When The Sun Rises

by MadameXOX

The universe has not been kind to Elena Mikaelson. She's been abducted, she's been hunted, she's even been thrown off a damn cliff for crying out loud! So it stands to reason that she might be a little traumatized, okay? But that's fine, she can deal. At least, that's what she tells herself. Luckily for her, no one is about to let her try and cope on her own. This is a sequel

26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six

Finn very nearly threw her over his shoulder when he stepped into the ballroom and Elena got the feeling that if he managed to get her to her bedroom, she'd never be allowed to leave it again unless it was in a full nun's outfit.

He, himself, was wearing a white shirt with brown pants and a red tie, she thought he might have put his outfit together with the sole intention of offending Elijah's fashion sense.

And when his eyes landed on her, and mind you she was just eating a strawberry, his face went a funny shade of red, too.

There was almost an entire ballroom between them, but Elena would later swear that she could hear him grinding his teeth.

He was about to start stalking towards her when another hand clamped onto his shoulder and Elijah sent him a stern look and whispered something to him that Elena couldn't make out. Finn froze, his eyes narrowing as he locked his eyes on their brother, who was staring at him with such a stern expression that Elena knew that she, personally, would have just died.

Slowly, Finn relaxed and rolled his shoulders, giving Elijah a jerky nod before the pair of them approached her,

"You look beautiful, Elena," Elijah gave her a warm smile that she easily returned, "Does she not, Finn?"

Finn stared down at her for a long moment before sighing,

"I just don't get it," he shook his head, "I don't get it at all."

Elena grinned at him and popped another strawberry into her mouth, ignoring the disapproving look that Finn was shooting at Enzo.

Elijah grabbed her hand as she went in for another,

"Would you join me for a dance, Little Elena?"

Elena blinked and then grinned, giving him a mock curtsy,

"It would be my honour," she teased, and he returned her grin with one of his own before leading her out to where Stefan and Rebekah were still swaying.

"Have you had a good Christmas so far?"

She looked up at him and nodded, the smile not leaving her face,

"It's been amazing… I still can't believe we're going to Orlando in the summer."

Elijah inclined his head with a pleased smirk,

"I believe Kol will enjoy it when I throw him off the top of Cinderella's castle. If I aim well, I might be able to throw him directly into the ocean, what do you think?"

A startled laugh fell from her lips as Elijah twirled her,

"I think Nik will think you're playing fetch and bring him back, so I'm not sure it'll have the effect that you want it to."

Elijah seemed to ponder this for a moment before he sighed and nodded,

"You're right, there's only one option left to me," he spoke like he was admitting something terrible, "I'll just have to throw Niklaus. For the good of humanity and all that."

Elena almost snorted, especially as Niklaus walked into the room with Caroline on his arm and a scowl on his face, which he was directing at her and Elijah.

"Jeremy has asked me for permission to move in full time. He wishes to return to Mystic Falls."

Elena sighed and looked up at her brother, chewing on her cheek as she thought about what to say,

"I sent him away so he could live, 'Lijah. This town was leeching the life from him, and I didn't know what else to do… I don't know how to be a parent to Jer," she shook her head, "I mean, I struggled to make the right choices for me, how could I make the right ones for him?"

Elijah swayed with her in silence for a moment before turning the full intensity of his dark eyes on to her with an expression that just screamed 'I'm the parent here, now listen you little shit.'

"You were too young to bare the burdens that were put on your shoulders," he spoke with a tone that reeked of authority and all Elena could do was nod, "I propose that I offer Jeremy the same deal that I offered you, Little Elena. I will take on responsibility for Jeremy, I will ensure that his needs are met and that he is kept safe and happy, with a full belly and all the comforts of our family, and in return, I will expect him to do well at school and to help out around the house. I've found that I've quite enjoyed having someone to look after, it will be no burden for me to extend that to our youngest sibling."

Elena dropped her head onto Elijah's chest. Maybe she was a terrible sister, she thought, but she felt like some weight had lifted off her shoulders with Elijah's declaration,

"I think he'll say yes," she whispered into his suit jacket, "But you'll have to be stricter with him, he's a slimy little git."

She couldn't see Elijah's face, but she could almost hear his grin,

"I have experience with slimy little git brothers. I'm sure I can manage, he cannot, after all, be harder work than Kol or Niklaus."

