4:50pm and the guests were expected to start arriving shortly, they had finished packing and rejoined with the family, everyone had changed into their party wear and the siblings were checking on the progress of the party setup.
Elena wore a black bustier dress with spaghetti straps and a lace overlay, it had a high-waisted, flared hem that fell to mid-way on her thighs and she dressed it up with all the jewellery she was gifted at Christmas.
The charm bracelet, diamond heart-shaped earrings and the necklace Klaus had gifted her with the family crest on it.
She walked into the kitchen, intending on heading into the garden but first, she inspected the endless supply of alcohol, blood and food, a beverage for everyone and it was insane to her how this had become a normal part of her life. She just rolled her eyes with an amused smile and went into the garden.
A stage had been set up and a DJ hired for the night, obviously all the staff had been compelled to forget what they see at the party because even though the a Mikaelson event seemed sophisticated on the surface, beneath the facade, it was still savage.
There would be humans paid and compelled to supply fresh blood, a gathering of some of the worlds oldest vampires that had attended the wedding, werewolves with their own savage nature to contend with and witches from some of the most powerful covens the world had ever seen.
Taking her attention away from the DJ and the sound system, she looked to the bonfire that would eventually be lit, the tables of drinks to suit all needs and the corner that would eventually play host to vampire sparring. The only difference was the extra Christmas decorations and the trees had been lined with fairy lights.
"I think everyone is going to be quite pleased with the party, huh?" She was brought back from her thoughts by the all too familiar voice of Stefan Salvatore and for the first time since she returned into their lives, they had been alone.
"They did go big, typical Mikaelson's," she turned to face him with an amused grin and he dipped his head sheepishly, hiding his smirk as he always did.
"I must admit, once you get past all the murdery vampire stuff, they're not that bad," he pursed his lips together into a flat line and shrugged his shoulders, "you've been good for them."
"So I've been told," she was often told that she had been the saviour of the Mikaelson's but deep down, she knew they had it in them all along, they just needed the push.
They started on a slow walk back towards the house, conversing casually and laughing along with each other. She noticed the guests had started arriving, starting with the overly eager vampire faction that instantly headed for their food source.
"I guess I'm still trying to understand your life here and how it all happened, you're so different from Mystic Falls, you're a powerful witch with the worlds most powerful family around you and a massive army of supernatural beings willing to protect you," Stefan spoke, his hands slipped in his pockets and his aura radiated curiosity,
"Perhaps if you hadn't of avoided me this entire trip, I could have told you more in depth," she sniped playfully, giving him a nudge with her elbow and chuckling lightly.
"Alright, fair enough, I shouldn't have avoided you," he admitted, his honesty admired by Elena, "it's been an adjustment, I didn't know what to expect when we came here and it took me a long time to move on from you."
"I bet Caroline helps, huh?" She spoke suggestively with a pop of her eyebrows and an inquisitive smile. Anything to distract from and avoid another emotionally draining conversation with a Salvatore brother.
"Yeah, she's amazing," he was sheepish and shy, ever the gentleman when discussing matters of his heart and she admired that about him.
"I hope you'll both be really happy, you deserve it," they stopped just inside the kitchen and she placed her hand on the top of his arm, smoothing slightly.
"And are you happy?" Her gaze flickered down to the glistening and shining ring on her finger and she smiled a genuinely happy smile.
"Perfec-" she cut her sentence short when she saw his facial expressions change, they crumpled and his brow furrowed when he noticed the glasses of blood placed on the kitchen island, "oh no, I completely forgot."
"No, it's fine, Elena, I'm fine," he was nervous in his ramblings but she felt his discomfort and stress, he always struggled with his cravings and this party certainly wasn't going to help.
"Come with me," she had an idea and grasped his hand, she lead him through the kitchen, into the main sitting room and finally taking him into Elijah's study.
She opened up the drawers that housed her magical equipment and started taking several items out, including the herbs necessary, a small pouch of gemstones, a dagger and a large brass bowl.
She emptied out the gemstones and rummaged through them, picking out three and setting them aside.
"Elena, what are you doing?" He asked as he stood opposite it to her on the other side of the desk and watched as she started mixing herbs and readying a spell.
