Chapter Twenty Five
Elena woke on Christmas morning safely tucked beneath the covers of her own bed, and she was only slightly startled to find Kol sleeping on the end of her bed and Jeremy next to her.
Her heart lurched as she looked at the pair of them. Clearly, they needed to have a conversation about personal space. But, perhaps more than that, they needed to understand that she was okay.
And she understood, really, she did.
If it had been one of them that was hurt, she imagined she'd be invading their room, too.
So, she climbed out of the bed as carefully as she could, and yes, her legs shook as she forced them to hold her weight, but she was up.
There had been a moment, yesterday, when she wasn't sure if she'd ever stand on her own two feet again.
Someone had given her a quick wipe down while she'd slept, she was hoping it was Rebekah, and they'd changed her into a clean set of pjs.
She didn't bother changing, because she wouldn't be able to run, anyway.
Instead, she just chucked on a pair of boots and threw her hair into a messy ponytail before leaving her room as silently as she could manage.
Only to freeze at the sight of Finn standing opposite her door, a disapproving frown on his face as he took her in.
She blinked and then grinned at him, offering him two thumbs up before using the wall to support her as she made her way to the stairs.
Finn hardly gave her a moment before taking her arm, letting her lean on him as he helped her down the stairs and out to the kitchen, where he promptly sat her on a bar stool at the island, fixing her with a stern glance as he passed her a glass of orange juice,
"You cannot tend to the animals today," he told her quietly, being oddly mindful of their sleeping siblings, "You need to recover."
Elena blinked at him as she dutifully drank her juice,
"I can walk," she told him after a few mouthfuls, "So I can at least tend to the chickens. I'll let you handle the goats, though, because I'm pretty sure that if they jump on me, I'll die."
Finn scowled, clearly unimpressed by her early morning sense of humour,
"You need to be more careful," he nudged the juice towards her again, "It is… Unpleasant… Seeing you injured. It is no hardship for me to tend to the animals."
Elena swirled the juice around the glass and stared at her brother with what she hoped was a thoroughly unimpressed look,
"I like tending to the animals and it's Christmas you can't take that away from me."
Finn blinked at her, crossing his arms over his chest before turning to glare at the ceiling,
"We wouldn't be having this conversation if you'd agreed to join a convent," he muttered and she rolled her eyes before downing the rest of her juice,
"You'd miss me if you sent me away. I'd give it a few days, then I think you'd come and get me."
Finn raised one brow and kept his expression neutral,
"I wouldn't have to argue with you."
Elena crossed her arms over her chest,
"You'd miss my company. You'd have to teach Rebekah how to tend to the chickens and she might take Stefan with her and then he'd snap and eat one of them. So, you've sentenced one of the chickens to a death that could have been avoided if you hadn't sent me away."
Finn sighed a weary sigh, as if she were exhausting him just by existing,
"Stefan would not eat one of my chickens."
Elena paused and then nodded,
"No, you're right, he'd have to eat at least three of them to feel full. So, there you go, that's nearly half your flock gone. And your baby sister. That seems like an awful lot of loss that you could have avoided by simply not sending me away."
Finn stared down at her like she was being deliberately difficult, and she offered him a wide grin, much to his frustration,
"I will allow you to tend to the chickens if it puts an end to this conversation."
Elena grinned victoriously and slowly climbed off her seat, ambling around the island until she was able to lock her arms around her brother's waist, ignoring his sigh as he kind of hugged her back,
"Merry Christmas, Finn."
He gently patted her on the top of her head like she was a pet dog,
"Merry Christmas, Elena."
She squeezed him and then let him go, reaching behind him to grab her basket and the chicken feed, ignoring the pointed stare that he was giving her as she made her way out of the back door.
It was snowing, she noted idly with a soft smile.
A white Christmas.
Maybe Enzo was right, maybe there was still some beauty in the snow.
One side of her body still ached as she shuffled into the chicken run, and she grumbled as she slipped into the coop.
Now that Finn couldn't see her, she released a shaky breath and slid down the wall to the floor, clutching her sore side as she went and smiling softly as the chickens began to wake, their gentle clucking filling the silence as they got down from their nests and began to fidget around her.
She gently pet them when they got within touching distance and a couple of them curled up onto her lap and seemed quite content to stay there.
And for now, she was quite content to let them.
She leaned her head against the wall and shut her eyes as her fingers trailed over their feathers, occasionally getting a little affectionate peck.
She stayed there for a while, just basking in the peace and quiet before sighing and getting to her feet slowly.
She gave the birds fresh food and water, and she grinned as she plucked out ten little eggs from their nests.
When she left the coop, she found Finn stood in the chicken run waiting for her and she froze in place as if she'd been caught doing something naughty, which was just ridiculous-
"Let me help you," he murmured as he took the basket from her before looping her arm through his, "Lean on me. There is no need to put on a brave face, Elena."
He guided her out of the run, and she glanced up at him through her lashes as snowflakes began to land in her hair,
"I'm not putting on a brave face," she whispered to him, "I really am okay."
He didn't look like he believed her.
She wasn't sure if she believed herself, so she wouldn't hold it against him.
He helped her into the kitchen where Elijah was up and waiting, this time in his own pyjamas, and Finn shot Elijah a pointed look as he moved to clean the eggs.
Elijah was at her side the moment that Finn left it, his hands gently cupping her face and making her look up at him,
"Merry Christmas, Little Elena," he offered her a warm smile before pressing their foreheads together,
"Merry Christmas, 'Lijah," she winced as she moved her arms to wrap them around her brother and he froze, his eyes narrowing as he stepped back and looked her over,
"You're in pain," he held her at arm's length and scanned her from head-to-toe with intense eyes, "I will fetch you some pain relief. Take a seat," he didn't give her a choice, really. He picked her up and popped her on a bar stool before flitting away and Elena scowled as Finn shot her a very smug look.
