Unexpected
pairings. finn mikaelson x elena gilbert, caroline forbes x klaus mikaelson
summary. elena returns to the US and New Orleans to visit Caroline, but she’s not alone, she’s brought someone unexpected with her.
a.n. apologies for taking so long to up-date this, but here’s the first chapter.
PROLOGUE ||
* gif does not belong to me.
CHAPTER ONE
NEW ORLEANS
You’ve got this
Elena repeated to herself over and over again like a mantra. Taking a deep breath, and then another and another in the hopes of calming her nerves. Playing with the rings on her left ring finger was a nervous habit she had picked up in the last couple of days. She had been fine, up until they’d pulled up outside the compound. Of course, she couldn’t wait to see Caroline again, and Bonnie, and spend time with them. But she was nervous about their reactions.
Her husband reached over for her right hand, taking it into his slightly larger one and giving it a gentle squeeze before bringing it to his lips. The feel of her hand in his and then his lips, as he brushed them along her knuckles, helped her to feel calmer. Taking in another deep breath she felt herself starting to relax a bit. She was still worried about Caroline and Bonnie’s reaction, and maybe to a certain degree his family. But she felt a little calmer.
Letting go of her hand he moved his to the side of her face and began to run his thumb up and down in a soothing gesture. Smiling at the quiet sigh of contentment she made as she pressed her face closer to his hand. Elena closed her eyes, turning her head a little and pressing a kiss to the palm of his hand.
‘’ Just say the word, and we’ll leave, ‘’
Finn’s offer was so tempting, and god, did she want to. It would be so easy, no one knew they had arrived yet. She could start the car and drive off, and go back to the life they had started together back in England. But as tempting as that was, Elena knew she wouldn’t go through with it. She knew how much Finn wanted to see his sister again, whom he hadn’t seen in over a thousand years. And she knew he had missed her. Besides, she was looking forward to seeing Bonnie and Caroline again. It might not have been a thousand years since the last time she’d seen them, but to her a year was a long time.
Placing another kiss on the palm of his hand, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. Turning in her seat she took a moment to get a good look at him. Admiring the way he looked with much shorter hair.
It suddenly made her think of the first night they met. The night of the Mikaelson’s ball. At the time she and her friends had been trying to find a way to get rid of Klaus. Trying to figure out why Esther wanted to meet her and what she wanted.
She reached up, tangling her fingers into the short strands of his hair. It had been longer, that night of the ball, as he’d approached her at the bar and introduced himself to her. Offering her a glass of champagne. Their conversation had been brief, barely anything at all, but he had known that she was there to see his mother.
In that moment she hadn’t given much thought to his appearance, her mind on other things. Of course, she had noticed him though, he was an attractive man, even more so with shorter hair. But it wasn’t just about the way he looked. There was more to him than met the eye.
If someone had told her that night that she would end up marrying into the Mikaelson family, that she had just met her future husband, Elena probably would have laughed in their faces or thought they were on something. She was still trying to get used to the fact that she was now related to them, even if it was only by marriage.
This was her life now, and maybe she didn’t see this coming, but she certainly didn’t regret a single second of the first two weeks of her marriage. Nor did she regret who she had married. She just hoped that Jeremy and Ric were okay with it. And Caroline and Bonnie.
‘’ As tempting as that is, ‘’ she finally answered. And it was tempting, really tempting. ‘’ Caroline would kill me if I just left. ‘’
As nervous as Elena was about telling Caroline her secret, and her friend's reaction, she knew that out of everyone Caroline would probably understand falling in love with a Mikaelson. She had fallen in love with Klaus Mikaelson and was now living with him. The secret wedding, however, she was definitely going to freak out about that.
Reluctantly she pulled away from him, opening the door with her other hand and stepping out onto the street, closing the door behind her. He moved around the front of the car to stand beside her, reaching for her hand again and lacing their hands together. Finn wasn't sure whether it was more for her benefit or his. Maybe it was both. He and his siblings weren't exactly on speaking terms right now, and he wondered what their reaction would be to the news of his wedding and the identity of his new wife.
‘’ Just say the word, and we’ll leave, ‘’
Elena repeated his own words back to him, offering him the same out that he had given her moments ago. She knew that he desperately wanted to see his sister again, and how much he had missed her, but she also knew the current state of his relationship with his siblings right now and how strained things were between them. And if he wanted to return to their life in London then for him she would.
He was tempted by her offer as well, and it would be easy for him to say yes to it. But things had never been properly resolved between him and his siblings, and because his wife’s best friend was in a relationship with one of his brothers, he wouldn’t be able to completely avoid his siblings. Especially not when his eldest sister was back in their lives again. He hadn’t talked about it a lot, but he’d missed his big sister, his best friend. No matter the state of his relationship with his other siblings, he wasn’t going to walk away from getting her back.
