Elena woke up in a big bed with soft pillows, as the sun barely peaked over the horizon and wondered how she got there. The last thing she remembered was leaning against Elijah in the car on the way home from the bar. She didn't recognize the room she was in now but guessed it was an unoccupied room in the Mikaelson manor.

She burrowed further into the warmth of the bed as she thought about what she should do about Stef taking the coffins from Nik. After the killing spree she had gone on with Jeremy, Nik and Elijah, her mind felt clearer than it had for a while and it was like some pressure had lifted from her shoulders.

Knowing where Stef was keeping the coffins didn't really help Elena because she couldn't just walk up to Nik and Elijah and say 'I know where your siblings are!' And how do I know that? Oh, I died in another reality where your lives are a tv-show before I woke up in Elena Gilbert's body and that's how I know.

Yeah... No, that wouldn't work. What if she... Elena sat up with a quiet gasp. That idea had merit and could work, she just had to put on her best performance to date and hope that the Mikaelson siblings believed her.

She slowly got up from the bed and saw that she was wearing a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt that didn't belong to her and assumed that Jeremy, Elijah or Nik had changed her clothes or something.

As Elena walked towards the door, she made her eyes look as distant as possible, wanting it to look like she wasn't really 'at home' right now. She walked down the stairs and approached the front door when she heard Elijah greet her.

"Good morning, Elena." Elijah sounded like he was smiling.

Elena ignored him and kept walking. She knew that she worried him as he hurried over to stand in front of her. She just ignored him again and walked around him.

"Elena?" Elijah grabbed her arm gently.

"What's going on?" Elena heard Nik ask from somewhere behind her.

"I don't know." Elijah answered softly. "It's like she isn't really here, so to speak."

"What's going on, love?" Nik was suddenly right in front of her and then she saw Jeremy walk up beside Elijah out of the corner of her eye.

"I need to get the Oldest and the Youngest." Elena tried to make her voice sound eerie and far away.

"Oldest and Youngest?" Jeremy wondered softly from beside Elijah.

"The Oldest has been sleeping... sleeping... sleeping for so long." Elena decided that she could make a killing at faking being a seer, she was doing an awesome job. "The Youngest... so full of mischief... so full of bloodthirsty fun."

The other three in front of the front door stood quiet for a while before Elijah gasped and looked at Elena, "You know where Finn and Kol are being kept?"

"Need to get them." Elena murmured again and this time when she walked past Elijah, he let her.

"Let's follow her." Nik said and Elijah and Jeremy agreed.

"Is she okay?" Jeremy sounded worried.

"I don't know, cub, but we will do our best to make sure that she is." Nik said and through the corner of her eye Elena saw him place a hand on Jeremy's shoulder.

As Elena walked towards the old witch house, she knew that Death was helping her, because she was absolutely certain that she didn't know the way through the woods but here she was. Her feet started to hurt after a while, walking barefoot through the woods wasn't the best idea apparently.

Elena ignored it when she felt a sharp rock cut her foot and just kept walking, knowing that she needed to see her plan through to the end.

"I hope we get where she's leading soon." Nik murmured behind her.

"You getting tired?" Jeremy tried to tease.

"No but Elena is bleeding." Elijah told him gently.

"What?!" Jeremy called out.

"She must have cut her foot on something." Nik explained.

Elena kept walking and finally the old witch house came into sight. She almost sighed in relief; her feet hurt an awful lot. She was surprised when she got to where she knew the coffins where and only saw two of them. Where was Esther's coffin?

"You found them." Nik sounded so happy at that that Elena had to do her very best not to smile and hug him.

As Elijah and Nik walked towards the coffins, Elena was trying to think of a way to 'come out' of her 'trance like' state when suddenly both Nik and Elijah fell to the floor, clutching their heads and screaming in pain.

"What's going on?!" Jeremy ran up to Nik to try and help.

"The dead witches." Elena gasped in understanding. "They are hurting them."

'What can I do?!' Elena thought desperately.

"Let me use you as a vessel for a short time, daughter, and I shall help them." Death whispered in her mind.

'What do I need to do?' Elena asked/thought with determination even as she felt like her head was splitting in two.

"Don't fight me." Death answered, then it was like she was floating and everything went black.

*Slight POV change*

Jeremy looked up as he heard his sister gasp and stumbled back in surprise, even as he heard Nik and Elijah stop screaming as they stood up. Elena's eyes were pure, bottomless, void like black.

"You dare to harm the people that my chosen daughter loves?!" The voice that came out of Elena's mouth wasn't hers. Elena's voice was there but overlapping it was an ancient and powerful force that everyone in the house could feel in their very souls, living and dead.

Jeremy and the Mikaelson brothers heard some vague whispers around the room before the being that spoke through Elena spoke up again, "You shall leave and never harm another who is under my chosen daughter's protection or I will erase you from existence."

