Art History

On the plane ride out of LaGuardia at an hour so early that only lover's share it, his mind is split between Elena and what lies ahead of him. Those last precious moments with her before his siblings interrupted his bliss. White snow stark against her dark curls. The blush of her cheeks in the cold. Her breath warmed his lips.

His therapist had accused him once of not giving enough of his time and here he was wishing he could go back to give Elena an abundance of it.

But Finn had sounded desperate on the phone.

And Klaus will not forsake his last chance to confront his mother for her lies if the prognosis is to be believed. And he's not risking this chance even if it is a ruse to get him in front of their mother. His siblings are sorely mistaken if they anticipate this being a happy reunion.

In the morning, she texts Klaus while the train rumbles toward Manhattan. Though her father had paid for her home, Brooklyn was never a place they'd willingly visit. Their monthly meals would only ever occur in the city.

She's distracted. Normally, she would need this time to mentally prepare being around them. But now, she's lost thinking about the way his face contorted, slipping through several emotions as he looked at his phone last night.

It seems the duty of family is a never-ending call.

That was his only explanation before he left her with flowers and kissed her goodbye and she went upstairs to sleep in a cold, lonely bed.

Breakfast with her parents is as uncomfortable as she's anticipated. As she wakes up with coffee, her parents excitedly detail out her last semester. Her father can't stop talking about the MCAT and what she might need to study better. He comments about her time spent at Gram's, questioning the logic behind her filling her precious time there for so little in return.

"I like hanging out with Bonnie."

Her mother places a hand on her wrist and even with the feather light tough it still feels like a shackle. "If it's the money you need, Elena, your father and I can help."

"It's not that, Mom." Elena shrugs her off to continue cutting into her waffles. "Sometimes I need breaks from school. Being at the shop helps."

"Just be sure you aren't taking too many breaks." Her father regards her from his Bloody Mary. "This is the single most important test of your life. It determines what school you get into which determines what internships you'll get. This semester is truly the crux of your future. And you need to be taking it seriously."

"I know, Dad."

He continues on as if she hadn't even spoken. Mapping out her future for her over eggs benedict. Where she'll go to med school. Where she'll learn and grow in her practice. Even speculating what her specialty might be. He flips through them as easily as he had the menu but he always settles on cardiology. The prestige of it all. As he talks, Elena can feel his words closing in on her and clawing at her skin.

It's satisfying to see his mouth twitch when she finally interrupts him. "Are you and Mom going to see Jer in rehab?"

Her mother's fork scraps against her plate and then clatters to the table. Her parents exchange knowing looks before her father clears his throat. "We won't be visiting your brother in that place. We've cut him off until he is in a place to make good on our deal. Once he's out of rehab and back in school, then he will be welcome to rejoin our family."

"He never left."

"Honey –." Her mother's voice cracks but her father interrupts her too.

"Your brother chose his path, Elena, and it was unwise. Now drop this before you upset your mother any further."

The rest of breakfast continues in awkward silence up to when her father pays for the tab. His glance toward her feels significant as he sets down his card with a flourish. Her home, her life, her future are all tied to his pocketbook. His generosity is limited. That was demonstrated with Jeremy.

If she ever wanted to be free, she had to follow along until she could find a way to support herself.

Klaus arrives at the hospital as visiting hours begin only to discover it is only Finn and his mother in the room. He should have known better. Should have called his other siblings instead of assuming, but it had been so late and Finn had sounded so urgent.

Esther wasn't diagnosed with anything terminal let alone life threatening. She simply slipped while playing golf and broke her leg. He's ashamed that out of every one of his siblings, it was Finn who managed to get him here. He'd been holding out for so long against better adversaries that his defenses had been down.

"You said she was in trouble you overdramatic prat." He drops his overnight bag on the chair and the sudden noise startles his eldest brother. "She's only broken her leg."

He says it like the disappointment it is.

"I sent the same message to our other siblings." Finn could never understand Klaus's venom for their mother. He still sucked on her tit like the overgrown toddler he was, trying to fight to stay her special boy. "I only wanted you to know what befell our mother."

"I thought she was dying."

"It's never too late to reconcile." He says it so reasonably, but then again he's never been betrayed by their parents. The worst Mikael ever did was ignore him.

"Go find a nurse to bore to death. Perhaps it will be your one opportunity in this life to do something exciting."

