A/N: there is a poll on my profile to vote for the gender of Elena's babies.

I spent as much of the next week with Kol as possible. It was difficult, because he insisted that Marcel not know about his presence. He said it was because they didn't have a good relationship and he was worried that he'd kick me out of the compound. I knew Kol wanted me to leave but he was respecting my decision to stay which I appreciated. Still, it brought about challenges. We couldn't see each other in public in case one of Marcel's inner circle spotted us. Instead, I would leave my balcony door unlocked and wait up until he found an opportunity to sneak in. We'd spend some time together and then fall asleep together. He'd wake me each morning to say goodbye before he had to sneak out.

I wasn't sure if Rebekah knew where he was going or even if she was still in town. I hoped she was, I had resolved to make amends with her too. I just had to work up to it.

I was curled up in bed with Kol one morning. It was early and he'd not yet left. We'd both woken earlier than normal and I was half asleep still so I was content to doze off again but Kol decided to make the most of the extra time.

"How about Gideon? For a boy."

"I am not calling my potential son, Gideon." I wriggled around so I was facing him. He frowned.

"Why not? Gideon Mikaelson. Doesn't sound bad to me"

"Except he won't be Gideon Mikaelson. He'll be Gideon Gilbert. Which sounds like a bad cartoon character."

"Gilbert? No. Not happening"

"Hey, these kids are going to have enough problems fitting in without having to deal with the stigma of your family"

"Elena, I am offended. Name on bad thing my family has done"

"You kidnapped me"

"Besides that."

"You brainwashed me."

"Besides that."

"Your brother is a psychopath who routinely massacres people"

"Besides that."

"Kol, I can go on for months. Quit while you're ahead and I'll consider using Mikaelson. Hyphenated"

"Elena, you are so mean to me." I poked him and kissed him lightly.

"You love it. And I'm only trying to protect my children. They're going to be the first and probably ones of their species. I'm not going to direct more attention to them."

Kol propped himself up on his elbow, watching me.

"Only, huh? So no plans to make more hybrid babies in the future…?"

"Call me old fashioned but I don't want a relationship where I need to get stabbed in order to produce babies."

"Never going to happen then?" I considered for a moment.

"Maybe. If I meet a very nice vampire who is everything I've ever dreamed of, I might consent to him putting his knife in me."

"Oh Elena you devil." He tickled me and I squirmed helplessly, giggling. Suddenly he stopped abruptly, sitting upright. I frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone's coming this way."

"Shit." I bolted upright. "What do we do?"

"I don't know!"

"Can you get out the window?" He darted over to check.

"No, Marcel's people are outside."

"Fuck… hide in the bathroom?" He gave me a look of disbelief. "What? You were the one who insisted you not be seen!" He scowled and disappeared into the bathroom a second before there was a loud knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I called out, searching for something to cover my bump.

"It's Marcel. I'm sorry to disturb you so early but you've got a very insistent visitor!"

"I'll be right there! I'm just getting dressed!" I pulled on a baggy nightie and went to the door. I did a quick check to make sure there was no sign of Kol before opening it.

"Again, I'm sorry Elena," said Marcel. He looked slightly annoyed. "She wouldn't leave."

He stepped aside and I saw Rebekah standing there. She looked pissed.

"Hi… Rebekah…"

"Get dressed, you're coming with me."

"What… why?"

"Because I am done waiting for you to come to your senses. You have five minutes to get changed before I drag you out as you are." I gave Marcel a look. He shrugged.

"Fine. Just let me get changed." I closed the door and went to the bathroom. Kol was perched on the edge of the bath, looking stressed. "It's your sister."

"What's she doing here?"

"I have no idea. I have to go with her though. You'll be okay?"

"Yeah. I'll wait till things die down and I'll sneak out. See you tonight?"

"You bet." I gave him a quick kiss, returned to the bedroom and got dressed. Rebekah was banging quite loudly on the door. "I'm coming!" I gave myself a once over to make sure my bulge was sufficiently disguised and opened the door.

"Come on!" She swept down the corridor. I looked at Marcel, hoping he'd give me a reason not to go.

"Sorry Elena." I sighed and followed Rebekah out of the compound, onto the street. I had to jog to catch up with her.

"Where are we going?"

"To see my brothers." She said stiffly. No we're not, I thought. One of them is in my bathroom and we're going the wrong way. "It's time for you to make them see sense."

"So... they're in town?" How long had they been here? I'd not seen any sign of any of the siblings except Kol and Rebekah. Surely Kol would have told me if his brothers were around.

"Yes. They never left."

"All of them?" If Klaus was in town I was confident I'd have seen him. He hardly knew how to keep a low profile, despite what Elijah had said about him being a recluse.

"No. Just Elijah and Finn." I suppressed a sigh of relief.

"Why haven't I seen them?"

"Because they haven't left their rooms since the incident. That's the point. I didn't realize they'd gotten this bad, I just thought they were grieving. But by this point it's gone past grieving and into giving up. Finn doesn't move and I can't even get into Elijah's room. So I need you to go and show them that you're alive and make them start eating and drinking again."

"What about Kol?" I asked hesitantly, trying to ascertain how much she knew about me and him, as well as why Kol hadn't told me about his brothers' condition.

"I only see him occasionally and he not been back to the house so he doesn't know how bad they are."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have helped."