She just ignored his question and continued on, she flickered her gaze to his wrist and saw a leather braided bracelet clinging to it, "is that an important bracelet? Can I use it?"
He nodded his head and undone it, handing it over to her and she settled it down flat on the table. She picked up the dagger and dragged it across her palm, a task that would usually leave a sting but she felt nothing, her blood dripped into the bowl fiercely before the wound healed. Stefan just watched her wide eyed and in shock.
She started to chant and one-by-one, adding the herbs into the mixture, the candles in the room lit and the magical breeze started to encircle her. She hovered the bracelet and gemstones in the air above the blood elixir and they fell in.
The chanting continued and it intensified, the blood began to boil and swirl until a spark from the candle fluttered within it. A brief fire rose and remained steady for a quick minute until she brought the spell to a close. The fire, the blood mixture, everything had dissipated from the bowl and left only the bracelet at the bottom of it.
She inhaled a sharp breath when the magic ended and she picked up the bracelet. She inspected it quickly before holding it out towards Stefan, "consider it another Christmas gift."
He looked at the gemstones that had fused to the leather banding and raised an eyebrow, "what did you do?"
"Those are special gemstones, the one on the left is a Amethyst for calming, the one on the right is a yellow Citrine for strength and wellbeing and the one in the centre is an incredibly rare Spessartine garnet and has been known to bring a calming nature to hunger and thirst," his eyes had widened at her words and he held it gingerly between his fingers, already feeling the effects of her magic.
"So you're telling me you just spelled me a bracelet in less than five minutes that will help with my poor relationship with vampirism?" Astonished, he was completely astonished, "something I haven't been able to do in 150 years."
"I channelled my Empath gift into the spell to amplify the gemstones effects, it should be able to keep you in control, it is a magical fix but it should help on your journey to healing your ripper nature," she watched as he slipped it around his wrist and brought the clasp together, he inhaled a sharp breath when he felt the magic flow through him and it was like a massive weight had been lifted.
"How did-," he was speechless and in shock and his words came out in a stammer, "how ca-"
"There isn't much my wife can't do with the right amount of magic and ingredients," Elijah's voice emerged from the entrance and he was leaning against the doorframe with a smirk spread on his lips, "my beautiful wife, always doing a spell of some form."
"Well, this one was for good reason," she flickered her gaze onto Stefan and smiled warmly towards him, "anything for family."
"Thank you, 'Lena, you have no idea-"
"Don't mention it," she raised her hand slightly and grinned, stopping him in his gratitude speech before it fully starts and pulling him into a hug, "now go and enjoy the party, I'm sure there's going to be plenty to do."
He gave a nod of his head and pressed a soft kiss onto her cheek before rejoining with his brother and Caroline, instantly showcasing the bracelet to them and she saw Care jump and hug him excitedly.
Elena returned to her rightful place by Elijah's side and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Your compassion is without equal, my love."
"He deserves it, he's struggled enough," she said before returning to a standing position and linking her arm with his.
He walked her through the house and at some point between the start of her conversation with Stephan and now, most of the guests had arrived and already began mingling amongst each other. He lead her out into the garden and it was positively wild.
Klaus had hired painters, entertainers and dancers to up the festivities and it was incredible, there was even a small group of fire entertainers in the corner and people on stilts.
She laughed quietly and shook her head as she saw the party become unhinged and walked towards the bonfire. She lifted her hand slowly and muttered the word "Incendia", the fire lit and the flames soared, there was an uproar of cheer and the DJ upped the beat. So many people dancing and bustling about gave her levels of positivity that was off the charts.
A couple of hours had passed and Elena found herself mixed in with the vampire faction, they all sat around the bonfire on the grass with either a glass of scotch or blood and they were all laughing.
"I'm not even completely sure she has any abilities," Diego teased and there was a small uproar of laughters and 'ooohs'.
Elena just rolled her eyes with a grin and refused to partake in their teasing.
"Yeah, E, show us what you got, I'll put you against one of my newer guys," Marcel encouraged and she just looked at his overly amused expressions and took a sip of her scotch.
"Vampire fight club in 500 dollar shoes? Not happening," she was rife with sarcasm and her amusement was unending.
