Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I've been doing very important stuff (binge-watching Grey's Anatomy for the first time).

Thank you to everyone who has commented and encouraged me during my unintentionally long break between chapters. I might not have responded to your comments, but I did read them and appreciate them! You guys are the best!

TW: Violent death of unimportant characters. Also Mikael's A+ parenting.

MIRIAM'S POV

Miriam and Klaus moved through the forest at superspeed. Miriam was on Klaus' back, and the image of using werewolf-Klaus like a horse would have been funny if she wasn't feeling awful. She was light-headed as trees moved by at a speed that was unobservable to her human eyes. It was still nighttime, and the darkness wasn't helping her vertigo. The only thing that was keeping her grounded was the fur she was clutching. She buried her head into the soft hairs and tried to clamp down on the growing nausea. Her thoughts consisted of one simple mantra: don't throw up, don't throw up, don't throw up...

Klaus suddenly skidded to a stop and Miriam lost the battle with her stomach.

"Let me down," she moaned and rolled off the giant creature before he had fully lowered himself to the ground.

Dizzy, Miriam stumbled a few feet away and vomited her dinner into a bush. She barely had the presence of mind to pull the strands of her braids away from her face before her stomach seized. When she was finished, she fished a handkerchief out of one of the pockets of Elijah's coat and wiped her mouth clean.

"Never again, Klaus," she groaned as she pulled herself to her unsteady feet. "I mean it."

The werewolf just let out a playful sound and bounded away from her. Miriam sighed and followed him. She caught up to him after a minute of stumbling in the dark and found him by a trickling stream. Klaus was cleaning his bloody mouth and front paws.

"Good idea." Miriam knelt next to him. She cupped her hands together and plunged them into the chilly water. She brought her hands to her mouth and swished the water around before spitting the water out. She did this a couple more times before her mouth felt clean. She didn't dare drink the water; she was no forager and didn't want to accidentally make herself sick.

After they had both cleaned themselves, Klaus stood up and nudged her.

"What?" she asked, but he only nudged her again. Miriam gave up and just went where he pushed her. This position of her walking in front of him didn't last very long. After her third time tripping over a rock, they switched to him walking next to her and guiding her where he wanted her to go.

In the dim light Miriam could only tell that they were walking down a hill and that the terrain turned rocky. She concentrated on her feet; the full moon bathed everything in a gentle blue, but the trees blocked out the moonlight and made walking difficult. She was so focused on her feet that she only looked up when Klaus stopped walking. In front of them, illuminated by a moonbeam, was a large cliff face that was maybe three stories tall. Trees and vines climbed the jagged, dented rock. At the base of the large rock was a thick cluster of bushes, and behind the bushes was the mouth of a small cave.

"A cave?" She looked at her mate for confirmation, but he just prodded her forward. The cave wasn't very tall, maybe six feet at the entrance and much shallower the deeper they went. The cave was only a few yards deep, but it was thankfully dry and devoid of creatures.

It took some situating, with Klaus now in a form that was rather bulky, but finally Klaus bullied his way into the cave and laid down. Slowly, just in case she was doing something wrong, Miriam sat down next to him.

Klaus let out an annoyed sound. Gently, he pushed her until she was laying down next to him. He curled his large body around her, providing heat and a soft place to lay her head. Miriam sighed and relaxed into him.

"You're really soft," she mumbled into his fur. His chest moved up and down, soothing her. The night had been long and stressful. She had been in (too many) stressful situations the past few years, but tonight probably took the cake. Her home had been threatened. Caroline had been threatened. Miriam hadn't liked the fact that the teenagers had been threatened just because they happened to be in the farmhouse with her, and she definitely didn't appreciate Bonnie adding tension. She hoped they were all okay.

Taking deep breaths of the crisp night air, Miriam finally allowed all of the excitement of the day to drain away from her body. She went boneless against Klaus. It didn't take long before she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Miriam woke up only a few hours later. Her bed had shifted under her and she opened her bleary eyes in response. She looked around. The cave was still dark, but she could see outside now. The blue of the night had given way to the grey of the dawn. As the world gained more color the forest began to wake up. Birds chirped incessantly. Insects buzzed. Bushes rustled as rabbits and other woodland creatures foraged for breakfast.

Her bed-slash-mate moved again. Miriam got the hint and crawled off him. Now that she was off him, Klaus stretched. The movement was so dog-like that Miriam had to smile.

Klaus moved towards the outside world, but when Miriam went to follow him, he growled. She stopped short. After a moment she moved towards him again, but again he growled.

"What?" she demanded.

He replied by swatting her in the face with his tail.

Miriam spat out werewolf hair and glared at him. He swatted her again.

"Okay, okay! I get it. I'll stay here."

Klaus nodded. He turned and started to make his way out of the cave.

"Wait. Um, you're going to come back, right?" Miriam hated the way her voice sounded small and needy, but she couldn't help it.

Klaus paused and turned his large head to face her. His golden eyes were soft as he nodded that yes, he was going to come back.

And then he left.

Miriam let out a shuddering breath. Her night had been ridiculously stressful. But for the first time in hours, in a cave in the middle of a forest, she could breathe and think through everything that had happened.

The first point she focused on was Bonnie. The young witch was going to cause problems in the future. She had been manageable last night (a few hours ago… whatever) without her powers. But once she got them back, Miriam wouldn't be surprised if Bonnie tried to curse them or some shit. Miriam made a mental note to talk to August and Dr. Martin about Bonnie and her potential status as someone to watch out for.

The second point she focused on was Jeremy. The boy, despite all of his worry and pain, had made a valiant effort to protect the farmhouse. While bothered by Bonnie's poisonous words, he had ultimately listened to Caroline and Miriam. He was strong. He had no reason to be, but he was. Miriam needed to make sure that Jenna heard about how brave her nephew was.

Finally Miriam allowed herself to think about Elijah. He hadn't answered any of her calls. He hadn't even texted. The behavior was so far from the Elijah that she knew, and it worried her. In the show Elijah had followed a newly-turned Klaus through the forest for several days. But in the reality that Miriam was living, Klaus had spent several hours with her, and she hadn't seen or heard Elijah. Surely, if he was following Klaus, Elijah would be around somewhere?