Lifting their joined hands, he pressed a kiss against her fingers, before dropping them back in between them. Giving her hand another gentle squeeze. Her heartbeat had picked up again since stepping out of the car, and the kiss on her fingers and a gentle squeeze of her hand had the desired effect of lowering her heart rate. But he could tell she was still nervous.
‘’ I don’t need an out. We do this together, remember, ‘’ he appreciated her offer though.
Knowing that she wasn't doing this alone and that he had her back helped her to feel less nervous. And it was one of the things she loved about him. She'd be lying if she said his looks weren't part of why she loved him. He was an attractive man, there was no denying that and the sex was great, amazing, but their relationship wasn’t all about that. Elena had found someone who truly respected her for the first time in a long time.
They argued like any other couple and didn’t always agree on everything. Even if he didn’t like a decision she had made he gave her the freedom to make her own decisions. He treated her like an adult like she was capable of deciding for herself. She felt respected and loved, and that's all she'd ever wanted.
Damon on the other hand was a different matter entirely. While they had never been romantically involved, though not for a lack of trying on Damon’s part, he had kissed her. And she kissed him back. At the time she’d believed herself to be in love with him. If only she had known then what she knew now. He was obsessed with her and wanted her to be another Katherine.
It wasn’t until she’d transitioned into a vampire, and when any compulsion placed on her was broken, that she’d realised just how obsessed Damon was with her. It had never even occurred to Elena that she’d met Damon before Stefan. Compelling her to forget the night of her parent's death. To forget that he had told her what kind of love she wanted. Except it was what he wanted and wanted her to want. Wanting her to be like Katherine. He didn’t even know her, he’d only just met her, so how could he know what she wanted?
That wouldn’t be the only time he compelled her though. Looking back on that she was convinced that first compulsion influenced her thinking and what she thought she wanted. Of course, he made her forget, but it was still there, buried deep on an unconscious level. It was a violation of her mind. He had compelled her to forget that he had told her he loved her, even when she asked him not to. And the time he compelled her to dagger Rebekah when she didn’t want to, but she had.
He claimed to love her, and yet if he truly loved her wouldn’t he respect her boundaries, and allow her to make her own decisions no matter what he thought about them? And yet Damon didn’t respect her boundaries. Now that she was free of the sire bond and human again, Elena realised just how suffocating he and his love could be.
‘’ Elena, ‘’
The sound of his voice pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to look at him. Finn was looking at her with concern. Worry for her reflected in his eyes, but she could also see the love there. In the three years, they had been together, not once had he looked at her like she was fragile. Sure, she was more breakable as a human, more so than a vampire, but he had never looked at her like she was going to break apart at any moment. He never looked at her like she was a damsel in distress.
‘’ Are you alright, ‘’
Elena nodded and offered him a smile. She’d been doing that a lot the last couple of days, drifting off into a world of her own. What would her life have been like if vampires had never entered her life, more than likely if she’d never met Stefan then she would probably be dead by now. Or maybe not. But now and then she had contemplated a life without the supernatural. Maybe she could have had a normal life. Maybe the people she had lost - her parents, her aunt Jenna - would still be alive now.
Had her life been normal and she an ordinary human being, she may never have crossed paths with the Mikaelsons. And that meant never meeting and falling in love with Finn. But she was never going to be normal and that was something that she’d come to terms with a long time ago. Elena had regrets though, things she wished she could go back and change, choices she had made and that had been made for her by other people. And one of those was Damon, she wished she hadn’t waited so long to confront him.
‘’ I’m okay, ‘’ and it was the truth, but she was also distracted. ‘’ I’ve just got a lot on my mind at the moment. ‘’
Finn gently tugged her into his arms, Elena coming willingly and allowing him to wrap his arms around her waist. Her arms wrapped around him and she buried her face into his chest, taking a moment or two to breathe him in and to help centre her. Before lifting her head to look at him. A tired smile on her face. His 6’2 taller than her 5’6, but in heels sometimes she was closer to his height. She was looking forward to seeing Caroline, and eventually Bonnie, and she couldn’t wait to finally meet Freya, but she was also looking forward to crawling into a bed at some point and sleeping.
‘’ How’s your head, ‘’ he asked as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Before pulling back slightly to get a good look at her. Noting that she was looking a little pale and tired, but she was still just as beautiful to him.
