Peace was a concept Audrey had a considered a lot during her life. The very first time, it was after her parents died. While she was there at the funeral, sat by side by side with her siblings in the front row, she also wasn't there. Not inside. The entire she stared at the front of the church, at the picture of her parents that had been blown up to be shown during the service, and she considered where they were now they were gone. She hated the idea of thinking they were just dead, buried in the ground with only a headstone with their names engraved in it left as a reminder of them. No, she thought long and hard about it, and liked to think that they were still together. In a place where there was no longer any pain, any suffering, or even darkness. It was just somewhere calm, quiet, happy. Where they could be together, and watch over her, Elena, and Jeremy until one day all them were together again. 

   That was what got her through her parents funeral.

   She considered this idea again when Jenna and John died, when Gia died and she knew there was no other side for her to get trapped on, and when Caroline lost her mom. When they lost Cami five years ago, when they lost Davina, who took the ancestors down with her in the process. Then when Stefan Salvatore died two years ago, it came to mind once again. A thought Caroline agreed with, believing her husband's sacrifice had sent him to place where she'd and Damon would be able to find him again one day. 

   As Audrey took in her current surroundings, that thought came to mind once again. She had died, and this was peace. Everything that happened after she opened her eyes felt like a blur, she didn't even remember getting her feet to move, but somehow she did. The second she laid eyes on her parents, she sprinted down the familiar path that led to the porch of the old Gilbert house, throwing her arms around her mom to hug her tightly. Miranda Gilbert hugged her daughter back with no hesitation, and it didn't take long for Grayson to join the hug. When she did eventually pull away, she opened her mouth to ask the million of questions that were rushing around inside her mind, but none of them were able to come out. Instead, she just let out a small gasp of surprise as Jenna Sommers appeared in front of her with a smile, and found herself wrapped in a hug once again. 

   "I--I don't understand." She mumbled when she let go, forcing her voice to work. She looked from her parents to her aunt, blinking like they'd be gone when she opened her eyes again. That all of this was just one figment of her imagination. "Am I...am I dead?"

   Miranda smiled softly as she reached her hand out, resting it against Audrey's cheek. "My beautiful girl, all grown up." She said with nothing but admiration in her eyes. "We're so proud of you, sweetheart."

   "More proud than you'll ever know." Grayson agreed wholeheartedly, an arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders. 

   A warm feeling formed in Audrey's chest, but she couldn't focus on it. Not while her head was spinning the way that it was. "You're okay, Rey." Jenna assured her. "Everything will make sense soon, we promise."

   "I'm...I'm dead, I died." She let out, slowly lowering herself to sit on the porch steps. Everything that happened replayed in her head, from being on her knees as she sobbed into Elijah's chest, to the world going dark and waking up here. "Elijah died, the bond killed me. I'm dead."

   "You're not dead." Miranda told her, taking a seat beside her. She felt her dad sit down on the other side of her, but she didn't even glance at him, too focused on what her mom had to say. "Freya's spell worked, Audrey. Elijah's soul is in the pendant, and that was enough to keep the bond intact so you'd live."

   She furrowed her brow. "Then how am I here?"

   "The pendant shattered." She explained to her. "Shattering Elijah's mind with it. While the bond has kept you alive, with his mind the way it is, it's not a strong connection. So it sent you here until your friends can find a way to help you both."

   "So I'm okay?" She let out, relief flooding into her voice. "He's going to be okay?"

   "You're both going to be just fine." Miranda smiled, and reached her hand to her once again. Only this time, instead of resting it on her cheek, her hand rested on her stomach. "All three of you will be."

   The Gilbert vampire felt a lump form in the back of her throat. "The test I took was right..." She breathed out. "I'm..."

   "Our second grandchild." Grayson rubbed her shoulder with a chuckle. "If it's a boy this time, I have a great idea for a name for you."

   "How do you know all of this?" She looked between them in disbelief. 

