena and met her eyes. She had come down to New Orleans to find Elijah, and the fastest way would be to learn what Klaus had done with him, but he wasn't sure he trusted his hybrid brother not to harm Elena.
It was true Klaus wanted her to have kids, but how would he react to knowing her children had been fathered by Elijah?
Elena nodded once and nibbled on her bottom lip. She would have preferred to talk to Elijah first, but if what Hayley had said was true – and if the sense of dread in her gut was anything to go by – then Klaus had 'taken care' of his elder brother.
Hayley rolled her eyes when Kol looked to the brunette for confirmation before moving. Of course Elena had wrapped another vampire around her finger.
Elena pressed her palm to her stomach and inhaled slowly. It took Klaus less than a second to follow the line of her arm to her swollen abdomen; a moment of silence passed where she assumed he was listening to the rapid heartbeats of her unborn children.
"When I said I wanted you to have kids I didn't mean you had to do it right away," he slowly brought his eyes back to her pale face. "Who's the father?"
Caroline crossed her arms, tilted her head and gave him the most serious look she could muster before answering the question in a scathing manner to hide her laughter.
"They're yours," she resisted her urge to smile as he paled.
The blood drained from Klaus' face. How drunk had he been to not remember sleeping with Elena Gilbert? How drunk had he been to even think about sleeping with her? When had he slept with her?
His eyes narrowed when he caught Kol's laughter, and the amusement twinkling in Caroline's eyes. Even Elena and Rebekah were struggling not to laugh at his shell-shocked expression.
"Did you actually believe that?" Elena crossed her arms. "I'd have thought that you would be the only person I wouldn't have to tell that I didn't sleep with you."
"Apparently it's still a miracle baby though," Rebekah returned her attention to Elena, "but that's not important right now; what's important is Elijah. What have you done with him?"
"Why must I have done something?"
"He's not answering his phone," Kol held up his own as evidence.
"So, he's ignored the two of you before."
"But he would never ignore Elena," Kol blinked slowly and met Klaus' eyes. "You know he would never ignore her."
"Why is she trying to talk to Elijah anyway?" Hayley rolled her eyes.
"Because the babies are his," Elena met the werewolf's eyes. She saw Kol shift in her peripheral vision.
"That's impossible," Rebekah scoffed.
"No," Kol caught her gaze. "It's improbable, but not impossible. Elena is the third incident of a vampire pregnancy."
"She's lying," Rebekah shook her head and sneered. "Elijah's got better taste than that."
"Why would I lie, Rebekah?" Elena sighed. She closed her eyes and took in a series of shallow breaths to combat a wave of nausea; she had thought the morning sickness was passing, but it appeared to be coming back. "Why would I want to be tied to this family?"
Kol looked at his sister expectantly. He could see her mind working as she opened and closed her mouth several times fumbling for an excuse; for a reason why Elena would lie to them. He saw the moment she came up with nothing.
"There's a spell that identifies the mother and father of an unborn child," Kol nodded to Elena after a pause, "but I believe her."
Klaus poured out several glasses of scotch and passed them to his siblings and Caroline. Personally he didn't care if Elena was lying or not. She was still pregnant and her children would further her bloodline; part of him hoped she was. He wanted to believe there was no truth in her claims so he wouldn't have to fight Elijah down the line. He shuddered to think what Elijah would do to protect his own child after the lengths his brother had gone to for Hayley.
His eyes flickered from Kol to Rebekah.
"I'm assuming one of you had something to do with the dead vampires," he regarded them with disinterest.
"They were rather rude," Rebekah sipped her drink, "trying to take advantage of a poor girl just trying to find her way to the Quarter." She tilted her head and smirked. "I'm so sorry were they friends of yours? Oh…" she blinked innocently, "… that's right. You don't have any friends."
Klaus chose to smirk when his younger siblings shared a laugh at his expense. Their mirth would be short lived.
"I do have friends," he lifted his glass. "I have Marcel," Klaus took a small step towards his sister and looked down into her eyes. "You remember Marcel, don't you?"
The colour shifted in Rebekah's cheeks.
"Of course you do," Klaus smirked.
Elena leaned forward on the couch. The last thing she had wanted when she came to New Orleans was to find herself in the company of Klaus, but it seemed that it was inevitable. She was tied to him now. She was tied to all of them.
"Who's Marcel?" Elena's eyes darted to Rebekah. What kind of trouble has he gotten into?
"He fancies himself King of the Quarter." Klaus turned his attention to Elena. He would have preferred she and Caroline were not present for the family reunion, but it appeared the brunette had won over Kol and he was not in the mood to pick a fight with his brother; one never knew when Kol would go off the rails, and while Klaus could take him in a fight he preferred not to at the moment.
There were few people in the world that made Klaus nervous, but Kol managed it; he was unpredictable and often angry with him for all of the times Klaus had locked him in a box.
"Marcel has all of these rules about killing vampires," his eyes flashed back to Rebekah, "It'll be interesting to see what sort of punishment he comes up with for you."
Rebekah's glare would have melted ice and then started a small fire.
"I don't give a rat's ass about Marcel, and I'm certainly not afraid of him."
"Where is Elijah, Klaus?" Elena stood from the couch. She resisted the urge to step back when he moved towards her.
Klaus paused a few inches from her and rolled his eyes. He could easily hear the low growls coming from Kol and Caroline; the one from Rebekah surprised him though.
He tilted his head and met Elena's eyes. "Perhaps he's taking an extended holiday," he quirked an eyebrow, "or a long autumn nap upstairs."
"You're welcome to look around," he held out his hand. "Kol and Rebekah know the house well; I'm certain they'll help you."
He placed his empty glass on the coffee table and headed towards the door after checking his phone.
"Where are you going?" Caroline called after him with narrow eyes.
"My night isn't over," Klaus held up his phone, "I'm off for a drink with Marcel."
Caroline saw the message from her spot near Elena; she read the text upside down.
"Yes," Rebekah scoffed. "Elijah told me about your plan to take apart Marcel's empire piece by piece. He didn't mention that it involved the two of you drinking New Orleans dry."
Klaus paused in the door and turned back to his sister with a cruel smirk.
"I know you don't have many friends Rebekah, but what some friends do when they get together is drink. And when they drink, they tell secrets." Klaus tilted his head and smiled in the face of her glare. "He has somehow found a way to control all of the witches in the Quarter, and I aim to find out how so I might take it for myself. Terribly sorry if finding Elijah didn't make my to-do list tonight."
Rebekah glared when he disappeared from the house.
"Right then," Kol lowered his glass, "you want to follow Nik, or search the house? One of us should keep an eye on him."
"And have him turn on us?" Rebekah arched an eyebrow. "I don't care about Nik. I came down here to find Elijah, and that's what I'm going to do." She turned her attention to the stairs where Hayley was sitting. "And the wolf girl is going to help me."
"So am I," Elena stepped out into the hall.
"Why don't you all look?" Caroline zippered her jacket and nodded to the others. "I've always wanted to see New Orleans," her lips lifted in a smirk, "and they say the best time is at night."
This chapter got longer than I thought it would. That might happen more now that she's in New Orleans.
Personally I don't like Hayley, I love Phoebe Tonkin and I think she's an amazing actress but I never liked Hayley. I've tried making her likable in some of my other stories, but in this one I decided not to do that.
Anyway, let me know what you think of my story so far.