And because life loved irony, and perhaps enjoyed making fools of the best of them, it was at that particular moment that Kol and Jeremy came barging into the ballroom with the huge tv from the sitting room in their arms and Elena and Elijah froze as the boys went wide eyed before pointing at each other,

"It was his idea," came from both of their mouths at almost exactly the same time.

Elena stepped back and grinned at Elijah whilst shaking her head,

"This is on you," she sang at him, "And you chose this. Just remember that."

Elijah straightened his spine and rolled his head against his shoulders,

"What, exactly, is the meaning of this?" he spoke softly, but with a strange firmness that had Elena backing up until she bumped into something solid and warm, turning to find Finn at her back, one of his hands going to her shoulder as they watched Kol and Jeremy grin at each other,

"We thought," Kol began with an eager nod of his head, "That rather than play those boring old board games,"

"We could play some video games instead! We can bring down Kol's tv, too, and have two different games running," Jeremy took over, looking far too pleased with himself, "We have racing games and zombie games,"

"And we have others, too. Way more fun than Cluedo."

Elena snickered as Elijah rubbed at his temple before fixing the two of them with a little glare,

"And where, exactly, were you going to set this up?"

Kol pointed to the far corner,

"Over there by the plug sockets, obviously," he rolled his eyes and Jeremy nodded,

"I can get cushions and stuff for us all to sit on. It'll be great."

Bless her, Caroline looked like she was having an aneurism at the disruption of her schedule, and it was perhaps the way her eye twitched and the dark flush on her cheeks that had Elijah sighing into his hand,

"Whatever you do, you two are responsible for the mess. And I don't want it to be too loud, am I clear? This is a family room, not your bedrooms. Not all of us appreciate the sounds of zombies moaning and groaning."

Elena went to open her mouth to make a smart comment about having to listen to Kol and Jeremy in the mornings and Elijah raised his hand without looking at her,

"Nope, no thank you, nothing from you."

And she promptly shut her mouth, an amused grin stretching over her lips as Kol and Jeremy continued on their mission to set up their gaming consoles.

She shook her head and made her over to the banquet table, grabbing herself a fruit kebab stick and then taking advantage of everyone being distracted by the chaos now that Niklaus was ranting about the injustice of Kol hijacking his television to sneak out to the garden and enjoy her little treat in peace.

Her heels crunched into the snow as she retreated to her little bench, the one she seemed to always gravitate towards when she decided to enjoy the garden.

Someone had cleared it for her, as if they'd known that she'd want to retreat for a while. Or maybe she was over thinking it, she wasn't sure. Either way, she was able to sit and enjoy the serenity of their garden in the snow. The geese were quiet, likely quaking in terror now that there were two less of them, the chickens were safe and snug in their coop and the goats were bleating at each other and headbutting their fence, the mini Houdini-wannabes.

She'd been out there for a few minutes when Caroline's sparkling gown made its way towards her, her blonde friend grinning like the cheshire cat as her eyes fell on Elena,

"Why're you out here? It's freezing, 'Lena."

Caroline took a seat beside her and Elena put her head on Caroline's shoulder,

"I'm just taking a moment," she whispered, "Sometimes, it doesn't feel real. I mean, we're in these fancy gowns and we're about to lounge and play video games… It's odd, right?"

Caroline snorted and put her head on Elena's, wrapping an arm around her shoulders,

"It's not our normal, but I think it's fun. Come on, admit it, you enjoyed Enzo's reaction to your dress."

Elena rolled her eyes and ignored the light blush on her cheeks in favour of poking her friend,

"You don't get to comment, little Miss Practically-Had-Sex-In-The-Doorway. You wanted to break Niklaus, and you did, congratulations. If he pisses on you, that's entirely your own fault."

Caroline burst into giggles, her hand gripping Elena's,

"Please, Elena, I'm begging you, do me a favour, alright? As part of my Christmas gift?"

Elena blinked and turned to her friend,

"What? If this is something gross like go and buy condoms, I'm going to vomit in your hair."

Caroline shook her head, her eyes twinkling with delight,

"Just once, I want you to take your heel," Caroline grabbed her leg, the one that was revealed by the slit in her dress and hoisted it up, almost knocking Elena to the ground, "And put it on Enzo's shoulder, like this."

