After hours of mingling and dancing, Elena found herself sitting at one of the tables, holding onto a glass of wine for dear life and her feet propped up on a chair in front of her. She was surrounded by her bridal party and they all had their heels removed and mouths buried in liquor of some kind.

"The buffet is officially empty," Cami said as she joined with them, taking a seat beside Elena with a plate full of food and a bottle of beer nursed in her hand. Everyone was all smiles and laughter, it was perfect.

"The food was so good," Elena responded with a gasp and a slight chuckle, "it's so strange being a weird form of a vampire but still have human needs, it makes the food taste better though," she said, as she snaked a mini caprese skewer from her plate.

"When are you going to show us your new vampire abilities?" Davina asked with an eyebrow raised as she tucked into her own plate of food.

"If and when they're needed, besides the area is still spelled by my protection spell, no-one can use any form of magic," she shrugged her shoulders lightly before taking a bite of food.

"Why do I feel like the guys are all watching us?" Caroline peered her head through the gap between Elena and Rebekah and focused her eyes on the Mikaelson's and Salvatore's, Jeremy and Marcel were in the group also, "even when they're not looking at us directly, they're still gawking."

Elena followed her line of sight with an eager eye and she inspected their features, she noticed the subtle side-glancing and slight flinch of their heads pointing towards them every so often, "I think privacy is a thing of the past."

"If you turned off all supernatural abilities in the area, does that include super hearing?" Bonnie asked with curiosity and a head tilt.

"I think so," she looked towards her best friend, keeping her gaze fixed on her whilst she tested the theory, she spoke ever so quietly but it was usually more than enough to get his attention, "Elijah, Help!"

They all turned to face the guys abruptly and they didn't flinch, they all chuckled along amusingly as she had rendered the guys completely powerless. They probably hated that.

"You could have just asked me," Rebekah interjected, before she took a sip of her scotch and propped her feet up besides Elena's, "I haven't heard a thing all night, it's quite disconcerting."

"It's a good thing, if my spell rendered The Original Family powerless and witches as strong as us then nobody is above it's power, thus meaning we are as safe as can be," she responded proudly, happy in her successful plight of keeping her wedding and the people within it safe.

"Yeah but I'm quite saddened by the amount of delicious gossip I've missed out on this evening," she was almost whiny in her disappointment.

"Me too, like that conversation you had with Klaus when you where dancing," Caroline interjected quickly, popping her head between the two new sister-in-laws once again, "I don't think I've ever seen him so riled up, I didn't believe he had any other emotions besides rage but there was definitely something under his skin."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she was abrupt and nonchalant in her reply, offering only a light shrug.

"What were you both talking about?" Cami asked, the therapist in her coming out in full whack.

"The weather," Elena said, rife with sarcasm.

"Oh gosh, was it that bad?" Rebekah was suddenly worried. Elena looked at her best friends, each of them stared at her like vultures and she caved, not before giving them all an eye roll and a disapproving look, of course.

"He congratulated me on my marriage, we joked about my objection to ever going through a formal ceremony again and I asked him if he ever wanted to get married then Kol asked for a dance, pretty basic stuff," she still remained impartial, she drank her wine and watched as they all flickered their eyes amongst each other.

"Well, what did he say?" Caroline was like a teenager when it came to girl talk and gossip, she was ever eager.

"About what?" Elena said, dumbfounded.

"Does he want to get married one day?" Caroline responded.

"I'm not sure but he, and I quote, said "I believe we only get 1 or 2 great loves and he's used up his quota', end quote," her eyes became more inquisitive as their conversation delved further, maybe she was starting to enjoy the gossiping. Or it was the wine, she couldn't tell.

"My brother, ever the dramatist," Rebekah rolled her eyes, bringing an air of amusement to the conversation that didn't last long, they were all fully invested on the inner workings of Niklaus Mikaelson.

"Who do you think these great loves were?" Cami, still a therapist, had to pry.

"I know of one, her name was Aurora, he fell in love with her nearly a thousand years ago but that ended almost as quickly as it started and it was bad," Rebekah offered her only piece of knowledge, -that she was willing to share anyway-, into the inner workings of the hybrids heavy heart.

"And the other?" Davina was just as eager as Caroline and it wasn't a good colour on her.

"Himself?" Elena said amusingly before quickly distracting from the subject matter at hand and turning to face the Original sister, "we have this placed book till 1am, right?"