Finn exhales as if that will move Klaus but he merely glares as his brother gives an assuring pat on their mother's shoulder. He mutters something about finding decent coffee and walks out of the room without a side from anyone else. Finally, when he's gone, Esther breaks the silence.

"Why must you be so terrible to your brother?"

"Someone needs to undertake the noble task of bullying him into being more interesting." Klaus assumes Finn's vacated seat next to their mother. Leaving his bag in the other free chair as if daring Finn to move it or say something on his return. "I knew it would take more than a drunken spill off a golf cart to put you under."

He's spiteful but it's strange to see how small his mother looks in the hospital bed. She'd normally struck an imposing figure with her posture and the way she always looked down at the people around her.

"Lovely as always, Niklaus." She folds her blanket on her lap, pulling at some of the loose threads as she does. "I'm surprised you came either way considering you couldn't be bothered to show up to your father's funeral."

"That would have been impossible seeing as my father is still very much alive and well."

It's satisfying to see her reaction. To watch the proper mask slip as she fights against the very real emotions she's feeling. "Niklaus?"

"Do you not recall, mother?" He's delighting too much in captivating her attention. Drawing it out and squeezing every last drop from what she has to offer him. She's silent as he rattles on. "Is it so hard to keep track of one affair? Or were there more? If you won't say, then I suppose it falls on my shoulders. Ansel reached out to me. We confirmed it with a blood test."

"That's why you weren't there."

He'd hoped she would have been mortified. Instead she looks sad. There's a far-off quality in her eyes where he'd hoped for anger. "Seemed pointless to attend a stranger's funeral."

"Niklaus, he was your father."

"He hated me. Despised me. Made sure I knew it and you let him!" A nurse stops in the doorway and Esther waves her own. "You want me to call that man father."

"It was complicated."

"Was it?" His head cocks to the side. Strangely, he wishes he whisked Elena from her porch to this hospital room if not to have someone's hand to hold. "Parents are meant to love their children."

"I do love you, Niklaus." She tries to reach for his hand but he's not ready. Leans back into his chair to make it more difficult on her.

"Then why did you keep me from him?"

"I didn't want it to be true. I strayed from your – from Mikael." She corrects quickly when she sees the argument he's already geared to have. "And when you came out looking so much like him I thought maybe you were his. Maybe my mistake didn't have to destroy our family."

"Me, you mean?"

"Not you. Never you, Niklaus." She leans up in her bed, wincing in pain. He waits a second before he helps her sit up all the way. Accepts her hand on his when she gathers herself. Swallows hard when her other hand cradles his face gently. "I'm so sorry my sweet boy. My little artist. I should have protected you. There's so many thing I should have done if I'd only been strong enough."

"You could have taken us away." He's quieter now. The anger he so desperately wants to hold on to is too slippery. "Sent me away. You didn't even try."

"I should have left. You're right. I should have protected you." Her thumb strokes away the curls from his brow. He always thought her a coward but she is unflinching as she takes in the pain she helped create. "That has never been more apparent to me than this last year without him."

His nose crinkles and he works at his jaw unsuccessfully trying to keep emotion buried in his throat. Esther leans into him and he mirrors the motion. Closing his eyes as their foreheads touch. He misses Finn coming back with three coffees on a tray. Doesn't know that his brother slinked back out of the room before either of them could notice. That even now, Finn could think of what his younger brother might need and be able to give it to him.

Finally, Klaus clears his throat and runs the back of his hand over his damp cheeks. "Looks like you get to live with your regrets. And of course, Finn. I'm unsure which is more depressing."

"Niklaus." She scolds him but there's a smile on her face all the same. "Will you stay for a few days."

"Tired of his company already?"

"I'll be released this afternoon." She dabs a Kleenex lightly against her waterline. "And I'd like you to come home with me. There are some things you might be interested in having."

He agrees and when Esther is discharged she has two sons at her side to accompany her home. She asks Finn to grab specific boxes from the attic and unpacks them in front of her boys. The letters Ansel had written her. A few photographs she had kept hidden all these years of the two of them together. Wood carvings of different animals he had made for her.

If it bothers Finn, he doesn't show it.

She explains to him how it had started. How alone she felt and overwhelmed with two small children. How caring Ansel had been. How it felt like he saved her from drowning. She'd thought about running away with him but knew Mikael would never let her leave with Finn and Elijah.

And she made an awful decision to let Ansel go. Because she didn't want it to be ruined with Mikael finding out. In a way, ending it when she did felt like she could preserve those months they had together. To keep them happy instead of tainting them.

