It was barely 3pm in the afternoon and the family had already engaged in liquor fuelled card games for two hours . They were currently playing poker and Elena was already feeling the effects of the four tequila shots she had been forced to drink upon losing several games.
Card games, never her thing.
"I remember in 1829 when a version of this very game first originated, right here in this city by French settlers," Elijah spoke, his interest piqued as he lay down a card and called, "raise."
"Ah, Poques," Klaus chuckled lightly, remembering simpler days as he raised the stakes.
Elena groaned slightly as she placed her cards face down on the table and called it, "I fold."
"Drink up, Gilbert," Kol said with far too much amusement as she grabbed the shot glass in front of her and poured the tequila down her throat in one quick motion.
She held up the empty glass and her face scrunched as the liquor burnt its way down her throat and she slammed the glass down, "I hate this game."
"I fold too," Rebekah said, her frustration apparent as she took the shot glass and downed it one.
The game continued to progress, the talking and laughter ensued and she was positively buzzed; the game came to an end when Elijah presented a royal flush and won the round, forcing both Klaus and Kol to take a shot.
"So, who got number 2?" Klaus asked and they all watched eagerly.
"I did," Elijah removed the slip of paper from his blazer pocket and flicked it to the centre of the table; Elena grinned, she knew him extremely well but they had never been in a setting like this and she was excited to see his activities.
"Fess up, brother, I'm intrigued," Kol was happy to torment his siblings, he was relieved his turn was over and somewhat gladdened by how much they had bonded over a card game.
"Firstly, we cook dinner together as a family and second, tasteful music before we eat," he left everyone at the table in a state of confusion, Klaus had fully intended on having food delivered and hadn't expected the turn of events.
Elijah stood from his chair and walked into the kitchen, the others all looked at each other with raised eyebrows and furrowed brows as they followed in behind him.
"Cooking? Really, Elijah?" Rebekah said with a sigh as she entered the kitchen and standing beside the oven, "this is a skill I do not possess."
"Never too late to learn, Rebekah," Elijah smirked as he removed his blazer and folded it over the back of the chair at the dining table.
"I love this idea," Elena said with a grin as she placed a soft kiss on his cheek and undone his tie, she pulled it gently from around his neck and placed it on top of his blazer.
Maybe it was the tequila or the bonding time they had shared in, probably both but she looked at him with a lustful desire in her eyes as he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her into him, her back arched and her hands pressed onto his chest, "so, what's on the menu this evening?"
"Well..." he trailed off his sentence and his head cocked to the side as he gazed upon her with ravenous eyes and a grin filled with desire, just as he was about to kiss her, Rebekah sped between them and waved her hands between them.
"No, no, no, ew," Rebekah exclaimed as she took Elena's hand and lead her to the other side of the kitchen, her finger pointed out towards Elijah as she directed him to the oven, "you two are to remain separated if you cannot contain yourselves."
"New rule, anyone partaking in the forbidden act of nauseating affections will be forced to take a large shot of tequila for their indiscretions," a burst of laughter emitted from Elena's lips at their reactions and Kol's new rule, her amusement shared by Elijah who had chuckled along with her.
"I feel like Italian, let's do that," Rebekah quickly changed the subject and distracted the couple from any further acts of intimacy and they started prepping.
Cooking with a family who had a thousand years to learn under their belts wasn't what Elena was used too, she would normally grab a box of something from the cupboard and dunk it all into a pan but with this family, everything had to be made from scratch.
Food was one of life's little pleasures for them and they did it properly.
She had been put onto pasta duty with Rebekah and they both stood there, looking at the flour and the eggs with nothing but confusion on her face until the original blonde had cheated by bringing up a recipe on her phone and they got to work.
They poured out a pile of flour onto the surface and made a well in the middle, both of them cracking and splitting the eggs within it; once again, they were staring but this time it was at each other and the arguing ensued, "I'm not touching that," Rebekah stated.
"You are so helping," she grabbed two dough cutters from the drawer and she began mixing, Rebekah's face wrinkled up in disgust as she pushed the flour gingerly into the eggs, "you are being such a baby, just mix it."
Rebekah gasped and turned to face Elena with an amused shocked expression, a burst of laughter erupted from the doppelgänger's lips as she continued to mix.