"Nope, I'm not buying it, there's no way the ritual worked," Diego continued to antagonise and the inner circle continued in their laughter. Even though she was often the brunt of her loved ones and friends torment, she was happy, she wouldn't have it any other way.
Suddenly, Damon sped across the grass and grabbed Diego by the neck, he lifted him from his feet and the vampires all blurred into a defensive position.
Instinctively, Elena sped onto her feet and grabbed Damon by the neck, her eyes flashed golden as she knocked away the hold he had off Diego and sent him hurling across the field, "what the hell are you doing?"
Damon appeared beside her, all attitude and smirks as he slipped his arm around her shoulders and remained completely clueless to the situations he puts her in, "I've been interested in these vampire abilities myself."
"So?" She barked, her eyes still flashing the golden hue that usually indicated she was furious. She shrugged her shoulders and forced his arm away.
"Sooo, the only way you'll show us them is if someone you care about is threatened," he was pedantic and egotistical, his voice filled with attitude and sarcasm and she was reaching her limit on how much she could take of his childish behaviour, "Ergo, I threaten someone you care about."
"Oh okay, you just wanted to see my vampire abilities," she was filled with sarcasm as she forced a grin on her lips and nodded her head playfully, going along with his annoying plight, "why didn't you just ask nicely?"
In one swift motion, she took a hold of his jaw and cracked his head to the side, she heard the bone break and his body fell lifeless to the floor. There was laughter, excitement, the typical responses when she was in the company of the vampires.
"He's the most annoying ass I've ever met and I'm going to hurt him," Diego exasperated, before sliding his arm around her shoulders and walking her back towards the bonfire, "but his tactic did work."
She nudged him playfully and chuckled as they rejoined with the vampires. The sparring matches were about to begin so they stood in a large circle, the newcomers were up first and they had to battle their way to the top, the finalist would eventually face Marcel.
"Hey, 'Lena," Marcel was beside her in the blink of an eye, "I'm thinking of turning St. Ann's church into a boxing gym, you should join me for a match after your honeymoon, I'll teach you some moves."
"If it means you will relent in your pursuit of my abilities, then I'll do it," she grinned, before spinning on her heel and starting on a walk back to the house.
"I'll hold you to it," he called out after her and she just rolled her eyes, all laughs and smiles as she reached the house once again.
On her way through the kitchen, she grabbed a glass of red wine and took an instant sip before joining with her family in the main sitting room. She danced with Caroline, Rebekah, Bonnie, Stefan and Jeremy for a short while, enjoying what short time she had left with them.
She saw Elijah on the opposite side of the room, mingling amongst his friends and guests from the wedding and Kol was out back antagonising the wolves until they joined with the fight club and Damon still suffered from the broken neck. Normal stuff.
Everyone was accounted for except one and she started to worry. Her brow furrowed and she turned to face Bekah, "hey, where's Nik?"
"Haven't seen him, love," she seemed relatively unaffected by his disappearance and continued dancing, she glanced around the room and didn't see him.
She checked the garden and he was nowhere in sight, the dining room and Elijah's study, not there. No sign of him in the kitchen or at the front of the house. She could sense him in the house and there was no danger her power as Unification Leader was picking up on, so that left only the upstairs to check.
She peered her head around the open doors to the bedrooms and spare guest rooms, bypassing the bathrooms and music room until she came to his bedroom. The door was open a crack and she peered her head around the gap.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him out on the balcony, scotch in hand and leaning against the railings as he watched over the mayhem that was the party in the garden. She knocked on the door several times as a warning before taking a few steps in.
"There you are," she seemed almost too relieved to see he wasn't in or causing any trouble, "I was starting to worry."
"I'm quite fine, little warrior," he didn't move or even flinch, if he hadn't of spoken, she thought he wouldn't have acknowledged her presence at all.
"You don't seem it," she raised an eyebrow before glancing around the area and spotting a horizontal surface, all of them in the house had a bottle of scotch on them and his bedroom was no different.
"You need not concern yourself," he seemed bored already but most of all, he was distant and withdrawn.
"You know," she started, as she headed towards the bottle and poured herself a glass, "I would go as far as saying your avoiding me and it's hard to not take that personally."
