Chapter 42

"Oh!" Bonnie gasped and grimaced as she laid a hand against her baby bump.

"What is it BonBon?" Kol worried.

"I think it's too much stress. I need to sit down..."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Caroline asked as they sat Bonnie down. "I know that the stress level-because of Rebekah-is high but you need to remember to do those breathing techniques alright?"

Bonnie nodded. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. Kol meanwhile was listening to his children's heartbeats. They sounded perfect and he gave a sigh of relief. After a few minutes Bonnie smiled. She was back in control and relaxed.

"Okay so we're cutting her money off, now is that all that we need to settle? Any chance we can get dinner?" Caroline asked. "We are starved." she laid her hand on her abdomen.

"Kol, Elijah and I will punish her more so don't worry." Klaus kissed her forehead. "Until then, however, what is it that you all want to eat?"

Caroline smiled. "I'm in the mood for burgers, fries and shakes with fried zucchini and fried mozzarella sticks with a marinara sauce."

"Oh that goes double for me!" Bonnie agreed. "Just...hold the fries I think. I don't want to give the babies too much of a cholesterol overload."

"Jeremy can you go to the Farmer's market for zucchini?" Klaus asked. Jeremy and Davina headed out. Klaus and Kol started cooking while Bonnie and Caroline sat at the breakfast bar.

"This is going to be so good..." Caroline groaned with anticipation.

"Do you want me to tell the others what's for dinner?" Stefan asked with a bit of sorrow in his voice over what Rebekah did.

Kol nodded and Stefan left, finding Katherine and Damon with Lilly on Katherine's lap. She looked up and was curious as to why he was depressed when Stefan said, "dinner is going to be burgers, fried zucchini, fried mozzarella sticks with a marinara sauce and shakes. There might be fries."

Katherine looked between the two brothers and said, "I'll inform Elena and Elijah. Lilly will be coming with me, alright?"

She left before he could agree. Damon patted Stefan on the back.

"What's wrong? Spoke to Rebekah and found out she's moved on?" He asked seriously.

"She's not the girl who I thought she was." Stefan looked and explained everything to him. Needless to say, Damon now hated her very much.

Meanwhile Katherine cautiously knocked on the door to Elijah and Elena's suite.

"Excuse me but dinner preparations seem to be underway. There's going to be fried zucchini and mozzarella sticks with burgers and possibly French fries...and there was something else but I forgot...sorry pregnancy brain," Katherine sighed. She pulled the door closed and walked back down to the courtyard. "I have got to start writing things down..." she sighed.

"Pregnancy brain again?" Damon teased lovingly and pulled her against him to kiss her forehead.

"Don't you dare laugh at me Stefan," she pleaded, "you used to respect me..."

"No I think loathe and despise was more apt," Damon said.

"Well I'm sure they all think I'm pathetic now," Katherine sighed.

"At the moment-they all like you better than Rebekah." Stefan said as he took Lilly back in his arms.

"She's precious Stefan," Katherine smiled, "I can't believe you're a Dad. I'm so glad you got that opportunity."

"I'm glad that you're getting that chance to become a mother again." Stefan told her warmly.

"I just hope I don't completely screw this up," Katherine worried.

"We've been through this. You're going to be great," Damon said.

"I love you Damon. You're going to be a great Dad." Katherine smiled and then she kissed him whole-heartedly. Damon smiled a moment later as he put his hand on her baby bump and felt his son kick.

Once Elijah was calmer (as he had on hand on Elena's baby bump to keep him calm), the food was almost ready and when Davina came back with Jeremy from the Farmers Market, they had mozzarella, cookies, zucchini and other goodies for the women.

Dinner was a festive affair and surprisingly everyone was getting along. There was laughter floating into the air. Katherine stayed away from Elijah and Klaus but was surprised when she had ten whole minutes of good conversation with Kol. Damon stayed by Katherine's side and caught up with Stefan. It was odd but it was working.

Elijah was finding this bit hilarious but didn't comment on it as his hand was over Elena's bump and his son was kicking up a storm. Klaus was staring at Lilly who was being fed mashed up zucchini by Davina who was giggling and giving the baby girl those eskimo kisses.

Jeremy was grinning as he was speaking to his sister when he saw Stefan throw a fry at him. Jeremy caught the fry in his mouth and threw a fried mozzarella stick at him, hitting him in between the eyes.