She didn't think anyone should look that smug whilst cleaning chicken eggs.
Elijah was back at her side in an instant, a glass of water in one hand and a selection of pills in the other.
He didn't say anything, he simply handed her the pills and put the drink on the island before watching as she dutifully took her pain relief.
When she'd swallowed the last pill and drank what remained of her water, he gave her a warm smile, though the concern didn't fade from his eyes as he reached out and tugged her hair free,
"We're going to have breakfast together in our pyjamas today," he told her quietly, "Then we'll do the family gift exchange before our guests arrive. After gifts, we go our separate ways to prepare for the afternoon. I suspect a nice, hot bath is in your future. Enzo, Caroline and Stefan are due to arrive around lunch time, and then we'll spend the rest of the day together. I believe Caroline has printed out an itinerary for the day, if Niklaus is correct, it's colour-coded."
Elena rolled her eyes and grinned up at him,
"It's Caroline, Elijah. It's going to be detailed, colour-coded and strictly enforced."
He snorted, an amused grin spreading over his face as he conceded to her superior knowledge of Caroline's habits and Finn appeared at her other side,
"The chefs will be arriving soon to work on the geese for dinner, have you ever had roasted goose?"
Elena shook her head and Finn sighed,
"You will enjoy it," he told her, "It's a delicious meat."
Elena thought she'd enjoy it whether she liked it or not, after all, one of those birds had taken a bite out of her, this seemed only fair.
Elena slowly hopped from her bar stool, her legs only shaking slightly as she shot her older brothers a grin,
"I'd better go get my gifts then. I'll see you both in the dining room."
She'd like to say that she darted from the room and raced up the stairs in her excitement, but it was more like a slightly embarrassing hobble as she tried to rush back to her room.
Kol and Jeremy were both gone when she pushed her way back through her door and one of them, probably Kol, had made her bed for her.
She limped across her plush carpet and threw open the door to her closet.
She'd hidden her family's gifts behind her rack of dresses.
She didn't trust any of them not to peek, the cheating gits.
She grabbed the bag with the presents in it with a small, victorious smile, hugging the bag to her chest like it contained something far more special than a few gifts.
She washed her hands before making her way back downstairs, her bag tucked safely against her chest as she hobbled into the dining room.
Kol was up and out of his chair before she'd finished stepping into the room, and he plucked the bag out of her hands before helping her to her seat, his hands firmly pressing into her back in a show of quiet support until she was sat down.
He claimed his seat beside her before passing her a lovely Christmas tree shaped cinnamon roll and a glass of apple juice and she offered him a soft smile and a whispered thanks before beginning to eat.
It was odd, she thought, to see all of her siblings at the table in their pjs. Even Niklaus, who was always grumpy but dressed in the mornings, was decked out in black and red pyjamas.
And everyone's breakfast was delightfully Christmas themed, too.
She and Elijah had a cinnamon roll shaped like a Christmas tree, with little sprinkles for decorations.
Kol and Rebekah both had snowman shaped pancakes where blueberries were used in place of coal for the buttons.
Niklaus and Finn had waffles designed to look like tree baubles and Jeremy had bacon and eggs with toast shaped to look like Santa.
It was cheesy and goofy, and she loved it.
She ate quickly, just barely fighting off the urge to bounce in her seat like a five-year-old, an urge that became much harder to fight off once the Christmas music started to play through the speakers.
Kol rolled his eyes and nudged her with his elbow, a fond grin on his face as he finished his breakfast,
"Are you always this excitable at the holidays?"
Jeremy snorted into his orange juice as Elena scowled at him,
"Every year, without fail. Only at Halloween and Christmas, though. One day she scared the neighbourhood kids so good that they cried, and she was so proud of herself that she wouldn't shut up about it for weeks."
Kol sniggered and Elena glared at her little brother,
"What he isn't telling you is that the year before, they'd stolen my candy. So, I had to have revenge and Caroline helped."
Niklaus laughed and Elijah stared between her and Jeremy with fond eyes,
"It sounds like they deserved it, then."
Jeremy rolled his eyes,
"Oh, yeah. They stole her candies, so they totally deserved to think that they'd found two dead hanging girls in the woods. Girls who, while the kids were pissing themselves, then jumped out of the tree behind them whilst screaming bloody murder."
Elena pursed her lips and kicked him under the table, but Jeremy just grinned as Kol began to laugh almost hysterically,
"She got her fair share of candy back, too, given that the boys dropped their bags before they ran out of the forest whilst crying their eyes out and screaming for their mommies."
Elena grinned almost viciously,
"Caroline and I split it, and you got some, too, you little jerk."
Jeremy grinned as Elijah shook his head and Niklaus looked weirdly proud as he sipped on his coffee to hide his dimpled grin.
Rebekah was looking between Elena and Jeremy with a little frown on her face,
"But if you were hanging from the trees, how did you jump from behind them?"
Elena crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into her seat,
"Care and I spent all year making body doubles. We wanted it to be perfect, so there was lots of trial and error. We hung the fake bodies from the trees and left a note in the boys' lockers that they'd find lots of candy in the forest by Care's place."
Rebekah blinked slowly,
"How old were you?"
Elena frowned as she thought about it, scratching the back of her head,
"I'm not sure, nine or ten, I think? We were quite young."
Rebekah grinned and shook her head,
"I wish we could've seen it," she whispered, and Elena shook her head, her grin only growing,
"Trust me, no you don't. The boys literally pissed themselves, it wasn't pretty," she chewed on the inside of her cheek, "Care and I got into so much trouble that year that we were banned from doing Halloween together for the next four years."
Jeremy shot her a cheeky, secretive grin as he finished his breakfast and then they were just waiting for Finn, who seemed to be being deliberately slow. In fact, Elena was almost certain that he was doing it on purpose and apparently Niklaus had come to the same conclusion,
"Do hurry up, Finn, some of us aren't immortal, you know."