She turned to face him and leaned her hip against the cabinet, she took a sip and remained ever the patient soul she was. Just to air on the side of caution, she slowly and subtly twinkled her fingers and her barrier went up, there was no reason why listening ears should get to indulge in their conversation.
"I'm not avoiding you."
"You're lying."
An exasperated breath escaped his lips and he finally turned to face her, his entire demeanour was cold and he was frustrated, annoyed even, in her continued presence.
"What do you want, Elena?" He came back into the bedroom and closed the balcony doors behind him. As he walked right past her, he grabbed the bottle of scotch and took it to the sideboard he had next to the balcony doors.
"To end world hunger and global warming," she was sarcastic, smirking and overall, trying to lighten the mood but she was met with disapproving and even scolding looks.
"Just go back to the party, your family are leaving shortly and your time with them is limited," he poured himself a glass of scotch and the bottle hit the table with a slam.
"Yes, my time is limited, yet you insist on deviating the topic from the elephant in the room to a quite hurtful dismissal of me," she brought the glass to her lips and emptied the contents into her mouth, her nerves were quite shaky, "so, can you just forget the usual emotional withdrawal you like to inflict upon me and talk to me?"
He was surprised, shocked and nervous all at once, he hadn't expected the abrupt response and it left him somewhat speechless. He didn't know how to approach her, closing off was easier, "there's nothing to discuss, so please, leave."
"No, I value our relationship far too much for you to push me away and don't forget, I'm pretty stubborn, I could stand here all night," she took a few cautious steps towards him but he remained like a statue, completely unmoved and frozen, "is it so easy for you to just suddenly treat me like I don't exist? Like our relationship means nothing to you?"
"Elena-"
"No, Nik, you do this all the time, should I take the hint and just accept that what I thought was a close relationship, is actually just a necessary alliance because I'm married to your brother?" She was starting to become agitated and she found herself at the start of a heated argument.
"Sto-"
"I lived in the same house, same city and work with the same factions you do, so if that's the case then you need to tell me because regardless of all that, I need you in my life, I always have."
"How could I ever treat you as if you don't exist?" He was yelling, enraged, frustrated but most of all, hurt. "You are far from nothing to me, Elena."
"Then stop shutting me out," she found herself matching his shouting and her temper rising.
"I can't," loud, angry, vulnerable, everything he hated showing her in this moment.
"Why?"
"You know why!"
She took a deep breath and allowed the air to exhale from her nose slowly, in an attempt to process. There was too much tension and frustration between them and they couldn't talk like that, they never could.
A few long moments and a brief awkward silence later, she found her composure and she started radiating her calm again. It was uncontrollable, one of the downsides to her gift, she always radiated some kind of emotion.
She held out her hand towards him and took an extra cautious step, "dance with me?"
"I hardly think this is the time," he was unraveling, his voice was still raised and his temperament tested but she could hear the slightest bit of emotion in him and she could work with that.
"It's the perfect time, one last dance, then let's go back to the party," her voice was soft, reassuring and all the things he didn't want to hear, he wanted to be angry and withdrawn but it was near impossible to be when he was around her, "come on."
One deep breath later, he took her hand and they came together, he raised her arm slightly and placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her in a slow dance, "I never wanted you to feel like just another alliance and I am painfully aware that you are married to my brother, I'm trying my hardest to respect that."
Speechless. Utterly speechless.
All she could do was dance and stare, gaze into his eyes and listen to what he had to say, it was hard and her now found ability to hear even the smallest of skips in his heartbeat made it even harder.
"Your happiness is everything to me, little warrior and I won't compromise that," he lead her, they found a rhythm and she smiled ever so slightly that made him weak at the knees.
"Likewise, Nik and last night, I felt a lot of pain from you, amongst other things but mostly pain and I don't understand."
"Last night, in one fleeting moment of weakness, I let you in and what you felt was only a fraction of the thousand years worth of unresolved feelings I harbour, none of which are your burden to bear," he was fighting fiercely to remain strong against her but he was unravelling, slowly but surely.
"A thousand years worth of demons doesn't explain what I felt, I know your suffering on many levels and that wasn't it," trying to get Klaus to communicate in a healthy way was one of her toughest tasks, "you know how much I care about you and this family, I'll bear the burden of a thousand years of demons and I'll be by each of your sides to beat every one of them."
