Who: Finn Mikaelson, Rebekah Mikaelson & Stefan Salvatore. Appearence by Natalia Salvatore. What: Catching up, first meetings and dinner When: Backdated: Friday, June 14th. Early Evening Where: A family style resturant in Huntington Beach Rating: Family Friendly Status: Complete
Finn had been back in The OC for about a week or so and he’d decided that before he let his family know that he was back, he would settle in first. It would all go much smoother if he did that first and then started making plans to catch up with every single member of his family. Once he had told everyone he was back, they all seemed very happy to have him back and he had begun making plans. While they could have all gotten together at once, he had decided that he would rather catch up with everyone one on one at first. It would be much easier and less stressful than having all of the Mikaelsons together at one time. He knew that Niklaus wanted to have a barbeque soon, so he planned on making sure he was all caught up with everyone before then.
It had been about six years since he’d left California to go live with relatives in Virginia and a lot had changed since then. Henrik was a teenager now and Rebekah had a baby. He was very much looking forward to meeting his niece as well as Rebekah’s boyfriend, Stefan, and that was why he had made plans to meet up with them first. They had decided on a restaurant in Huntington Beach, for lunch, and Finn had made sure to arrive a few minutes early so that he could greet them outside before they went in.
Stefan was slightly nervous about this meeting, though he knew he had no reason to be. All of Bekah’s family certainly liked her choice of boyfriend and how he had stepped up to fatherhood when they found out she was pregnant a year ago. He was happy in his life with his longtime girlfriend and their daughter, Natalia, as well as the extended family he had. It helped that Stefan also had his older brother back in his life after they had seemingly burnt their bridge awhile ago. Everything was looking up, not that it was always easy. Sometimes they just barely got the bills paid, but things were good. They were a happy family.
Parking their SUV down the road from the restaurant where they were going to meet Finn, Stefan looked over at Rebekah in the passenger seat, giving her a soft smile before glancing back at Natalia who was fully awake in her car seat. “You think this is going to be weird,” he questioned after a moment of silence. He knew that Finn had been absent from the lives of his family for a few years now and everything had changed since then.
After a minute, Stefan got out of the driver side and opened the back door so he could lean in and unattach Natalia from her seat, carrying the baby in his arms and grabbing her diaper bag as well, which he decided to hand over to his girlfriend when he went around the car. “I hope he likes me,” the man murmured to her, ready to follow her lead to the meeting spot.
“It could be, but it’s Finn. He’s been away for so long and hopefully it’s mellowed him out quite a bit, so everything should be fine. It’s just kind of nice having pretty much the entire family in one place again,” she answered him as she smoothed out her dress while they sat in the car. The truth was that she was nervous and she hoped Finn was the same guy that she remembered before he went “off the deep end” and ended up in rehab. She just wanted her brother back to normal and have them all be one giant family again. Her own family had started and she wanted the two worlds to combine seamlessly.
The comment about his fears was sweet and she tucked the strap of the diaper bag over her shoulder and leaned over to kiss him, “He will like you. I love you and therefore he has to like you. All the other brothers like you, so he’ll feel the wrath of them if he decides to hate you. Besides, you helped create this adorable baby, so that counts for something.” She reached over to playfully tickle Natalia’s cheek as they made their way over to the front of the restaurant and she spotted Finn right away. She barely waited for Stefan as she rushed over to him and threw her arms around him in greeting.
Finn had no intention of disliking Stefan just because he was dating Rebekah and in fact, he’d heard good things from Niklaus, so he had high hopes for him. Besides, he trusted Rebekah to choose a good guy. When he saw his baby sister, who wasn’t quite a baby any longer, running towards him, a smile spread across his lips and when she hugged him, his arms went around her automatically she he held her close. It had been quite a few years since he’d last seen his sister and while they had spoken on occasion, it wasn’t until now that he realized just how much he’d missed her, “I missed you so much.”
Stefan didn’t run like Rebekah did, but he was soon joining the brother and sister, his green eyes glancing down at Natalia who was sucking her thumb and looking absolutely interested in something the man couldn’t guess. He bounced her a bit and looked back towards Finn and Bekah, stepping forward and waiting for his girlfriend to introduce everyone. Stefan might have felt slightly awkward if he just went right in and said who he was. Leave him to be polite, something his parents had done their best to instill in him from a young age and still survived to this day.
“I missed you too,” she said back, her voice tight with emotion, and she slowly pulled away. It was just nice to see him face to face and not be talking on the phone or attempting to skype. This was so real and she was so happy that he was back in town and their whole family was together. After a moment of staring at him to store this memory she turned slightly to see Stefan and Natalia standing off to the side. So, with a gesture of her arm she pointed them out to Finn, “Okay, so Finn, this is Stefan Salvatore and our baby, Natalia. Stefan, this is my brother Finn. I’m so excited that you guys finally get to meet and Finn gets to see his niece.”