But as dawn turned to morning, Miriam came to the conclusion that either Elijah had chosen not to reveal himself or he hadn't been following Klaus. The first option hurt her heart, but the second option was worrying. What would keep Elijah, devoted Elijah, from his brother?

Miriam reached into Elijah's coat pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Elijah's number, but it just rang incessantly, then went to voicemail, again.

"Hey, um, it's me. Again. Can you call me back? Please? I'm getting nervous, and I'm worried about you, and I really need you. P-Please call me back," her voice wavered and her vision was blurred by tears of frustration and exhaustion. She disconnected the call and set her phone on the hard ground next to her. Bone tired even after her nap with Klaus, she laid down.

It was hard to fall asleep without Klaus to cushion her from the rock she was laying on. The morning light, while welcoming, was too bright for Miriam to comfortably fall asleep. And the sounds of life from beyond the cave were distracting. Despite all this, Miriam fell into a light and restless sleep.

She woke up only forty minutes later (according to the clock on her cell phone) to her cell phone ringing. Caroline's name stared up at her.

Groggy, Miriam reached for the answer button. "Hey, Care."

"HA! I told you that calling her would work! Who's the dumb blonde now, asshole?!"

"Caroline, I'm really hoping you're talking to someone else," Miriam rolled to her feet and moved to the entrance of the cave to help the phone connection.

"Sorry," Miriam could hear the smile in Caroline's voice. "August thought calling you wouldn't work, but he was wrong!"

"Never let a guy tell you that your ideas won't work, Care," Miriam grinned tiredly. "What's up?"

"What's up?! You got kidnapped by Klaus, that's what's up!"

"Is it kidnapping if he saved me from those witches and vampires? And it's not like he held a gun to my head. And he certainly didn't take my phone away. How could he? He doesn't have opposable thumbs."

"But- hey!"

Miriam moved the phone away from her ear as what sounded like a fight broke out on Caroline's side of the call.

"Caroline, let him have the phone," August's annoyed voice said.

Caroline let out a whine, but must have given the phone over, because the next voice was male.

"Vorgyðja."

Miriam's heart lurched in her chest. "Elijah! You're alright!"

"I am perfectly fine, dear one. How are you?" The worry is evident in his tone.

"I'm fine, really. Klaus took me to the middle of nowhere. He's gone right now, and I'm currently sitting in a cave."

"Are there any identifying markers that you can see?"

"I mean, there's a tree that looks like the Eiffel tower, but other than that, no. I'm not even sure how long Klaus ran before stopping, or how fast he was going."

August's voice cut in. "Put it on speaker, Elijah." There was a click, and then, "Miriam! We just found you by doing a location spell; you're in West Virginia, in the George Washington National Forest."

"We are leaving now, vorgyðja, but it will take us three hours by car," Elijah said.

"What if we run?" Caroline suggested.

Miriam blanched. "No running. I've thrown up once already. I don't care if it takes you three days to get here; I'm not riding on the back of another supernatural creature. I'm not Bella Swan; I don't find that shit fun."

A male voice Miriam had never heard before asked, "Who is Bella Swan?"

"Ooh! We should go see the next movie!" Caroline exclaimed. "It comes out in a couple of months!"

"Focus, young Caroline. Miriam, we will bring a car. I will see you soon," Elijah said.

"Bye," she replied, and reluctantly hung up.

Miriam had three hours before Elijah arrived. Klaus was still nowhere to be found. She felt like a kid lost in a mall, waiting for their parents to find them.

Well, she thought as optimistically as she could, mind as well take another nap.

Miriam dreamed.

The dream wasn't like one of the dreams she shared with her mates; it was a true, non-fantastical dream complete with odd details. She was back home, in Arizona (though it was snowing, but also the 4th of July. Dreams could be very weird). She was surrounded by family members, even her black sheep uncle and his wife and kids. Her mates were there, and also Rebekah and Freya (and also the cast from Hamilton). Everyone was talking and laughing and eating. Freya, Finn, Elijah, and Rebekah were casually playing a game of corn hole. Klaus was talking to her uncle about art and Kol was chasing the kids around. There was no animosity between any of the Originals. They were enjoying each other's company without the threat of nefarious schemes and troublesome plots.

There were aspects of the dream that were wacky (apparently dream Lin-Manuel Miranda could make a mean potato salad), but the core emotion was contentment. They were all welcome and wanted in each others' lives. There was love between them all.

It was a silly dream, but Miriam wanted the feelings to come true. She wanted her mates to get along, and for there to be no enemies to threaten their joy. She wanted to enjoy time with her new family and play lawn games. She wanted a peace that would last.

She also wanted the recipe for that potato salad…

Miriam was jolted out of her nap by voices. Not bothering to check the time on her phone- because how could it not be Elijah and the others?- Miriam jumped up and ran out of the cave. She was excited to go home and take a shower and eat something. She pushed past a couple of large bushes that blocked her vision of the people approaching. She stopped short when she realized that the voices belonged to two men in hunting gear and not Elijah and August.

The two men hadn't spotted her yet; they were too busy examining the forest floor. Miriam looked where they were looking and spied several of Klaus's werewolf footprints in the soft ground.

"Joe, these tracks can't be from a bear," the first man said.

"Well, the tracks can't be from a wolf; wolves ain't this big," the second man, Joe, replied.

"I know how big wolves are, but what else can they be? Look at the shape of them!"

"But-Duggan! Look!"

Joe had finally noticed Miriam.

"Girl, what are you doing way out here, dressed like that?" the first man, Duggan, asked.

She stood there awkwardly, not sure what to say. The truth would sound ludicrous to them, but she couldn't think of a lie elegant enough to explain both her clothing (pajamas and a fancy men's coat were not exactly proper hiking attire) and why she was in the middle of nowhere.

"Are you okay?" the other man, Joe, asked; his voice was kinder and gentler than his friend's.

Not knowing what to say, Miriam just nodded. The two men slowly approached, but gave her plenty of room to make her still feel safe. The gruffer, older man, Duggan, was examining her like she's a freak, which, while valid, made her want to stick her tongue out at him.

"Did you escape from somewhere?" the gruff man asked.

"Is someone chasing you?" the kind man wanted to know.