Finn turned his unimpressed eyes to Niklaus,
"I waited for nine hundred years. You can wait for five more minutes."
Elena chewed on her lower lip to hide her grin as Niklaus scowled.
Elijah sighed, rubbing at his temples as he glared at Finn and even Kol was beginning to look faintly annoyed by their brothers' slow bites. Rebekah glared at Finn before stealing the plate from him,
"I hadn't finished that," he frowned at her and she narrowed her eyes at him,
"You don't even need real food. Get over it," she made a show of finishing his breakfast, ignoring his glare, "besides, you know Niklaus is preparing a whole banquet for later and you're so skinny that you won't appreciate it if you fill yourself up now."
Finn let out a weary sigh before turning to Elijah,
"We should have left her in her box," he moaned, and Elena's eyes widened as a startled laugh fell from Kol's lips and a dark scowl crossed Rebekah's face as she grabbed her gift for Finn, throwing it at his head.
It missed, but only because he caught it out of the air.
As it was, he turned disapproving eyes onto Rebekah,
"You should be more careful. You could have hurt Elena."
Elena frowned and Rebekah's nose wrinkled,
"How on Earth would that have hurt Elena? I was aiming for you."
Finn shrugged as he tore the wrapping paper off his gift,
"I'm sure it would have found away; she seems to get injured every time one of us stops paying attention to her."
Elena scowled at Finn as he pulled out a leather cord necklace from the box that Rebekah had hurled at him. His fingers traced the leather almost lovingly,
"This is wonderful, thank you," he murmured to Rebekah, who smiled and tugged it from his hands before looping it around his neck and fastening it. On the leather cord, Elena spied a silver bead that seemed to be shaped like a chicken.
He didn't complain about her manhandling him, either. Which was completely unfair considering how every time Elena got within touching distance, he liked to remind her that she was a terribly fragile human in a den full of bloodthirsty vampires that wanted her blood.
She'd be having words with him later, the git. All this time, she'd thought he just didn't like to be touched.
Rebekah then passed out her gifts and Elena watched as everyone opened theirs.
She'd gotten Niklaus a t-shirt from some band that Elena didn't recognise, Elijah got a pair of fancy looking cufflinks, Kol got a zombie themed limited-edition controller for his xbox and Jeremy got a fancy, leather-bound sketchbook.
Elena opened her gift with shaky fingers, ignoring the nervous look on Rebekah's face as she pulled out a jewellery box. When she opened it, she found ten gorgeous, sterling silver fingernail rings that looked sharp enough to cut through just about anything. She couldn't stop the little gasp from leaving her lips as she stared at the intricate mini jewellery themed weapons. Each one was unique, with a variety of different stones in them and she turned to Rebekah with a wide smile that seemed to put her sister at ease,
"Do you like them?"
Elena nodded her head faster than she should have done,
"I love them," her voice cracked, "Thank you so much."
Rebekah's sigh of relief almost had her laughing as she slipped the mini claws onto her fingers. The base pattern was the same on each one, swirling silver that formed into sharp points, but the stone type and placement was different on each one.
Finn handed his out next and Elena nearly died.
He'd gotten Niklaus a tiny coffin, with a model of him in it that had Kol cracking up and Niklaus scowling even as he thanked him for the handsome little version of himself. He'd gotten Elijah an apron that had 'Yes, I'm the parentified sibling' written on it, for Kol he'd filled a little hamper basket with sweets and snacks that he'd seen him squirrelling away to his bedroom, he'd gotten Rebekah a t-shirt with 'Spoilt rotten' in diamantes across the chest and he'd ignored her glare as Jeremy received new toys and treats for Daisy, who was now happily chewing on a bone that had Niklaus grumbling about the mess.
Elena chewed on her cheek as she opened hers, unsure of what to expect given the shocking variety he'd displayed so far.
And her heart nearly stopped in her chest when she opened a little box and found her wooden horse in it, her fingers shook as she pulled it out. It was aged, but still recognisable and when Elena chewed on her cheek this time, it was to stop herself from crying as she turned her wide eyes to Finn,
"You kept it?"
His eyes bored into hers,
"Of course I did," his voice was soft and even Elijah seemed both heartbroken and shocked by the sight of the little toy, "And now I'm returning it to you."
"Thank you," she whispered as she spun the little horse around in her hands.
It was almost unbelievable that he'd kept hold of this little toy for a thousand years…
She almost reverently put it back into its box as Niklaus began to hand out his gifts.
Niklaus seemed to be a fan of hand designed jewellery.
He'd gifted Elijah with a silver bangle-style bracelet that he'd claimed had Elijah's name written in their native language on it. Whether that was true or not, Elena didn't know, but Elijah put it on with a little grin, nonetheless. He gave Finn a silver bead for his necklace, this one was carved to look like an apple tree and Rebekah helped him to slide it onto the cord.
For Kol, Niklaus gave him a bespoke set of throwing daggers that had rubies in the hilt and the grin that Kol had sent Niklaus was almost enough to make Elena think that she should hide the knives from him. Rebekah received a beautiful emerald necklace and earring set that she immediately put on and he'd gifted Jeremy some fancy pencils that had Jeremy's eyes widening and a very stuttered thanks falling from his lips that Nik brushed off.
For her, Nik had designed a beautiful copper handled dagger. The copper wire was shaped into beautiful flowers with tiny amethysts in the centre of them. It was feminine but deadly, and Niklaus let her touch it for less than a minutes before insisting that she put it back in the box before she cut herself.
She was in the middle of thanking him when Elijah started handing out his gifts, his endless well of patience being apparently more limited on Christmas Day.