   "You already know, deep down." Jenna told her, watching the three with a small smile. "We are always going to watch over the people that we love, Rey. And from the second we knew you'd be coming here, we've been watching over your friends--your family." She corrected, making a hint of a smile tug at Audrey's lips. "To find out how they were going to wake you up."

   "Jenna, Klaus--"

   "I'm not mad about how close you got with him." She cut her off. "He killed me, but I'm okay. I'm at peace." She gestured around. "I'm with your mom and dad. I'm happy." She told her honestly. "And he looked out for you. Protected you. And sometimes he was the cause of the danger you were in, but he's fighting for you now when you need it most. I can't be mad about that."

   "What do I do now?" She asked them as all of this sunk in.

   "Nothing." Miranda took her hand and squeezed it. "Right now, you stay here with us and wait. You tell us all about your life, about our beautiful granddaughter."

   And that was exactly what Audrey did.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   Hayley stood beside Audrey's open coffin, wiping her eyes to stop herself from crying. They'd moved her and Elijah's coffins to the room beside the study, keeping the door closed so Mira and Hope didn't wander in and see them. They wanted to protect Mira from seeing her parents that way, as it was already hard enough for her with them not being there. Both Hayley and Klaus were looking after her just how they knew Audrey and Elijah would have wanted them to, and promised her she'd be reunited with her parents as soon as possible.

   A promise they were determined to keep.

   "If Elijah's soul is in there, then Audrey is alive." Freya spoke up, causing the Marshall-Kenner woman to glance to where she and Klaus stood in the study. "That is enough of a connection to him to keep her alive. If we boost the connection somehow, we can wake her up."

   "Then how do we do that?" Klaus raised a brow, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the desk. "The strongest connection would be bringing Elijah back, wouldn't it?"

   "Which I can't do, not yet." Freya shook her head. "I need to repair the pendant, which is dangerous to do while his mind is shattered. I need to heal his mind first. And I'd need a sacrifice big enough to power the spell to bring him back." 

   "We can't make Mira wait that long." Klaus shook his head in refusal. "That isn't an option. She needs both of her parents."

   "Which is why we find a way to wake up Audrey." Freya told him. "That way our niece has her mother until I can do what is needed to help Elijah."

   "Okay, then what's the next best connection?" Hayley asked as she joined them. "Whatever it takes, we'll do it."

   "When Audrey was human, you kept her alive when Elijah was daggered with her necklace." Freya looked at her brother. "It stopped her from dying, it kept the side effects of the dagger at bay. Now, Elijah's blood powering the necklace won't work, not while his body is dead. But Mira's might." She explained to them. "She's a product of their soulmate bond. A direct blood link to both Audrey and Elijah. It'd be enough to strengthen the bonds connection to Elijah while his mind is shattered, which would wake Audrey up."

   "Rey hasn't worn her necklace since she turned." Hayley said knowingly. "Elijah put the charm of it on Mira's bracelet years ago, she's never taken it off it."

   "I can change the gem on the charm. One made with Mira's blood, then all we have to do is go inside Audrey's mind and wake her up." The Mikaelson witch told them.

   Klaus looked hesitant. "Mira--"

   "It won't effect her in any way." Freya assured him. "I wouldn't do anything that would put her at risk. The only thing that will causing her any harm is taking some of her blood for the spell."

   "Then we do it." Klaus nodded with no hesitation. "Elijah will never forgive us if Audrey isn't awake, safe, and waiting for him with their daughter when we bring him back."

   "I'll go get what I need." Freya nodded and moved toward the door. "One of you needs to talk to Mira." She said before she left. 

   "She's playing with Hope." Hayley looked at Klaus. "Hope's been refusing to leave her side, she's been keeping her distracted."

   "I'll go talk to her." Klaus nodded, and Hayley didn't try to argue with him. "Go see if Freya needs any help." As she left, his eyes glanced toward the room the coffins were in, and he just stared at Audrey and his brother for a long moment. "We won't fail you on this, I promise." He spoke quietly before he left.