Miriam was about to open her mouth and spew utter bullshit when she noticed the bushes behind the two men moving. Klaus, still in his werewolf form, stalked out of the greenery. His gold eyes were locked onto the backs of the hunters. Miriam knew his expressions well enough by now to know that he wasn't going to cheerfully play with the men like he had with her earlier.

"Oh, no!" she gasped.

Both men spun around to see what she was staring at. Duggan swore and they both scrambled back.

"What the hell is that?!" Duggan cursed. He fumbled for the rifle on his back.

"Get back, girl!" Joe grabbed Miriam's arm and pulled her further away.

The second the man touched Miriam Klaus let out a loud growl. Duggan had finally managed to get his gun in position. Without hesitation he began to shoot. Miriam screamed and tried to rush forward, but Joe hooked an arm around her torso and began to drag her away.

"No! Stop! He'll kill you both!" Miriam protested, and struggled in the man's hold.

"Stop wigglin', girl! We need to get away!"

Klaus wasn't even phased by the bullets. They just seemed to make him angry. He let out a furious roar and pounced on Duggan, pinning the hunter to the ground on his back. The man didn't have enough time to even yell before Klaus's massive teeth tore his head clear off.

Miriam let out a horrified yell and Joe shouted in agony as his friend was brutally killed in front of him. For a moment, nothing in the forest moved. Miriam and Joe were frozen in shock. Both were staring at the bleeding, headless body. Klaus stood over the body, his great chest rising up and down with each breath. His snout was bloody and his eyes were bright with bloodlust.

"Ohmygod!" Miriam swore.

Her words seemed to break the spell. Klaus looked at her briefly before focusing on Joe. He growled, and the sound vibrated in Miriam's bones.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Joe suddenly released Miriam and fumbled for his gun. When he let her go, she lost her balance and fell to the ground. She was able to catch herself with her hands, but she could feel small rocks and twigs cutting the delicate flesh of her palms.

Above her Joe was rapidly firing his gun at Klaus, who was snarling. Miriam knew what was going to happen next, so she just ducked her head and tried not to cry.

The sounds of Klaus tearing Joe apart would haunt her for years.

After that, everything was silent. Miriam reluctantly lifted her head and found that Klaus was once again gone. In his wake was absolute carnage. Pieces of both men littered the ground. Nausea overcame Miriam and she vomited what little remained in her stomach onto the ground in front of her.

She stumbled to her feet. She had to get away from all the destruction. Leaving the area wasn't her brightest idea, but all she knew was that she had to get away, away, away.

Miriam staggered away from the horrible site. She tripped over tree roots and rocks until her feet hurt. Tears (of frustration, exhaustion, and helplessness) blurred her vision. She continued moving through the greenery until she tripped for a final time and fell to her hands and knees.

If her hands hadn't been torn up before, they definitely were now. But Miriam welcomed the pain, because it made her stop and think.

She needed to call Elijah.

Miriam dug around in the coat pocket for the cell phone. When she pulled it out she saw the time. Elijah and the others were a half an hour away. She wished they were there now.

"Please pick up, please pick up," she whispered as the phone rang.

He answered Caroline's phone on the third ring. "Vorgyðja?"

"I left the cave," Miriam said, and promptly burst into tears.

It took several minutes of deep breathing and sweet talking from Elijah for her to calm down. Once that happened, he gently encouraged her to tell him what was the matter.

"A couple of hunters followed Klaus's tracks back to the cave. I thought they were you, so I left," she sniffled. "And then Klaus came back and killed them. Elijah, it was so brutal!"

"Are you hurt?"

"No." Werewolf Klaus had proven that he wouldn't hurt her intentionally. Even when he was high off his bloodlust he never threatened her. In fact, she hadn't even been scared for herself when he had attacked the hunters. No, fear was not the dominant emotion she was feeling right then. "But I should have done more to stop him from killing them."

"You are not responsible for the actions of my brother, regardless of whether or not he is your mate," Elijah said firmly.

"But-"

"Dear one, you are not Atlas. The only weight on your shoulders should be your own actions."

Miriam nodded, though she knew he couldn't see her. "Okay."

"Okay. We are relatively close to your position now."

"That's good. Um, do you have any food with you?"

"Unfortunately not."

That was unfortunate. She was hungry and thirsty. "Do you at least have a first aid kit in the car?"

The noise on Elijah's end of the call went silent.

"Are you injured?" Elijah asked carefully.

"Yeah, my hands and knees are all scraped up," Miriam said as she examined the hand that wasn't holding the phone. "I know vampire blood heals wounds, but I'd like to clean them out first."

"That is it, Elijah!" a different male voice shouted so loud that Miriam could hear him through the phone. "Stop the vehicle!"

"Kol! Come back!"

"What's happening?" Miriam asked nervously.

Elijah sighed. "We are running to you. August will follow in the car. I will see you in a handful of minutes, vorgyðja."

"Okay," Miriam said before the phone call ended on Elijah's side.

Miriam knew Elijah was coming, but she still jumped when he appeared several yards away. He wasn't alone. Caroline was with him, and so was June. Both blonde vampires looked worse for wear. Caroline was still wearing her pajamas from the night before and June's clothes were muddy and bloody. They looked tired and tense.

And the two women weren't the only ones with Elijah. Two male vampires and a female vampire were also there. The woman was blonde and tall, and held herself with an elegance that only the older vampires had. She was young in appearance; she had probably been turned when she was around Caroline's age. Next to her were the two male vampires. One man looked older, like he was closer to thirty. The other man was easily younger by a decade. Both men highly resembled each other and Elijah, with their dark hair and dark eyes.

No named character from The Vampire Diaries universe looked exactly like their actor from the show. Miriam had figured this out in the two years she had been living in the universe. Characters who were supposed to be young (and not twenty-something actors), like Jeremy and Caroline, actually looked like teenagers. They had acne and bad fashion and messy hair. Their faces still held baby fat (Caroline, unlike the actress who played her, would forever be seventeen. Her body had frozen in time, and would remain the same forever). However, despite the differences, Miriam could still identify people who were pivotal to the plot. So while it was surprising to see Finn, Kol, and Rebekah in front of her, she could recognize them.

Happiness for Elijah filled her heart. He had so wanted to reunite with his siblings, and she was glad that the tip for the location of the coffins had been correct. Miriam hoped that the huge change in the timeline meant that not all her decisions were crappy.