"Ever my little warrior," he smiled, a small smile but a genuine one no less and she felt a modicum of relief.
"Always," she flashed him an amused smirk, "and I'll always fight for this family, Nik, you especially," she had to choose her words carefully, he was easily triggered by signs of weaknesses.
"And why is that?"
"You need it the most."
"I'm almost offended," Raised eyebrows and defensive nature almost immediately came to the surface, she expected no less, "no, actually, I am offended, quite deeply in fact."
"It's not because I think your weak or that you need someone to fight your battles," she paused for a long moment, pondering her next choice of words before a small sigh escaped her lips, "but because you're stronger and fight better with someone at your side and I happen to think we're quite the team."
"You're not mine to fight with, Elena, my battles are not yours to handle and I will not allow them to take you," his voice was low but his gaze was unfaltering,
"I fight for this family and you happen to be in it, or did you forget?" She smirked, his once crumpled face had now softened and he almost laughed, almost.
"I could have went an eternity without having to face another with as much stubbornness as I possess," he said with an air of amusement around him, "it's insufferable."
"What's insufferable is you harbouring unresolved feelings for a thousand years and remaining completely unwilling to work through them," she shook her head, tired of the games and moving straight onto the point, "last night, I felt a lot of pain, love, anguish, happiness and clarity, which one of them is driving a wedge between us?"
"Do you really have to ask?"
"If I didn't need to, then I wouldn't," she was hesitant and shaky in her response and she could feel the grip he had of her hand tighten ever so slightly and he was coming undone.
Everything within him was telling him to close off, shut down this entire conversation and hide away his vulnerability once again but there was something about the hold she had of him and the way he looked at her that made him want to explode.
And he did, he was completely undone and without restraint.
"I've have loved you since the day we first came here, Elena, when I brought you to my city and saw you in a completely different light, the light that tamed my darkest parts and allowed me the chance to love you," he was shaken, nervous and emotional, all of his vulnerability came to the surface and left her reeling in the turmoil she was getting from her gift.
Each word hit her like a dagger in the heart and she was rendered speechless, powerless even in her plight to save him from his pain. On some level, she thought she knew what she was getting herself into but this level of intensity was completely unexpected.
"Nik-"
"And the second my brother proposed to you, I knew you were lost to me, what you felt last night was closure, the only emotion that can come from watching the woman I love marry another man."
"And now?" She forced back her tears, trying to find the strength she needed to get him through this.
"There will always be a part of me that will love you but now, I can move on, be free of the hold that the love I have for you has on my heart and seek the clarity I need."
"I do love you, Nik."
"Just not the way I love you."
She shook her head ever so slightly and a small tear collected in the corners of her eyes, she didn't want to hurt him, she hated feeling his pain but he needed this, he had to let it all go and he was never going to be able to until he spoke the words he had hidden away for so long.
"And that's okay, my brother deserves every bit of your love and the light that you bring into his life, even I can't fight destiny, it was not without trying but it's a force that can't be reckoned with."
"I still don't want to lose you," the mere thought of their bonded relationship ceasing to exist hurt her deeply.
"You could never lose me, Elena, we'll always be close, my life would never be the same without you in it," he brought his hand to her face and trailed his finger along her cheek and she sucked in a small breath at the sudden contact.
"I'm always here for you, no matter what," like the magnetic pull she once felt with him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him into a tight embrace, if only for their comfort.
"Likewise," his head rested against hers and he held her, his hand wrapped in the hair on the back of her neck and the other still placed firmly around her waist.
"Before we go, and our dance has to come to an end," she took a deep breath and grasped the hand that held onto her waist, she willed herself to be open with him, against her better judgement, she had to be honest with him, she couldn't leave him feeling a one-sided heartbreak, "I just want you to know, I did love you, Nik, more than I would have let myself admit because I knew I wasn't your epic love, the one you spend the rest of your life with and you weren't mine, it took everything I had to move on from you and the time we spent together because you mean so much to me but I knew it was leading to this, an undying bond."