Elena burst into hysterical giggles as Caroline showed her exactly what she wanted Elena to do, Elena's ankle firmly in her grip,

"There's no way, absolutely no way, that I can manage that without looking like a hooker and getting Enzo violently murdered by my brothers."

"She's right, Enzo would be killed, and she'd be sent off to a convent. It might be worth it, though," Rebekah appeared before them, an amused smirk on her face as she took in the two girls, "Absolutely murdered. He'd be so dead that even Damon's brutal murder would look like a trip to the park."

Caroline blinked and froze, her fingers tightening slightly on Elena's ankle,

"Damon's dead?"

Rebekah snorted,

"No, that's too kind of a way to word what Enzo and Kol did. I'm telling you; you don't want to hurt Elena in front of either of them."

Elena rolled her eyes and tried to tug her leg free,

"Enzo had his own issues with Damon, that had nothing to do with me."

Caroline frowned and looked between the girls,

"I'm missing something, aren't I?"

Elena sighed and got to her feet, brushing the snow off her dress with her fingers,

"I took Jer to visit the Gilbert plot yesterday and Damon chucked my car off the road with us both in it. Quite by chance, Enzo happened to be paying Damon a visit when I woke up. We had a bit of a tussle; I killed a witch and then Kol and Elijah appeared. Kol and Enzo ran off with Damon."

Caroline got to her feet and stretched her arms out,

"And what? They just killed him?"

Rebekah shook her head,

"Not exactly. They dragged him out to the barn and I'm pretty sure they broke every bone in his body, there was an awful lot of screaming and I'm sure he was on fire at one point. Either way, he's dead, now. Kol buried what was left of him out in the woods."

"They better not have made a mess in my barn," Elena grumbled as her ribs began to ache again, her arm looping through Rebekah's and Caroline's, sandwiching herself between them and Rebekah poked her in the cheek,

"As if Finn would tolerate that. No, your barn is as pristine as it was before they went in there."

Elena chewed on her cheek as Rebekah spun them, turning back towards the house,

"It's time for the gift exchange, come on. Nik already fetched yours from your car, Caroline."

Elena grinned, an excited bounce in her step as she practically dragged the girls back inside, much to Rebekah's amusement.

Kol and Jeremy had apparently raided every room in the house for a variety of cushions and beanbags, which now dominated the corner by the televisions and Elena had barely had a chance to look at it before she found herself airborne, a startled shriek falling from her as Kol snatched her off the ground and flung her over his shoulder and then he was across the room, mock-wrestling her into the cushions with her giggles bouncing off the walls.

He was gentle with her, despite the way he appeared to be throwing her around, and when she fell back into the softness of a beanbag, he grinned at her and then flopped down beside her with Jeremy on his other side.

Enzo claimed her other side, the soft material of his pants leg tickling her bare one as she shimmied to get comfortable. Kol handed her the three gifts that she'd had left to hand out and she popped them onto her lap as everyone else got comfortable. It was oddly cozy, sitting in a huddle of Mikaelsons and loved ones. There was something strangely intimate about it as everyone curled into the group huddle.

She'd love to say that she paid attention to the exchange of gifts going on around her as she had earlier in the day, but she'd be a terrible, rotten liar.

She found it nearly impossible to focus because Kol had clearly touched her skin and decided that she was cold, so in his infinite wisdom, perhaps to make the vibe even cozier, he'd run and grabbed some throws to drape over everyone.

And while everyone else was chattering away and beginning to exchange their gifts, she became hyper aware of four long, warm fingers just gently resting on her outer thigh and she became locked in a fight with her own body to keep her breathing and heartrate normal as Enzo shifted beside her, his fingertips just ghosting against her skin as he moved.

She wasn't sure if he was even aware that he was touching her, certainly his eyes never turned her way, but she was hyper aware of him. A flush of heat raced into her belly every time his fingers moved, leaving behind a trail of goose-bumped flesh in their wake and she was powerless to think of anything else except the feeling of his skin against hers.

Which was utterly absurd.

She and Enzo were friends. Sure, he was a bit flirty, but she was almost certain that was a British thing.

Maybe she was just touch starved?