Finn released Rebekah and turned towards Stefan and the baby, smiling when he saw the baby; she had blond hair like his sister, but the outdoor light that the restaurant provided wasn’t bright enough to see what color eyes she had. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Stefan. Rebekah, as well as Niklaus, has told me about you.” Stefan appeared to be a good guy. Finn had become a much better judge of character over the last few years. “She’s gorgeous, Rebekah.” He said, glancing back at his sister.
Stefan figured he looked enough like a good guy as well, in his denim jeans and a button-up plaid shirt that Natalia was gripping at in one little hand. The man smiled and stepped closer before reaching out to shake Finn’s hand firmly. “It’s nice to meet you too, Finn. Bekah’s been looking forward to this reunion for awhile,” he explained, kissing Natalia’s forehead and making her give one of her little giggles. “This is Natalia. She just turned one not too long ago, actually,” he explained, bouncing their daughter on his hip. “Definitely has her mom’s looks, don’t you,” Stefan asked, looking down at the little girl with complete affection in his eyes. It was easy to see that the baby was a good chunk of Stefan’s life, along with Rebekah. He loved his ladies more than anything.
“Thanks for the compliment, Finn,” she replied with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. She was used to people saying that Natalia was cute, but it was different when your brother finally got to see her for the first time, “Stefan and I make cute children so I think I may keep him around for a while.” There were far more reasons than just that, but she wasn’t going to get into those details with her brother. For now she would just tease her boyfriend and enjoy the compliments that were being tossed around because they were actually making her blush for once. “Well, I’m glad that you two seem to be getting along. We should get inside though so we don’t look like creepy loiterers.”
Finn could certainly tell that Stefan was very committed to Rebekah and Natalia. There were plenty of other guys out there who got girls pregnant then bailed, but Stefan did not seem like that kind of guy. “I’m very happy to have finally gotten this chance to meet you both.” He said, to Stefan and Natalie, despite the fact that the little girl probably had no idea what was going on. He nodded when Rebekah suggested they go inside then moved to the door and opened it for his sister and Stefan, “After you.”
Stefan followed Rebekah inside of the restaurant, though he stepped up to the hostess with a kind smile, watching as the teenaged girl returned the action from behind the register. “Hi, a table for three and a high chair, please,” Stefan requested and watched as the girl grabbed three menus and led the trio over to a table that had four chairs surrounding it. She set down the menus and took the extra chair, stating she would grab the high chair then be back. Stefan nodded, turning his head to his girlfriend and Finn, sitting down with Natalia in his lap.
He had so many questions he wanted to ask, but Stefan thought he should let Rebekah lead everything since this was her brother she hadn’t seen in more than a few years. They needed to catch up. When a waitress brought of the high chair, Stefan placed Natalia down in it, making sure his daughter was comfortable.
Rebekah sat on one side of the table with Stefan across from her and Natalia at the head of the table. The action of sitting like this with Natalia had become as normal as breathing because then they both could take care of her easily if they needed to. She made sure to pat the chair next to her so Finn would sit next to it. “So, you got a job here? That’s fantastic. What made you decide to go into counselling? I mean, you are the most relaxed out of all of us and a good listener. I will say that I’m very happy you decided to come back here to work though. We’ve definitely missed you around here.” She leaned over to dig through the diaper bag and grabbed out a bottle for Natalia and some snacks.
Finn followed Stefan and Rebekah as they followed the hostess then took the seat beside his sister when she patted it. It was almost bizarre, watching Rebekah with Stefan and Natalia, considering she was only sixteen when he’d left town and had gone to live with relatives in Virginia to try and get his life turned around. The overdose had really opened his eyes and he’d realized that if he was going to get sober then he needed to get away from the people who had been a bad influence on him and while that had mainly been the group he’d been hanging out with, his father had been a factor in that.
“I started by getting involved in an anti-drug campaign. We went around to high schools, talking about our experiences.” Finn was one of those rare success stories when it came to drug addiction, “I wanted to help others who had been in a similar situation. After that, I decided that I could do a better job of it if I became a rehab counselor.” He smiled at Rebekah as he watched her get the bottle out for Natalia, “I’m happy to be back as well.”
Stefan handed Natalia her sippy cup, watching as she took it in both small hands, and then he opened up the bag of Teddy Grahams, setting them down on a clean napkin on the table so she would grab them and nibble as she pleased, her green eyes searching around the restaurant. When his daughter was content, the man looked to his girlfriend and her brother, taking the blonde’s hand and stroking her skin gently. “I’m glad Nat can have her whole family around now. She adores her uncles, especially Nick,” Stefan gave a chuckle. Nick had been kind to Stefan from the start and it was easy to see how the two men had become best friends.
“Things have changed a lot here. It’s probably pretty strange,” he went on, looking over at Finn from across the table, his lips curled up. “You’ll have to come see our house sometime too. Elijah thinks we could do better, but Bekah and I are pretty proud of it.” They’d put so much work into it so far, and even though it was old and needed more love, it was their home.
The waitress that wandered back over pulled out of her notepad and smiled at everyone at the table and started asking for drink orders before she stated the day’s specials. Stefan was quick to place his own drink order of iced tea and glanced at Rebekah to see if she wanted to get anything else for Natalia.