"Your aim is awful!" Stefan fussed.

"You should have been able to compensate for that," Kol fussed, "you're a vampire."

"You do it," Stefan groused. Jeremy obligingly tossed one in Kol's direction and he caught it raising both arms to signal victory amidst applause and giggles.

Katherine started casting glances in Elijah's direction wondering how long this was going to continue before one of them he or Klaus lost it and there was bloodshed.

"Jeremy!" Elena said. "Don't throw the mozzarella sticks! Throw the zucchini!" She grinned and threw a zucchini at Klaus and at Damon. "See?"

"You just threw food at me." Klaus and Damon said at the exact same time.

"Call it delivery," Bonnie giggled and she tossed a piece up for Kol. When he caught it she then kissed him. Katherine took Damon's hand under the table and began squeezing it harder and harder.

"It's okay baby." Damon said to her as he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

"This isn't going to end well," Katherine whispered to him. "We need to get away from here while we still can. Elijah and Klaus must be planning something to be sitting idly by while this goes on. We will end up dead if we sit here much longer."

Elijah was studying her now because her heart rate continued to elevate. Outwardly she was smiling but he could see the panic in her eyes. She was well and truly terrified of him and likely both of his siblings as well.

"I don't think that they're planning anything except the nurseries." Damon whispered. "I could hear Elijah grumble about green paint."

"You'd have me believe that people are laughing and throwing food at the dinner table and all he's concerned about is green paint!" Katherine struggled from her seat and everyone turned to look at her. Damon rose next to her.

"Katerina sit down," Elijah said gently. "No one is intending to harm you. What you are witnessing is family. It is our life now; a life for which I am truly thankful. You are a guest here. What assurances can I offer you that you are safe?"

"How do I know that this isn't some ploy or evil plan concocted by Klaus?" She said to Elijah. "An assurance you can give me is the whole story from what happened when I was evil to now! It would be a start for me to begin believing that what you are saying is true."

"That's a whole lot of stories actually and perhaps Kol should begin with his," Elijah said. Kol nodded.

"When Elena saved me I realized that it was you posing as her. In gratitude for what she had done I got her and Caroline out of town. Then I compelled you and Damon to make for New York. I decided to use dead to my advantage and helped Bonnie get off dark magic."

"And you fell for your little witch and won her heart," Damon smiled as he began piecing things together.

"I also discovered the deception that was being played on Klaus which is how we got Lilly but that is Klaus' story." He looked to his brother.

"It turns out that Hayley had a witch help her make it so that it seemed that I had a child with her when the reality was that I never did." Klaus said as a story and left it at that. "Elijah? Why don't you tell them your story?" He said before he took a bite of his hamburger.

That story would be great to hear.

"Especially when I kicked his ass and Care beat yours?" Elena asked as she took a bite of her mozzarella stick.

"Now I know you're making things up," Damon yelped.

"No," Elijah replied calmly, "it was in way of an apology. I let her take as much anger out on me as she wanted. She was quite thorough. When I found out Kol was dead I was grief-stricken and I came down here to get away from any reminders. As it turned out the girls were already down here. Things were tense but once Kol reappeared and we found we had common goals...then I finally got the girl." He leaned over and kissed Elena.

She smiled at him and got out of her seat. She moved so that she was on his lap and her face was buried in Elijah's collarbone. He brushed aside some of her hair and had his arms around her, comforting her in a way.

"I do love you kitten." He told her sincerely. "I have always loved you."

"I love you too." She sounded like she was trying to stifle her tears.

That was all it took to get Bonnie and Caroline going. Seeing them cry Katherine was suddenly teary-eyed. The men cuddled their women against them and looked at one another. There were enough hormones to float a ship at the table.

"What's wrong?" Elijah was concerned.

"I was a bitch. To you." She cried

"I was worse." He told her. "But it's in the past now."

"I'm so sorry I was so awful to you," Caroline cried to Klaus, "I love you."

"I just love you so much," Bonnie cried to Kol. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"I was so awful to all of you! I'm so very sorry! I've had a horrible existence since I was turned."

All the men decided to take their women to their rooms and comfort them in their own way.

Elijah just held Elena on their bed and was humming to her.

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