She smiled and stood up. "Hi."

The Mikaelson siblings- minus Elijah- eyed her like she was an oddity. There was a strange energy in the air that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Elijah's attention was split between her and the brother that had to be Kol. All three brothers were radiating tension, and Miriam could see Elijah's fingers twitching, like he was about to grab something (Miriam hoped that something wasn't her, because if she gets moved at vampire speed one more time she will lose it).

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Ignoring the obvious tension, Caroline sped over and bear-hugged Miriam. "I've got to say, I'm not fond of Klaus as a werewolf. My vampire instincts go crazy, and I hate it. It's like there's a sign flashing 'danger!' repeatedly in my head. It's not a fun feeling. Would not recommend it."

Over Caroline's shoulder Miriam could see June suppressing a smile.

"I cannot believe you actually went with him!" Caroline pulled away from the hug only to grasp Miriam by the shoulders. "You're, like, insane. You know that, right?"

"I'm not the one talking about animal instincts," Miriam teased lightly.

Caroline narrowed her eyes playfully. "Well… you're wearing pajamas!"

"So are you!" Miriam laughed.

A throat cleared pointedly. Caroline moved to Miriam's side as the other vampires moved closer. June hovered on the edge of the group, watching the Mikaelsons like they were feral dogs about to attack.

Kol moved closer, and Miriam made eye-contact with him. His eyes were wild and dark and they bore into hers. A shiver ran through her body, as if someone had doused her with ice water. Once the feeling passed, she felt normal again. Having been through this exact experience twice before, Miriam knew that Kol was her third mate.

Elijah's hope that both of his daggered siblings would be Miriam's last two mates flashed through her mind. Heart beating wildly, she looked over at Finn, who was staring intently at her. His eyes were dark as well, but they held less wildness. The same icy, shocking feeling swept through her body.

Miriam swayed on her feet. So Elijah had been right. All four Mikaelson brothers were her mates.

Overwhelmed, Miriam opened her arms and pleaded, "Elijah."

He rushed over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Vorgyðja. I am here."

"It's been a long, shitty night," she said into his neck.

"I know. But you are safe now."

A throat cleared impatiently. "Are you going to introduce us, brother?"

Elijah reluctantly pulled away from her. "Of course, Kol. Miriam, this is Kol, my youngest brother."

"Hello. It's nice to meet you," Miriam smiled at him and stuck her hand out for a handshake (she felt slightly strange, offering a handshake to a person who was destined to be a part of her life, but it was the polite thing to do).

Kol grabbed her hand and abruptly twisted it. The cuts and scrapes on her palm were now visible to everyone. Kol growled low in his throat.

"My bastard brother is a horrible guardian," he snarled. He brought his own wrist to his mouth and bit into it. Before Miriam could even react, he had shoved the bleeding limb into her mouth. She gagged as blood filled her mouth and instinctively swallowed. The blood slid down her throat and began to heal her hands and knees. Her hunger even dimmed, and her headache lessened.

Miriam appreciated the healing, but did not appreciate being man-handled. Once Kol released her- stupid vampires and their stupid super-strength getting in the way of her agency- she glared at him.

"I understand you just woke up from a nap which spanned decades, but I am fairly certain that even in 1914 it was frowned upon to force your will on others," Miriam crossed her arms and frowned at the vampire in front of her.

Kol just grinned. "Oh, I think we shall get along splendidly, love."

"Brother dear, as always, your charms leave something to be desired," Rebekah drawled. She shoved Kol to the side and took his place in front of Miriam. "Elijah. Introduce me to your mate."

Though she was younger (physically) than Miriam, Rebekah towered over her. The blonde Original was tall and willowy, and very, very pretty. She didn't have June's sharp bone structure or Caroline's large and innocent eyes. No, her face was rounded with youth and her eyes had lost their innocence many centuries ago. But Rebekah Mikaelson was striking in an unconventional way. Her teenage body had the grace of an adult woman. Even though she wore clothes that must have been borrowed, she held herself with confidence and courage. Her blue eyes held ancient wisdom and a millennia of experience. Her blonde hair shone like gold in the morning light and gave her an angelic look that was unfortunately ruined by the suspicion in her eyes.

"Rebekah, this is Miriam, my mate. Be nice," Elijah warned.

Rebekah shot him a look that said 'no promises'.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Rebekah. I have heard a lot about you from Elijah," Miriam smiled at the youngest Mikaelson.

"Oh, really?" Rebekah sniffed.

"Yes. I've heard several funny childhood stories that I would love to hear from your side."

"Like what?"

Miriam gave a sly look to Elijah. "Well, I heard about an incident with an unfortunate squirrel and a bed-"

Elijah cleared his throat loudly. "We can save the childhood tales for later. Finn, come meet Miriam."

The older man walked over. Unlike Rebekah and Kol, who held themselves with an abundance of confidence, this brother seemed to be reluctant to take up space. He tugged on his clothes self-consciously. Despite his nervous exterior, his eyes held excitement and wonder. He was afraid to express it, but he was happy to be walking on solid ground and breathing air.

Miriam smiled softly at him, not wanting to overwhelm him. "Hi."

He returned the smile but didn't speak. The smile transformed his face, making him appear younger and lighter. Now that Miriam had seen most of the Mikaelson siblings, she could see the familial resemblance. Finn, Elijah, and Kol all had the same hair and eye color. They all shared similar jaw lines. Klaus and Rebekah heavily resembled each other. They shared the same hair and eye color and thinner builds than their siblings. Miriam also noticed smaller details, like how Rebekah, Klaus, and Kol shared the same smile and Finn and Elijah had the same nose.

"Due to being in a coffin for nine centuries, Finn cannot speak modern English," Elijah told Miriam. "He can understand you; apparently when we are daggered we share memories. He can understand all the languages Niklaus, Kol, Rebekah, and I speak, he just has the unfortunate affliction of not being able to speak in any of those languages."

This was completely different from the TV show, but Miriam thought it made sense. Finn had been trapped away from civilization for 900 years, and in that time languages had evolved. Countries were founded. Empires fell. New religions were born. New technologies were invented. Those were the big differences, but there were millions of small changes that Finn would have to get used to, like new holidays. Or the new materials that clothes were now made from. Finn had so much to learn and so much to experience; Miriam was equal parts excited for him and overwhelmed for him.