"Yeah?" She said with a raised eyebrow and confused tone.

"And it's 11pm now," Rebekah nodded her head eagerly, trying to hurry along her thought process, "well, get ready to leave and I'll get the others, I have a surprise lined up for us back at the house before the party is relocated there."

Elena stood from her chair and walked back onto the dance floor, joining with the guys once again who had all been laughing and talking for a while. She grasped Elijah's arm and brought herself as close to him as she could, "hey guys, would you mind if I stole my new in-laws away for a moment? I think I'm ready to leave."

"Not at all," Marcel said as he grasped her hand and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her cheek, "congratulations again, Elena."

"Thank you," she offered him a kind smile before resting her head against Elijah's and embracing him completely.

"Is there anyone in this city who doesn't love you?" Damon said with a sarcastic tone and a playful snarl,

"You could possibly find a few in the night walkers, they hate that I won't give them all daylight rings. Marcels orders," she shrugged her shoulders lightly and grinned amusingly.

"Now that'll be the company I'd like to keep," his ever sarcastic smirk spread on his lips as he continued to tease her relentlessly.

"You could start an 'I hate Elena' club and have weekly meetings," she suggested with a slight but forceful nod of her head and a smirk.

"I might just do that, sounds like fun," he put emphasis on the F and it popped like a balloon, his eyes wide and gleaming with amusement.

"But then we would be forced to kill you all mercilessly,' Klaus interjected, standing to the side of Elena that was free and folding his hands together behind his back. His ever vibrant and malicious smirk spread so effortlessly on his lips.

"Perhaps this is a good idea after all," Elijah popped his eyebrows and radiated amusement.

"I can get onboard," she said with a wide grin before leaving Elijah's side and approaching the eldest Salvatore, she brought him into a tight embrace and he reciprocated, much to the disapproval of all the siblings, "it means a lot that you're here tonight, Damon, thank you."

"It's a good thing I don't actually hate you then, isn't it?" He spoke as he rested his head onto her shoulder and held her tightly.

"Duh, I'm adorable," she said playfully, chuckling slightly at their conversation before releasing him from her hold and standing back with Elijah and the others, "it's a curse."

"Okay, you're giving me a headache, Damon, my turn," Jeremy interjected and brought an end to the tyranny that was Damon Salvatore. Everyone either smiled or smirked, it was funny.

He wrapped his arms around his big sister and pulled her into a tight hug, "I'll see you at the Christmas party tomorrow, 'Lena, I love you."

"I can't wait, I love you too, Jer."

Once their hug ended naturally and the others all left, Rebekah joined with the group and she was equally as confused as the others.

"You want to leave?" Klaus asked first, his brow furrowed, "is everything alright?"

"Perfect, it's just there's something I have to do before the party returns to the house and I need you all there," she said with an innocent smile.

"Of course," Elijah smoothed his hand across her lower back and pressed a soft kiss onto her temple,

"Eh, this was getting boring anyway," Kol waved his hand in the space in front of him and radiated his usual smirk, "besides, I miss being a vampire, this spell is torture."

"I'm all ready to leave," Rebekah added.

"Brides wishes must be met on her wedding day," Klaus was always eager to please her.

"We should announce our departure whilst they ready themselves for leaving," Elijah spoke as he turned his attention onto one of the waiters with a tray of champagne glasses and held his hand up towards him.

"Of course," Both of them took a glass of champagne from the tray and Elena spotted two knives on the table beside them. She grabbed them and they headed towards the stage beside the DJ, the music stopped and they tapped the knives onto their glasses simultaneously. The clink echoed through the room and everyone turned to face them.

"We would just like to thank everyone who came tonight and made our celebrations that much more special," Elena turned to face Elijah with a look of awe and joy in her eyes as she spoke, "it's the rarest occurrence, meeting the person you choose to spend forever with and being able to marry them in front of all of your loved ones and I'm happy we all got to share in that."

He pressed a kiss onto her forehead before returning his gaze onto her eyes, "I couldn't agree more. Today has been the happiest of my existence and to spend the rest of it with the woman I love is something I had never anticipated. Having our loved ones around us on a day like this meant more to me than you will know, so thank you."

"The party will continue at the plantation at 1am and we expect to see you all in attendance, no excuses," Elena declared as they stepped off the stage and everyone gave them a clap and a cheer before the music came back on.