From Elijah, everyone received the same gift. This summer, they'd be taking a family holiday to Orlando, where they'd be going to Disney World, Universal Studios and to the beach. Elena and Rebekah both squealed and even Jeremy was excited. Kol rolled his eyes and bemoaned having to spend a week in a hotel with Niklaus, who cuffed him around the back of the head.
Finn was frowning darkly at the idea that he might have to ask Stefan to come and tend to the animals.
Kol went next, he chucked most of the presents out without a care, but very noticeably didn't pass anything to Elena.
He'd gotten Elijah a new journal with his initials embossed in gold into the leather cover, for Finn he'd bought a pair of denim dungarees and a red and black plaid shirt that had him snickering and Finn blinking in confusion. Rebekah received a pair of Jimmy Choo heels and for Niklaus, he'd bought a pink leather dog collar with his name on the license but no return address and a fancy looking sketchbook with parchment instead of paper.
Which was all quite tame compared to the crossbow that he'd gifted to Jeremy.
And when Elena turned an unimpressed glare on him, Kol had shrugged his shoulders,
"You two insist on being human and I'll insist on trying to keep the pair of you alive long enough for me to turn you."
Jeremy, for his part, thought it was an awesome gift until Elijah plucked it out of his hands,
"This will not be returning to Denver with you," he'd told the now grouchy teenage boy, "I won't have you murdering some poor, unsuspecting teacher because they put you in detention."
Kol then turned to Elena with a cheeky grin,
"I couldn't wrap your gift, I'll bring it to your room after we're finished in here, okay?"
And Elena narrowed her eyes until he held his hands up in mock surrender,
"You'll love it, I promise."
Slowly, she nodded her approval, and he must've been able to read the curiosity in her eyes because he grinned and ruffled her hair,
"I wouldn't forget about you, don't worry."
For a split second, she wondered if it would be better if he did.
Then she sighed and started handing out her gifts.
She chewed on her lower lip while her siblings opened their presents and her new, sharp nails very nearly pierced into her skin before she remembered that she was wearing them.
Her heart, the traitorous organ that it was, hammered away against her ribs uncomfortably.
Rebekah opened hers first, and Elena watched as her sister's eyes widened. She'd gotten her a charm bracelet with multiple lockets on it and she watched as Rebekah opened them and found in each one, a different picture of herself with her siblings. There was a locket on there for each of them.
Elena chewed on her lip a little harder as Rebekah's eyes met hers, her voice getting caught in her throat as she mouthed a thank you at her. Elena's shoulders relaxed a little before her eyes turned to Finn, who had received two gifts in one.
She'd thought he'd be more interested in the sign for the goose house that read 'Finn's Demon House' and had a carved goose on it, but he was spinning her lump of wood that vaguely resembled a chicken as though it were something very precious,
"I love it," he murmured to her, "Thank you."
For Elijah, she'd gotten him a slab of mahogany that had their family portrait carved into it with the date that the photo was taken beneath it and the words 'Always and Forever' in cursive below that. He offered her a soft, warm smile,
"Thank you," he picked up the stand from the box, "I'll keep it on my desk."
For Niklaus, she'd gotten him a custom easel for his studio, and above where the canvas would sit was a wolf howling at the moon. He gave her a wide, dimpled smile and inclined his head in thanks.
Jeremy received a neck massager that she'd caught him eyeing up a while ago and she'd gotten him some of the fancy paints that she'd seen in Nik's studio. His eyeballs nearly fell out of his head before he tugged the massager out,
"How did you know?"
She grinned and rolled her eyes,
"You aren't exactly subtle, you know."
He sent her a wide smile and then she turned to Kol.
He was admiring the silver and leather bracelet that she'd gotten him, it had his name engraved into the silver and he offered her a little smile,
"Thank you."
She rolled her eyes and plucked it from the box before stealing his wrist and putting it on for him.
Then she watched his eyes as she tugged on her magic, letting the warmth coat her skin as she lifted a plate off the table, and she saw the exact moment that he worked out what she'd done because his eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
She grinned as she let her magic go and he twisted the bracelet,
"How- I mean, what-"
"I found a spell in the grimoire that let a person infuse their essence into a toy for a child, it was supposed to bring them comfort, I think. But Care and I fiddled around with it, and I couldn't give you your magic back, Kol, but I could give you the feeling of it. So, when I use my magic, for little things or big things, no matter where I am, you'll feel it too."
He didn't say anything, his dark eyes remained locked on his bracelet and a bit of panic stirred in her gut as their siblings watched the exchange with carefully neutral expressions.
It was no secret amongst the family that Kol desperately missed his magic and for a moment, she wondered if she'd over stepped. Maybe this wasn't as thoughtful as she'd meant for it to be, maybe she was rubbing his nose in her magic-
"I can get you something else," the words left her in a rush as she reached out to take the bracelet from him, "I'm sorry, I'll pick something different, I didn't mean to upset you-" her fingers had just closed around the clasp when Kol's other hand shot out, grabbing hers and freezing her in place as his dark, intense eyes turned to her,
"Don't," he whispered, "Don't."
There was silence for a moment and then he was whispering again,
"Do it again, do some magic."
Elena let her magic run over her skin, the heat of it now familiar in a way that she couldn't explain and she saw the wonder in Kol's eyes as he felt her magic race along his skin, too, and then she lit the fireplace and a bright, wet grin spread over Kol's lips as he crushed her into a tight hug, a broken laugh falling from his mouth,
"Thank you," he whispered into her hair, "You have no idea- You brilliant, amazing Little Bird."
She squeezed him back and then let her magic retreat, the relief that she felt crashed into her like a wave.
And for just a second, she let it drown her.
Then he was releasing her and sitting back into his chair, pinning the other siblings with a stare that just screamed 'what the hell do you think you're looking at?'
Jeremy cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck as a dark flush crept up his cheeks,
"I didn't know what to get you guys, so I got something for Elena and then a group present for the rest of you, I hope that's alright?"