And then, she learned she was pregnant with Klaus.

It's an exhausting several days but rewarding. His phone remains in his room, mostly forgotten as he learns the truth of his history from his mother. In return, he opens up about Freya. Finn is surprisingly excited to learn that he has an older sister. The relief of passing the mantel is apparent. Esther is quieter about it but does ask to pass along her information to her child if she should wish to reach out to her on her own terms.

Begrudgingly, Klaus thanks Finn for getting him to do what their other siblings could not, reconciling with their mother.

The days after he left her on her porch are difficult. His briefly explained absence make her anxious. Another emergency. She wasn't sure that the first one was real and isn't sure what to make of this one. It's nerve wracking how frequently he leaves her without an explanation. She tries not to compare this to her previous relationships, but it's difficult. And she's embarrassed to admit that she had certain expectations when they began dating.

But they'd never discussed what that might mean. The boundaries around it or the expectations. Where they only dating each other or was he still seeing other women? She hadn't given much thought to what she wanted to do. It has been so exciting waiting for this moment when they could be more open with their mutual attraction that she'd forgotten about the rest. Did she want to date other men too? What was it she wanted out of this relationship?

She searches for him around campus as she contemplates these questions.

Would they take each other to the airport? Would he want to meet her parents? Would she want to meet his? Would they support each other through emotional hardships or was this just a fling until med school? She's tripping over these thoughts, feeling like she's plunging too far into a future she hasn't much considered either.

She's not his girlfriend.

They've only been out once.

What can she expect from him?

She does her best to occupy her time though the rare moment when he texts her makes her world stop. Each time she hopes for full conversations but wherever he is and whatever he's doing is taking up the bulk of his time. She's reminded to be patient and understanding. Not text him so much. Stop checking her phone for messages that aren't there.

It's distracting though. She can't concentrate on studying no matter where she is. The library, her house, or the magic shop. It's all the same. Nora is the one who calls her out on it. By now, she's gotten used to it.

"You've been reading the same page for twenty minutes, Elena." Nora takes the study guide from her, tries to discern the questions before giving it back to her. "I've known you long enough to know you aren't that slow of a reader."

"I can't stop wondering when he's going to be back in town or just what he's doing in general." Elena rolls on her back, the guide closing on her lap.

"You could pay him a visit." Nora shrugs as she steals a stack of books from in front of Elena and resumes stocking them.

"That seems…clingy."

"When I met Bonnie, she didn't leave my place for four glorious days." Nora gives her a salacious eyebrow through the bookshelves.

"Nora!" Bonnie calls from somewhere behind the new shipments. "Don't tell her that!"

"It's true, darling." Nora shouts back and then peers past the shelves with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Look, sometimes you must be bold Elena. If you really want something in this life, you need to take a risk."

"She means like, calculated risks Elena." Bonnie stands over them, arms folded across her chest. "Just wait for him. He's waited this long for you. Just relax and study."

It's impossible to get back to her study guide when Bonnie and Nora are acting like metaphorical angels and devils on her shoulder. She knows Bonnie's advice is sound. She's always been the most logical, reasonable person she's known. But Elena hasn't and Nora's advice is the more appealing of the two.

Quickly, she makes a poor excuse to leave the shop and catches the train across the river to Klaus's place. It's cold but the sun is still in the sky and it warms her as she paces in front of his building, too afraid to go inside. She's not sure what she'd do once in the lobby. What would she say? She's Klaus's something and she's here to try to conjure an appearance? No one in their right mind would let her upstairs and even if they did, what would she do in an empty apartment?

As she's pacing, questioning it all, he finally calls.

"Elena." She can hear the smile in his voice as he says her name. Shame floods her bloodstream. She can't believe she's worked herself up to this frenzy in a few short days. "Sorry for not calling sooner. My mother had a fall and I've been taking care of her."

"Oh, that's fine. I mean, it's good. Nice of you." She leans against the short wall outside the building, not caring about the way the snow soaks into her jeans. "How are you?"

"It's strange. Being back here. We're going through some of her old boxes. Memories." He pauses like he's catching his breath. "I miss you. Your texts have made my day."

"I miss you too."

She can hear him exhaling. "I have to go. I'll be back in a few days. Are you free for dinner?"

"Yeah. I'll see you then."

She hangs up and stares at his name blinking across the screen until it goes dark. It feels so foolish now to be standing outside his home. She's not even sure now why she took the train here. What was she planning to do? Bonnie was right. She should have listened to her friend instead of the unreliable fear growing in her belly. One she could trust more than the other. When she stands up to brush the snow off her jeans, she catches sight of Elijah leaving the building.