Maybe it had just been a long time since she'd felt truly desirable or even desired in general.

Yes, that was it. It wasn't necessarily that it was Enzo, it was just that she'd been rather… Stagnant. Any man who wasn't her brother would probably have her body reacting this way.

She chewed on her cheek as his fingers moved again when he leaned forward, just gently skimming along her skin and setting a fire beneath it that she could do little to quench.

Damn him.

She should move, she thought.

Except, then Kol would suspect that there was something wrong, and if he thought Enzo was touching her, he'd likely chop Enzo's hands off over this little accident.

And she couldn't have that.

After all, Kol was just starting to warm up to Enzo. Funnily enough, joint murder and torture seemed to bring people together.

So, instead of making a mad dash for it, Elena focussed on her breathing and twisted her bracelet almost absentmindedly until she felt a foot kick into hers and her eyes snapped to Caroline's, who was holding out a little present for her,

"Sorry, I was miles away," Elena blinked rapidly before offering Caroline a little smile and swapping presents with her.

She watched as Caroline opened hers, first. Elena had gotten her the sweater that she'd wanted, but she'd also gotten her a custom organizer bound in a soft pink velvet that had her name embossed into the corner and Caroline squealed,

"Thank you! I love it!"

Elena grinned at her before opening her gift under Caroline's watchful eyes, a little squeal leaving her lips that had Jeremy leaning over Kol and groaning when he saw what was inside her little box.

Caroline had brought her a mulled cider gift set.

Elena absolutely adored mulled cider.

"Thank you! You remembered!"

She'd only had mulled cider a few times, but Caroline had been there for all of them, and she always teased that Elena's love of the drink was a sign of a future drinking problem.

Elijah plucked the set from her fingers and appraised it with a raised brow,

"You never mentioned that you have a fondness for mulled cider," he accused, a little frown between his brows as he handed it back to her and Elena just shrugged,

"It never came up in conversation and no one else I know actually likes it, Jeremy says it tastes like mouldy socks," she was aware that he was making faces and she reached around Kol to flick his ear, the little brat, "It's not a big deal," she turned back to Caroline, "I can't believe you remembered."

Caroline rolled her eyes and waved her off,

"Of course I remembered. You nearly pushed me into traffic to get some when Mom took us to that market a few years ago."

Elena snorted as warmth grew in her chest that had nothing to do with Enzo's fingers against her skin,

"I'd forgotten," she whispered, "That seems like a lifetime ago, now."

And it did. It was almost impossible for her to accurately remember a time before the supernatural world had infiltrated hers, maybe her brain was a little broken after all.

Either way, it was an awesome present…

"You'll have to help me make it," she pinned Caroline with a stern look, "I don't fancy setting the kitchen on fire."

Caroline grinned and nodded,

"I assumed I'd help, anyway. I brought some fruit to put in it, too, it's in the car."

Elena's eyes widened, and if she knew she'd manage it without flashing any of her siblings, she'd have launched herself across the cushions and tackled the blonde to the ground. She'd get her later, she resolved,

"You're a saint, you know that, right?"

Caroline's eyes twinkled with amusement as she leaned into Niklaus, who looked like the cat that got the cream,

"It's been mentioned once or twice, but I do like to hear it again."

"Caroline Forbes, you are a saint."

Caroline grinned at her before Niklaus cleared his throat to get Care's attention and then handed her a beautifully wrapped rectangle.

Elena's breath caught in her throat as Nik turned to her and offered her a secretive smile,

"Merry Christmas, Caroline."

Elena watched with undivided attention, okay, slightly divided attention, damn Enzo and his fingers, as Caroline very carefully opened her gift.

She wasn't a ripper of wrapping paper, Caroline meticulously tugged her fingernail under the tape and unfolded the paper away from her gifts because she couldn't tolerate the mess, otherwise.

And Caroline's hand flew to her mouth as a painting of the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower came into her view. The night sky was illuminated by the lights of Paris and Nik had done a wonderful job at capturing the silent beauty that the nighttime offered.

Then he gently pointed to the railing at the top of the tower,

"I'm going to take you there," he told her in a quiet, husky voice, as if no one else was in the room, "Right to that spot, and we'll have a glass of champagne and we'll watch as the day fades into the night, just so I can see you illuminated by starlight," Enzo's fingers grazed across her skin again, almost seeming to dance up her thigh and she almost wriggled, "And I can have the most beautiful woman in the most beautiful city, if you'll allow me."