He was completely taken aback by her confession, he didn't know how to feel about it but on some level, he knew a true and deep love wasn't what she had for him, he loved her more than life itself but there had to be more, he saw it between her and Elijah and that's all he wanted, he often thought it was meant to be with her but he was starting to doubt that.
"Can I ask you a question?" He asked carefully, his eyes fixated on her and he saw how unraveled she had become, it was odd to see the one who had such good control of her emotions be so weak to them.
"Anything."
"If it wasn't for my brother, would we have been together?" His vulnerability was completely exposed and he felt on some level, he knew what she was going to say."
"If you have to ask, then you already know the answer," it took her a few moments to respond, she often struggled with vulnerability to another besides Elijah and this felt different, like she had too clear everything between them once and for all. The last of their year long dances.
"We just weren't meant to be," the realisation dawned on him and he felt the clarity he sought more clearly and thicker than ever.
"No, Nik," her eyes started to well up again and she felt like she was losing him now more than ever.
"I know what we have goes beyond the normal bounds of a familiar bond, I'm attached to you on so many levels, it's uncontrollable."
"And I you, it seems impossible to not have you in my life."
"It hurts me to think about it," he brought her back into him, her head resting on his shoulder and he took her in completely because this truly felt like the last time they were ever going to be in this situation. There was nothing unrequited left between them and he could finally start to heal, mend what was broken between them and explore their relationship all over again.
"You can't have the hybrid and the doppelgänger without the hybrid," a small grin curled up on her lips and he could feel the smile against his shoulder.
"Or a one-sided coin," his smirk returned and she had never been more grateful for it.
"Sounds far too ridiculous," she pulled her head back slightly, allowing herself the indulgence of one last lingering look and they chuckled, a small laugh that finally broke the tension.
"Agreed," he pressed a soft kiss on her forehead, his lips hovering for maybe a moment too long before they separated. The dance came to an end and it was symbolic in more ways than one, "come on, little warrior, let's go back to the party."
"Just this once and I'm only extending this offer to you, I'll face you in the vampire fight club, everyone seems to want the chance," she said amusingly, as they walked towards the door and he opened it for her.
"I might just have to take you up on that offer, if only to appease the natives," he grinned, the most perfect dimpled grin and he was returned.
"You're so on."
They finally rejoined with the others, there was lots of questions and highly inquisitive siblings that wouldn't relent in their questioning of their whereabouts but they distracted and diverted, hopefully long enough for them to forget all about it.
She was instantly at Elijah's side, seeking the solace only he could bring after an emotionally challenging time and he was almost too relieved to see her. He did give her a look of confusion and somewhat worrying nature but she shook it off, this wasn't something they could discuss, not now. But she knew they would have too at some point soon.
Before she realised, the time had slipped away from her and the grandfather clock in the hallway struck midnight, amidst their dancing and drinking, her Mystic Falls family had to all start saying their goodbyes. They had to head back to the hotel to ready themselves for their flight at 5:30am.
The Mikaelson's all walked them out front and the already emotionally wrecked Elena was distraught, she cried as Bonnie held her and refused to let go, "I'm going to miss you so much."
"Me too, 'Lena, I wish you were coming back with us," she sobbed into her best friend's shoulder.
Caroline jumped into the group hug, followed by Jeremy and they all just embraced each other, taking each and every moment they had together and allowing it to etch in their memory, "I'll see you all during spring break though, right? That's still the plan?" Elena said.
"If you don't fly out then I'll come here and drag you back myself," Caroline said with a slight chuckle between her bursts of crying.
"I'm going to miss you all so much."
"Time to go, guys, we don't want to miss our flight," Damon spoke as Stefan appeared beside him and they watched as the family came together.
"Will you two get in here already?" Elena exasperated, her tear filled face mirroring the demand in her voice.
They were both all smirks and laughs but they joined in a heartbeat, completing the family circle and group hug. There was a lot of emotion within them all and it flowed through her, she felt joy and sadness but most of all, contented in the fact that they were together again.
They each said their goodbyes, the girls even hugged the brothers and the Salvatore's even gave them a handshake, the most perfect and civilised departure she could ask for.
Watching them drive away was the hardest part, Elijah had been there to hold her through it and she was grateful for the rock he was to her.