Elijah sent him a soothing smile and kept his voice light when he addressed him,
"You needn't have worried, I assure you. I'm sure that whatever you've thought of will be perfect."
Jeremy gave an awkward chuckle and then he pulled out a shoddily wrapped gift that he handed to Elena, and she smiled at him as she tore into it, her heart clenching tightly at what she found inside.
"I found it in the Lake House, I thought you might want it back."
He'd found the dress that she'd arrived into the future in.
It was a simple little dress that would never fit her again, but she was amazed that after twelve years, the Gilberts had kept it.
It even still had the stitching of flowers that Rebekah had added to it.
"Thank you, Jer." Her voice was a little shaky as she gently fingered the fabric.
Jeremy didn't respond to her, instead, he put a small square gift onto the table,
"I don't suppose it matters who opens it," he rambled as Elijah reached forward and plucked it from the table before Kol could, "But I didn't know what else to do."
Elijah gave him another little smile before very slowly and carefully opening the little gift.
Inside, was a clear case and a cd.
And then Jeremy was rambling again as the Mikaelsons turned to him,
"I thought that maybe the one thing you'd all want was to have had Elena back as a kid, but I can't give you that. I wouldn't know how to, and even if I could, I quite like who she's turned out to be, and I think reversing the aging process would take her away. But I thought, maybe I could give you her childhood, instead. I found some old home videos from when we were growing up and I've spent the last few weeks converting them into a dvd."
The table went silent, and Elena frowned, leaning forward in her seat,
"I don't remember there being any home videos," she fiddled with her bracelet that she still hadn't taken off, "Where did you find them?"
Jeremy shrugged awkwardly as he found himself at the centre of everyone's attention,
"There were a bunch of old tapes in the attic at the Lake House, I found them in a box with the dress."
Elijah swallowed thickly, his eyes darting between the siblings before landing back on Jeremy,
"Thank you, Jeremy," he was holding the gift like it were something very fragile that he was afraid of breaking, "I do believe that we couldn't have asked for a better gift. I think I know what we will be watching this evening."
Elena turned to Jeremy and pinned him with a dark glare,
"There hadn't better be anything embarrassing in there, Jer. I'm warning you."
Kol grinned and tugged on one of her curls,
"I, personally, hope its full of embarrassing moments."
Elena turned her glare to him,
"Don't try me, I will fight you."
He grinned at her and ruffled her hair,
"You could try," he crooned, "But you would lose."
"Please, children," Elijah's voice caught their attention, and he had an amused gleam in his eyes as he got to his feet, "No fisticuffs at the breakfast table. I believe that now is as good a time as any to begin getting ready for this afternoon's festivities. Kol, Jeremy, I will be most displeased if either of you returns downstairs without so much as a tie."
Elena grinned as she got up from her seat, her shaky legs just about managing to hold her up as she grabbed her various gifts from the table, murmuring a quick thank you to them all before squirreling out of the room like a little goblin with her horde of treasures.
Except, she was a little goblin with a gammy leg.
She'd barely made it out of the dining room before Niklaus was scooping her into his arms with a roll of his eyes,
"You wouldn't have these problems if you'd stop getting injured," he told her when she'd fussed and then he'd grinned, "I think you're just a danger magnet, Finn's right, we ought to wrap you in bubble wrap and put you in a protective bubble."
Elena rolled her eyes as Niklaus deposited her in her room,
"If you do that, I'm going to bite you."
Nik grinned at her, showing off his pearly white teeth,
"I suspect my bite is rather worse than yours, Little Love."
She grinned at him,
"I dunno, I already survived through yours. Maybe you're just not as big and bad as you think you are."
Niklaus flicked her in the forehead with a little scowl,
"Or maybe you just have a strange but useful knack for not dying."
Elena shrugged as she started to put her precious gifts away and Niklaus leaned against her wall,
"Perhaps my darling sister would give her beloved brother some advice," Elena's eyes flicked to him as she put her little horse on her bedside table beside her bear, "I'm trying to do right by Caroline, and I'm not sure about the gift I've got her."
Elena couldn't stop the grin that spread over her face as his words sank in and she turned to him and pointed an accusing finger at him,
"Whatever you've got her, she'll love it. Though, I'm not sure a dagger will do much for her. She's not as violent as we are, though mine's certainly pretty enough that she'd enjoy just looking at it."
Niklaus rolled his eyes, his dimpled grin taking over his features,
"I haven't gotten her a dagger. I've booked us a romantic weekend in Paris for before you go back to school, but there's a little voice," he showed her with his fingers exactly how tiny the voice was, "that's telling me it's too much, too soon. I don't want to scare her off," he confessed quietly, and Elena sighed, flopping onto her bed and patting the spot beside her.
Niklaus hesitated for just a moment before sitting beside her, letting himself flop back so they were both looking up at the ceiling,
"Nik, I love you, but you're stupid," he went to talk, and she very brazenly stuck her hand over his mouth, "You could give Caroline a rusted nail and she'd appreciate it. I mean, I'd slap you silly, but Caroline would gush that it's the prettiest nail she'd ever been given. The only thing wrong with gifting her a trip to Paris is that now you're setting the bar for yourself so high that you're going to be stuck for what to get her next year."
Niklaus moved her hand with a mock scowl before his face softened,
"Perhaps Paris is a bit much for now. I could always whisk her away for Valentines, I think she'd like that."
Elena frowned up at the ceiling,
"What will you give her instead of the trip?"
She turned and watched as his face lit up,
"I have painted her," he spoke in a slow whisper, as if he had never said the words out loud and was worried that she'd mock him for it, "She haunts my mind night and day, how could I not try to capture her essence in any art form? She is exquisite, my most inspiring muse. I will give her one of my paintings, not one of her," he frowned slightly and shook his head, "Those are for me, and I will guard them selfishly. No, I have a painting of Paris that I did with her in mind. I will give her that, I think, with a promise to take her to that exact spot so that I may share her beauty with the world."
