The Blonde Princess

Breakfast with the Mikaelsons

Author's Note: I own nothing, Julie Plec owns everything, universe,  characters and all. Also, please review and send me any prompts you'd like to see. I have no chronological order for this fic, but most chapters are little puzzle pieces of the same timeline. I'll try to update as often as I possibly can, and I look forward to your reviews.

Caroline Forbes stretched languidly, taking a deep breath and letting the fresh morning air fill her lungs. Sighing, she got up from her place on the ground, making a mental note to remind the gardener to cut it soon. Her hands went up the ponytail she had trapped her blonde mane in and pulled the hairband out, only to retie it higher, pulling it tight. After selecting her workout playlist, she was off on her daily run. She ran through the woods behind the Mikaelson Manor, ducking and dodging tree branches and hopping over tree stumps, feeling more energized by the minute. She completed about three and a half miles before she worked up enough of a sweat to justify going home, so she wound back through the thick forestry, smiling to herself as she headed back home.

Once she arrived, she took off her muddied shoes and set them by the door, yelling to let the others know she was home. With her enhanced vampire hearing, she picked up a sleepy groan from Kol, a dramatic huff from Rebekah, and a hum of acknowledgement from Elijah, all coming from the kitchen. She grinned to herself at their replies and flashed to the shower, ridding herself of all the sweat and grime of her workout.

She padded to the expansive kitchen barefoot, and the sight she found there tugged at her heartstrings. What she had come to think of as her family were sitting around the breakfast table, all various degrees of sleepy. Rebekah's own blonde hair was bunched messily atop the crown of her head, and she was wearing her signature pout with particular gusto today. Elijah was dressed in silk pyjamas with matching pants and a shirt that resembled a suit and she mentally rolled her eyes at his formality. His normally perfectly styled hair was ruffled and his bleary eyes were scanning the newspaper that his plate of fruit lay on. Kol was making no effort at pretending to be awake, his head was cushioned by his folded arms atop the table and he was grumbling something about 'bloody morning people'. Klaus was leaning against the counter with his eyes closed and his hand wrapped around a pot of coffee. He looked so serene that one could mistake him for being asleep, but she knew better. As soon as she dropped a kiss to Elijah's cheek, he spoke up.

"How was your run?" He asked, not moving a muscle except his mouth.

"Good. I think the birds are starting to nest." She informed him, leaning across the counter to kiss him. He hummed in response, and she rolled her eyes at him fondly. "Are you planning on letting that go anytime soon?" She queried, referring to the pot of coffee.

"Just until I no longer wish to toss it at Kol's head for finishing the last cup of tea." He told her, hand tightening around the kettle.

"I'll make you some more. Sit down." She offered, hoping that she could get him to let go of the coffee pot. It had been a gift from Bonnie as a joke, because all of the Originals preferred tea, but it held sentimental value. She figured that was why it's glass shards were not embedded in Kol's skull right now.

"We wouldn't even have these kinds of problems if you lot didn't insist on family breakfasts in the first place," Rebekah complained, picking at her blueberry muffin.

"Bekah, it is important that as a family we have meals together, and I, for one, support Ms Forbes' idea to have breakfast together."

"Caroline, Elijah, we've been over this." Caroline corrected, just as Kol lifted his head to poke his tongue out at his brother.

"How very mature of you, Kol." Elijah quipped.

"Bite me."

"As if. I wouldn't even trust my vampire immunity to protect me from the STDs that are surely crawling all over you," Rebekah retorted.

"And that's why nobody asked you, dear sister." Kol mumbled.

"Oh, hush Kol, we all know the reason you're upset is because the Bennett witch doesn't quite appreciate your mediocre advances," Klaus interjected, finally opening his eyes, and smirking at the look of ire on his little brother's face.

"Children," Caroline muttered, brewing Klaus another cup of tea and wondering how it was possible that she was the youngest in this house.

When she had settled Klaus with a hot, fresh, cup of tea, she sat beside Kol, to his left. Immediately she did, Kol began to fill her plate with the sweetest things on the table, chocolate-filled croissants, a pancake and waffles, the latter of which he doused in maple syrup before spraying a healthy dose of whipped cream in the shape of a smiley face with horns. Caroline gave him a quick smile in gratitude, careful not to linger too long. She had long since learned that Originals were uncomfortable with expressing too much emotion.

Pretty soon, Caroline's quirky demeanor brightened everybody else up as she began talking about the stirrings of spring. Rebekah interjected with possible outfit options, and finally broke a smile when Caroline offered to shop with her for sundresses. Klaus groaned at the prospect of Caroline being gone for so long but she just gave him a wicked smile and subtly implied that sundresses weren't the only thing she'd shop for. Elijah stopped the conversation right there, discreetly asking whether Katherine would be joining Rebekah and Caroline. Rebekah scrunched up her nose, she and Katherine weren't the best of friends but both girls were close to Caroline, so when all three were together, the baby vampire always ended up playing buffer. Caroline mentioned that she was planning on inviting Katherine and Elijah nodded, flipping a page on his newspaper.

Kol pestered Caroline after that to put in a good word for him with Bonnie because she was still mad at him for his last indiscretion. He had been walking her home from The Grill when a man attempted to grab her ass. Kol had snapped his wrist and broken his shoulder before he could and Bonnie hadn't spoken to him since, because she detested 'unneccessary acts of violence'. Caroline agreed, mentally reminding herself to invite Bonnie out for shopping too.

And so the Originals and their recent blonde addition ate breakfast, chatting and laughing at each other's tales and occasionally tossing food across the table, each member secretly content to be awake at the ungodly hour of 8 am, despite their verbal claims otherwise, because they got to be together and nowhere ever felt more like home than the small wooden table in the middle of their kitchen.