Once they had left, Elena and the siblings all returned inside the house and made their way through it to the bonfire. They sat around it, watching as the fire burnt and the embers flickered.
Elena was sat beside her husband, her head resting on his shoulder with her arms wrapped around him and he enveloped her completely. The most perfect moment to end the night on.
"I can't believe you're going away for a whole month," Rebekah broke the silence, the realisation dawning on her that the family was going to be separated.
"It's going to be extremely quiet around here," Kol continued, his gaze shifting between each sibling before landing on the married couple.
"Everything is changing," Klaus was never one to embrace change and he was troubled by the thought of them being separated.
"Or maybe, nothing at all is changing and you're all just getting a well deserved break from our nauseating behaviour," Elena grinned, bringing an air of amusement to their conversation and they each laughed.
"Definitely the best way to look at it," Rebekah said amusingly, her spirits lightening.
"Besides, we'll be back before you know it and you'll be praying for a reprieve," Elena responded, even though they no longer lived together, they knew they would never be rid of each other, everyday would be spent together on some level.
They talked and laughed for a little while longer, enjoying what fleeting moments they had together as a complete family before Elijah spoke the dreaded words the siblings had dreaded to hear, "we should start packing the car up."
"You two should head home, we'll bring your suitcases over in the morning," Rebekah offered kindly as they all started to return to their feet, "regardless of the fact that I'm dying to see the new house, we should be invited in, if only to send Nik away when he starts misbehaving."
"I'm going to choose to ignore your childish remarks, Bekah and agree with you, we should spend the morning together before you leave, I too am excited to see your new house," Klaus spoke maturely, much to the surprise of the others.
"It's settled then, we'll see you in the morning," Kol finalised before they all joined in a brief group hug and the married couple started on their journey home.
Back at the house, Elena found herself nestled in the corner of the sofa with her shoes off and feet finally up and resting, the events of the night still spun in her head and she didn't have any time to process them.
Her gaze flickered from the wine glass to Elijah, even as he sat there with his tie off, shirt undone and untucked from his pants, his arm sprawled across the back of the sofa and his pants filled with crinkles, he was still the epitome of perfect.
She watched him carefully, inspecting his troubled features and trying to suppress the stress he was feeling, "Elijah?"
"Yes, my love?" He was trailing his fingers along her calf ever so slowly that it brought a wave of relaxation over her but she was still concerned.
"Is there something on your mind?" She knew what his answer was going to be but there was another Elephant in the room and she would always rather talk than sit in an uncomfortable silence.
"There's a few," he was talking carefully, considering his words before he spoke them as to avoid any emotional disturbances.
"Tell me one," her voice was sweet, solid in the way she spoke to him as to not give him any reason to doubt her. She stood from the sofa, grasping the empty wine glass and crystal tumbler from the coffee table beside them and heading to the tray of liquor.
"I think you know what I'm going to ask," still watching and talking to her so carefully, it was a touchy subject for him. She popped the cork of the bottle of red wine and started pouring herself a glass.
"Ask it anyway," she pushed the cork back in and grasped the bottle of scotch, ready to fill his.
A small breath exhaled slowly from his lips and gaze diverted from her and onto the flickering fireplace opposite him, his face riddled with concern, "What happened with my brother today?"
She paused for a long moment, pouring his drink thinking about the whole situation she had been in earlier and she wanted to spare her husband of any emotional distress, "Unresolved feelings catching up with him."
She took the now full glass of scotch over to him and handed it over, she sat beside him on the sofa and he took her hand in his, "what unresolved feelings?"
She didn't answer, she only drew in a deep breath and looked at him with a flash of widened eyes and a flat line of a smile spread on her lips. Words weren't always necessary between them, he understood.
"Oh," he immediately took a large swig of whiskey and toyed with the glass in his hand, smoothing his finger along the rim.
"I won't lie to you, Elijah, ever," she smoothed her thumb along the back of his hand, she wouldn't see her husband in emotional distress, not if she could help it, "if your mind needs to be put at ease, then ask away, I don't want to go on our honeymoon with this hanging over us."
"I've known about my brother's true feelings towards you for a long time, Elena," his eyes still gazed upon the swirling liquid within his glass as he tried to make sense of his thoughts, "and understanding your bond with him was something I struggled with."