Without much thought, the Original vampire stuck her hand in the bag of flour and took a small amount from within it, Elena's eyes widened as she flicked it at her, "oh my god, Bekah."
She looked to the flour and egg mixture on the surface and swiped her fingers through it, it lifted like slime and she flicked it at Rebekah, it stuck to her face like floury goo and she laughed, "Elena!"
They heard the brothers chuckling subtly behind them and slowly turned to face them, a look of amusement spread across their features; they simply ignored them and continued in the process of making the pasta.
"I think we expected too much from the women, brother," Klaus appeared behind them, peering his head in the gap between them and looking at the now mixed pasta but it was of a rough kneaded consistency, "perhaps starting them in their cooking journey with fresh pasta was a mistake."
"I'm warning you, Niklaus," Rebekah glared at him as she continued to knead at the dough with Elena, flashing her a tired expression and chuckling along with her.
"Well, it is a complicated process, I'm not sure how you both handled such intricate work," his sarcasm was rife and his smirk unwavering and Elena simply rolled her eyes as she stuck her hand in the bag of flour and within seconds, before he had the chance to process what she was doing, she flicked a good amount at his face.
They all laughed as the thousand year old hybrid stood perfectly still in surprise with flour spread on his features and Elena grinned, pressing her fingers to her lips to hold back an eruption of laughter and hide her unending amusement, "ten lifetimes spent on this earth and I could say with pride that I've never had anybody throw flour in my face."
"Wow, I never thought I would be able to provide a first experience for you," she kept her line of sight fixated on him and she grinned smugly, "you're welcome."
"You will pay for this, little warrior," a smirk curled up on his lips as he grabbed a towel from the side and returned to his station making the sauce for the dinner and she wondered what his retaliation would be.
A short while later, everything had been prepared, they finally managed to knead the pasta into a smooth consistency and roll it out to cut into sheets, Klaus had prepared a red wine sauce and béchamel sauce and Kol made freshly prepared garlic bread and salad.
Elijah stood behind the oven and mixed in a bunch of vegetables he had chopped and prepared and combined the sauces with the chosen meat, Elena peered her head over his shoulder and smelt the fine aroma of all the ingredients cooking together perfectly, "it smells amazing."
Elijah lifted the spoon from the pan and held it towards her, a smile curled up on her lips as she touched her lips to the end of it and tasted it, "what do you think?"
"That's incredible," she was in awe of his cooking skills and she couldn't deny she was pleasantly surprised, she wrapped her hand around his shoulders and pressed a soft kiss onto his cheek.
"I'm glad you like it," he smiled softly and brought his hand to her cheek, stroking his thumb along one of the patches of flour that hugged her skin and wiped it away. They came together in a quick and tender kiss and they lingered together, his hand smoothing down along her spine and settling at the lowest point of her back.
"I'm getting the tequila," Kol exclaimed as he sped from the kitchen and retrieved the glasses and bottle from the main area of the house and returning with two filled shot glasses.
He held them up between them and they took a glass, Elena looked at the tequila, taking a deep breath and they clinked before she knocked it back in one, placing the glass on the side and wiping away the droplets that collected in the corner of her lips, "I'm at a big disadvantage here, I'm human, I can't keep up."
They all started clearing the kitchen and preparing the dining room for eating and Elena decided on dishes, she was no stranger to the chore but the Original family in the room seemed abhorred by the idea of scrubbing plates; she began to daydream as she stared out the window above the sink, watching the nature before her as she continued to clean.
She thought of how much she was enjoying the day and how it was needed, even if only for her own sanity after the events of the previous night; Elijah's words still played in her mind from earlier and he was right, she had to learn to process all of her emotions, even the painful ones.
"Would you like some help?" Klaus appeared beside her and snapped her back to reality, she smiled and nodded her head, watching as he picked up a dish brush and started on one of the pans.
"Thank you."
"You're quite welcome," he put the now cleaned pan onto the dish rack and turned to look at her, a smile gracing his lips, "how are you finding the day?"
"Perfect, this was probably your best idea yet, I've missed everyone," a wave of clarity washed over her and she knew, in that moment, that if she was ever lost, this was all she would need.