Once they had said their goodbyes to each of their loved ones individually, gathered their belongings and she swore she heard Klaus ordering his hybrids to handle everything after the party ended, they finally returned to the Plantation.

Kol, the second his abilities returned, was racing around the house like a child who had once lost his favourite toy and just found it again. Rebekah was in the living room, basking in her ability to hear even the smallest sound over a mile away and Klaus was just being Klaus, at the liquor cabinet with a scotch in hand.

"It's 11:45pm, I'm going to change quickly and then be ready for the surprise. Pour us all a drink please, Nik? Something nice," Elena said excitedly as she scurried up the stairs and into their bedroom.

She glanced herself over in the mirror one last time in her wedding dress, admiring the work of art that had been designed for her and enjoying the feeling of being a princess for a moment longer. She had never truly understood what it meant to be a bride and there was no other feeling like it.

"Are you going to miss being a bride?" She heard the voice of her husband emerge from behind her and she spun to look at him, admiring his stance against the doorframe and his perfectly still and contented demeanour.

"No, I look forward to being a good wife to you now," she felt him appear behind her with a breeze of wind caressing the nape of her neck as he grasped the zipper of her dress and pulled it down slowly.

"You're perfect, Elena, just the way you are," his words brought a whole different type of heat to her, this one warmed her heart and radiated through her completely, "you need not worry about being a good wife."

Once her back was bare and the dress hung loosely around her, she turned to face him and held her arm against the bodice for fear of it falling, "you should be awaiting your surprise downstairs, Mr. Mikaelson, I refuse to let you see me until we're home alone."

"Then we shall be leaving sooner rather than later," his chaste stare had turned lustful and even she had a deep desire to be with him in every way possible.

"Agreed, now go," she said with a grin as she nodded her head towards the door and he sped from the room. But not without giving her a lecherous look first, as only a newly wed husband should.

She allowed her dress to fall from her body and she stepped over it, leaving her only in the glistening white lingerie she had picked out for the ceremony and the white crystal lace shoes she wore.

Taking the last of her dresses of the evening from the handle on the wardrobe, she removed the plastic cover and slipped it over her head. She had intended on wearing it for the rest of the nights festivities but she had a feeling they weren't going to stay for long.

It was a white bodycon dress with off-shoulder straps and a lace fringe trim that dangled down from the sleeve, it has a crossed band across the chest and had a high waisted hem. It had a short length and it hugged her body perfectly.

She looked at the clock that hung above the door and noticed the time was 11:58pm, she widened her eyes at how long she took and exited the bedroom, walking as fast as she could in 5 inch heels and a dress that clung to her body.

Once she returned to the living room, she saw her family standing around the coffee table with a drink in hand, smiles spread across their faces and a twinkle in their eyes. This was everything for her.

"So, what is all this about, little warrior? We grow more curious by the minute," Klaus had been the first to break the silence and he handed her a drink as she approached the group.

Elena stared up at the clock, watching as the long finger hovered on the 59 and they stared at her with curious eyes.

"Yoo-hoo, Elena," Kol waved his hand in front of her face and she smirked amusingly before swatting it away like it was a nuisance fly buzzing around her. He whipped his hand back and gave her a sarcastic ow.

She watched with eager intent as the long and short finger met at 00:00am and she looked at them, all of them, with a wide and beaming smile and a blast of love surrounding her.

"Merry Christmas," she said so sweetly and purely that the others couldn't help but soften. They still gave her a look that accused her of being completely demented, of course, but she pegged that to them never having really celebrated a normal Christmas before.

"Merry Christmas, my love," Elijah wrapped his arm around her waist and placed a soft kiss on her temple before turning his attention back onto his siblings.

"Merry Christmas, 'Lena, I'm glad you're with us, always and forever," Rebekah reciprocated, pecking a quick kiss on the doppelgängers cheek.

"Are we really doing this?" Kol said inquisitively as his gaze bopped between each of his siblings and they just shrugged their shoulders subtly. "Yep, alright, Merry Christmas, sis."

"Lovely sentiment, little warrior but I'm starting to feel a tad nauseous," she could tell this was uncomfortable for him, a tender moment amongst family and the vulnerability that came with that. Obviously he masked that with a smirk and amusement.

"Nik," She rolled her eyes before taking several steps around Elijah and Rebekah and standing beside him, gaze up and piercing daggers into his eyes, "would it kill you to be involved?"