Caroline, apparently, didn't have the words to respond to Nik. Instead, she captured his lips with hers in a sweet but searing kiss,

"I'd like that," she whispered against his lips as she pulled away and Niklaus looked so smug that it was only natural that Kol would fling a cushion at his head,

"Oi! There are children present," he made a show of covering hers and Jeremy's eyes, "Do better, Niklaus."

Elena moved Kol's hand with a little scowl,

"The next time you stick your hand over my face, I'm going to bite it."

He grinned at her, showing off his pearly white teeth and snapping them at her,

"I think you'll find that I bite harder than you do, Little Bird."

Elena scoffed,

"Don't try me."

Jeremy snickered then and caught Caroline's attention,

"Did Elena tell you? I gave the Mikaelsons a copy of some tapes I found in the lake house attic, I bet you're in there, too."

Caroline's eyes widened and then she scowled at Jeremy,

"You're joking, right?"

He shook his head and Caroline's eyes met Elena's,

"Please tell me he's joking?"

Elena shook her head, feeling the heat of Enzo's eyes on her face for the first time since they'd sat down,

"Afraid not, Care. The worst part is that I have no idea at all about what's on the damned disk."

But Caroline was rapidly shaking her head,

"Elena, do you fancy running away with me?"

Elena rolled her eyes,

"It can't be that bad, Care. We weren't awful."

But Caroline just raised a brow and narrowed her eyes,

"You and I are clearly remembering our childhood differently."

Elena snorted and leaned back, almost tensing as Enzo moved, his leg brushing against hers as he finally moved his hands.

Only, now she was entirely distracted by the feel of his leg pressed against hers.

Dear lord, she needed to move. She needed to get some oxygen-

And then he was pressing a gift into her hands, and she blinked herself back into focus, shifting herself so that she could see him open his gift, her toes just brushing against the skin of his leg and it must've been her imagination, but she was sure that his eyes darkened as she placed her gift for him into his lap.

She watched almost anxiously as he opened his gift from her, chewing on the inside of her cheek as her nails bit into her palms.

He carefully tugged open the box and his eyes widened at the sight of a thick, silver bracelet. His name was engraved into the top and had a black diamond on either side of it and when he lifted it out to put it on, he found the engraving inside that read 'You Matter'.

"I hope you like it," she murmured when he continued to stare at it, "I know it's not much-"

"I love it," he cut her off with a husky voice, "I love it."

She offered him a shaky grin before plucking it from his fingers, ignoring her brothers' eyes on her as she wrapped it around his wrist and secured it into place,

"There you go."

He seemed to swallow before gesturing to her gift,

"Open it," he told her, "It's not anything as nice as this," he gestured to his bracelet, "I don't know what I was thinking, now-"

She opened her gift, and her eyes widened as she pulled out a pair of quartz angel wings and she couldn't help but take a moment just to admire them as Enzo hurried to explain,

"I just, I thought, I mean, I thought that every angel should have their wings."

"They're stunning," she breathed and even Kol looked impressed, "Thank you, Enzo."

Stefan gifted her a beautiful fancy looking fountain pen and she gave him a new journal, but it was his gift to Rebekah that had her fingers finding her lips.

He'd commissioned a set of stunning glass roses, each one a different colour and there were twelve in total. Twelve roses that would never die.

Elena wondered if he was somehow competing with Niklaus for romantic git of the year. Rebekah had gotten him a part for his car that he'd been struggling to get his hands on and the kiss he'd given her definitely confirmed that there was a small, spiteful part of him that was competing with her brother.

The rest of the gift giving passed in a blur for Elena, she leaned back into the pillows so that she was propped on her elbows and was just doing her best to pretend that she wasn't currently behaving like a pervy schoolgirl and getting goosebumps every time that Enzo innocently brushed against her.

Poor Enzo, he hadn't asked to be the recipient of her hormones.

As soon as Kol put the video games on, she climbed to her shaky legs and grabbed her gifts, telling Elijah she'd be back in just a moment, though his attention was squarely on the screens in front of him as he tried to win at Mario Kart.