   Sitting crossed legged on the floor of their bedroom, Mira and Hope had pieces of paper and colored pencils scattered around them, the two hard a work on two drawings to add to their pile of completed ones. Mira tapped the pencil in hand against her chin absentmindedly, as she looked down at the drawing she was doing. With some help from Hope to get them looking more accurate, she'd drawn a bunch of different musical notes and colored them in different colors, putting different fun designs in each of them. She wanted to do one special drawing for each of her parents to have, and this was what she'd came up with for her dad. To show him how much she loved their piano lessons together. She'd even tried her best to draw a piano itself, and while it was a little smudged from erasing some wonky lines, she was rather proud of it.

   For her mom, she'd done her version of the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, thinking of all the nights her mom would read that to her at bedtime. It was her favorite part their bedtime routine each evening. She's colored in his jacket and bowtie, and put as much detail as she could into the pocket watch he carried around with him. She'd drawn other things from Alice in Wonderland in the background, like the Mad Hatters hat, and the plate of cookies that Eat Me written on them. 

   She wanted to give them the drawings as present when they were home, to show them how much she'd missed them. 

   "What are you two up to?" Klaus asked, making both girls look up to see him leaning the doorway.

   "We've made pictures for my mom and dad." Mira held hers up proudly. "A present for when they come home." 

   Klaus gave a weak, small smile as he walked closer, sitting down on the ground between the girls as he took the drawings. "These are wonderful, sweetheart. They're going to love them." He told her, making some pride appear in her eyes. "Hope, can I talk to your cousin alone for a moment?" He asked his daughter gently.

   Hope nodded and pushed to her feet. "I'll go get us a snack." She told her cousin as she left.

   Mira bit her lip as she looked at her uncle. "Is something wrong?"

   "No, Mira, nothings wrong." He shook his head. "Do you remember the conversation I had with you about your mother and father?"

   "They're still hurt." She said, nodding as she remembered what they had talked about. "But you, aunt Freya, and aunt Hayley are going to get them better so they can come home."

   "That's right." He nodded, and took her wrist which her anti-magic bracelet sat on, picking up the charm between his fingers. "Well, as you know, this charm used to belong to your mother. It kept her safe when you father wasn't there to look after her." He explained. "And your aunt Freya thinks it can help her get her better so she can come home today."

   Mira's little eyes lit up with hope. "Really?"

   "Really." He nodded, his smile growing as he saw the light in her eyes. "But your aunt is going to need your help to do the spell. She's also going to need to take some of your blood. It won't be a lot, and a brave girl like you, I suspect it won't hurt at all. You'll barely even feel it." He nudged her side, making her giggle. "Can you do that for us?"

   "I can do it." She nodded with no hesitation. "I want to help my mommy and daddy. I'll do anything." She told him wholeheartedly.

   "I thought you would." He smiled as he got to his feet, taking her hand. "Come, let's go find your aunt."

*  *  *  *  *  *  * *  *  *

   It felt so strange to Audrey, being sat on the porch of her family home. She hadn't even been in town when Elena had burned it down, and the last time she had seen it, the place had been tainted with the memory of Kol's death. Yet, she was sat there on the porch swing with her parents and her aunt, filling them in on everything she'd been doing with her life. From the good to the bad, she told them about all of it, and they listened to every single word she said. She told them all about Mira, and she could see the love and joy in her parents eyes as she told them all about their granddaughter. But the more she talked about Mira, a pit of worry formed inside of Audrey, knowing her daughter was without both of her parents. She knew their family would look after and protect her, but it didn't ease the feeling. 

   And as they asked her about Elijah, that pit turned into other emotions. Pain, worry, and it took everything in her to stop herself crying as she thought of watching him die. Seeing him reach out and call her name, but being stopped from getting to his side and holding his hand. It hurt knowing she wasn't awake in that moment, working with the others to help bring him back. But she knew more than anything, he'd want her to focus on herself and being their for their daughter. All he ever wanted was for both of them to be safe, protected, and happy. It was all he'd ever want for his family. 