"We are close but I wouldn't say it was more than what I have with Rebekah or Kol, we're family, Elijah and you know how much I value family," her brow was furrowed and she felt an uneasy confusion that only left her wanting to ask more questions.
"I think as much as you love all of our family equally, there's something more with Niklaus, he changed your life when he brought you here and you took it upon yourself to try and help him, and he did the same for you, that's a connection that goes beyond the bounds of family, and I know how it feels to want to help my brother, I've been trying for a thousand years."
The more of his thoughts he released, the bigger the weight that was lifted, he had harboured this for a long time and to finally be able to discuss it was clarifying.
"As much as you are both completely different, on some level, you're the same."
"Two sides of the same coin, huh?" Elena responded with a small smirk, her memory flashing back to the compound when she was poisoned and listened to his conversation with Marcel.
"You heard that?" He said with a small smile, his head dipped slightly from surprise.
She nodded her head, her smirk unwavering as she pressed her glass to her lips and took a large sip. As much as they needed to talk about this, she was starting to become overwhelmed with the amount of emotions between them both.
"I think you've struggled with your emotions towards my brother and that's why you felt obligated to bring him closure," he dreaded to say this, he didn't want her to think he doubted her trust or the way she feels.
"The only thing I've struggled with is guilt," her eyes where fixated on the swirling red liquid in her glass, like she was in a trance, she didn't break her concentration as she spoke so quietly and uncontrollably.
"Guilt for what?" He furrowed his brow.
"It doesn't matter, I shouldn't have said anything," she snapped herself back and stood from the sofa, walking to the tray of liquor once again and pouring herself a top up. She felt a slight pressure in her chest and made her feel like she couldn't breathe, but it was all in her head.
"Elena, we need to talk about this," he was quite abrupt in his response and followed in her steps, leaving a short distance between them as he watched her unravel.
"No," she shook her head several times, her heart pounded beneath her chest and she thought it could rip out at any given moment. She was overwhelmed, stressed, upset all at once and she couldn't shut the conversation down.
"Elen-"
"I feel guilty for falling so deeply and irrevocably in love with you that I didn't care who I hurt in the process, I didn't even see it happening, the pain I caused others, I only saw you, how much I needed to be with you and how much my heart yearned for you, I love you so much, Elijah, that I'd do it all over again with the knowledge I have now and still choose you, I'll always choose you."
He was speechless, frozen, undone by her confession and his lips parted, heart racing and he felt every ounce of the love he had for her sparking beneath him. He went to take a few steps closer but she held up her hand, encouraging him to stop.
"You're my best friend, my partner, my husband, my destiny, my soulmate and I'm selfish with you, I'll always be selfish with you, so I try to be there for everyone because of the guilt, Nik especially because connection or not, when it comes to you, nothing else matters, how can anything else compare?"
No words, just actions.
He sped towards her and grasped onto the back of her neck, their lips met in an instant and they indulged in a kiss filled with heat, love, passion, everything she had within her came flooding to the surface and it was all consuming.
He pulled away for a long moment, resting his forehead on hers and allowing his lips to hover over hers as he wiped away the stray tears that hugged her cheeks. She placed her hand on his chest over where his heart beat and channelled her gift into him once again, allowing all of her emotions to pour through him. All of them, no restraints or holding back, everything was his to feel.
For the first time and much to her surprise, what she channelled came flooding back to her and Elijah's connection to her power meant he could flood her with his emotions too and they where unrestricted, ever-growing and completely intoxicating. She'd never felt so much love before and a volt of electricity surged through her.
Their breathing was heavy and the moment filled with an intensity she hadn't anticipated. She tightened the grip she had of his neck and they could feel the slow rise and fall of their chests between them. Between a flurrying of rapid heartbeats and her slow breathing, she could barely speak, "oh my god."
He kissed her again, no holding back and no more emotional secrets, the connection between them became more intense by the moment and even her magic couldn't be contained. There was wind circling, candles lighting and the earth beneath their feet surged with energy.
She pulled herself up onto his waist and smoothed her hands over his shoulders, his already undone shirt fell to the floor and he held onto her waist fervently as he vanished them from the living room, returning them to the place they could explore each other intimately and unconditionally.