She almost ran to her room, leaning against the wall once she was safely sequestered away and panting slightly as she tried to get herself under control. This was not acceptable, she told herself.

Enzo was her friend.

She sighed as she pushed herself away from the wall and took her new angel wings, placing them delicately onto her dresser so that they framed the family portrait that she had there.

It didn't seem fair, she thought, that her body could betray her like this.

She swallowed thickly as she tapped her nails against the dresser. She was just sensitive, she told herself, because of the vampire healing.

That had to be it.

Right?

There came a tentative knock at her door, and she'd barely had time to turn before Enzo stepped into her room, his caramel eyes darting around as he catalogued her little space and she didn't miss the way his eyes lingered on his little gifts,

"I don't think my brothers would like me having a man in my room," she teased with a little smile, her eyes tracking the way he rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows as he walked towards her, and no, her breath did NOT hitch, thank you very much.

She was beginning to suspect that someone had placed some sort of spell on her, because there was absolutely no way that he should look that good with rolled up sleeves-

"I have another gift for you," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box with a bow on it and held it out for her to take,

"You shouldn't have," she murmured but he just shrugged with a little smirk on his face,

"I wanted to," he breathed, and it was trembling fingers that opened the little box, her lips falling open with a silent gasp as her eyes landed on the rose necklace that she'd admired at the Christmas market. She tugged it free from the box almost reverently,

"How did you know?" she whispered, and his dark eyes seemed to land on her lips before slowly trailing up to her eyes,

"You'd be surprised at what I notice about you," he stepped into her space and took the necklace from her fingers, "May I?"

She nodded and spun, ignoring the butterflies that broke out in her stomach as his breath tickled her throat. He seemed to pause for a moment, his body pressed against hers for one sinfully long second before his fingers were moving, smoothly guiding the chain around her neck and clasping the necklace, his fingers trailing against the column of her throat just lightly enough that she might have imagined it before he stepped back, suddenly giving her space to breathe again.

She turned to him with a soft smile as her fingers found the rose, the stalk sat just above the swell of her breasts and she was sure that his eyes were drawn to it before they flicked back to hers,

"Merry Christmas, Angel."

"I'm not an angel," especially not today, "Merry Christmas, Enzo."

He went to leave, and she grabbed his sleeve, stopping him in his tracks and summoning his eyes back to hers,

"There's something I need to show you," she whispered before taking his wrist in her hand, the one with her gifted bracelet on it and his eyes flew to her fingers as she gently twisted the bracelet, "Take your thumb and press it there," she directed him to the spot where his name was engraved and he hesitated for just a moment before doing as she'd asked. It took a moment, but then his eyes widened,

"What is that?" he whispered back to her, and she took his free hand into hers, pressing it into her chest, right on top of her heart,

"When I came out of my stint in captivity, I really struggled with being alone," she held his hand in place as she spoke, not meeting his eyes, "I hated it. I still do, actually. I can't imagine how you must feel… So, I thought about it, and I came up with this. If you're feeling anxious or nervous or even just lonely, you press your thumb into your name, and for sixty seconds, you'll feel my pulse as it is in that very moment, and you'll be reminded that there's someone out there who cares."

Enzo's eyes seemed to soften as she spoke, his face betraying the sheer wonder that he felt as his bracelet continued to thrum against his wrist with her heartbeat,

"I've never had a real Christmas," he told her quietly, "I was born into an orphanage and then by the time I was four, I was sent to work. I didn't have the luxury of a family, not like this. By fourteen I was on the streets and, well, let's just say things didn't really get better. I am glad that after my many years, my first Christmas has been shared with you. I couldn't imagine that it gets any better than this."

Elena felt a swell of sympathy take over her and then she was tugging Enzo into a tight hug, wrapping one arm around his waist and the other went up so that her fingers got lost into his remarkably soft hair,

"You deserve so much better than the life you've had," she told him, "It hurts my heart to think of you suffering."

"It warms mine that you care. No one has ever cared, before."

She held him for just a moment before stepping back and giving him what she hoped looked like a real smile in spite of the way her emotions were warring away inside of her chest,

"Come on, let's go kick Kol's ass at Mario Kart. Don't play against Jeremy, though, he cheats."

She led him back down the stairs and into the ballroom where they re-took their seats.