“I am extremely happy that you’re back and things have turned around for you. It really does mean alot to all of us to have you home. I’m also glad you’ve found a job that suits you and I know you’ll be good at it. You’re always the one we went to for advice,” she beamed at her brother. It was so great to have all of them back in one area and she just wanted to soak in the moment for a moment. When Stefan mentioned the house she wouldn’t help but let out a low chuckle, “Elijah thinks we can do better for everything. He’s very big on spending money and doesn’t like that I don’t tap into what mom and dad have put away for me. But our house is quaint and you will definitely have to come by. Natalia will love to have you play games with her, she’s got a lot of toys, and stuffed animals.” When the waitress came by she asked for a water and a bowl of fruit for Natalia.
Finn chuckled as they spoke about Elijah and he shook his head, “Elijah thinks that everyone needs to spend more money. I suppose there had to be one of us who was more into the material things in life,” It was nice to know that despite the fact that they had grown up with money, the majority of them appeared to be well adjusted and had other interests that didn’t have to do with what their status was and how much they could buy.
After Rebekah and Stefan placed their drink orders, Finn also ordered a water then nodded once the waitress left, “I’d love to come over and see your house. You’ll need someone else to assure Elijah that it’s just right for you.” And of course, he wanted to get to know Natalia better. Sure, she was only a baby, but he wanted her to be able to recognize him as family. He had been a stranger to his own family for long enough.
“That’d be great,” he told Finn with a smile, “we always like having company.” He glanced over at Bekah and reached a hand out to pet her hand, squeezing her fingers in his for a moment. “If I’m at work, Rebekah is usually around the house so you can come by pretty much anytime. You could even join us on a walk in the evening.” Stefan was doing his best to be as open as possible, wanting to invite Rebekah’s second oldest brother into their lives and make him feel so at home it would be like he’d never left at all. He knew just how important family was to his long-time girlfriend.
He looked over at his daughter, seeing Natalia reaching out with her little, pudgy fingers to grab up a cracker and shove it into her mouth while her wide, curious eyes were exploring the room around them, looking at the interesting people.
She squeezed his hand and gave him a happy smile. It was great that Stefan was being so nice to Finn and she was excited about the possibility of having her older brother over for dinner and such. The waitress came back with their drinks and proceeded to take their meal orders and Rebekah placed hers as she reached over to put a few more crackers in Natalia’s reach, “Yes, come over and hang out with us. We’re trying not to be so boring now that we have a kid. And everyone is always offering to take care of her so we can always go out and do something fun as well.”
Finn smiled as he watched His sister interact with Stefan and Natalia, “I would enjoy that. Do you walk in the evening often?” He placed his order when the waitress came by then he asked the question he’d been curious about, “How did the two of you meet?” He wanted to know as much as he could about his sister’s boyfriend and the father of his niece. “Niklaus had a part in it, correct?” After all, Niklaus was the one who had told him that Stefan was a good guy in the first place.
Stefan ordered last and collected all the menus, handing them off to the waitress before she ran off to the kitchen and around to do other work. Green eyes crept back towards Finn and Stefan shrugged, “we try. It’s good to be active and for Natalia to get some fresh air if she’s been inside all day.” In the beginning, Stefan was of course always worried about taking their daughter out, not wanting her to get sick in some form, but he had learned to get over those feelings after a few months.
He took a sip of his drink, then started the story of how he had met Bekah only a couple of years ago. “When I got into college, I ended up with Nick as my roommate and we became friends pretty quickly. I was kinda recovering from my last girlfriend who had cheated on me with my brother. Nick felt a bit and at a party, he introduced me to Rebekah to help me get over the past. We started dating not too long after that. Natalia came as an accident after that, but...” He stroked his daughter’s rich blonde hair and smiling adoringly. “She was a good accident. We don’t have any regrets over it. It hasn’t been easy, but I think we’ve been doing pretty well.”
“A very happy surprise, but it was probably a good thing for the two of us. We were getting serious when it happened anyway, so it just helped speed this along and got us to know each other better. Stefan has been fantastic and really stepped up to the plate. I’m really happy that you two finally get to see each other and spend time together. He’s gotten the approval of everyone else, so you’re just the last one,” she had turned to grin at her brother while she spoke before turning back to Stefan and giving him an adoring look. She truly loved him and even if Natalia had been unplanned she couldn’t help but be pleased by having Stefan being the father. Things were going so well in her life now that she couldn’t imagine it any other way.
Of course, talking about how Natalia had been unplanned only confirmed that his sister and Stefan hadn’t been using protection, but then again who was Finn to judge anyone? He done much worse things than have unprotected sex before he’d left California. And after all, now he had a beautiful niece. “And now you can say that you have approval from all of Rebekah’s brothers.” Finn smiled across the table at Stefan then leaned over and kissed the top of Rebekah’s head. He’d missed his siblings terribly while he’d been away, but he’d needed to be away in order to better himself and get healthy, but now he was back with his family and had no intention of leaving again.