Chapter 27:
Later that evening as the others were still in the courtyard Bonnie woke from her nap. She fed and as she did so she laid her hand on her abdomen.
"For a little while until I can figure out how to tell your daddy about you then you'll have to be my little secret."
As Bonnie was talking to her little secret, Elijah was peppering kisses to Elena's abdomen and talking to the baby that was nestled inside her.
"You will love New Orleans little one. It's beautiful and magical."
"I can't believe we're really doing this," Elena said with excitement. "Part of me doesn't believe it."
In the middle of the night Elena came wide awake. She used the bathroom and then stood there staring into the bathroom mirror. She was pregnant. What was she doing having a baby? What if she couldn't do this? Suddenly she was completely afraid and she wished she could take it back. She took a deep breath trying to remember that this was all just hormones.
"Lovely," she heard Elijah call to her softly and as she turned around, he stood there in a pair of sweatpants. Taking in her appearance, he was worried. "Are you okay? Is there anything wrong?"
"I'm scared but it's just hormones." She got out but he held her in his arms.
"I'm scared as well." He whispered. "What if I'm not a good enough father? You've met mine-what if I end up like him?"
She placed her hands on his cheeks and made him look into her eyes.
"I sincerely doubt that you will turn out like Mikael. You will be a wonderful father."
"You're going to be a fantastic mother," Elijah smiled. "We have seven months to grow into all this and we're going to do it together."
Elena smiled and let him take her back to bed. She soon figured out that several of the pregnancy symptoms had already found her. Thankfully morning sickness wasn't one of them.
Curling into him, she smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips.
"You are an amazing man Elijah Mikaelson." She murmured softly. He chuckled.
"You are even more amazing than I am Elena." He murmured back, just as softly.
"Are you hungry for anything?" Elijah asked the next morning.
Meanwhile Davina was practicing her magic in the courtyard. She sat cross legged on the slate floor and was levitating drops of water from the fountain into shapes with careful precision.
Elena nodded. "I'm in the mood for beignets and strawberries." She said as she smiled widely at him. The second Bonnie heard 'beignets and strawberries' she raced to the bathroom where she was promptly sick.
The morning sickness may have missed Elena but it got Bonnie pretty badly.
Bonnie was sick a couple of times. She left the water running in the sink hoping Kol wouldn't hear. Now not only was she more sensitive in places but she had morning sickness and a new fondness for the bathroom. At this rate she wasn't going to be able to keep this a secret for long. When she finished she dressed in a pair of shorts and one of her spaghetti tees. She frowned as she rubbed the small of her back which now seemed to be aching.
Kol knew that something was up with Bonnie. For one, she seemed to go through different moods at the drop of a hat (and he had dropped a hat-she went from curiosity, to anger, to sadness to happy even before the hat landed), another was that she was overly sensitive in areas that she normally wasn't sensitive in and the last one was that she seemed to be sick but wanted nothing to do with him.
He was going to confront her with this and figure out what was wrong with her.
This had been going on for a week. Finally he barged into the bathroom and found her on her knees clutching the toilet.
"Bonnie..." the sight nearly broke him and he dropped to his knees beside her, "Bonnie talk to me. You're hiding something from me and we don't keep secrets."
"I didn't count on getting sick..." Bonnie sighed, "Kol when I did the spell on Elena for Elijah I...did the spell on myself as well. It was selfish and probably foolish but..."
He stared at her and then he grinned. "We're pregnant?" He asked and as she nodded, he kissed her forehead as well as the back of her head. "I'll make sure that this pregnancy goes according to plan and no harm comes to you."
"I know that." She whispered before she laid her head on the porcelain of the toilet to cool her flushing face.
"BonBon you're miserable..." Kol worried. She hefted her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. "Let me take care of you darling." He flashed downstairs and fixed Earl Grey tea. Then he also grabbed four bottles of ginger ale to bring up to the mini-fridge in their kitchenette in the sitting room of their suite. He handed her the tea and settled onto the bed with her.
"So you're happy about this?" she asked gently.
"Immensely thrilled about it." He said smiling at her. Rubbing her abdomen lovingly, he couldn't stop smiling. It was contagious and now he knew what Elijah felt when he realized that he was going to be a daddy.
Pride.
Bonnie heaved a sigh of relief and smiled as she looked where his hand was resting.