"I mean, it might," he turned the corner of his lip upside down and shrugged his shoulders playfully but when he looked down at her, her face once filled with happiness now had an air of disappointment to it and he softened, "fine, Merry Christmas."

"That hurt you, didn't it?" She said with a comical grin and her bright and gleaming demeanour returned. That was all he needed to suffer through this. Hell, he might even enjoy it.

"You have no idea," he shared in her amusement and watching as she returned to her rightful place beside his brother.

"I know we said we weren't going to do gifts but..." she dragged the end of her sentence on a tad to portray a sweet innocence and excitement as she waved her hand in a slow swooping motion and made four gifts appear on the coffee table between them.

"This one is for you, Kol," she picked up the small wrapped box and held it out towards him.

"I do love gifts," he dipped his head with a smirk as he took it from her, tugging at the paper until it tore away and revealed his present.

She watched with an excited smile as he opened the square leather box and it popped open on a hinge, revealing a necklace. It had a leather rope strap and a charm dangled from it with a symbol on it that he knew immediately, "the trinity knot."

"Better known as the triquetra and in Wicca meanings, it symbolises the combining elements and divinities, also family, siblings to be exact and that is what we are now, I spelled it so you have access to a small amount of my power so you can practice magic, I know how much you love witchcraft, Kol," she was all smiles and happiness, even more so when he slipped it over his head and let it dangle down his chest,

"I couldn't have asked for a better gift, Elena," he was genuine, the first time she had heard him speak with such emotion and without a smirk or attitude in his tone of voice, just him. He pulled her into a hug and rested his head in the gap between her neck and her shoulder, "thank you."

"There is a downside, always a loophole, especially when giving vampires more power than they already have but if you use it too much, you will be weakened and if the spells are great in power then it will hurt you but the more you practice, the easier it should become," she placed her hand on the back of his neck and enjoyed the hug he had offered her, they where rare and she loved him, especially now they were official family.

"This means a lot to me, 'Lena," he pulled his head back and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, before stepping back and holding the charm between his fingers and allowing himself to feel the magic within it.

"This one is yours, Rebekah," she picked up the envelope that had a silver bow attached to it and handed it over to her, she took it gracefully and offered her a kind smile.

"You didn't have too, 'Lena," she said as she slipped her finger into the gap in the seal and tore it away, revealing a folded piece of paper and she opened it, she turned to look at Elena with a furrowed brow and a tilt of her head, "what is it?"

"I knew there wasn't any gift I could buy or make for you, you have everything you could possibly want except one thing."

"And what is that?"

"Long story short, with the help of Bonnie when she channelled Quetsiyah, I wrote you a spell that will cure you of vampirism, only to be performed when you're 100% ready to live a happy and full life as a human."

Rebekah's eyes widened at her words and she flickered her gaze back onto the piece of paper that meant more to her than any materialistic gift she could be ever given, "Elena-"

"No need to thank me, you deserve it," she said with a wide grin but the Original sister instantly jumped on her and held her in a tight embrace.

"You have no idea what this means," her eyes welled up and she fought back the tears that so desperately wanted to escape at her kindness and heart.

"I can only use it three times, there's an ancient and mystical object attached to it that will wither away as it's channelled and it will eventually shatter after 3 uses, so make sure the person you choose to live with, if they're a vampire, is someone you want to be with forever," she explained further, as she was squeezed even tighter by her.

"It would seem I have a lot to think about," she spoke onto her sister-in-laws shoulder as several tears escaped.

"And lastly, it can't be reversed, you will be able to turn again but you won't be an Original anymore, just your run-of-the-mill vampire, so make sure it's really what you want."

"Thank you, sister," she smiled, before pecking her cheek with a quick kiss and releasing her from her hold. She responded with a nod of her head and stroke of her upper arm, all she wanted was for her family to be happy after a millennia of heartache, if it was within her power, she would give them any of their true desires.

"Nik, your turn," he couldn't hold back the small smile as she picked up his neatly wrapped box that was tied of in a red bow. He took the present he had extended to her and tore away at the paper until it revealed a velvet box.

He opened it and inside was a ring, his lips parted as he pulled it from its cushioned hold and held it between his finger and his thumb as he inspected it, "the vegvisir."

"The Nordic Compass," she said with a smile as she watched him inspect it further, it had a thick band and resembled a signet ring, only it was a tad thinner than your average version of a signet ring. It had the Viking compass engraved in the centre and the band had runes etched into it.

