Consequences of expression

10

I felt like I was getting bigger by the day. It had been two months since Esther had told us that I was pregnant, and it was clearly visible now. In fact, at seven months, I looked like I was about to pop! Kol had been overjoyed at the fact of having a daughter, and after the shock wore off, I was as well. It was my chance of having a normal, human life. I was married, having a baby, all things I threw out the window when I became a vampire.

As I cooked dinner, I felt the baby kicking and it was a reassuring feeling. I had this eery feeling that something was going to happen soon, and I didn't know what. I worried for all of us, because my gut feelings were never wrong.

"Hello, darling, how have my girls been today?" Kol asked, kissing me and leaning down to place a kiss on my stomach.

"Exhausted. Our little witch feels like she is as strong as her father already." I said, feeling her kicking again as he laid his hand to feel as well. She was a very strong baby, going as far as almost breaking one of my ribs already.

Kol put his hands on my stomach and whispered a few words before kissing it gently. The kicking got slower then stopped. I looked at him curiously as he rose.

"What did you do?" I asked him.

"Just calmed our little witch so that you can have a break, darling." He said before kissing me again and sitting at the table for dinner.

"Can you do that little trick at night too? She just loves to keep me awake." I said laughing.

"Of course, darling." He winked at me. We ate and he went back to sharpening his weapons.

"I'm going to run outside to grab the clothes off the line, they should be dry by now." I told him and he nodded. I grabbed the basket and walked outside beginning to pull the clothes from the line we had strung between two trees.

I felt a pair of arms grab me from behind and cover my mouth so that I couldn't scream.

"Tsk tsk. Kol should have taught you to be more aware of your surroundings." It was Tatia. "You know, I don't really like how you've won over everyone's hearts around the village. That was supposed to be my job, now everyone just thinks you're the good twin and I'm the evil twin. And now you're having this baby? You know, I had a baby. A girl. She was torn from my arms as soon as she was born." Tatia said, holding a knife to Elena's throat.

"She should be about 3 years old now, but I won't ever get to see her again. I'm thinking about subjecting you to the same fate... How would you feel if I ripped this baby from your gut right now?" Tatia continued before falling to her knees and clutching her head.

"You will NEVER touch my wife or daughter again or I will kill you where you stand, is that understood?!" Kol shouted as he ran toward me. I bent over, clutching my stomach as I felt a pain. "If you wish to live, then leave. I will let my father deal with you later."

Tatia ran, her nose bleeding. I fell to my knees doubling over in pain before Kol picked me up bridal style and carried me running to his mother. As we got there, Rebekah and Esther ran to the door, telling him to put me on the bed.

"What happened?" Rebekah asked quickly as Kol laid me on the bed.

"Tatia threatened her again, this time with a knife to her neck." Kol said quickly. Mikael heard from the door, but Kol was quick to stop him before he tracked her down and killed her himself.

"Do not kill her, father, she deserves a fate worse than death. I say to lock her in the caves." Kol told him, relieving me.

"Good idea, son." Mikael said before leaving hastily.

"Are they both alright?" Kol asked quickly, with a worried tone.

"She will need to rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. I am giving her herbs to stop the labor, but I can only give them once. If it starts again, the baby will be born, and it is much too soon for that." Esther said before walking to the kitchen and coming back with a strong smelling tea. I gulped it down, almost having to hold my nose from the taste. It was awful. I didn't really like the fact that I was on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy either. Two months in bed. Not. Fun.

Kol carried me back to our house the next day, placing me directly in bed. I thought I was going to die of boredom.

A month and a half later, I was allowed to get up and do small things around the house but even they were getting difficult because of my size. I felt like a whale. I couldn't even bend down to put on my shoes.

By this point, it was safe if the baby was born, but I was still very cautious. Tatia had been forced to live in the caves only living off scraps of leftover food and I was satisfied.

I was walking around the house waiting for Kol to get home when I felt a gush of water down my legs. Immediately knowing what it was, I grabbed my coat and waddled out the door, having to stop every five minutes for a break. I hadn't walked this far since I was put on bed rest and it was certainly speeding things along. I almost made it to Esther's door before I collapsed on the ground, too much pain to continue walking. Luckily Rebekah had seen me out of the window and ran out to help.

"In... labor... get... Kol... NOW." I yelled at her through my breaths as I felt another contraction coming on. After she helped me inside to Esther, she ran off to find Kol, whom I was going to castrate when I saw him.

"How far apart are the pains?" Esther asked, feeling my stomach.

"Getting closer together, maybe three minutes now?" I said panting.

"I will need to check you, spread your legs apart." She said as she lifted up the bottom of my white dress. Of course, I just had to go into labor wearing a white dress. I felt uncomfortable with my mother-in-law sticking her hands in my lady places, but I knew it needed to be done, and soon they would be put on show for everyone to see. Pride be damned. "You are already 6 fingertips, it won't be long."

I knew from my health class that you needed to be 10cm before the baby could be born and I was already 6? Our little witch must really want to get out. For only a moment I wished I was back in the future where there were hospitals and drugs and sterile equipment, but I knew that women have been doing this naturally forever. I would live.

Finally Kol showed up, running to my side. I grabbed his hand and his knuckles turned white from pressure.

"If you think you are EVER touching me again in this lifetime, think again. You are lucky I don't castrate you right now!" I yelled at him as another contraction came. After it went away, I felt bad for saying such things, but then another one came and I didn't feel so bad anymore.

"Mother, can I do anything to help her?" Kol pleaded with Esther, but she shook her head no.

"Even as witches we cannot do anything to interfere with childbirth, it is as nature wills and our powers will do nothing." Esther said, looking back to me.

She waited another hour before checking me again and by that time if was time to begin pushing. I felt the need to bear down.

"Rebekah, Kol, hold her legs and keep the others out." Esther said as I began pushing as hard as I could. I was feeling weak, but I knew I needed to push to meet my daughter. The pain was almost too much as I screamed. It felt like forever before I heard the best sound I had ever heard in my entire life. A cry.

I looked down to see Esther holding my daughter as Rebekah wiped her off with cloths. Esther then wrapped her up in a blanket and handed her to me.

"She is beautiful, just like her mother." Kol said as tears streamed down his face, looking at our daughter. "Aurora."

"Aurora Isobel Mikaelson. Perfect." I said as I kissed my daughters small tuft of brown hair.