Force of Gravity • NM

•51•

The dining room of the Salvatore boarding house was unusually full that night. The Mikaelsons, Salvatores, Bonnie, Caroline, and even Kai's irritating presence made for an evening filled with bickering, wine, and Kol stealing food off everyone's plates.

Rebekah sat at the head of the table, absently swirling her wine glass, her fingers tensing against the stem. Across from her, Naira pushed around the vegetables on her plate, her face betraying hesitation. The room was filled with casual conversation, but something unspoken lingered between the two women. A secret that had been haunting them for months.

Klaus, sensing the shift, finally leaned forward and placed his glass down with a soft clink.
"Alright, out with it. You two have been brooding for weeks. It's becoming unbearable, and frankly, that's my job....or Damon's"

Rebekah exhaled sharply, exchanging a glance with Naira. Then, with a voice quieter than usual, she spoke.

"Naira and I... we've been having dreams."

That silenced the room. Damon paused mid-bite into his steak, Kol raised an intrigued eyebrow, and Elijah, ever observant, placed his napkin on the table neatly.

"Dreams?" Elijah repeated.

"The same one," Naira clarified, "over and over again. It's a woman, with long blonde hair and the saddest eyes I've ever seen. She—she looks like Finn....only she looks a little older in each dream.."

A deep silence settled over the table. Finn, who had been relatively quiet all evening, visibly tensed. His grip tightened around his glass, and for the first time in a long time, his face held something resembling pain.

"Freya," he murmured, the name barely audible.

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "Who?"

Finn exhaled deeply before looking at his younger siblings. His expression held something foreign—regret. "Our sister. Our eldest sister."

The room shifted with the weight of the revelation. Kol blinked at Finn as if waiting for him to start laughing. Rebekah's lips parted slightly, confused. Elijah, however, froze in his seat, his brows furrowing in thought.

"That's not possible," Klaus scoffed, but Finn met his eyes with an expression too serious to ignore.

"It is," Finn insisted. "Freya was our firstborn sister. Mikael and Esther's first child."

"Bullshit." Kol pushed his chair back slightly. "Why the hell would none of us remember her?"

Finn hesitated before saying, " Because you were all too young. And most of you weren't even born."

The weight of his words lingered like a storm cloud.

Elijah, rubbing his temple, exhaled. "I... remember sickness."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Mother told me she was sick. That she died when I was still a child," Elijah admitted, his voice almost uncertain. He shook his head as if trying to pull a memory from the fog.

"No, she didn't die," Finn said firmly. "She was taken."

Rebekah looked as if she had been punched in the gut. "Taken? By who?"

"I don't know..."

"Hold on," Damon cut in, raising his glass. "So, let me get this straight—Esther had another kid, and she just forgot to mention it? Or did she just pull a classic Mikaelson and erase her existence?"

Caroline groaned. "I mean, are we even surprised at this point? Every year there's some long-lost relative coming back from the grave."

"Yes, well," Klaus said dryly, "this one apparently predates all of us. And she's in our dreams, which means she's likely trying to tell us something."

Bonnie, arms crossed, was already in deep thought. "We need answers. We could try to summon Esther's spirit from the Other Side."

Kol snorted. "Oh great, let's bring Mummy Dearest back for a nice chat. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see us."

Damon raised a hand dramatically. "Okay, but real question—who's worse? Mikael or Esther? Because honestly, at this point, it's a competition."

"Mikael," Klaus said instantly.

"Esther," Kol countered.

"Father literally tried to kill all of us," Rebekah reminded.

"And Esther literally succeeded," Damon pointed out. "So, I'm leaning towards her."

Elijah sighed, exasperated. "This is not the time..."

"Mikael was the worst," Naira repeated, voice darkening. "He was a monster.... in every way imaginable."

"Esther created us into what we despised," Finn muttered.

"And she tried to kill all of us. Twice," Rebekah added.

"Three times, actually," Kol corrected.

"Damn," Kai muttered. "That's some serious mom issues."

In the midst of their growing argument, a small voice interrupted them.

"Mumma..."

Every head at the table snapped to the doorway, where little Henry stood in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

Instantly, the room froze. The tension melted away as guilt flickered across everyone's faces.

Stefan was the first to move. "Hey, buddy. What are you doing up?"

Henry pouted, walking further into the room. "You...all talk...much..."

Rebekah's heart clenched, and within seconds, she pulled him into her arms. "Oh, darling, we are soo sorry...I'm right here. Go back to sleep."

Henry, still groggy, looked around suspiciously. "What we doing?"

Elijah immediately forced a grin. "Nothing of matter, little warrior. Just... an intense debate about who's the worst parent."

Henry blinked. "That...weird."

Damon clapped his hands. "And with that, Henry wins the conversation."

Rebekah, still holding Henry, sent Stefan a look. Stefan took the cue and stood up, gently prying Henry from her arms. "Alright, let's get you back to bed before you start debating with us, too."

Henry leaned his head against Stefan's shoulder, yawning. "weird."

Damon chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Get used to it, kid."

As Stefan carried Henry upstairs, the rest of them remained in thoughtful silence. The night had started with dinner, but it had ended with an entirely new mystery to solve.

Freya was out there.
Someone....or something bad  was coming.
And Esther might be the only one with answers.

Klaus exhaled slowly, glancing at Naira. "Well, love... looks like our peaceful months are over."

Naira sighed...looping her arms with his.