"It's nice to meet you, Finn," Miriam said to the eldest Mikaelson brother and her newest mate.

He smiled at her and responded in a language that rolled and dipped in a way that Miriam had never heard of before. The words were a combination of German sounds, Swedish sounds, and sounds unique to Miriam's ears. She hadn't spent much time around people who spoke languages other than English and Spanish (and other Spanish dialects and Portuguese, though those languages she didn't hear as frequently); her childhood neighborhood had been decidedly Mexican and the city in general had been predominantly English-speaking. During her adolescence Miriam had been heavily encouraged by every adult in her life to speak English, so it had only been in the past couple of years that she had reconnected with her second language. Spanish had always taken a backseat to English, but she couldn't imagine the feeling of waking up and knowing the only people in the world who could understand her were her estranged siblings. She didn't envy Finn's new reality.

"He says that it is nice to meet you, too," Rebecca translated, though by the look that her brother shot her, that hadn't been all he had said.

"He also said that he has waited a long time for you," Kol said, and stepped closer, his eyes intense. "So have I."

Miriam's gut reaction was to step back, away from the intensity in Kol's eyes and his stance. She had never been one for retreating. Sure, she had never bulldozed through life, unafraid of consequences or adventure. Miriam had been the kid who tested the pool water before slowly walking in. She was hesitant, cautious, and terrified of being wrong, though she understood that her past actions (like helping Damon and Rose with werewolf Jules or goading Brady into hurting her instead of Caroline) might speak against her. Even so, she had never had a (non-creepy) man look at her the way Kol was looking at her. Klaus was reluctantly interested, and Elijah was letting her set the pace in their relationship. But Kol… Kol had fire burning in his eyes.

Luckily, Miriam was saved from having to interact with the wildest of the Mikaelsons by the sound of bushes rustling nearby. All the vampires were immediately on edge, and Caroline groaned, "Noooo."

"What?" Miriam demanded, but just found herself behind Kol as he and the others faced whatever was coming.

Miriam peered around Kol's torso just in time to watch Klaus- still in his werewolf form- emerge from the bushes. In the light of day he was just as fearsome as he was during the night, but without the shadows he seemed less of a mythical beast and more of a real being. His snout and mouth were free of blood but dark with a wetness that Miriam hoped was water. His golden eyes were narrowed as he examined his siblings. The air became thick with anticipation.

"Brother," Elijah said, and proved to be the bravest of the Mikaelson siblings by slowly walking to Klaus's enormous form. "So good of you to join us."

With only slight hesitation, Elijah lifted his hand and placed it on Klaus's neck. After a long moment, Klaus closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. Some of the worry drained from Miriam.

"Nik… is that you?" Rebekah asked in awe. She moved closer, but stopped when Klaus's eyes snapped open. "You've finally done it. After all these years."

Klaus's eyes went soft at her words, but hardened when Finn also approached. The eldest brother rattled off a small speech in their mother tongue. Miriam had no idea what he was saying, but she could tell that whatever he said made the tension in both Klaus and Elijah lessen. Rebekah added something in the same language. Miriam looked at June, who seemed to be tracking along with the Mikaelsons' conversation.

"Enough," Kol barked, his words now in English. "We can congratulate our doggy brother later. Right now we need to get Miriam out of these woods."

Klaus growled at the insult and Elijah frowned. "I was going to stay with Niklaus for as long as he remains a werewolf."

"You can do that, but Finn and I will be taking her back to civilization."

"I don't trust you not to abscond with her," Elijah said tightly, his mouth in a firm line.

"And I will not allow you to drag her across this forest," Kol retorted. "She needs food and shelter, and you cannot take care of her if you are following Nik."

Finn said something in their language which made Elijah nod thoughtfully and Kol to immediately disagree: "No! Brother, that is the last thing I want to do!"

"Finn suggests a good compromise," Rebekah noted.

"Compromise means that both sides lose," Kol snapped at his sister. "I do not want to spend my first day as a free man trapezing through a forest with my least favorite brothers."

"If you come with Niklaus and I, and Finn stays with Miriam, both pairs are partially satisfied," Elijah said. "I can keep an eye on you, and Finn will not kidnap Miriam without you there to be a negative influence."

"Negative influence?!"

The siblings began to squabble in their native tongue again.

"So are they your mates too?" Caroline asked Miriam as the Mikaelsons argued. "Because they were talking about it on the way here, but I didn't want to ask questions. The car ride was tense, let me tell you."

"Yeah, both Finn and Kol are my mates," Miriam confirmed. The words tasted weird on her tongue. She had finally met all of her soulmates, and they happened to be estranged brothers. They were brothers, and they were currently arguing with each other. Mikaelson arguments usually ended up with someone daggered, so she wasn't keen on jumping in. She also wasn't sure exactly what they were arguing about, only that Kol was vehemently against whatever Finn had suggested.

Caroline looked pensive at the confirmation that Miriam was, in fact, mated to the four Mikaelson brothers. "If vampires were capable of, ya know, and you got pregnant Donna-style with multiple potential baby daddies, how do you think you would figure out the father? Like, I get that you would know the father if the baby comes out wearing a three-piece suit, but other than that, how would you tell? Besides blond Klaus, they all look so similar."

Miriam let out a genuine laugh. "Well, first off, I'm fairly certain that the baby would come out brown like me, so that's a moot point."

June moved closer to them and piped up, "They would be able to smell the baby's parentage in the baby's blood. Theoretically."

Caroline pouted. "That's no fun."

June shrugged, a small smile on her lips. "It's the truth."

"Oh! Miriam, did you know that June's real name isn't June?"

"I mean, I kind of assumed it was a fake name? Because June and August are both months of the year."

"Oh… I didn't make that connection. Anyway! Rebekah and the others apparently knew her hundreds of years ago."

"Really?" Miriam looked at June, who nodded.

"Us old-timers have probably all met each other at least once," June informed them. "Our lives are so long and we need to move around so often that we naturally come across each other. Kol has always been close to witches; so have I. As a result, we've interacted several times throughout the course of our long lives. I have also met the other Originals over the years. We are not strangers to each other."