Elena's breath caught in her throat as she watched her brother imagine the life that he wanted with her best friend,
"I think you'll make her melt if you tell her all that," she spoke as quietly as he did, though he didn't meet her eyes, "You wouldn't even need to give her the painting."
He smiled up at the ceiling,
"I'll give it to her, anyway. Maybe she'll give me that look I like so much."
Elena blinked at him,
"What look?"
He turned to her with a soft, sappy look on his face that he only got when he was thinking about Caroline,
"Like I'm all that she can see."
Elena reached out and squeezed his fingers with a soft smile,
"I think you've been all she could see since the day you convinced her that she wanted to live."
"Alright, you two, break it up, that's enough sappy romantic crap, I've got a gift to deliver. Go be a pest to Rebekah, Niklaus, get your own favourite sibling."
Niklaus snorted and jumped up from the bed, throwing his hand to his chest and feigning hurt,
"You don't mean to imply that you have a favourite, do you, Kol? That would just break my poor heart."
Kol grinned as he heaved a large wooden chest into her room, planting it at the end of her bed,
"Bugger off, Niklaus."
Nik grinned before flipping Kol off and leaving her room, likely to go and be sappy with Rebekah, instead. Or to wrap his last minute gift. That was also a possibility.
Kol gingerly took her hands in his before carefully hoisting her from her bed, a sheepish look on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck,
"My gift isn't as spectacular as yours," he muttered, "I don't think I could ever come close to topping that, actually, so I don't feel too bad."
He tugged her over to the ornate chest that he'd deposited at the foot of her bed. She wasn't sure what kind of wood it was made from, but it was beautiful, nonetheless. Her fingers grazed over the lid as Kol rocked on his heels,
"Open it," he urged her with no small amount of glee, and she gave him a little grin before carefully flicking the chest open and then her eyes widened.
The chest was full of what she assumed were witch related items.
There was a variety of candles, herbs, spell sheets and crystals, but Kol dragged her attention to a stunning blade that was strapped to the lid of the box,
"That's an athame, like a ritualistic dagger. Every witch should have one," he whispered to her, "All of this is the kind of stuff that you should own. A beginner's kit, if you will."
Elena grinned and threw her arms around her brother,
"Thank you, I love it."
He gripped her loosely, as if he were frightened of hurting her,
"You're at a point now where we can start to progress onto more difficult magic, once you're all healed up, that is."
She grinned at him before letting her magic warm her skin, his eyes softening as he felt that warmth spread across him,
"You have no idea how amazing that feels," he whispered, "To feel magic touching my skin for the first time in a thousand years… This is a gift I can't ever match."
Elena shook her head, letting her magic retreat as she cupped her brother's cheek,
"Gifts aren't meant to be matched, Kol, it's not a competition."
Kol grinned at her and gave her a little shove before grabbing her arm to make sure that she didn't fall,
"Live through as many of these Christmases as I have, and you'll think otherwise."
She rolled her eyes as Kol began to retreat out of her room, an oddly affectionate gleam in his eyes as he looked at her before he shut her door with a quiet click.
She'd barely had time to hobble towards the bathroom door before a gentle knocking filled her ears and she almost groaned as she leaned against her wall,
"Come in," she called, and Rebekah's blonde head popped in, her eyes finding Elena and narrowing slightly before she glided into the room,
"I'm going to run you a nice, hot bath and you're going to soak and let those muscles relax. I'll give you a little more blood, as well. It can't hurt, right?"
Elena blinked and caught sight of the locket charm bracelet on her sisters wrist,
"I'm okay," she tried to catch Rebekah's eye as her sister flitted into her bathroom and started to run her a bath, "I can manage."
Rebekah appeared in front of her and started to tug off Elena's pj top,
"No one is saying that you can't," Rebekah flung the top with expert aim into the laundry basket as she gently tugged Elena into the bathroom, "I'm just showing you that you don't have to manage on your own."
Elena sighed and tugged on her curls as the room filled with steam and Rebekah poured various lotions and potions into the tub,
"I don't want to feel like a burden," she whispered, letting her nails bite into her palm, "And I feel like you're always running me a bath."
Rebekah paused and then slowly turned to her, a package of bath salts in her white-knuckle grip,
"Elena," Rebekah stepped closer to her, "It is not a burden to care for you, it is an honour. I've spent a thousand years wondering what it would be like to still have my sister, and I can tell you that my daydreams didn't do this feeling justice. Having you back is both the most amazing and most terrifying thing I have ever experienced."
Elena dropped her head onto Rebekah's shoulder, letting her sister hold her up for a moment,
"I wouldn't trade this," Rebekah told her, "Not for anything."
"Neither would I."
Rebekah held her for a moment before turning back to the bath, forcing her voice to be slightly lighter as she called out over her shoulder,
"Now, stop complaining and finish stripping so I can throw you into this bathtub."
Elena grinned and stripped but climbed herself into the tub and she almost sighed in relief as the hot water immediately started trying to soothe her aching body.
Rebekah perched herself on the edge of the tub and then made a show of biting into her wrist and offering it to Elena,
"Just to take the edge off," she told her as Elena took the wound into her mouth, letting the blood fill her mouth before swallowing and feeling her body relax as Rebekah's blood worked to soothe her exhausted, battered body, "There you go," Rebekah smoothed Elena's hair back before rising to her feet, "I'm going to leave you to your bath, if you need me, just call, okay?"
Elena nodded and then Rebekah was gone, the only evidence that she'd been there at all was the delightfully scented bath that Elena was now soaking in.