"You're going to be a wonderful father," Bonnie said lovingly. "I couldn't imagine having a child with anyone else and now that I had the ability I wanted to give you all what has eluded you all this time - a family." She yawned and Kol settled back against the bed pillows and settled her against his chest.
"You rest my darling little witch. I am taking care of you now," Kol said and he tenderly kissed her forehead. It didn't take her long to fall asleep.
VVVVV
Klaus, Stefan and Rebekah were currently sitting in the dining room, eating some pastries when Elijah came in. He seemed to be looking for something.
"What are you looking for?" Rebekah asked. He looked at them and said simply, "any photo albums that we may have around here."
"I'll check the art studio." Stefan said as he stood up and left. Elijah nodded and smiled as he ran a hand through his hair.
"How's my unborn niece or nephew?" He asked as he walked over to Rebekah. She smiled at him.
"She's doing great." She said happily.
"Oh you think it's a girl do you?" Elijah smiled.
"Of course it is," Rebekah smiled. "Why are you looking for photo albums?" She laid her hand on her 21 weeks of pregnancy. She was thankful that Elijah was currently lavishing attention on her. Hopefully that meant his doppelgänger was off being ill somewhere.
"Elena." He said smiling. "She wanted to see photos of the ball and tell our baby how we met." He couldn't stop smiling. "She said that she was thinking that after the babies are born, we should do some sort of party or celebration and thought about getting ideas for it from the ball." He looked at Klaus. "I know that you had people videotaping it as well as photographing what was going on."
Klaus nodded. "I wanted to do a sketch but if Elena wanted to tell the baby about our family, then those photos will have to do." He saw just how happy his brother was. "How is she?" He was curious about how Elena was faring while being pregnant.
"So far, no morning sickness but she is really horny." His eyes darken lustfully. "Haven't gone to the weird food cravings yet but it's just a matter of time."
Rebekah yawned largely.
"It's time for your nap," Stefan said.
"Well you'll have to tell Kol hello for us. He seems to be hiding," Klaus said.
"He must be in one of his solitary moods," Rebekah said as they gathered their things and made their way back to Klaus' manor.
Keeping Bonnie's pregnancy a secret, he nodded.
"I've rarely been seeing him." He lied. "If I catch him, I'll pass on the message." Kissing Rebekah on the forehead, he made his way out the door before stopping and turning to them, "if you find that album for me, send Stefan to give it to me, okay?"
"You have my word." Klaus said smirking.
"Thank you," Kol said to Elijah as he appeared once Klaus and Rebekah had gone. "I know family is important Elijah but Rebekah has already admitted she wants the girls out of the way and I'm not certain where Klaus' loyalties lie in this matter. I want to protect our family Elijah; yours and mine. I hope you can understand."
"Is it safe to come out now?" Elena asked as she appeared on the second floor walkway. She walked down to join Elijah and Kol who smiled at her. That was when they heard the first heartbeats of the baby within Elena.
"Listen," Elijah grinned. "Do you hear it lovely?" Elena smiled in wonder and tilted her head to kiss him.
"I do," she said smiling happily as Bonnie appeared. "This is one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard."
Elijah held her in his arms and Kol had Bonnie in his.
"Do we know where Klaus' loyalty lies?" Caroline asked once she appeared in a halter top that was backless and a pair of jean shorts.
"We don't." The men said.
She smiled at them.
"Then let me go and find out." She said with a gleam in her eyes.
"While Caroline finds out about Klaus' loyalties, I'll check on the birds." Elena told them.
VVVV
Caroline held in her nervousness inside and knocked on the door.
"Caroline," Klaus smiled, "to what do I owe the pleasure love?" He opened the door and ushered her inside. "Unless of course you came for Rebekah. She is napping at the moment and Stefan is with her."
"I came to talk to you about loyalty and where yours lies." Caroline told him bluntly. "As Elena is pregnant, I want you to make sure Rebekah doesn't go anywhere near her. I wouldn't want that sister of yours to end up missing her child grow up."
Klaus frowned. "Why is Elijah concerned about Rebekah? I can't imagine that she would cause any harm to Elena. After all Rebekah is pregnant as well." He offered Caroline a tumbler of blood and took a seat.
She took it gratefully. "He feels like she's going to attack her just because Elena daggered her."
Klaus nodded. "So what do you want me to do?"
"I want you to keep Rebekah away from Elena. They should never be alone together and if they are in the same group together Elijah should be there. Do you understand? Elena is off limits."