Oddly enough, no one had seemed to notice their absence.

Kol barely even glanced at her as he handed her and Enzo their controllers and got them ready for the next round.

Where Jeremy cheated and won.

The little douchebag.

It was the most fun that Elena had ever had at Christmas.

There was yelling, there were clashes of temper between Kol and Niklaus, there was laughter and there was more than one accusation of cheating, but it was light and fun and even Elijah and Finn seemed to enjoy it.

And if Enzo's leg brushed against hers, Elena simply didn't mention it.

The staff brought out Christmas Dinner and they had cheesy Christmas music playing in the background and they cracked Christmas crackers…

And Elena ate as much of the goose as she could stuff into her stomach.

And she absolutely did not eat it with a malicious glee, thank you. She was just surprised by how good it tasted, that was all.

And after they'd eaten more than they should have, dessert was brought out.

By dessert, she meant a table of desserts.

There were gateaux's, there was mousse, trifles, tarts, truffles… If you wanted it, it was there.

Elena helped herself to a small bowl of chocolate mousse and then made her way back to the cushions with a soft sigh as Elijah slid Jeremy's DVD into the console.

She had Kol on one side of her and Caroline on the other as the films started to play, and Elena frowned when Miranda Gilbert appeared on the screen, her heart lurching as her mom began to speak into the camera, her free hand locking into Caroline's,

"Hello! I'm assuming that if you're watching this, then you're a Mikaelson and you've found your Elena. Don't worry, she's downstairs at the moment eating an ungodly amount of ice cream and we're going to look after her as if she were our own. But let's be realistic, shall we? This situation was never going to work. Sooner or later, you were always going to find her, or she would find you. My husband, Grayson, and I decided that if someone were to take our Jeremy… Well, we'd feel robbed and angry, it isn't even worth thinking about," Miranda paused as she collected herself, "So, we decided to make you these videos so that if you found her, you'd know her the way that we do. And you'd know that she grew up loved and happy and that, maybe, the magic didn't quite work the way you thought it did."

Elena frowned and leaned forward,

"What does that mean?"

But no one answered her as her mother smiled into the camera,

"Well, that's enough from me. I'm sure you're much more interested in the next videos," her smile fell slightly as she reached forward before seeming to think better of it, "I just, I have to ask, please, whatever you do, love that little girl? She deserves it. You'll understand."

And then her mother was gone, and Elena's heart lurched as Kol wrapped an arm around her.

Little Elena appeared on the screen, she was wearing a little blue dress, and it must have been pretty soon after her arrival, because she still looked like she wasn't sure about the camera,

"Say hello, Elena," her mother's voice came from somewhere behind the camera and little Elena frowned before crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head, "Come on, tell the camera where we're going today."

Elena blinked and then pouted,

"No."

Kol snickered.

"We're going to go and see some kids that are your age, aren't we?"

"I don't want to," Elena pouted before throwing herself to the ground and sitting there with a little frown, "You can't make me."

Then a little Jeremy toddled onto the screen and Elena's eyes went straight to him as he plodded over to her in his little dungarees, his pudgy hands grabbing her curls,

"LAYLA LAYLA LAYLA!" The boy chanted and Elena looked back to the camera with a scowl,

"We can go now."

The screen faded for a moment and then came back with Elena knocking on Caroline's front door, and when Sheriff Forbes answered, she still had long blonde hair and was faced away from the door, probably talking to her husband, but Elena's face seemed to light up and an excited shriek filled her,

"BEKAH! BEKAH!" She squealed and rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Liz's legs.

Elena's breath caught in her throat as her siblings tensed, that wasn't possible… There was no way…

Liz turned and Elena blanched, stepping back rapidly with tears streaming down her face,

"You're not 'Bekah, you're not."

"Who's 'Bekah, Sweetheart?" But then Elena's face went slack, her pupils widening as her body seemed to pause,

"Elena? Honey?"

And then a little Caroline came running out, poking Elena in the forehead and turning to her mom,

"I think she's broken. I want a different one."

Liz leaned down and tucked Caroline's hair behind her ear,

"She's not a toy, Caroline, she's a little girl just like you."

And then Elena seemed to snap out of it, a confused frown taking over her face as she looked at Caroline.