"Gotcha," Miriam's head was spinning from the revelation that June knew the Mikaelsons. "Can I ask what your real name is?"

"Of course. I've gone by many names over the centuries, but the one I was born with was-"

"Enough!"

Miriam's attention snapped back to the Mikaelsons. Rebekah had jumped in front of Kol, who had lunged for Elijah. Klaus was growling and Finn looked fed-up with the actions of his youngest brother.

"You are acting like children!" Rebekah shouted at her brothers. "Kol, Finn's suggestion is the best option for everyone at the moment. Nik, stop posturing, it's not helping the situation."

"What's happening?" Miriam asked hesitantly.

Rebekah turned to her, a satisfied smile on her pretty face. "Kol will be accompanying Elijah and Nik as Nik enjoys his first day as a full Hybrid. Finn and I will return with you to your home. Is the plan agreeable to you?"

Rebekah's tone made it clear that she didn't care if Miriam liked the plan or not, so Miriam just nodded. Miriam didn't want to rock the boat.

Klaus left Elijah's side and made his way over to Miriam. June and Caroline both backed away as the werewolf got closer. Klaus stared at Miriam for a long moment before his tongue lolled out of his mouth and licked her from chin to forehead. Caroline snickered and June let out a surprised laugh.

"Yuck!" Miriam jumped back and furiously wiped at her face. "Eww! I know where that tongue has been tonight. Not cool, Klaus."

Werewolves couldn't smile, but Klaus's eyes were bright with mirth. As he walked away he flicked his tail and hit Miriam in the face. She sputtered as her mouth filled with hair. Caroline laughed out loud as Miriam glared at Klaus's retreating form and picked hair out of her mouth.

"Vorgyðja, we are leaving now," Elijah and Kol approached Miriam. Elijah made a move to kiss Miriam's forehead, but thought better of it (her forehead was still wet with werewolf spit). Instead he grabbed her hands and pressed a kiss into the back of each of her hands.

"Stay safe and don't let him be too noticeable," Miriam said. She wasn't stupid; she knew that Klaus was going to spend the next few days killing unfortunate humans. All she could hope for was Elijah's sense of restraint and Klaus's willingness to listen to his older brother.

"I will do my best," Elijah promised, and then he stepped aside.

Kol took his place. "Once we return, you and I will spend more time together, Miri."

"Miri?" She hadn't heard her childhood nickname in a long time.

"Yes," he smirked. "Is that alright?"

"Yeah, I think it is," a slow smile spread across her face.

"If you weren't covered in dog slobber, I'd kiss you, love," Kol declared. He settled and kissed the top of her head before speeding away. Elijah followed.

Three of the Mikaelsons were now gone.

"Alright, folks, let's return to civilization," Caroline clapped her hands.

"Yes, please. I'd really like to take a shower," Miriam practically begged.

"August and the car are ten miles west," June warned. "We're too deep into the woods for him to reach us."

Miriam made a face. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Someone's going to have to carry me, aren't they?" Miriam sighed and pressed her fingers into her temples.

"Like a tired child at Disneyland," June smirked. Miriam stuck her tongue out at her in response.

A slight cough caught Miriam's attention. Finn was standing next to her, a hesitant but hopeful look in his dark eyes.

"Yes, you can carry me, but just be aware that sudden stops are not good for my stomach," Miriam cautioned.

Finn nodded and bent down. In a flash, Miriam was in his arms and they were off. Being carried at super speed during the day, when the light illuminated every object they passed, made her stomach flip. Miriam pressed her head into Finn's neck so she couldn't see the trees whiz past them.

Luckily, for Miriam's remaining dignity, Finn gradually slowed to a stop. When she opened her eyes she saw that all the other vampires had beaten them to August and the car. Finn gently set Miriam down and only let go of her once she had her feet under her.

"Hey, nature girl," August greeted, a cheeky look on his face.

Miriam flipped him off. "It's been a looong day, Aug."

"I've got water bottles and some fruit and sandwiches in a cooler in the back," he wheedled.

Her eyes lit up. "You're awesome!"

"I know," he grinned.

After what was technically breakfast (it was about ten in the morning), they all climbed into the car. Miriam and Caroline crawled into the back row, Finn and Rebekah claimed the middle row, and June and August had the front seats. In no time they were on the road back to Mystic Falls.

Miriam shucked off Elijah's coat and balled it up to use as a pillow. The once beautiful and elegant piece of clothing now had mud, blood, and other unappealing fluids on it, but Miriam didn't care. Completely exhausted emotionally and physically, she fell asleep within ten minutes.

FINN'S POV

It took them three hours to reach the dwelling that his mate was currently living in. During those three hours Finn split his attention between his sleeping mate and the witch and vampire that had been in charge of his mate's safety.

In the front seats, the witch and the vampire were talking in low voices about the security of the house. The male witch mentioned other witches who were, at that moment, fortifying the house with more protection spells.

The conversation was interesting, but Finn's attention was diverted to his sleeping mate.

His mate was curled next to the young vampire in the seats behind Finn and Rebekah. His human and the young vampire were different in almost every way: height, coloring, hair texture, personality, and diet, but Finn could tell by how they gravitated towards each other that they were soul-bonded. He was glad that his mate had a sister to depend on; he understood the difference in need between a lover and a sibling. The girl could give his mate companionship that he and his brothers could not. His only worry was how young the vampire girl was. The vampire youth were not known for their restraint.

"I made sure that she drank some blood before we left," the vampire woman, June, said in Finn's native tongue. She was driving the carriage but was looking in the small mirror to watch what was happening behind her. "We rarely allow Caroline near Miriam when she's hungry. We've been busy with other tasks, but now that Klaus has completed his transformation, I can concentrate on teaching Caroline. I plan on focusing on her self-control next."

Finn nodded. "Self-control is vital. But I assume that she already has a high level of self-control."

"That she does," June agreed. "Some humans take to vampirism better than others. Luckily for Caroline, she has embraced her transformation."

"That is good for her. I did not react well," Finn admitted.

"Many don't," June shrugged. "Vampirism did not come naturally to me as it does Caroline, but I asked for it, so I forced myself to become proficient at every aspect of our nature."

"I always thought that crazy bitch Aurora turned you by force! Why on earth would you willingly give up your humanity?" Rebekah demanded.