   In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder how he'd react to the news she was pregnant. Mira had been a miracle for them, and after she turned, they both thought it was a miracle that would never be possible again. Yet it turned out it was, and it was happening just like it has six years ago. 

   "You should stop worrying so much." A voice spoke, and Audrey looked to see her parents and Jenna were gone, and someone else now sat beside her. "It isn't good for you or the baby."

   "John..." Audrey let out quietly.

   He chuckled slightly. "You know, I think that's the nicest reaction you've ever had to seeing me." He teased.

   A ghost of a smile twitched at her lips. "You made it hard to look forward to your visits." She defended, and bit down on her bottom lip. "You found peace."

   "If I deserved it is still questionable." He admitted with a nod. "But I suppose the universe understood that everything I did, despite how it may have seemed, I did to protect you and your sister. That was all I ever wanted to do." John told her honestly. "I was never fit to be a dad to you girls, but I could still try to do right by you."

   "You sacrificed yourself so Elena could live. You let us grow up with the best parents we could have possibly asked for, and never ruined their image for us by telling us the truth, you didn't try to replace them when they were gone." She looked at him softly. "You did do right by us."

   He gave an appreciative smile as he looked down. "You both ended up with vampires I was trying to protect you from."

   Audrey nodded, and let out a small chuckle of her own. "Yeah, well...it was inevitable from the day she met them both Elena would end up with Stefan or Damon. They just seemed to be exactly what she needed." She said. "And Elijah...he's my world." She let out, as John looked at her quietly. "He's my rock, and his family are the family I never knew I needed. We have this perfect, beautiful, smart, fearless little girl together who I wouldn't trade for the world, and soon we're going to have another child who I already love with all my heart. I understand now, what you were trying to protect us from. But even with all the bad that has came with it, I'd still make the exact same choices."

   John took her hand and between his as he looked at her, and as Audrey looked back at him, she didn't see the man she used to. The man who she hated for the decisions he made, the positions he'd put them in with his choices. All she saw was a father who looked proud of his daughter, happy for her. 

   "Never stop doing that, Audrey." He told her. "Continue to make the choices you are, follow your heart, and give the very best life you can to your kids. Just as Miranda and Grayson did for you."

   "I will." She promised as she nodded. "Always." She then reached forward and pulled him into a hug, and John paused in surprise for a moment, before closing his eyes in content as he hugged her back.

   "Mommy."

   Audrey pulled away from John and looked around in disbelief as the familiar voice filled her ears, but she didn't see Mira anywhere. "Mira?" She let out, rising to her feet. "Mira? Where are you?"

   "She can't hear you, honey." Miranda spoke from behind. "But you'll see her in a moment."

   "Mommy, it's time to wake up."

   Audrey turned to look at all her family behind her, and Grayson gave her a smile. "It's time for you to go back, Audrey."

   "Am I..." She swallowed hard as she looked at them. "Am I ever going to see you again?"

   "One day, a very long time for now." Miranda nodded and touched her cheek. "But you've got a long life ahead of you before then." She said with a knowing smile. "And we can't wait to hear all about it when that day does come."

   Tears welled in the corners of Audrey's eyes as she looked at her. "I love you, mom." Her voice cracked. "I love you all so much."

   "We love you too." Grayson stepped beside Miranda, his wife resting her head on his shoulder with a sad smile. "Just close your eyes, Rey." He instructed gently. "Just close your eyes."

   Taking a deep breath, Audrey took a step back and closed her eyes, and she knew the second that she did they were gone. When she opened them again, she winced slightly at the light that hit eyes, slowly pushing herself to sit up. As she looked around, she saw Freya, Klaus, and Hayley stood nearby with relief plastered across their faces, but neither of them took a step toward her. Instead, Mira ran from where she stood beside Freya and threw herself into her mothers arms, hugging onto her tightly.