She stayed in the hot water until it had turned cold, and her skin had wrinkled up so that her fingers looked like raisins before she started to wash and when she climbed out, she couldn't deny that she did feel better.
She wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, but she was better.
She dried herself off thoroughly before beginning to get herself ready for the afternoon.
She slid on her bracelet, and wasn't it the strangest thing, that her wrist now felt naked when she wasn't wearing it?
Jeremy and Kol had brought her a pair of diamond hoop earrings, and she slid them in before making a start on her makeup.
She applied just a light layer of makeup, just enough to give her a healthy-looking glow and a dash of crimson across her lips. She also dabbed a little body glitter across her cleavage, not for any particular reason, but just because she liked it.
At least, that's what she told herself.
If she were being honest, she was just starting to look a little healthier again. The Mikaelsons weird interest in her diet had led to a bit of weight gain, and her chest no longer looked so sunk in.
Her face was still on the verge of being too thin, her cheekbones still protruded too far out, but she was starting to look a little fuller and she certainly looked happier.
So, in her mind, there was no harm in accentuating her returning assets.
It had nothing to do with a certain dark-haired vampire. Absolutely nothing at all.
She was not dressing up for him, no matter what Caroline had said when she'd seen Elena's dress. She was doing this for herself, thank you.
And she wouldn't be dressing up at all if her siblings hadn't demanded it.
Still, she wouldn't object if Enzo did notice.
Not in the privacy of her own mind, anyway.
She spritzed some perfume onto her throat and was about to straighten her hair when Rebekah popped back into her room and plucked the straighteners right out of her hands,
"Not today," she sang as Elena scowled at her.
Rebekah had clearly had the same thoughts as her, she'd done her hair and makeup and was fluttering around in a robe, giving her makeup a chance to set before slipping into her gown. She'd curled her own hair into soft ringlets that bounced around her shoulders and when Elena made to move, Rebekah whacked her with the back of a hairbrush until she grumbled but sat back and allowed the blonde girl to style her hair.
Rebekah almost seemed to bully her curls into submission, pinning them into place on the top of her head in an elegant updo that had her ringlets tugged into a messy style bun, with a couple of loose curls that hung by her ears, showing off her slender neck and leaving her shoulders bare.
Elena could admit that it looked beautiful, especially as Rebekah pulled out the snowflake shaped diamond pins that Kol and Jeremy had selected for her and began to slide them into the bun,
"I don't know how you keep making me like these curls, 'Bekah," Elena played with her bracelet, "Somehow, you manage to style them every single time into something I like. I think it's witchcraft. Did you make a deal with the devil?"
Rebekah snorted as she slid the last pin into the bun,
"Sure, I made a deal with the devil to be good at styling hair. It has absolutely nothing to do with living through a thousand years of changing fashions."
Elena grinned,
"I knew it."
Rebekah returned her smile,
"You have lovely curls, Elena. I'd style them every day if it meant you'd stop straightening your hair."
Elena rolled her eyes,
"You're only saying that because you're my sister," Elena was gazing at her reflection, "Finn is going to make so many complaints about my neck being on show like this, you know that, right?"
Rebekah gave her shoulder a little shove and gently teased down a couple more curls to frame her face,
"Screw Finn. You look great, he'll get over it. Besides, I think a certain someone will love it."
Elena wrinkled her nose in confusion and Rebekah sighed before announcing that she was done,
"Get into your dress. Time seems to be running away from us today."
Elena got to her feet as her bedroom door clicked shut and made her way into her closet.
Her gown hung in its dress bag where she'd left it since she'd brought it home, her sparkly, silver, strappy heels beneath it.
She started with her heels, winding them up and around her calves and getting comfortable in them before letting her towel pool to the floor around her and sliding on her underwear before unzipping her dress bag.
The gown fit like a second skin, sliding over her skin like it was made just for her.
It was a bright red satin gown with thin straps over her shoulders and a plunging neckline and a flared skirt that had a slit going up to near the top of her left thigh, showing off her sparkling shoes and more skin that what she usually went for in dresses like this.
She felt practically indecent, but as she twirled in front of her mirror, Elena felt like she looked good.
And Kol had approved the choice, so he didn't get to complain, either.
Still, she felt vaguely risqué as she checked herself out in the mirror and that thought almost brought a smile to her lips as her fingers darted up to touch the curly bun on the top of her head.
If this were an action movie, she'd have a garter on her thigh with her new dagger in it, she thought.
She sucked in a deep breath before making her way to her bedroom door, her fingers ghosting over the wood as she hesitated.
Maybe she should change into something more appropriate-
And then her door swung open, and Rebekah stood before her in a stunning crimson lace mermaid gown with a sweetheart neckline, her blue eyes widening as she took in Elena's gown, a smirk spreading over her lips as she grabbed Elena's arm,
"If you're trying to give Finn a heart attack, I approve. You look fantastic."
Elena rolled her eyes, a light blush trailing up her cheeks,
"I'm not sure," she muttered until Rebekah's fingers tightened on her arm and her eyes hardened,
"No second guessing. You look hot, own it. I promise you; Enzo's eyes will melt out of their sockets."
Her blush deepened as her eyes widened,
"That's, I mean, that's irrelevant, and unlikely, I mean-"
Rebekah rolled her eyes and tugged her from her room,
"It's completely relevant. Now, straighten that spine and put on a smile, it's Christmas."
Elena blinked rapidly but did as she was told, straightening her spine and grinning at her sister.
Her sister who looked too smug for her own good.
Rebekah tugged her along through the hallway,
"Come on, Stefan's about to arrive and I want that 'coming down the stairs' moment, how do my boobs look?"
Elena laughed and nodded her head, amusement bubbling along through her veins,
"Fantastic. Stefan won't be able to look away and then Finn's going to rip his eyeballs out and ship you off to a convent."
Rebekah smirked,
"He could try."