Elena seemed to back away, but little Caroline was having none of it. She rushed forward and pulled Elena into a hug that had the brunette tensing with wide eyes,

"Hi! I'm Caroline and I'm six!" she held up that many fingers proudly, "Who are you?"

Elena turned her wide eyes to the camera as she stepped back from the exuberant girl,

"I'm Elena, and I'm six, too," it sounded painfully rehearsed, "Are you crazy?"

Caroline squeezed her fingers and Elena squeezed them back,

"That's rude, Mommy, tell her that's rude, oh, wait, come with me, I have toys, let's play!"

Caroline didn't give Elena a choice, she grabbed her by the wrist and then tugged her inside the house, much to the younger brunette's horror.

The video faded to black and then came back in the Gilbert garden. They were having a bonfire and the camera was on Jeremy as he 'helped' his dad cut up some firewood, but then the camera turned to Elena, who was staring into the fire as if she were waiting for something,

"What is it, honey? Is it warm?"

Elena pointed at the flames with a stubby arm,

"Kol!"

Kol's fingers trembled and Elena leaned into him,

"That's right, honey, fire makes coal."

Elena looked up at the camera with wide, hopeful eyes,

"Fire makes Kol? I can have Kol?"

Then she kind of drooped, her fingers going to her head as if a bad headache was coming over her,

"Grayson! Quick, it's happening again!"

The camera faded to black just as Elena's little body hit the floor.

The next time it came back, Elena was bouncing at the bottom of their apple tree in a pair of dungarees, her fingers stretching for the fruit that she couldn't reach,

"FINN!" She called as she bounced, "FINN!"

"No, Sweetie, those are apples. Say it with me, apples."

Elena looked at her like she was stupid,

"I want Finn. Finn promised, he promised-" Fat tears trailed from her eyes as her voice got slightly hysterical, "He promised me! I want Finn! Get me Finn!"

"Oh, Sweetie, come here," the camera got lower to the ground as Elena curled into a ball, a little cry escaping from her as she gripped her head,

"Ayana really did a number on you, didn't she? My poor girl," Miranda's hand appeared in the frame, stroking Elena's hair, "I wish I knew how to help you. I'd give you back, if I could, I promise."

The camera faded to black and then came in to a tea party that Elena was throwing with a stuffed toy and a child's drawing. The toy was a white wolf, and the drawing was of a man with shoulder length brown hair and a white shirt, she'd clearly drawn it herself,

"Who have you got at your tea party today, Elena?"

Elena looked up to the camera with a wide smile, one of her teeth was missing,

"I've got Niklaus," she pointed to the wolf, "And Elijah," she pointed to the drawing, "but Niklaus isn't really a wolf, he's a man, but he protects me from the wolves. They're having tea and cakes."

"What kind of cakes are they having?"

Little Elena shrugged,

"I don't remember," she whispered with a little frown, "I feel sad, Mommy, and I don't know why. It hurts in here," she pointed to her chest and Miranda sighed,

"Oh, my girl. You'll understand one day."

Elena blinked, her little face going slack for a moment before she looked around in confusion,

"Why are we in here, Mommy? Can we go have apple juice, please?"

Miranda's face appeared back on the screen, she looked more than a little heartbroken,

"As you can see, the spell only kind of worked. That's how we know she'll find you. One day, the spell will fail and it's so painfully clear to us that she will search the entire globe for you. I just wanted you to know that she never stopped loving you. Ayana was strong, but she wasn't strong enough to make her forget entirely. She's lived with us for a year now, and she still dreams of her home. From here, though, we'll show you her happier moments. Please, enjoy."

Next came a compilation of Elena's childhood, from clips of her attempts at baking, to her pushing Jeremy into the lake, to her and Caroline dancing in her bedroom and then her and Bonnie flicking through a picture book. They'd filmed her plays at school, her graduations, her cheerleading competitions… It was all there, all the bits of Elena that the Mikaelsons didn't get to have.

And if there wasn't a dry eye left by the end, well, no one commented on it.

And if Elijah squeezed her a little tighter before sending her to bed that night, well, Elena squeezed him just as tightly.

She wasn't surprised when, later that night, Rebekah and Kol both made their way into her room.

And if the older three checked on them throughout the night, that was their business.