She whips around, shielding her face with her hair in an attempt to hide but it doesn't work. He spots her immediately.

"Elena?" His touch is gentle on her shoulder and she's already embarrassed enough with her actions. She turns to face him. "What brings you to this side of town?"

"Ah – studying." She points to her bag as if she needs proof. "I was at the library and thought I'd see if Klaus was home."

"He's visiting our mother in Virginia. Hadn't he bothered to tell you?"

"No, I just got off the phone with him." She crosses her arms, not liking the implication in Elijah's tone. "I didn't know he'd left the state."

"My brother often forgets to share important details with those around him."

She nods, glancing down toward the subway station. "I should probably go."

"I could offer you a ride. My car is just over there." Elijah gestures to a car that would impress her dad parked just across the street. "You won't have to wait in the snow."

It had been a nice commute with the sun out but now that it is setting, it is much colder outside than before. It would make for a miserable walk to the station and even worse for her walk home. She shoulders her bag and reasons that Klaus's brother would want her to be safe. She pinches her mouth tight but accepts the ride.

The ride is silent save for her occasional direction through the city to get them to her place. Her hands are buried underneath her bag, fiddling with each other during this awkward ride. She isn't sure what to bring up after what he said to her at the book signing and she's been quiet long enough that small talk just feels silly.

And then he clears his throat. "I feel I should apologize for our last meeting. I hadn't meant to come across quite so stark. I do care about my brother and I only want what is best for him."

"I do too."

"I believe you do." Elijah's hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter and Elena is relieved to see her street in view. "My brother occasionally lives in a world of his own making. He believes himself capable of things beyond his own reach at times. I'm certain he's assuring you that he has everything under control, but I don't believe he does."

"Are you trying to tell me he needs time to focus?" It's frustrating to be stuck in the car having this conversation again though she anticipated it.

"As wonderful as my brother is, he does have issues." Elijah parks and turns to her. "You seem like a smart girl. I'm certain you've done your share of research on a figure as public as my brother."

"A little," she admits, rolling her ankle nervously against the floor mat.

Some of the things that had come up in the search had worried her. Enough so that she didn't want to tell Bonnie.

"Then you're aware of his history." Elijah fixes his wrist cuffs enough for her to notice that he's anxious too. "I don't want to see my brother derailed again. He has a true talent but it's difficult for him to harness. He's prone to disruption. You seem like a lovely girl with a bright future. Surely you can understand the need for someone to buckle down and focus. Not forever. Just temporary."

"Right."

"Will you at least consider it. For his sake?"

Elena gets out of his car without an answer or a goodbye. Elijah waits around enough to watch her fumble with her keys at the door, dropping them in the snow before she opens the door. When she turns around, he's still there and she offers him a short wave before he starts the car up again and leaves.

Her bag is unceremoniously dumped by the stairs and she lies in bed for hours after staring at the ceiling. Unpacking Elijah's words and the earnest way he looked at her as he said them. Asked her to just consider his point. And she was. If there was someone standing in the way of Jeremy and his future, she'd likely be having a similar conversation. It eats at her, wondering what she should do. If maybe between his family and his work, Klaus does need to focus for a little bit.

If maybe she needs time to focus too with this test in front of her. Elijah had left her with the detonator and alone in her room she pressed the button. Flooded the room with all her fears and insecurities while she spiraled in the miasma.

The returning flight into LaGuardia brings him more peace than when he left. He might not call it a reconciliation, but his feelings towards his mother were a little softer than before and that felt like progress. Some of Ansel's wood carvings are in his carry on, wrapped between his cotton shirts. On the last day, be broached the subject of Freya with his mother and he'd never seen her look so wary but in the end she wants to meet her. Klaus promises to work on setting up a dinner in the city when his mother is better again.

He even had a decent dinner with Finn of all people.

And now he's on his way back to the city to a girl he's been obsessed with for months and he can finally, finally be with her. Except when he lands and calls her it goes straight to voicemail. He texts her and she's strangely short. There's none of the warmth in her response that he's used to by now.

Hey, sorry. Studying at home.

He wastes no time wondering or playing games. On his way from the airport, he orders takeout and grabs a few essentials from the grocery store. They were predicting a snowstorm overnight and instinct told him that she wasn't prepared. The car service drops him off outside her house and within a few strides, he's knocking at her door.