"Really?"

"Yes!" I'd been upset but I wasn't a monster. I wouldn't leave them to die just because my feelings had been hurt. Rebekah made a noise of disbelief and turned down the road that led to their old home. I frowned. They'd been in there the whole time? I realized now that when I'd felt my stomach twinge at the sight of the locked gates, it must have been the babies sensing Elijah and Finn hidden away inside.

Rebekah produced a key and unlocked the gate. I followed her inside. The whole place felt cold and dead. Moss had sprouted between the courtyard paving slabs and the water feature at one end had dried to a steady drip.

"Where are they?" I asked.

"Upstairs. They're… not in a good condition." I nodded and went up the stairs without hesitation. I checked the rooms and eventually found one that showed signs of life. I left myself in. Finn was lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His body was grey and stiff. He hadn't quite begun to desiccate but I could see that he was on the verge. I sat on the edge of the bed.

"Finn… Finn, can you hear me?" His eyes flickered over to me and I saw a brief flash of recognition. I took that as an encouraging sign. "Finn, please… its Elena. I'm alive… come back to me."

His hand twitched. I found a letter opener on a nearby table and cut my hand, letting the liquid drip into his mouth. He turned his head slightly, as if reluctant to consume it, but as more splashed around his mouth, I saw him come back to life. He groaned softly. I placed my hand more firmly in his mouth, letting him suck directly from the source. As he grew stronger, his hand rose unconsciously and gripped my arm to hold it in place. I smiled.

"Finn…?" He released my arm and looked up at me.

"El…El…Elena…"

"Yes… Yes, Finn it's me!" I hugged him gently before turning my head towards the door. "Rebekah! He's up!"

Rebekah sped in. She threw herself at Finn, wrapping her arms around him.

"Don't you ever do that again you asshole!" He let out a weak laugh.

"Sorry Rebekah…"

I wiped my hand and got up. I felt like I was intruding on something private between the two of them.

"Are you okay here while I try and get Elijah moving?" Rebekah nodded. She opened up a blood bag and helped Finn drink. I headed down the hall until I found Elijah's room. Even though I knew he wouldn't answer, I still knocked. Silence. I tried the door. It was unlocked but there was something heavy blocking it. I shoved hard against the door until there was a muffled crash from the other side and the door finally gave a little. It wasn't enough to open it entirely but there was now enough space to squeeze through into the room. I wiggled through the gap.

This room was far worse than Finn's. Finn's showed signs of someone who'd just gone to bed and decided not to get up again. Elijah's was different. Things had been destroyed. Furniture was broken and laid out on the ground. A bookcase, now knocked over, lay in front of the door which I guessed had been blocking it. Several of his suits were torn to shreds, the white shirts almost luminous in the dark. The curtains were shut tight, making it impossible to see clearly. I had to feel my way around. There was a horrific smell in the air that made me gag whenever I breathed in.

"Elijah…?" There was no sign of him in the room. I bit my lip and took a hesitant step. The floorboard creaked.

"Elijah…"

My fingers brushed over the furniture as I tried to guide myself through the wreckage. I felt something damp and sticky to the touch and I recoiled in horror. I heard a faint growling and I turned. I expected to see him lying on the ground, desiccated like his brother. I spotted an arm lying on the ground, protruding from under the overturned desk. I approached hesitantly but as I grew near, I saw that it wasn't a man's hand, it was a woman. The skin was deathly pale and the fingers were stained with blood, the nails broken as if the owner had fought back.

I backed away and my eyes scanned the room. I saw it with fresh eyes. Beneath the wreckage were bodies, barely visible, rotting corpses. A few were fresh, barely decayed at all. I didn't want to look at them but I saw at a glance that they were all women, brunettes, with their throats torn open. I felt bile rise up in my throat and I vomited into a nearby bin. My heart was racing. I started back towards the door.

"R…R…Re…" I couldn't get the word out. A hand grabbed hold of me suddenly and pulled me to the floor. I looked back and saw a dark figure, crouched behind me. Their hand was on my ankle and as I watched they gripped tight, fingernails digging into my skin, and pulled me back. I cried out and dug my fingers into the floor. Now I was down here I could see scratches on the wooden boards where some other hopeless girl had fought to survive.

I kicked out, my foot colliding with his face. I staggered to my feet and ran for the door. Something pushed me against the wall hard. I let out a cry of pain as my body connected with the brick and registered Elijah's face, inches from my own. His arms were either side of me, caging me in and his body was pressed against mine, holding me in place. His eyes were dark, fangs out and it terrified me in a way I didn't understand. He was always so controlled, seeing him like this…

He stared at me without seeing me. I saw the hunger in his eyes.

"Why do you do this…? Why do you torment me with this?" he growled. I stiffened.

"E…Elijah it's me… It's Elena…" My voice was rasping whisper as my hand searched around me for anything I could use to fend him off.

"She's gone… they're all gone… Tatia… Katerina… Elena… I lost them all…"

"Elijah you didn't lose me I'm here! Hear my voice!" He stroked my cheek. The gesture was almost tender and I hoped that maybe he was coming back to me.

"It's all lies… I have to make them stop… I have to make them go away…" His voice was sad. I bit my lip. He reared his head back, and sank his fangs into my throat. I screamed.

A/N: Would this be a really bad time to not update for three months?