"The gem in the centre is a Bloodstone," it was a forest green jasper with bright specks of red in it and it was placed exactly in the centre of the compass, "and of course, its spelled, I linked it to a spell that was designed to find lost family members, I used the stone as an anchor and all you have to do is focus your mind dive skill to find another Mikaelson. I never want you to feel like you've lost your family, no matter where we are or when, you'll always be able to find us and know we're safe."

"That's actually really sweet," Rebekah grinned, "exactly what you need, brother."

"Do you like it?" Elena asked with a kind smile and watched him inspect it further. He dipped his head and smiled, before returning his gaze onto her.

"I love it," his voice broke and the emotion poured out, his entire face had crumpled as he gazed into her eyes, this woman that stood before him had so effortlessly came into their lives and their family and mended every old scar between him and his siblings and she still continued to care for them, even offering gifts with all of her thoughtful compassion within them, "It's perfect."

"I'm glad you like it," she returned his warm smile and caring gaze, "oh and don't worry, you don't have to wear it, I won't be offended, the magic will still work even if you've only worn it for a second."

"I shall wear it with honour, little warrior," his smile was unwavering as he slid it onto his middle finger, it hugged his skin perfectly and suited him to a T. He sped around his siblings and pulled her into a surprise embrace, a short laugh escaped her lips as she barely had the chance to process before she slid her arms around his neck, "thank you, Elena."

"You're welcome," he released her from his hold and lingered his stares upon her for a moment longer than he had intended before returning to his place around the table.

"And lastly, Elijah, my husband and love of my life," she picked up the last box and held it in her hands for a long moment, tossing it about gently whilst she thought, "I didn't know what to get you at first, I struggled with what I had left to offer you, I've give you everything I have from my heart to my abilities and besides a new suit, you're not the most materialistic man I've met but I gave it my best shot."

He looked at her with such adorning eyes that she completely melted. He took the box she had extended towards him and before he opened it, he pressed a soft kiss on her forehead and cupped her jaw tenderly, "your heart is more than I deserve and worth more to me than any gift you could ever give me, my love, you're everything I could possibly ever want or need."

"Then I got you something you didn't know you needed," she took a step back, nodding her head towards the gift and he started peeling away the wrapping paper.

He opened the black box, revealing inside it, a braided leather bracelet with a square metal clasp that had a gemstone etched into it, "the black onyx gemstone is one that pushes negativity away, provides strength and clarity, so I spelled it with my Empath gift to bring you calm and light to even your hardest days, now with your new connection to power, all you have to do is think of me and you'll channel the bracelet and my power, meaning if we are ever separated, you'll come to me."

"It's perfect," he removed it from the box and wrapped it around his wrist, he sealed the two metal clasps together and it sat perfectly. He grasped her hand and pulled her into him, his lips finding hers in an instant, "thank you."

She held onto the collar of his blazer and reeled him in further, soaking up as much of him as she could before the siblings started offering their sounds and stares of disapproval. They broke their kiss and returned their looks in kind.

"There's more gifts under the Christmas tree, just things I thought you would all like, no deeper meanings to them or spelled objects, hopefully you like them.

"I must confess, I wasn't exactly honest in my agreement to not buy gifts either," Klaus spoke as he walked to the cabinet by the stairs and opened the drawer, plucking out five gifts and carrying them back into the room.

He handed each of his siblings their respective gifts and they started tearing away at the paper. He gifted Kol a dark object, Rebekah a diamond necklace, Elijah new cufflinks and the last gift, the one for Elena, he had intended for it to have a special meaning to it.

She opened the black velvet box and inside it was a necklace with the family crest on it, the 'M' that stood for Mikaelson and the thing that meant so much to her, more than the others realised, it was in the shape of a coin.

Her eyes welled up slightly as she looked at the reverse and on it was the sun and moon symbols, it held meaning for the fact they where the forces of nature channelled to make them vampires a thousand years ago and it was the light and darkness they both shared in and what complimented each other.

The very reason they were, in fact, two sides of the same coin.

"This is the best gift I could have asked for, thank you, Nik," she took it from the box and held the charm in her line of sight for a long moment, admiring it once more before going to hand it to Elijah and requesting he put it on.

"Would you mind if I did, brother?" Klaus interjected, watching as he stared at him carefully and trying to see his intentions etched into his eyes or facial features. When he saw no ill-intent, a short moment later, he took a step back away from Elena and gave a nod of his head.