Finn winced. He knew that his little sister still mourned the loss of a human life that their wretched parents took from her. Rebekah had always wanted a family. She had a big heart, and it had nearly broken Finn's to watch Rebekah's heart slowly grow hard to the world. Even then, there were gaping cracks in her hardened heart. Rebekah longed for love, and thanks to their brother, she had been denied each and every time she let someone in.

"I gave up my human form for three reasons: Autonomy. Protection. Freedom," June said calmly. "I spent my human childhood watching my older sisters get married to callus, evil men. One sister had a husband who beat her for every perceived offense. She could not bear the pain, so she jumped into the ocean. Another sister had a husband who demanded child after child from her tired body. She gave birth to seven healthy girls, but he still got her pregnant again and again in pursuit of a male heir. She died in the birthing bed. Yet another sister had a husband who preferred the company of men; she was the luckiest amongst us, for he left her to her own devices.

"When my parents married me to a man three times my age, I wept for days. The man was wealthy in gold and in cruelty. I was his fifth wife. The other four had died from childbirth or disease- though there were rumors that he had killed at least one of them- and I was left to rear a dozen children who were not my own. I was only sixteen. His oldest child was twice my age and she constantly mocked me. I spent ten years with that awful man and his awful family. When Aurora Martel visited our court she offered me a way to escape my life, and I accepted.

"I understand that you may view being a vampire as a prison. But you have to understand that, for me, this life is a freedom. I am strong now. I can protect myself and people like my poor sisters. I can make my own decisions and even compel humans to agree to my decisions. I can travel and make friends and allies all over the world. I can have a lover who wants me for me, not because of the land I come with or the heir that I could provide."

"But… children," Rebekah protested.

"Children don't have to come from our bodies to be our children," June pointed out. "I have two children, both of whom were born to other women. They chose me and I chose them."

"Sister," Finn said softly, "the life you want may not look like the life you envisioned when you were a girl. But you can still have a life filled with love. Love is still a possibility."

"We have lost so much," Rebekah whispered.

"I agree. But we can gain so much more than what we have lost. Please, sister. Do not give up hope yet."

"It is funny," Rebekah mused sadly, "that even after all this time, I do still have hope. I have hope that someday someone will love me. I have hope that Nik will allow me my happiness. I have hope that our family will be whole. Am I a fool for having hope?"

"You are no more a fool than I," Finn replied. "I share many of your hopes."

"And a few different ones, I assume. We will start on your English lessons soon, so that you may communicate with your mate."

"Communication is the least of my worries," Finn admitted. "I worry about our brothers. Kol holds a tremendous amount of anger over being daggered. To be honest, so do I. I am unsure if Elijah's willingness to mend fences can overpower our feuding."

"I will help you as much as I can," Rebekah promised.

Finally, the group reached the home. The two girls in the back woke up as the car came to a stop. They all climbed out and the humans stretched their legs.

"Where is Jeremy and Bonnie?" Miriam asked as they walked into the empty house. August had invited the remaining Mikaelsons into the house earlier that morning, before they left to retrieve Miriam.

"Jeremy went back home to Jenna and Elena and Bonnie went to go check on the Salvatores," August answered. "Greta has been given strict instructions to keep the Gilberts at the house for the next couple of days until things die down. Most of the people who came to watch Klaus's transformation left early this morning, but there are some stragglers that might cause trouble. Just to be safe, Maddox and the Martins are gathering more supplies from the other house, and then they're going to help me reestablish the protection spells around the farmhouse."

"Gotcha. Are there any immediate threats we have to deal with?"

"Nope."

"Awesome. I'm going to go take the longest shower ever," Miriam declared. She smiled shyly at Finn before disappearing into a bedroom. Caroline went upstairs to wash up as well, and August and June gravitated into the living room, but Finn and Rebekah went outside. There was furniture in the backyard that the two siblings settled on.

Finn sat back in his chair, his face tilted towards the sun. The heat on his face was almost too much, especially after years in a dark coffin, but he endured. He had longed for the sensation of the sun on his face for centuries, and he could tell that Rebekah felt the same way. She was in a similar position as his; her face towards the sun.

"Besides the lost years, there are two things I always miss: the sun and talking," Rebekah said softly. Her eyes were closed and she barely moved her lips as she spoke. "I have never told Elijah or Nik this, but after being undaggered, I always spend my first free time in the sun. And then I rejoin society and talk to as many people as I can."

"That was the last time we will ever spend in a coffin, I promise, sister," Finn swore.

Rebekah opened her eyes and turned her face to him. Her face, for once, was open and expressive. She allowed her vulnerability to show on her youthful face. "Can you truly promise me such a thing?"

Her eyes, blue like Freya's, pulled at his heart. He wondered if his beloved sister would have grown up to look like Rebekah. He, Elijah, and Kol all looked remarkably similar. Would Freya and Rebekah have looked similar? Or would Freya's blonde hair have darkened with age? Would she have adjusted to being a vampire better than him? He did not know the answers to his questions, but he could answer his sister's questions.

"I can vow to do my best to convince Niklaus to open his heart to us. I can promise you that if you are daggered again, I will do my best to bring you back to the world. If I can help it, none of us will ever spend centuries in a box again."

"I am sorry, you know," she said after a couple of minutes of silence. "About you being daggered for so long. Every time I brought it up, Nik would threaten me or convince me that being daggered was better for you. You were so melancholy after the loss of your family, and you so hated being a vampire. I was afraid that if I let you out, you would kill yourself. I didn't want to lose any more family."

"All the blame for my lengthy daggering is on Niklaus's shoulders," he said, and he meant it. He did not blame Rebekah or Kol or even Elijah. Truthfully, to some extent, he didn't even blame Klaus. Finn knew that his self-righteous, suicidal behavior had grated on all of his siblings. Finn was also aware that he had never been the favorite sibling. He had been too old to connect to Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik. He had only been seventeen when he married Yrsa and started his own family. At the time, Elijah had been thirteen, Klaus had been ten, Kol had been seven years old, Rebekah had only been five, and Henrik hadn't even been born yet. Even though he had continued to live in the same village, the difference in life stages separated him from the youngest siblings. And Elijah and Klaus had always been so close to each other that they hadn't ever thought to include their brother. At the time, Finn hadn't cared that his little brothers left him out of the majority of their games. He had been too busy placating Mikael.