"I'm happy to hear it."
After a few minutes of cleaning, Klaus saw an opportunity for revenge and watched as the water poured from the pullout tap and he quickly removed it from its holster and pointed it at Elena's face; a burst of shocked screams emitted from her lips as she held her hands out to try and stop it but it was futile.
"Nik!" She screamed before he switched off the tap and burst out laughing, his dimples were prominent and his head dipped as he watched her shudder and glare at her with eyes filled with evil, "oh my god."
All the siblings had shared in their amusement and she couldn't help but laugh, if she didn't, she would probably murder him; he didn't stop in his hysterics so she huffed and grabbed the flexi tap, switching it on and pointing at him, soaking his face and top half whilst he fought against it.
"Now, now, children, let's not fight," Kol approached them, a smirk spread on his lips as he looked at the two of them; Elena and Klaus side glanced each other and just as he switched the tap back on, Elena pointed it at him and a squeal emitted from his lips as he sped away and stood behind Elijah and Rebekah, their amusement unending.
"I'm glad you both find this highly funny," Kol said, as he blurred towards the cupboard that housed the cooking ingredients and removed the bag of flour from the shelf; within seconds, he had grabbed a handful and threw it at Rebekah and then Elijah.
Elena and Klaus watched in hilarity as the two siblings gasped and brushed themselves off, Kol's laughing brought an annoyance to them that couldn't be ignored and they chased him until he too was covered in flour.
Klaus turned to look at Elena, her hair now crimped and her wet clothes stuck to her skin uncomfortably and he grinned, "truce?"
"For now," she narrowed her eyes playfully and they joined in a tight embrace, her arms wrapped around his neck and he held her by the waist for a few long moments, she loved the warmth he brought to her but she pulled away, "we should change, I highly doubt Elijah would class wet clothes as dinner attire."
She smoothed her hand over the top of his arm before walking from the kitchen and joining at Elijah's side, pressing a soft kiss onto his cheek , "I need to change, I'll be back in a few minutes."
"I'll come with," he grasped her hand and just as he was about to lead her upstairs, Rebekah and Kol darted at the foot of the staircase and blocked their exit, causing them both to stumble back a step.
"No, no," Kol said amusingly as he folded his arms across his chest and put his foot down.
"Go separately, Elena first," Rebekah pulled her free hand and stepped aside so she could pass, quite abruptly.
"You're killing me, guys," she said, climbing the stairs and chuckling lightly as she entered her room and began on readying herself for dinner.
They all joined together once again, each of them clean and dressed formally as they met in the music room; Elena had decided on a cute black cocktail dress with a flared hem and laced sleeves, it had a sweetheart neck line and was a mini length.
Elijah was sat at the grand piano, wearing a navy blue, long-sleeved jumper with a v-neck and slimline trousers; they where about to start in his second activity of fine music and conversing.
He started playing a classical tune and Kol extended his hand towards Elena, she had to admit, he looked quite dashing in a suit and he screamed elegance, "would you care for a dance, m'lady?"
"How can I refuse?" She took his hand and a chuckle escaped her lips as he pulled her into him and pressed his hand on her lower back, leading her with the music and spinning her; Rebekah and Klaus followed suit and they all danced.
Elijah watched with a smile on his face as his siblings and Elena all waltzed around the room, finding peace in the moment that he had desperately sought in his thousand years, to be together as a family and enjoying these moments of normality.
Kol dipped Elena and she grinned as he pulled her up slowly and spun her out, he released her hand and she was caught by Klaus, switching their partners and continuing in their dancing; he softened against her hold and he lead her, his eyes gazing intently onto hers and a small smirk appeared, "I'm quite surprised by the elegance of your dancing, I assumed you had two left feet."
"You're kidding, right? Caroline had me in dance lessons from 13, our school dances had to be perfect," they both chuckled lightly at her words, his sheepish grin and head dip bringing a smile to her face; she liked to see him happy, he deserved it after a thousand years of torment and his deep desires to be a family constantly being thwarted by his enemies.
"She is relentless," he once saw something in Caroline, he had a fleeting time of care for her but that all became overshadowed by his previous devotion to Elena.