"How about you?" Klaus asked. "Do you trust me love?"
"I trust you about as far as I can throw you." She said after a drink. "Do you comply fully with this or not?"
He nodded. "I fully comply."
He stopped her as she was about to leave and looked deep into her eyes. "You can trust me Caroline. I would never do anything to hurt you."
Caroline pulled free and headed back to the compound. Once she got back from Klaus' place, she went over to speak to Elijah and Kol about what she said and did.
"I think we can trust Klaus to comply but we should still be prepared just in case," Elijah sighed.
She gave a nod. "That's why I'm going to ask Davina to do a protection spell on everyone in the compound."
The brothers had smirks on their faces with what Caroline was planning to do.
"Perfect," Kol grinned. Davina performed the protection spell and everyone breathed easier.
"How are the birds?" Kol asked Elena as he found her in her sitting room a few days later.
"Great! The eggs are in perfect condition." She smiled at Petrov and Kol. "There are five eggs in total."
Kol looked happy.
"That's fantastic," Kol smiled, "and how is week nine treating you?"
"Better than I thought it would be." She rubbed her abdomen. "I can't believe that I'm going to be a mommy."
"I'm happy for you both," Kol smiled. "Elijah is walking around like he's the first man ever to father a child." She nodded.
"He talks to the baby every night and also sings to it."
"Well the thought that we will be fathers is mind-boggling to us. I am so in love with Bonnie having my child. I never thought that I could be a father..." Kol said. "Of course the world is probably thankful that I couldn't procreate until now." She had to laugh.
"They must have been happy about you not procreating but depressed about Elijah for the same reason."
"Though everyone else thinks that Klaus not procreating is a blessing."
"Do you still believe I am a monster Elena?" Kol asked sincerely as he looked at the birds and refused to look at her.
"I stopped believing in monsters a long time ago Kol." She told him.
"Bonnie has changed me," he said sincerely, "I have no desire to do anything that would upset her or make her think less of me. I want to be the best I can for her. I love Bonnie and I love the trust she has in me now. I don't want to go back."
"Then don't change." She said as she moved to hug him. "Don't ever change and be who you want to be."
Unknown to the two, Elijah and Bonnie were listening to every word that was said.
"That's you," Elijah said to Bonnie so softly only she could hear, "his love for you has brought his humanity back."
"He wants to be like you," Bonnie said. "I love him so much as he really is; as he's meant to be."
"Like I love her." He motioned to Elena. "I was a monster to everyone when I thought Kol died. When I found out the truth... I planned to leave and let her go, move back to England and just live in the memories of her." Bonnie shivered. Just hearing that confession nearly broke her heart.
It was that moment when she knew that the love Elijah had for her friend was the real deal.
"Go tell her that." Bonnie encouraged. "Go tell her that and show her that it's just her that you love."
Elijah made his way to their suite of rooms. He smiled as he saw Elena.
"Elijah? Something I can do for you?" she asked.
"Love me always Elena and know deep in your heart that you are the only one for me - always and forever," Elijah vowed as he gathered Elena into his arms.
"Excuse me. Elena it was lovely chatting with you as always," Kol said as he made his departure and sought out Bonnie.
She caressed his face and wondered what brought that on.
"I've always loved you-always and forever." She kissed him softly, almost like a butterfly kiss. "Is something wrong?" She asked, scared that he was thinking that she never loved him.
"No," Elijah smiled gently, "I'm just marveling at my life. I have the love of a wonderful woman who constantly amazes me and most recently she amazes me by carrying my child." He kissed her soundly.
The next four weeks were easy for Elena but full of concern for Kol and Bonnie. Bonnie was extremely ill. She looked gaunt and pale. She became so weak that Elijah compelled a nurse to put her on IV. This seemed to help but Kol wouldn't let her out of bed for anything but the essentials.
"How are you feeling?" Elena asked, caressing Bonnie's cheeks tenderly. Even Caroline was sitting beside her, scared and nervous.
"Do you think I should make a deal with Klaus? Maybe to make sure he keeps to what he promised?"
"If you do," Elena said to her lightly. "Take Elijah with you."
"No..." Bonnie pleaded weakly, "if Klaus knew he would try to manipulate Kol...or he might even dagger him. I'm going to make it through this; we're going to make it through this." She laid her hand on her abdomen though she was actually thinner than when she started. Caroline got up and changed the two feeding bags and the fluid bags on Bonnie's IV. "You guys just take care of Kol okay? Don't let him blame himself for this. I want this baby and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get it here."