Their horrible father had taken out all of his frustrations on Finn. Mikael had beaten Finn for any perceived wrong-doing. If Finn behaved too childishly, he was beaten. If he made a mistake while hunting, he was made to go without food. If his chores were not completed in a timely manner, Mikael doubled his chores for the next day. Finn knew that his father lamented the fact that the plague avoided Finn but took his precious Freya; Mikael told him often enough that he should have been the one that died. Even with the knowledge of his father's pain, Finn hated the man. Once he came of age, Finn courted Yrsa quickly, and married her as soon as was socially acceptable. The relief of knowing that he was no longer under his father's thumb had been blissful.

Klaus had suffered from Finn leaving. Mikael had never favored his bastard son (even before knowing that he was a bastard), but his hatefulness had grown after Finn had left. Finn had watched from afar as his brother took his place as their father's least favorite.

If he could go back in time and change things, he would. The second he could hold his father's sword he should have gutted the hateful, cruel man. Finn could have spared himself and his siblings years of torment. He could have been a savior to his siblings, instead of a sanctimonious nag.

"What is your plan?" Rebekah asked as they watched large fluffy clouds drift across the blue sky.

"What plan?"

"I'm not a fool, Finn. I know you have a plan. You are allied with Kol, of all people."

"I do not want to alienate Elijah or Niklaus, but if Klaus decides that he does not want to make our situation work, then Kol and I are going to do everything we can to keep our mate from Klaus's toxicity. I don't want to fight, but I will if I have to. I know that Kol is hell-bent on revenge, but I am hoping that the combination of Elijah's influence and Miriam's presence will settle him. He truly wants to build a relationship with Miriam, but he also wants to see Klaus punished."

"Going up against Klaus, especially now that he's a Hybrid, is futile," Rebekah said. "Kol will get himself daggered or worse. I haven't seen Nik with this Miriam girl, but I highly doubt our insecure brother would let other men challenge him in front of his woman."

"If I can help it, there will be no challenges."

"That is quite a feat, brother."

"I know," he sighed. "My tentative plan is to first lessen Kol's anger. After that has been accomplished, we will then work to mend fences with Klaus and Elijah. Only then can the four of us pursue a relationship with Miriam."

"I don't envy your task," Rebekah shook her head. "Our family has never been functional."

"No," Finn agreed. "But I am praying that our future does not have to be a repeat of our past. I know that we will still argue and fight, but I also hope that we will communicate and forgive each other after those fights."

"You are just as much of an optimist and romantic as I am," Rebekah pointed out with a smile.

"I guess I am," he grinned at her.

"I like this new version of you," Rebekah declared. "You used to drone on and on about morality and other dull topics."

"I have seen the error of my ways and I have begun to heal from all the trauma I have experienced, though I cannot promise I won't drone on about other dull topics," he teased.

"As long as those topics don't include how all vampires are destined for hell, I'm fine with listening to you for a couple of minutes," Rebekah smirked.

As he talked with Rebekah, Finn realized that reconnecting with his siblings wouldn't be the impossible task that he had originally believed it would be. There would be hurdles they would need to get past, like Kol's anger and Klaus's paranoia. But Finn's amicable conversation with Rebekah gave him the belief that they could reconcile. For the first time in hundreds of years the Mikaelson siblings would be reunited.

Finn was truly looking forward to it.

Several hours of talking passed. Rebekah caught him up on world history, or at least what she believed he should know about the world. She informed him of groundbreaking realizations that humanity had during his involuntary nap, such as the fact that the earth was flat and how vast it ended up being. They discussed the prominent world religions and which countries currently held the most power. There was still roughly one hundred years of history that Rebekah was ignorant of, but Finn was sure that intelligent Elijah would help him fill in the gaps. Finn knew he was going to have to spend a lot of time re-learning about the world and everything in it, but with Rebekah walking him through historical events with dramatic, sarcastic, and enthusiastic commentary, the mountain of information he would have to climb didn't seem so daunting.

Neither Finn nor Rebekah noticed the time passing until Miriam came out of the house. Her hair was loose and still damp from her shower. She was wearing fresh clothes and wore a tired but engaging smile.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour," she told them. She claimed an empty chair across from the siblings. "June is preparing a simple meal that she thought that you would recognize, Finn."

"Has human food changed much in the last one hundred years?" Rebekah asked.

"I mean, I think so, but ask June if you want confirmation; I don't really know about the history of food," Miriam apologized.

"The food has probably drastically changed in one hundred years. From experience, I've learned that humans are never content with one type of food; they are always inventing new cuisines," Rebekah advised Finn.

"That's probably fair. But it'll be okay. We will all help you acclimate to the 21st century," Miriam assured both siblings. "I'm more worried about Kol and Klaus and Elijah. There was some tension between them all in the forest earlier."

"Kol is, understandably, angry at my brothers for daggering him. Kol has never been the level-headed Mikaelson, and being daggered doesn't seem to have mellowed him. Don't worry," Rebekah added, when she saw that Miriam was frowning, "they will be fine. They are brothers. They might fight, but they love each other."

Miriam didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyway.

Finn wasn't too convinced, himself. All he could hope for was all three of his brothers to survive the next couple of days. Even as he thought it, he knew such a thing would be very difficult for them.

Kol and Klaus weren't known for their restraint.

Miriam shook off the heavy thoughts that must have been clouding her brain. She stood up and extended a hand to Finn. "Come on. Let's go watch June make dinner. There's bound to be utensils or food that she uses that are new to you."

Finn accepted her hand, and reveled in the feeling of the touch of his mate. He and Rebekah willingly followed her into the house, and left thoughts of their brothers outside. There will be time to dwell on them later, Finn thought to himself. Now… Now I will focus on what is in front of me.

Hey all!

Hope you guys liked this chapter! Comments are totally welcome :)

What is the general feel towards Damon? Do we want him redeemed? Do we want him as a stronger villain?

(Whit's reno update: We bought the wood to redo the deck, though it was 3x as much money as normal. My parents ripped up the old one [which we also built]. Now the wood is just sitting in the backyard, waiting to be used. My mom sanded and stained the stairway banister, so now the wood is a dark mahogany-ish color and the bars are black; it's almost done.)