"You're quite good with the moves too," she said, before he dipped her surprisingly and Elijah ended the song, he returned her to a standing position and he released her, holding her gaze until she joined with Elijah at the piano, nestling beside him as they shared in a quick and intimate kiss.
Rebekah saw the look on her brothers face, a glimpse of anguish she had not previously seen in him before and she furrowed her brow; she went for the bottle of red wine that she had previously brought up and poured them all a small glass, bringing Niklaus his and flashing him a look of confusion.
"To family," Rebekah toasted as they all held up their glasses slightly and repeated her vow, Elijah moved his glass and pointed it towards Elena, a soft smile curling on her lips as she clinked hers against it; they all took a sip and she rested her forehead onto his, sharing in a moment of tenderness before he continued to play.
After a short while of talking and dancing, the timer on Elena's phone began to beep and it signalled dinner was ready; they all exited the music room and descended the staircase, heading for the living room whilst Elijah and Klaus prepared their plates in the kitchen and they stood together waiting.
"I'm pleasantly surprised by today," Rebekah said as she took a small sip of wine, "I don't think we've ever prepared a meal together."
"Well, there was that one time in France when we arranged for the nunnery-"
"That doesn't count, Kol," Rebekah spat, rolling her eyes and nudging him with her elbow, "you know what I meant."
"Oh, I see, you mean like that time in Belize when we had the Luau out at the beach and feasted on the-" his smirk was particularly malicious.
"Kol!" Elena and Rebekah exclaimed simultaneously and chuckled lightly before being abruptly interrupted by the dining room doors open and Elijah and Nik emerged.
"Dinner is served," Elijah said as he gestured for them all to enter the room.
Elena was in awe of the food and presentation of the room, there was candles lit, flowers in vases dotted about the room and table, Klaus had started to pour them a glass of wine in crystal glasses and there was classical music playing in the background.
"Per Rebekah's request for Italian, lasagne al forno with fresh garlic bread and a side salad," Elijah said as they all walked in and took a seat, Klaus sat at the head of the table and the others sat in pairs opposite each other, "enjoy."
Elena took her last bite and savoured the flavour in her mouth for a long moment before dabbing the corner of her lips with a napkin and taking a sip of red wine, "I've never tasted anything like it, and here I thought boxed Mac and cheese was the height of fine dining."
They all laughed along with her as they finished up, each of them relaxing against their chairs and nestling their wine glasses in their hands, "who would have thought preparing and eating a meal together could be so fun?" Rebekah asked rhetorically.
"So, what's next on the agenda? Who got number 3?" Klaus asked with a smirk as he took a sip of his wine and glanced amongst his siblings; it was still only early, it was barely 6pm and they were all positively merry.
"Me," Rebekah said as she pulled out the slip of paper from her purse and laid it flat onto the table, "and we're certainly bringing an end to the formality of the evening."
"Oh god, I should be worried," Elena muttered under her breath as the siblings all looked at her with amusement.
"Drinking games by the pool and a swim."
"Yep, I'm worried," Elena said with a flat smile and a deep breath, her eyes glancing to the wine in her hand and concerned by the idea of drinking more.
"I detest this idea," Elijah exasperated, his level of sophistication did not include drinking games.
"I'm inclined to agree with Elijah," Klaus pursed his lips together disapprovingly and joined his hands under his chin.
"Oh come on, brothers, lighten up, it'll be fun," Kol was always more of the laid back and party type, he relished in the thought of tormenting his brothers and respected Rebekah for her choice, "I'm going to change, if we weren't in the presence of a lady, I would be committing to this in the nude."
Rebekah watched as he left the room and she stood from her chair, "Despite Kol's disgusting eagerness, you can't refuse my activities, I bloody cooked."
They all shook their heads amusingly and stood from their chairs, reluctantly heading to their rooms and fetching their swimwear.
Elena had joined with Rebekah once they where changed and she had a towel wrapped around her, her awkwardness only heightening when she realised she was going to be the only human in a pool filled with ravenous vampires. Except for Rebekah, at least she didn't have any impure intentions with her.
"I have a feeling this is going to be a bad idea," Elena mused as they both walked onto the deck, Kol had instantly came speeding past them and he dived into the pool, the wave of water went high and he popped his head up from beneath the surface, a wide grin on his face.