"Klaus." She answers the door clutching at her oversized cardigan. Her hair pulled back in a high ponytail with a pencil stuck through it.

He wants to drop his bags and hoist her in his arms, kissing her as he stumbles his way towards her bed or just the closest surface. Instead, he holds the bags up for her to see and nods inside. "You said you needed to study. I bring sustenance and assistance."

"That's nice." She opens the door wider, inviting him in. "Well – it's just – you've been away for a few days. Don't you need to focus on your art or the gallery or school?"

It's a bit unsettling to process his brother's words coming out of her mouth. Seeing the inside of her home for the first time. It's simple and comforting. He likes the blue accents and thrifted furniture. Her style is eclectic but clearly her own just like that red streak of hers

He's quiet as he sets the food on her table with the mismatched chairs and he can feel her watching him. Finally, with the groceries set out in front of him, he turns to her. "You've been speaking to Elijah."

"Just the one time." She's hanging by the archway to the kitchen, lingering like she's unsure of something but he can't quite understand what.

"Where?"

"It – He – I'd gone to your house the other day." She fiddles with the buttons on her cardigan. "I wasn't sure where you'd gone and you didn't go into much detail."

The idea that she'd sought him out makes him feel more special than any critic ever has. That it had only taken a few days before she not only noticed him gone, but needed to know where he went. It made him feel like he could never be lost with her around. "You'd gone looking for me?"

"Yeah I had and then you called so I was going to go home, but I ran into your brother coming out of the building." Only now does she ventures closer to him. And he watches her patiently, waiting for her. "It was late. He offered me a ride home."

"I'm sure he did." He crosses his arms and leans against the wall. He's not encouraged by the idea of Elijah being alone with Elena. "And you spoke of me?"

"He said he was worried about you." She's got her arms wrapped around her shoulders as she walks toward him and it yanks at his heart. "That he wanted the best for you and if I did too then I'd let you focus on what you need to focus on."

Her eyes are bright under the dining room lights. Her voice wobbling just enough. She's close enough now that he can grab her by the waist. And he does. Holds her between his legs and settles his arms on her hips. "Do you believe him?"

"What if he's right?" Her lip quivers and she frowns, refusing to look at him. Playing instead with the buttons on his shirt. "I don't want to be the thing that causes you to fail."

"Elena. Elena." He guides her gaze by her chin until she's looking at him. Once they make eye contact, tears cascade down her cheek. It's lucky for Elijah that he's nowhere around at the moment. "That responsibility is on my shoulders, not yours. And it isn't Elijah's job nor yours to make sure that I'm successful."

"What if I'm a distraction?" she mumbles under her breath but he's so close now that even her whispers dance in his ears.

"You're not." Her face is between his hands and her hips line up with his own. She's melting into his body and if she weren't crying, he'd be kissing her so thoroughly that she'd forget about his damned brother's name. He wipes her cheeks dry and strokes her hair. "I'll show you. You've inspired me. I rented out a workspace. I actually have been working."

"You have?"

"I have."

She nods and silently brings her forehead to rest against his. "I was worried when you left."

"How so?"

"I don't know. That you were only interested in the chase and now that we could be in a relationship, you weren't interested anymore."

His heart jumps out of his chest and he wonders how she doesn't even notice. "You want to be in a relationship? Properly?"

"I-I've thought about it." She tries to back away but he refuses to let her go. Holds her in place even as her hands are on his chest, trying to absolve them of her slip up but he won't give an inch.

Now that he has her, he won't let her go.

"I assure you that I have no intention of losing interest in you." He couldn't imagine it. Not after he's waited months for her and she's splotchy cheeked worried about it. All he wants to do is assure her. "It's hard to imagine you worried about that given, well, everything."

"You have a reputation, Mr. Mikaelson." Her fingers dance along his chest as she leans in closer.

"Klaus," he corrects her playfully, staring down at her as she looks up to him.

"Klaus."

He tilts her chin until their lips meet. The groceries, the takeout, even Elijah – all of it disappears from his mind as they kiss. She pushes him against the nearest wall and his hands wander underneath her shirt and up her back. The warmth of her skin under his hands and the taste of her consume him.

It isn't until her stomach rumbles too loudly that they break apart. She's giggling into his chest and he leans his head back with a smile on his face. It's the happiest he's been in so long. Elena's laughter dies down as she kisses the side of his neck. His eyes flutter and he nearly lets her continue, but this is not why he's here.