The headache she’d felt building for most of the day had eased off, thanks to the bottle of water and painkillers she’d taken earlier. And she did feel better for both, but she could feel the exhaustion creeping in and all she wanted to do was sleep. But if she did that she probably wouldn’t wake up until tomorrow. And she didn’t want to put this off any longer. Elena had no idea how anyone was going to react to their news, but she knew that whatever happened Finn would be there the whole time, right by her side and he wasn’t going to leave her. They could get through anything together.
“ It’s okay, ‘’
Elena knew though that whatever she said Finn would worry about her and was already very protective of her. He had been since the moment she first told him her news, although never to the point of overbearing, still giving her space when she needed it. They hadn’t exactly been trying, and Elena was currently on the pill, but there had been times when they hadn’t used protection or she had forgotten to take a dose, so it was bound to happen at some point. They just hadn’t anticipated for it to happen now.
While he was worrying about her she was also worried about him, knowing the state of his relationship with his brothers and sister, and how he felt about them right now. He was still angry, still had nightmares - though he’d admitted to her that having her there helped to ease them a little, helped to calm him - and he’d never really addressed it with his siblings. She hoped that one day they could have a better relationship. He might not ever forgive them, and she understood that. But there was a part of her that hoped that maybe one day they could be on better terms. Whatever he decided regarding his siblings she would support him.
‘’ Honestly, my head feels better, “ she reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face, wanting his complete attention. ‘’ I know you’re worried about me, and you're going to say it’s your job. Well, it’s my job to worry about you as well. And if it all becomes too much, and you want to leave, tell me. I’ve missed being able to see Jeremy and Ric and Caroline and Bonnie more often.
But you’re my family too, you’re important to me. And I loved the little life we were making in England, and you only have to say the world and we’ll leave. If you want to go back there, then we’ll go. ‘’
It wasn’t until Finn reached up and rubbed underneath her right eye with his thumb, that she realised she had tears in her eyes. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have cried at something like that, but her hormones were all over the place and she seemed to cry at the drop of a hat lately. Though these were happy tears. She wanted to make sure that he knew that he was important to her and how much his feelings mattered. How much he mattered.
‘’ Thank you, ‘’
Elena knew he wasn’t just saying thank you for her words, as his hand found its way underneath the baggy hoodie she was wearing to the small swell of her belly. He had given up hope of this the day he and his siblings became vampires. Believing he would never get the chance to be a father, yet here they were. And even though she could see and feel the changes to her body, it still didn’t feel real. It probably wouldn’t until they were able to hold them in their arms.
He reached up and brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, smiling as he ran his thumb across her cheek. Leaning closer he pressed another kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering for a second or two longer before he pulled away again. ‘’ Are you ready? ‘’ he asked as he held out his hand to her. She was so tempted to tell him no and to get back into the car and drive off again. But she really had missed Caroline and Bonnie, and her brother, a lot and she couldn’t stay away any longer or keep this a secret any more. Any of it. They deserved to know, both of them, and she wanted them to know just happy she was.
Taking his offered hand, Elena squeezed it and took a deep breath at the same time, before letting it out again. And then they were walking across the road to the front door of the compound, pausing outside as Elena lifted her hand to knock. Casting a glance next to her and smiling up at him as he whispered I love you to her, loud enough for her to hear. She knocked on the door and waited, giving it a few seconds before pushing open the door and calling out as she stepped inside, Finn following behind.
It wasn’t until they stepped further into the compound that Elena wondered if this was such a good idea, showing up like this unannounced. Maybe walking into their house like this without being invited in was rude, but she thought of all the times Caroline had done it to her back in Mystic Falls, and sometimes Bonnie, and well Caroline was now living here, so technically this was her house as well. But maybe she should have called first to let someone know she was coming, give them some kind of warning at least.
‘’ ELENA, ‘’
Caroline stood at the top of the stairs with a shocked look on her face, and at least Elena knew that there was someone in after all. Smiling at the look on her friend’s face. Seconds later Caroline was standing in front of her, pulling her into a hug without warning, and Elena had to let go of Finn’s hand so she could hug her friend properly. Despite how nervous she was about telling her best friend her news, she was genuinely happy to see her.
‘’ Hey Care, ‘’
‘’ What are you doing here? ‘’ Caroline pulled out of the hug and looked at her. And Elena didn’t miss the way her friend cast a quick glance at Finn beside her before looking back again. Giving her one of her patented Caroline Forbes looks. The one that said, explain yourself. ‘’ Sorry, not that I’m not glad to see you. I really am, but I thought you weren’t coming until next week. ‘’
‘’ I know, I wanted to surprise you….and there’s something I need to tell you, ‘’