The girls sat on the rattan garden furniture that consisted of a corner sofa, a smaller two seater and several arm chairs; Elena chose the corner and reluctantly removed her towel before she sat in the centre, bringing her legs up and relaxing against the corner piece.
She wore a two-piece white bikini, the top had a ruched style with a ring in the centre and spaghetti straps with plain white bikini briefs to match. Rebekah wore a crimson red bikini with diamanté detailing along the cups and briefs to match.
They sat down with a scotch in hand whilst they waited for the others to join, Kol had took a seat on one of the armchairs and all eyes turned onto Klaus and Elijah when they appeared in the group.
Elijah sat with Elena and Klaus took the two seater, she chuckled lightly at the image of the two original vampires bare chested and wearing swim trunks, she never pictured it before until now.
Elijah looked at her with ravenous eyes as he trailed his fingers subtly along the nape of her neck until his hand landed on her shoulder; the white complimented her skin tone perfectly and the bikini revealed skin in all the right places, accenting her curves, busty chest and slim waist perfectly.
They weren't going to get through this particular activity without them two disappearing for at least a good hour or two.
"Let the games begin," Rebekah said with a wild grin as she filled up each of their glasses with scotch and began thinking of games until she got a good one to start, "never have I ever, Kol, you go first."
"Never have I ever partook in the destruction of an enemy village," they all smirked at his words whilst every single one of them drank a sip except Elena. She was happy with this outcome and for once, the violent and homicidal tendencies of her family.
"Never have I ever murdered a member of any royal family," once again, they all took a sip at Klaus' confession and laughed amongst themselves.
"Never have I ever been daggered in a coffin and left to rot by Niklaus' hand," they all turned to shoot daggers into their hybrid brother's eyes and Nik glared at Elijah, a smirk appearing on his lips as he took a sip and they erupted in laughter.
"Uncalled for," the hybrid said with an amused smirk as his glass remained untouched for this round and they continued to laugh.
"Okay, never have I ever been a doppelgänger," Rebekah threw Elena a Hail Mary and forced her to join in, she took a sip and grinned at her inclusion.
"Never have I ever had a highly psychotic and murderous family," Elena said amusingly as they all shrugged their shoulders and took a large swig.
"Never have I ever broke every single one of the Ten Commandments in one night, multiple times," Kol couldn't help but chuckle as they all took a drink and his mind wandered to the good ol' days.
"For the happy couple," Rebekah pointed her glass towards the soon to be married pair and grinned, she had an ulterior motive besides being the happy and sweet sister they thought her to be in that moment, "Never have I ever been in love with a doppelgänger or an original vampire."
The pair chuckled lightly at Rebekah's choice and they turned to face each other, taking a sip of their drink and resting their foreheads against each others; the blonde vampire took her chance and glanced over to Klaus quickly who had, for a flicker of a second, flashed his gaze onto his drink and his features softened momentarily.
It happened so quick that if she missed it by a second then she couldn't have confirmed her theory, he distracted himself and the situation so quick that it left her head spinning.
"Never have I ever threw a French Quarter Elder into a pool two days before her wedding," before anyone had a chance to fully process what Klaus said, he side glanced Kol with a smirk and they both sped towards Elena, the hybrid grabbed her legs and Kol grasped at the top of her arms before they tossed her towards the pool, a scream burst from her lips when she was mid-air and she landed in the pool with a splash.
"Oh my god!" She exclaimed loudly as she came up from beneath the surface of the water and they laughed hysterically, followed by Elijah and Rebekah. The two brothers clinked their glasses together and drank the remaining contents of the glass, bringing an end to the never have I ever game.
Elena glared her eyes at them and focused, keeping her hand under the water as she closed it into a fist and pulled it down, they both gasped as she sent them hurling into the water with her magic and they crashed into the water with a splash.
They both emerged from the water and darted towards Elena, they laughed hysterically as she nudged her elbow playfully into Kol and he picked her up by the waist, once again tossing her under the water and she swam back up.
She pushed out both of her hands against the water and magically sent a wave towards them, it covered them completely and the splash of water reached Rebekah and Elijah slightly; they both sped into the water and dived in next, joining in with the fun that the three of them where having.