✓ | 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂, Stefan and Damon

Chapter 54

Waiting for Nik to get home peaked my anxiety to an extreme. There were no indications of when he would be home or what news he would bring with him. Whatever he had been doing with Caroline at the doctors had been kept a secret. Not even his hybrids knew what was going on with the two of them. In all ways we had been left in the dark.

This sort of behavior was very unusual. Nik had always told me what was happening in his life, even if I didn't want to hear it. All of the gory details included, I usually knew exactly what was going on with him. The two of us were the closest out of our entire family, likely due to us understanding each other's trauma better than Rebekah and Elijah, who were the siblings most likely to be awake and alert during the centuries.

I heard my brother trying to sneak back into the house with his mate before I was able to see him, so I promptly found out which window he was crawling through and met him there.

"So I see someone's back from the doctors office," my tone was laced with annoyance as I stared my brother down. "Get your ass in here and explain yourself. You've made everyone not only worried for your safety but also your sanity."

"Perfectly sane, little one," he smiles at me, clearly knowing that I was onto him.

"Explain yourself," I demand like the annoying little sister that I was. "I shall be the first one to know why you've been acting strange. As the favorite sibling you have no right to keep important things from me."

"We were just checking to make sure that we were right in our predictions, Striddy," Nik tries to calm my growing annoyance. I wasn't nice when I got annoyed with someone, especially him. "If you can get the rest of the family we can have a nice chat about what has been going on. There is no need to get fiesty with me, baby sister."

I look at Caroline, whose face was unusually pale. "Why are you so pale? Shock, anger, annoyance? What has my brother done to you? Nik if you did something stupid I will make sure that you regret it for the next decade. Or if you did something dangerous. Don't do dangerous things without consulting the family."

"Nothing dangerous," Caroline whispers.

"Good. I'll call a good ol' family meeting."

______________________________________________

"Now that everyone and their mates are here I would like to open the floor to Niklaus Mikaelson, Original Hybrid and one of the many Original middle children. Take it away, you buffoon," Nik laughs, still awkward in his pacing as he stood up with Caroline, who he was making sure didn't fall over. Her footing is off already. Aren't vampires supposed to be more graceful? Eh, may just be since she's so young she hasn't picked up in the elegance. Not that she isn't elegant, but her footing isn't the best.

"Thank you for that introduction, sister, I think we all know who I am by now," he joked. "Anyways, since this is quite an odd thing that has happened, I think it would be best for Caroline to explain this one."

"Why me?" she questions, annoyed at the sudden turn of attention to her. "Fine. Hybrids, Heretics, and other vampires, today I went to the doctors. Crazy, but I did. No, it wasn't to keep up appearances, it was because I was feeling really sick in the mornings and I needed answers."

Most of my family, including me, were completely lost. So how did a vampire start to feel sick in the mornings? Is that even possible? I guess it is since she's telling us she felt sick. That must suck, thinking you couldn't get sick and then suddenly you get sick. I wonder what diseases vampires can get. Maybe she isn't sick at all. You know what, she probably ingested too much vervain in her tea that morning. Lower the dosage and she'll be fine.

"Vampires cannot get sick," Kai says matter-of-factly. "Isn;t that a well known fact? Not to be rude or anything, of course, but I just don't get it."

"It's fine, Kai, we didn't get it either," Caroline tells him before turning back to all of us in the living room. "Turns out I'm pregnant."

A shudder runs down my spine at her words. Pregnant? PREGNANT? HOW THE HELL DOES AN INFERTILE MAN IMPREGNATE AN INFERTILE WOMAN? Only Nik. ONLY MY DAMN BROTHER COULD PULL OFF A STUNT LIKE THIS I SWEAR TO ANY GODS AND GODDESSES THAT EXIST.

"Say sike right now," Kol deadpans, looking at our brother like he had turned blue. "Niklaus you damn beast how did you do it? That's like me getting Kai pregnant! You are both vampires and are supposed to be infertile!"

"I thought the same thing!" Nik defended himself. "I didn't know it was possible but looks like Caroline is pregnant with my child."

"This makes no sense," Damon shakes his head in disbelief. "How the hell did you pull off something this insane? We're vampires."

"Well Nik is also a werewolf," Rebekah points out, "Maybe it's the wolf genes." The fucking wolf genes I swear to god. I'm gonna kill this bitch. Took 1000 years for me to think of it but this man may be dead by dawn. You didn't even use protection? I mean we don't use it but you're a hybrid and you have to have slept with a thousand women before in your life. Before you met your mate you were practically a whore.

"This is why you use a condom," Jer sighs twice before shaking his head.

"I thought I couldn't have children!" Nik tries to defend himself, but just sits back down on the chair and sighs. "So I'm having a kid now. That's why I was being secretive."

"If you're both vampires," I start, "And Nik is half werewolf, does that mean this baby will be an original-vampire-werewolf-witch hybrid? A damn tribrid or quadrid? You know, nature is just fucking you over again and again." Wait a minute. Wait a damn minute.

"Astrid, you're half witch. All of the heretics are half siphoner," Elijah points out, "You may be able to have children as well. You hadn't slept with a man before your mates. For all we know you could be pregnant right now."

"Haven't been using protection?" Jeremy reprimands, "It's like us going to school literally meant nothing. We had health class and you took it."

I looked at both of my mates, who were in deep thought. Could we even have kids? Would that be what they wanted? After everything that happened? Marcellus.... I can't fail a child like I did Marcellus. He deserved so much more. I would be a terrible mother. We haven't done anything to protect ourselves from something like that. Elijah is right, I could be pregnant right now and not know it. I'll get a test or something.

"We can take you to the doctors if you want," Stefan speaks up, "Just to make sure."

"How did we get into this mess in the first place?" I ask, shaking my head at the thoughts of potentially being pregnant and having a child. The only experience I had with children ended in them dying and me being left heartbroken. I couldn't lose another baby of mine.

"Even if it ends up that you are pregnant," Caroline starts, "You and I would have our babies at the same time and they could be close. Cousins. My baby could have cousins. Plus, you would make an amazing mother."

Taking in a deep breath, I shake my head. "No, I really wouldn't. I don't want to raise a child in a place that could be unsafe."

"Neither do we," Nik says. "Nobody wants to raise a child in an unsafe environment. After this we can make things safe. Everything in this house will be baby proof. You would make an amazing mother and I never want to hear you say anything negative about your potential ability to parent. Can't you do a spell to see if you are?"

Kai stands up, looking over at me, "I can do it now. That is if you want to."

"Let's get this over with."