The air was suddenly clearer and not as oppressive as it had been since they had arrived. Jeremy felt like a weight had lifted from his shoulder and that he could breathe easier, which was weird because he hadn't even noticed that he had had trouble breathing.

"Who are you?" Nik growled and tried to make himself as tall and imposing as possible. "Get out of Elena!"

"You are quite adorable." The being chuckled before it turned completely serious. "And the only reason I'm even telling you anything is that Elena cares about you. But rest assured, if you EVER hurt her, nothing will be able to save you."

"Excuse my brother, he's very protective of Elena." Elijah angled his body as a shield to protect Jeremy and Nik.

"To answer you brothers' question; I've had many names over many millennia, but the most well know is Death." The being, Death, smirked.

"Your death? As in The Death?" Jeremy asked with wide eyes. "And what did you mean when you called Elena was your 'chosen daughter'?"

"Exactly that." Death said simply.

"If you are Death, isn't your presence in Elena's body harming her?" Elijah looked worried.

"You have always been an intelligent one." Death smiled softly. "You are correct, a human body was never meant to contain my being and so Elena is suffering. I will leave her and you need to give her your blood to help her recover."

"Done." Nik agreed with that quickly.

"Take care of her." Death smiled again. "And just so you know, vampires are not abominations, you are just the way you are supposed to be."

Elena suddenly began to fall to the floor like a marionet with its strings cut. Elijah, who was closest, caught her before she hit the ground, lifting her up in a bridal carry.

"Jeremy, can you take her and go outside while me and Nik grab the coffins?" Elijah walked up to Jeremy.

"Yeah, no problem." Jeremy gingerly took his sister from the Original and walked out of the house, all the while feeling more and more sure about his decision.

XOXOXOX

Elena woke up slowly, feeling well rested and accomplished. She made a move to stretch when she felt a warm body lying beside her and quickly opened her eyes. At first, she smiled as she saw her sleeping little brother but then she frowned, were those tear tracks on his face? Who the fuck hurt her baby brother?!

"Wake up, Jere." Elena shook his shoulder gently.

"Lena...?" Jeremy mumbled as he woke up.

"Yeah, baby brother." Elena smiled.

"Lena!" Jeremy buried his head in her neck and started to cry.

"Shh, baby, shh." Elena cooed. "It's okay, everything will be okay."

"Tyler broke up with me." Jeremy sobbed quietly.

"What? Why?" Elena felt shock run through her. Jeremy and Tyler were so in love that it was ridiculous... weren't they?

"He said that he couldn't be together with a murderer, and that while he had been to visit Mason, he met a woman that he really liked." Jeremy sniffled.

"Oh Jere, you'll find the person or persons that is the other part or parts of you." Elena stroked her hand through his hair, even as she planned her revenge on Tyler for hurting her Jere-Bear.

"Like you've found Elijah and Nik?" Jeremy pulled back and sent his older sister a wet, teasing smile, obviously trying to think about something else instead of Tyler.

"This conversation is about you, little brother." Elena blushed even as she allowed the conversation changer, then before she could say anything else, her stomach gave a rumble.

"Seems like someone is hungry." Jeremy chuckled.

"Yeah, come on." Elena jumped up from the bed and absentmindedly noticed that she was wearing a new set of sweatpants and a soft button up shirt.

"The pants are Nik's while the shirt belongs to Elijah." Jeremy informed her when he noticed that she was looking at her clothes.

"That's nice of them to lend me their clothes." Elena smiled.

"Yeah, nice." Jeremy smirked. "It has nothing to do with you now smelling like them and them liking to see you in their clothes."

"What are you on about?" Elena asked with a confused frown.

"Nothing, sister-mine, nothing at all." Jeremy kept on smirking but Elena chose to ignore it... for now, at least.

"Come on, let's get food." Elena declared and made her way out of the room.

As they walked down the stairs, they heard quiet voices from a room to the side, Elena recognized Nik's and Elijah's voices in a heartbeat but she was certain she recognized a third voice too, while the fourth was unknown.

Silently, with Jeremy watching her back, Elena walked over to the room and then she softly pushed the door open. She froze for one, two, three seconds before she squealed in happiness as she rushed over and attacked one of the people in the room with a hug.

"Finn!" Elena felt him catch her as she attacked, tackled, jumped hugged the man.

"Elena?!" Finn sounded shocked even as he hugged back with equal strength.

"You know him?"

"You know her?"

Elena let go of Finn and turned to look at Jeremy and the other guy who had voiced their questions. She smiled at Jeremy before turning to Elijah and Nik with a shy smile.

"Since the ritual I have started to meet with Finn in a forest world." Elena tried her best to explain. "Sometimes it happens when I sleep, other times when I'm close to death."

"So you are the new doppelgänger." A young man said as he walked up to her.

"So you are the youngest male Mikaelson." Elena said back in the same tone of voice.

"You don't seem that impressive." The man hummed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Shall I do a backflip?" Elena mock bowed to him. "Or should I rip your throat out with my teeth?"