He needs to remind himself.

"We should eat." She frowns and he can't help but push back the hair from her face. "Shouldn't let this food go to waste."

Snow continues falling outside, settling around the city like a blanket. For tonight at least, they are safe inside this cocoon. Not worried about the outside world or what lies ahead. Klaus wishes it could always be like this.

An eternity spent in this brownstone listening to Elena heat up the French onion soup and the steaks he brought. Busying herself putting away the supplies too as he organizes her living room. Sliding the ottoman to the center of the couch, piling it high with pillows to create a nest. Finding an abundance of blankets in the hallway closet and using them all.

When she comes back, he has a movie queued up on her television. Something about winter and people falling in love. "I thought we could have a movie night."

"You want to cuddle on the couch?" She stands there holding a tray of the food he brought and his heart beats a little harder at the sight of her.

"You seemed upset earlier." He shrugs. He wants to show her that he's serious about her. That all the rumors and warnings aren't needed with them. Part of him wants to prove it to himself too. "And you've said that you enjoyed this before, at the lake house. I thought this might help."

"You remembered."

They don't watch much of the movie. Instead it plays on in the background as she asks him about his trip. Normally, he'd skirt the topic but being here with her makes him want to talk. About his mom and Ansel and all that he found out. About his father and how he keeps waiting to feel the regret everyone claims he'll feel for not going to his funeral.

She tells him about the pressures of her own family. To perform and be who she thinks they want her to be. Klaus can understand. How long had he done the same thing with Mikael before he eventually gave up? Too long. Any amount of time pretending was too long.

He even tells her about Aurora and the charges. Cami too and how he wished he had been better. About Elijah and Tatia, the hurt and betrayal he felt then. She talks about her entanglement with Damon and Stefan. The guilt she feels for hurting them. He can see the connection forming in her head. That she's like this Tatia.

"It would be a fantastic feat to escape this world without ever hurting another person," he tells her, holding her tight. "It hurt, but I do not begrudge my brother his happiness. Time is a remarkable salve on the heart."

They talk and talk all through the night as the sky continues to fall around them. Snowing them in exactly as the news had predicted. She's yawning into her hand, trying to tell him about Jeremy and her parents and wanting to make her own decisions, but she's too tired. She curls into his body, her face nestled into the crook of his neck, as she mumbles her way into sleep.

Klaus shuts off the television and the soft glow of the streetlamps fill the room. He takes in the smell of her, committing it to memory. This simple night with her. The way this room feels big enough to hold the two of them forever. He's afraid to go to sleep. Afraid to lose out on the magic of holding the woman he loves in his arms as she sleeps. The magic of the night.

But eventually he rests his head against hers and falls asleep too.

In the morning, he wakes up before she does. His body thrumming with too much excitement to sleep any longer. He reaches between the cushions, searching for his phone. Carefully, trying not to wake her up yet, he holds it out to try to take a picture of the two of them. Wants to capture this moment and immortalize it.

"Are you taking my picture?"

"I told you I missed you when I was away." He blushes, not checking if the photo was any good before putting his phone away. "Having you on my lock screen would have helped."

"I look terrible," she insists but he can't understand.

"Impossible."

The rest of the morning is an easy start. They flow like this together. Late nights and even later mornings. They fit in this way he never did with Tatia. He ruminates on his past as they make breakfast together. Tatia's heart had never truly been his, not if his brother won her away so easily. Aurora had been fun, but too wild. And he loved her for it until he couldn't. With Cami, their timing was off. The situation too fraught with complicated dynamics and his heart still not over Tatia.

But now, he was free to give it away again.

"They say the roads are hardly even walkable, much less drivable." Elena scrolls through her phone before looking back to him, unaware of his thoughts. "Good move on the groceries. We might be stuck here all weekend."

He's never heard sweeter words.

Together, they spend the day on the couch bed he'd created. Watching their favorite movies or playing card games. Eventually they break apart. Elena studies and scribbles in her notebook while he sketches.

The pull to tell her he loves her is strong but he resists. It's too soon. Rebekah would scold him if she knew. She already is in his head. It's love, she would argue. Everyone wants to hear they are loved. But it's a calm, perfect day and he doesn't want to disturb that. Worries that she'll fret if he tells her, but he doesn't want to say it to get something out of her or make her say it back.

He wants to say it for himself but he is resigned to save it for another day. He is at peace. His soul has never felt so settled. He doesn't want anything to change this feeling, not even himself.