Author's Note: Still don't own the Mikaelsons... I'm not dead! I have a short break between terms, so I have a teeny bit of time to write. I'm sorry for the wait; please don't hate me?

Thank you to my reviewers, followers, and favoriters; you guys are awesome, I love you!

Spoilers if you haven't seen 3X13, "Heart Shaped Box." Prompt is from Prue, "Aurora shoots Elijah and Klaus has to dig the bullet out after breaking Elijah's neck. What about after he wakes up?"

"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." 1 John 3:14 KJV

Klaus finally pulled the white oak bullet free from his brother's chest, stopping it from completing its fatal journey to Elijah's heart. He gave the seemingly innocuous piece of wood a venomous look before putting in his pocket to burn later. It wouldn't do to be careless. Klaus listened closely, searching for even the faintest sound of his brother's heartbeat. He closed his eyes and sighed, shoulders slumping in relief as he heard the familiar, reassuring thumping coming from his brother's too-still body.

He sat down and placed a hand on his older brother's chest just above the blessedly beating heart and waited for Elijah's enhanced vampire healing to repair the rest of the damage caused by the bullet and the broken neck. Klaus was fairly certain that Aurora was gone but he didn't want to leave Elijah unprotected to search for her, just in case he was wrong. She was undoubtedly planning yet another demented revenge plot, but they could deal with that later. He'd come to realize that fulfilling his lust for vengeance wasn't worth losing the few left that he loved and that loved him in return. The birth of his daughter had unlocked a new maturity and viewpoint for him that many would have never considered him capable of developing. He could finally see how much his family meant to him.

Klaus felt the chest underneath his palm convulse as Elijah drew in a deep, gasping breath and immediately let it out again in a harsh cough as he rejoined the land of the living. Klaus wrapped an arm around Elijah's shoulders and lifted him up, keeping him from falling forward with a hand on his chest. As Elijah regained his breath, Klaus gently rubbed his chest both to ease the pain of breathing with newly re-grown tissue and to ground the older man. Elijah leaned into Klaus' hold as the pain waned and he started to more easily draw breath.

"Why did you not go after your insane ex, Niklaus?" Elijah asked, "I told you to leave me and stop her."

Klaus moved his hand from Elijah's shoulder to the back of his neck and squeezed gently. "Because, brother, I could not let you die just to have vengeance. No matter how much I hate Aurora and wish her dead, if getting my revenge on her meant that I would lose you; it would not be worth it. I love you, 'Lijah and I need you." He replied earnestly, tears just barely visible at the corners of his eyes.

Elijah was struck by the thought that his younger brother seemed both much older and much younger than he usually did at this moment. Despite the fact that Aurora had gotten away and Klaus had ignored his directive to be left, he found he couldn't be angry with Niklaus for any of it. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he would have done the same exact thing. He thought it showed great personal growth on Niklaus' part, both that he put revenge second and that he admitted his feelings so openly. He drew his younger brother into a warm embrace.

"Never mind her for now. " Elijah said, "We will find her and deal with her later, together." He vowed.

Klaus nodded and the brothers drew apart. "Together." Klaus repeated, as he rose.

He dusted the forest debris from his clothes before reaching a hand down. Elijah grasped the offered hand, and allowed Niklaus to pull him to his feet.

"Let us go collect our elder sister and then we shall plan how to deal with my lunatic ex." Klaus said.

Elijah nodded once and put his hand on his brother's shoulder as they walked back to the cabin where Freya was waiting. They may have lost today, but very soon Aurora de Martel would feel the full weight of the Mikaelson family's vengeance come raining down on her head.

Thanks for reading and sticking with me this far! Next up: My hope for the season 4 premier, which means it'll be nothing like what happens. ;) Love y'all!