Elena laughed as she gripped onto Rebekah, leaning against her slightly as they came to the main staircase and both of the girls froze for a second as they reached the top of the stairs.
Rebekah was undoubtedly staring at Stefan, who had just walked through the front door, but Elena's eyes were glued to someone else.
Enzo was locked in conversation with Kol, and he hadn't spotted her yet, but her eyes were glued to him.
He was in a tight-fitted black pair of suit pants and a fitted black shirt with a red tie and he had his blazer hung on his index finger over his shoulder. His hair was spiked as usual and Elena's heart almost stopped entirely when his caramel eyes darted to her, and it was probably her imagination, but his eyes seemed to darken as they slowly looked her up and down as Rebekah tugged her down the stairs.
He stepped away from Kol without a word and met her at the last step, inclining into a small bow with a smirk on his face as he offered her his hand.
Rebekah released her arm, and she slid her fingers into his, her breath catching in her throat as he brought them to his lips, placing a chaste kiss on her knuckles,
"You are stunning," he breathed, "An angel amongst us mere mortals."
Elena rolled her eyes, a soft smile spreading across her lips in spite of the dark flush that was spreading up her cheeks,
"You're immortal and I'm no angel,"
Enzo shook his head, his eyes softening as he gazed into hers,
"You can't convince me of that," he leaned in to whisper against her ear, sending shivers down her spine, "No mortal woman could ever look so resplendent."
"Right, that's enough of that," Kol clapped Enzo on the shoulder and turned his eyes to Elena, "You look almost as good as I do."
Elena grinned at her brother, hyper aware of the fact that Enzo had not yet released her hand,
"You're such a pest," she told him as she shoved his shoulder with her free hand, only for Kol to catch her fingers with a little grin,
"You'll have to be quicker than that, Little Bird."
"Kol, come and help us set out the lunch buffet," Rebekah grabbed his arm as she glided past them, Stefan at her other side, "Come and be useful for once in your life."
Kol scowled at their sister as she dragged him away,
"What do you mean? I'm always useful, tell her, Elena."
Elena grinned as Rebekah shot her a wink before dragging Kol into the ballroom and away from her,
"Did that feel like a setup to you?" she whispered conspiratorially to Enzo, leaning into him slightly, "Because it definitely did to me."
Enzo smirked and tucked a curl behind her ear,
"It absolutely did. I am glad to see you looking better," his fingers trailed down her throat, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake, "I don't ever wish to see you in that state again."
Elena offered him a shaky grin as she tried to get her stupid, traitorous heart to slow down,
"For what it's worth, I don't ever want to be in that state again. It wasn't exactly fun."
Enzo hummed, his eyes scanning her face as if he were imagining the way she'd looked yesterday and she reached out with trembling fingers, lightly trailing them down his cheek, which made his eyes snap to hers.
There was a moment, a single, split second of a moment, where she thought he was going to kiss her. He leaned forward, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her lips, but then the front door opened, and he was pulling away, leaving her staring at his face as he turned to greet Caroline, and a little smirk grew on his lips as he became aware of her staring.
Right.
She straightened her spine and turned from him, her eyes widening as she took in her best friend.
Caroline had decided that she was absolutely going to destroy Niklaus.
She stepped into the entrance hall with her hair swept to one side and she'd found a Jessica Rabbit gown. Of course she had.
It was a strapless, tightfitting gown that pushed her cleavage up and was covered in sparkles, clinging to her curves in a way that was positively sinful, a long slit going up to the top of her thigh that showed off her long, pale legs.
If Elena's brothers dared to complain about her dress, she was going to pick Caroline up and smack them with her.
Niklaus didn't stand a chance.
Elena pulled away from Enzo and rushed over to her friend, gripping her into a tight hug,
"You look amazing, Care. Nik won't know what hit him, I swear."
Caroline grinned and held Elena out at arm's length, her eyes widening as she took her in and she gave her a low whistle,
"We're hot," Caroline looped her arm through Elena's, "Merry Christmas! I have gifts, but they're in my car."
Elena grinned and gave her a little nudge,
"I already know what Nik's unwrapping and I'm telling you now, he'd better not do it in front of me."
Caroline flushed and was about to give her a smart ass reply when Niklaus walked into the room, his eyes scanning over Enzo before they landed on her and Caroline and he froze in his tracks, his eyes nearly bulging out of his skull as he took them both in.
For a split second, he looked like he couldn't decide between sending her upstairs to cover herself up or grabbing Caroline and whisking her off to his room, instead.
In the end, he did neither.
He straightened his spine, and a soft smirk stretched across his lips as he approached Caroline, his eyes not leaving her even as Elena stepped away from the pair.
Caroline gave him a coy smile and was about to say hello, but Niklaus didn't give her the chance. One of his hands flew round to the back of her head, getting tangled in her hair and the other snaked around her waist, tugging her into his chest with an audible thud and then his mouth was on hers. He kissed her like he was devouring her.
And then, after just a moment of shock, Caroline's hands snaked into his hair, tugging him closer as she deepened the kiss.
And Elena couldn't help it, her eyes drifted to Enzo, only to find his eyes already on her. He held out his hand to her as if he'd been just waiting for her and her fingers moved before her brain did, sliding into his hand like it was the most normal thing in the world.
She really had no idea what had come over her.
She let him lead her into the ballroom, where Niklaus had moved the dining table and the Christmas tree into it, as well as a banquet table that was laden with snacks.
Lunch would be nibbles, then.
Gentle music played from the speakers and Rebekah was dancing with Stefan, her head on his shoulder and his arms around her waist as they swayed to the music.
Kol was noticeably absent.
A stack of boardgames were in one corner of the room and Elena got the vague impression that she didn't want to play monopoly with Niklaus or Kol, she was almost certain that they'd cheat.
Well, what was Christmas without at least one flipped table?