"I'm Kol." Kol introduced himself and Elena had to stop herself from gasping as all her memories about Finn and Kol returned. She was going to have to have a serious talk with Death about proper times to give her memories back.

"Elena." Elena said simply before she turned back to Finn. "Are you okay?"

"I'm a bit confused about this time, but I just woke up so I guess that is to be expected." Finn smiled at her. "But Nicky and Lijah has been explaining what has been going on."

"You should tell them, all of them, why you where so distant when you where all human." Elena advised him softly. "They wont judge you and if they do, I'll prank them."

"Tell them what ever she's telling you to tell them." Jeremy said quickly. "She's is mayhem incarnate when it comes to pranking."

"Why, thank you little brother." Elena beamed at him.

"I don't think we've been introduced." Kol walked over towards Jeremy, all the while giving him an appreciative once over. "I'm Kol Mikaelson, at your service."

"Jeremy Gilbert." Jeremy held out his hand so Kol could shake it, but instead Kol kissed the back of his hand with a small smirk.

"A pleasure." Kol almost purred.

"Get your grabby paws off my baby brother!" Elena snarled and made to attack Kol, feeling overprotective of her baby brother since Tyler just broke his heart.

"Calm down, love." Nik chuckled as he caught her around the waist.

"Elena, do you have some time?" Elijah asked politely. "Niklaus and I wanted to talk to you."

"Yes, she does." Jeremy was giving Elena a knowing smirk. "And if you want privacy, I can take Kol and Finn to the grill and then show them around."

"What do you know?" Elena narrowed her eyes at her brother.

"Elijah and Nik will tell you." Jeremy laughed.

"I would like to go to this 'grill' if it isn't to much trouble." Finn looked at Jeremy.

"It would be my pleasure." Jeremy smiled at the oldest Mikaelson.

"I'll come to, might be interesting." Kol hummed thoughtfully.

"No murder!" Elena looked at Jeremy and then Kol before she turned to Finn. "Keep them out of trouble, please?"

"I'll do my best." Finn hugged her before leaving the room.

"I promise no murder... at least with out you." Jeremy chuckled as he left with Kol following.

Things were quiet for a few minutes before Elena's stomach gave a rumble again. She looked up at Elijah and Nik with a sheepish smile, "Can we talk while I eat?"

"Of course, darling." Elijah smiled at her but she thought she saw a flash of nervousness in his eyes before it was gone.

Elijah led her to the kitchen with a hand on her lower back, it almost felt like a brand. Elena knew she should feel weird or apprehensive of the possessive gesture but instead she felt warm and safe.

"Sadly, the only thing I can actually make with the stuff we have are toast." Nik said a little embarrassed.

"Toas would be perfect." Elena smiled at him.

"I'll do that then." Nik's whole face lit up with a beaming smile.

As Nik was making her toast and pouring her a glass of orange juice, Elijah was running his hand absentmindedly up and down her back as he was lost in thought. Elena wanted to ask what was going on but at the same time she wanted them to speak in their own time.

After she had eaten her toast and finished her glass of arrange juice she got up and placed the dirty dishes in the sink before she turned back to Elijah and Nik. "Okay, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

They were quiet for a few seconds while exchanging looks before Elijah gestured for her to follow them. The walked into a sitting room that Elena hadn't been in before and sat down on the couch with Elena in the middle and Nik on her left, Elijah on her right.

"Elena..." Elijah broke of with a sigh, before he took a deep breath. "Elena, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met in my very long life..."

Elena felt her face heat up with a blush, while at the same time butterflies were running rampant in her stomach. Was Aunt Jenna right? Did he like her? What about Nik?

"You never judge me for my more vicious moments and you never try to change me to fit into a certain mold, you just accept me for who and what I am without any conditions." Elijah looked her deep in the eyes. "And because of you being who you are, I have fallen deeply, irreversibly, completely in love with you."

Elena sat there feeling shock go through her body, she didn't know what to say. Luckily before she actually had to say anything, Nik angled her towards him so he could look her in the eyes.

"And he is not the only one." Nik smiled with a hint of uncertainty. "You are a light in my dark world. You make the bad days' worth living through if only to see you smile at me again."

Elena felt the breath catch in her throat, was this actually happening? Was she dreaming or hallucinating or something? There was no way these two gorgeous, kind, powerful men wanted her! She was just plain old Elena.

"But we also know that you care deeply for those you consider friends and family." Nik continued. "So, we talked, extensively, about this and if you are agreeable, you could have us both."

"We have agreed that for you? We would be able to share, as long as you are happy." Elijah spoke up gently.

The thoughts were swirling sound her head at a rapid speed. Aunt Jenna had said that as long as all three of them where okay with the arrangement than it was fine. Aunt Jenna had also mumbled something about consent being sexy but Elena did really catch that bit.

Could she be with them, give them her heart and soul and risk her outliving them and never seeing them in the afterlife? Could she bind them to her in some way that if she died and moved on to another reality like that said she could, would she be able to bring them with her?