   "You're better!" She cheered, squeezing onto her like her life depended on it. "It worked!"

   Audrey held onto her daughter and peppered kisses on her forehead as she nodded. "I'm better, baby. I'm better." She nodded. "I'm here, and I'm not leaving you again, I promise."

   Pulling away slightly, Mira gave her a scolding look. "Mommy..." She frowned, but Audrey could hear the playful tone in her voice.

   "I give you my word." Audrey corrected herself, before pulling Mira back into a hug, closing her eyes as she savored the moment. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   When Mira and Hope were in bed for the evening, Mira refusing to leave Audrey's side until she eventually fell asleep beside her, Audrey made her way to Elijah's coffin. Gently, she stroked her fingers through his hair as she looked at him, but she didn't breakdown like she thought she might. No, as she looked at what the Hollow had done to him, all that it did was make her determined.

   "You just hold on, okay?" She whispered to him, not caring that he probably couldn't hear her. She believed in her heart that somehow he could. "We're going to bring you back, and we're going to take that bitch down for what she did. No matter what it takes." She swore fiercely. "And then you, me, Mira, and this baby are going to start that life that we planned. She is not taking you away from us for good, I won't allow it. You just need to stay strong, Elijah." Leaning down, she pressed an emotional kiss on his forehead. "I love you."

   "Rebekah and Kol are on their way." Klaus said as he stepped to stand beside her. "We'll do whatever it takes to bring him back."

   Audrey glanced at him. "Thank you." She said quietly. "For looking after Mira. She told me all about how you and Hayley looked after her. How you held her hand when Freya took her blood and told her to imagine Elijah and I were right there beside her."

   "She's my niece." He gave a small smile. "I'd do anything for her, just like I'd do for Hope."

   "Still, thank you." She said seriously, her hands lifting up to play with the ends of her necklace. "It feels strange, having to wear this again." She said honestly, glancing down at the familiar red gem charm she'd worn for so long. "I never thought I'd need it again."

   "It won't be for long." Klaus said as he looked at his brother. "Just until he's back on his feet." He looked at her for a long moment, hesitating as he opened his mouth the speak again, debating if he should ask the question lingering in his mind. "What happened to you?" He finally just let out. "One second you were crying, and then..." Klaus flinched, closing his eyes. "I thought I'd lost you both."

   "I was at peace." She answered, and noticed his eyes widen in surprise at her words. "I wasn't dead, I was just there, waiting. I saw my parents." She told him. "My aunt Jenna, John... if I'd stayed there longer, maybe I would have seen Cami, or Jackson, or Gia. Hell, maybe I'd even have seen Stefan. I'd like to think they're at peace too." She told him, her fingers still playing with the ends of her necklace absentmindedly. "They deserve it." She reached out and took his hand, seeing the look in his eyes at the mention of Cami. "You'll meet her there one day, a very long time from now. I'm sure she believes it too."

   He squeezed her hand before clearing his throat. "For now, no more thought of the dead." He looked back at Elijah. "We have work to do."

   She nodded as she touched Elijah's cheek once more, the determination growing even more. "Then let's get it done."

This little au chapter turned out a lot longer than I thought it would be, but I am extremely proud of it. I have this planned for Audrey for a while, and I feel like being able to see her parents, Jenna, and John gave her some closure on a lot of past wounds. Without Elijah there to act as a safe space for her to wait with, they were the obvious next best people for her to be with. 

And yes, Audrey is pregnant. Again, this is something I've had planned for a while, and I've been trying to discreetly hint at it in past chapters. A few people caught on and guessed, and I hope I managed to surprise a few people. She hasn't announced to anyone, she wants the first person to find out to be Elijah, rightfully. And next chapter, she's headed into his mind to bring him back. It's going to be a big one.

I hope you all enjoyed!