Elena flickered her gaze from Elijah to Klaus before handing him the necklace and spinning around, she held up her hair and he slipped the necklace around her neck, "this family would be lost without you, sweetheart, you are the very best of us."

His fingers grazed ever so tenderly across her skin as the necklace caught onto her neck and moved into position, it was like electricity, the very touch of her skin he was once so familiar with could still bring such a sparking effect to him.

Hidden beneath his mask of power and invulnerability, he was a mess of emotions, riddled with the torment of his unresolved feelings and the affections he held for her. His brother's wife, the best addition to their family and the woman he could never have.

"You think far too highly of me," she plastered an amused smile on her lips as she felt the clasp seal and the charm slid down her chest and rested perfectly over the top of her sternum, "I love it, Nik."

"I'm glad," he forced a porcelain smile on his lips when she turned around to face him and brought him into a hug.

As soon as she did, he became weak and the one fleeting moment he let his guard down, all of his emotions came flooding to the surface and she could feel everything within him, his love, his feelings, a pain she had never felt from him before and a small gasp emitted from her lips at the intensity. She took a step back to collect herself and Elijah sped beside her.

Klaus' lips parted and his brow furrowed when he had realised what happened and panic internally overcame him.

"Elena?" Kol and Rebekah said simultaneously as their concern grew.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" Elijah said as he cupped her cheek and inspected her features but she simply held onto his hand and shook it off with a small chuckle.

"Dizzy spell, I must have spun too fast," she turned her gaze back onto Klaus for just a quick moment, his worry apparent as his eyes widened and his face crumpled, "I've been drinking all day, I think I just need to go home."

"Of course, I'll get our things. Are you certain you're alright?" He had to double check before he left her side, he worried about her something terribly and hated to see her in any type of pain.

"I'm fine, you needn't worry about me," she placed a soft kiss on his forehead before he sped off and started gathering what they would need for the first night spent at their new home.

"Here you go," Rebekah said as she dangled up a small gift bag in front of her and grinned, "my Christmas gift to you but I do have one more I intend to give you tomorrow before our Christmas meal."

She smiled kindly as she opened the turquoise Tiffany's bag and saw the box to match. She removed it from the bag and opened it up, revealing the diamond kisses bracelet she once showed to her in a magazine.

"You're the best, I love it," she closed the box over and wrapped her arms around her neck excitedly for a long minute, her true girly nature revealing itself, "thank you."

"You're more than welcome, love."

"And this one is from me," Kol extended his gift towards her with a grin, it was larger than expected and she was quite taken aback by it.

She put the Tiffany box back in its gift bag and put the strap on her arm. Once she had two hands available, she gracefully took the gift from Kol and tore away the paper.

"Oh my god," she smoothed her hand over the front cover, it was ancient and she could already feel the power coming from it.

"This particular grimoire belonged to a very powerful witch I met in the 1300's, she had the power to do anything and this was every spell she ever created," he watched as she opened the book and started reading over some of the spells, her smile was wide and that was more than enough for him.

"Thank you," she said excitedly as she pounced on him, giving him a hug for a long moment and looking over to Klaus.

He was in distress, he couldn't leave the room without seeming too suspicious and couldn't stay considering what she felt before from her Empath gift, all he could do was fiddle with some objects on the cabinet at the side.

"Nik?" Her voice was quiet as she approached him, he was reluctant at first but he turned to face her, his entire demeanour melting at the sight of her.

"Yes, little warrior?" He tried to be blank and unreachable but he was obvious to her.

"Before I go, I just wanted to thank you again for my necklace, I love it," she flashed him a soft smile and smoothed her hand over the top of his arm for a quick moment.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Merry Christmas, Nik," her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she watched him, noticing the furrow in his brow and the slight gap between his lips that always meant he was dealing with some type of unwanted emotion.

"Merry Christmas, Elena," he struggled to maintain eye contact, she was being too kind considering the revelation he feared she may have received but that was just who she was, a trait he found admirable. But he feared their relationship could change forever now that she knew.

Oh god, she knew, she had too.

"I'll see you all tomorrow," she said with a a smile when she saw Elijah return with a suitcase. He gave his siblings a quick hug each and took Elena by the waist, "enjoy the party, guys."

Elijah sped her out of the house and into the driveway, the suitcase and the gifts all got put in the boot and he held the passenger door open for her, she slid in and he readied himself for the drive home.