"Then we need to talk to someone about this." Elena told her sternly. "We need to get in contact with either a witch or a medium to figure out why you're this sick."
"No...Elijah said Esther was terribly sick when she was pregnant with him," Bonnie said. "If it makes you feel better I haven't been sick for almost forty hours now..."
"Well that's good news," Caroline smiled encouragingly.
"So what's the latest I've been missing while I've been holed up in here?" Bonnie asked.
Elena smiled at her. "Elijah told me everything that's happened since the time Kol played dead up until he and I got together." She shook her head and tears glistened in her eyes. "He was going to leave and let me go while he wallowed in self pity."
"Needless to say that they ended up putting rabbits to shame that night." Caroline added. "He also popped the question and she said yes."
"Oh Elena that's wonderful!" Bonnie smiled. "I am so happy for you; envious - but happy for you. So are you getting married showing or not showing?"
"We haven't set a date yet but I said that I wouldn't care if I was showing when we get married." She said as she looked at them. "We want you to be there but at the same time, we just want everyone who's here to be in the wedding."
"Is he afraid that Rebekah will do something to you?" Bonnie asked.
"Big time," She sighed and knew that his reasons were completely normal as she had snapped her neck and locked her in the vervain room where she nearly died.
"It will be okay," Bonnie smiled, "I promise to be ready to go by then. Speaking of going excuse me." Bonnie struggled to her feet and the girls had to help her to the bathroom walking her IV along with her. While she was in there Elena looked to Caroline with worry on her features. Bonnie seemed to be doing a little better but it was still scary to see her so weak.
Meanwhile Kol was sitting downstairs polishing off a bottle of scotch. How had he been so stupid as to think he might deserve a child! Now he was deathly afraid that he was going to lose Bonnie as well - vampire or not. He had watched her grow weaker and weaker over the past few weeks until he had ordered her to bed and she had been put on a round-the-clock IV. He was afraid to be away from her and afraid to be with her.
"Need a friend?" He looked to see Elijah there. "Maybe even a drinking buddy?"
Kol nodded and motioned for the seat next to him.
"I've never seen her this way."
"I am so sorry you're both going through this," Elijah said as Kol passed him a bottle and Elijah filled them each a glass.
"I should have never allowed her to do this..." Kol sighed angrily.
"Bonnie would disagree with you," Elijah said, "have faith Kol. She maintains a normal vampire heartbeat. Her nutrition intake is up and when I visited her earlier she said she hadn't been sick at all today. There are some women that have disastrous sickness in the first portion of their pregnancy and go on to be completely healthy through the rest of their pregnancies..."
"If something happens to her Elijah I just want you to put a dagger in me..." Kol said as he downed yet another drink.
"It won't come to that." Elijah promised. "I swear."
Elena completely understood when Elijah told her that he needed to stay with Kol. They drank and talked late into the evening. At two a.m. the alert on Kol's phone went off.
"The bags are empty and no one has changed the IV," he said. The two men walked upstairs and found all three of the girls asleep on the king size bed. Caroline and Elena were curled against Bonnie on either side. Kol smiled gently and he couldn't help but take a picture. Then he swapped out all of the bags before leaning in and gently kissing Bonnie's forehead while Elijah kissed Elena's. The men returned downstairs leaving the women to sleep.
"When Esther found out she was pregnant with you she was over-joyed. Rebekah was already two and she was afraid she might not have another child. Almost as soon as she found out she became very sick. She couldn't seem to keep anything down. Everyone feared that she would lose you; that she would likely even die herself. Ayana told her that you were a fighter. You were holding on in there and she couldn't give up. She struggled through long weeks. Klaus and Rebekah were scared, Finn and I did everything we could to help. Then one day she wasn't sick or the day after that or the one after that. She began to grow large with you finally and you came into this world fighting." Elijah said.
"Do you believe the same thing about my child? That it'll come out fighting?" Kol asked and the elder brother nodded.
"I do." He took a sip of the scotch and smiled. "That child will come out fighting and trust me when I say this-you won't be daggered."
"I couldn't handle life without her anymore Elijah," Kol confided.
"You won't have to," Elijah said, "that's your blood that runs through her veins. She won't ever stop fighting. Not to mention how much she loves you and how much she wants to have your baby."
VVVV