The Thief That Stole His Heart

Summary: Since the Dovahkiin restored the Guild to its full strength, the thieves have enjoyed their luck and filled their coin purses to the brim; but their luck will become even stronger when a foe becomes an ally. But what ties to the Guild does this thief have and why is Brynjolf so drawn to her?

XIX: Good Graces

He pushed his horse to its limits, galloping back to the farm in record time. Everything was deathly quiet and as he dismounted the horse, he heard nothing. The land was still. He feared that he had made the wrong decision, if the assassin got her then that was it, her and their child would be gone, and his life would've lost its meaning.

When Brynjolf stepped into the house, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, rushing to Elsie's side as she healed a wound on her leg. At least that was the only injury she suffered, but then he remembered about the poison they coat their weapons with and that panic that escaped him once came creeping back.

"You've been poisoned." He said as he dropped to her side.

She smiled slightly at him and shook her head. "No, I haven't, I got the dagger off him." She looked at the tiny holes in her leg as they knitted back together. "He did this with a fork."

He couldn't help but laugh, throwing his head back as he thanked the divines. "I'm glad you're safe, I knew that fate was on our side."

"Nocturnal was on our side," Elsie placed her hand on his cheek and smiled slightly, "she's got this all planned out."

He nodded as he glanced at the dead Argonian. "Where's Braelie and the kids?"

"In the basement." When Brynjolf moved to get onto his feet, Elsie gripped him on the forearm. "What happened with Pascale? Will your sister be safe?"

"He's not going to be hurting them again." He helped Elsie up and led her down to the basement. He smiled slightly as he watched his sister soothe her kids. "It's over." He said calmly as he kneeled beside Braelie.

She looked at Brynjolf, resting her head on his shoulder before turning to Elsie. "I'm glad to see you're unharmed."

"It's going to take more than an assassin to get rid of me." She placed her hand on the back of her neck and watched her newfound family interact in front of her. She had grown to love this place and she knew that it was going to be hard for her and her husband to readjust to their old lives, especially with a child on the way. There wouldn't be any harm in staying for a little longer than necessary.

The day came for them to leave the farm and return to Riften. Brynjolf was leaving the kids with a lot of unanswered questions about their father, but he knew that Braelie would explain better than he ever could; he had saw what an absent father did to Elsie, but with the right explanation, his nephews and niece could avoid all that heartache. What he did was for the best, Pascale would've turned his attention towards Horik or Vanessa, or worse; he had the potential to fatally harm Braelie and Brynjolf couldn't let that happen. He placed a kiss on each one of their heads before he mounted the horse, Elsie in front of him, safe again in his arms. Their journey was going to be long and, in her condition, he knew that he would have to stop at every inn along the way.

They had been on the road for days, taking their trip slowly so that Elsie could be as comfortable as possible. He kept a hold of the reins as she leaned back against him, her eyes closed as he rested his chin on her forehead. One hand roamed to her belly and he spoke lowly in her ear.

"How are you feeling, lass?"

"I'm okay." Her tone wasn't convincing enough to appease Brynjolf, when she felt his lips caress her head, she knew he was going to make her elaborate.

"That didn't sound too confident."

"I guess I'm just nervous." She admitted as she tilted her head to look at him.

He furrowed his brow and glanced down at her face. "What have you got to be nervous about, lass?"

"Returning to the Guild after all this time… Facing Vex…" she ran her fingertips along her face, shaking her head at herself. She was thinking too much about all the things that could go wrong with their return, she knew that as soon as she laid eyes on Vex, the anger would control her. Elsie just hoped she could conceal it.

"Trust me, Vex is going to stay well away from us if she knows what's good for her."

"I know you said that you would deal with her when we get back, but I think I should be the one to do that. If Odin can give her a second chance, perhaps I should as well?"

"Whatever you decide to do, I will support you." He tried to ease her nerves with an array of kisses along her shoulders and it seemed to work. They weren't far off Riften stables and for Elsie's own sake, she couldn't be stressed.

He helped her from the horse and untied their bags from the saddle. Elsie stepped closer towards the gates of the city and held onto the tops of her arms as a chill travelled down her spine. She could feel Brynjolf's eyes on her and when she turned to look at him, he was frowning at her, his brows furrowed, and his arms folded across his chest.

"Stop worrying," she commanded as she took a couple of steps towards him, "I will be fine." She took one of the bags from him and slung it over her shoulder.

"I'll carry those, lass."

"I'm pregnant, not crippled." She scolded before following him through the gates. Elsie looked at her familiar surroundings; the busy market place and the residents that eyed the thieves up suspiciously, and wished that she was back at the farm, life could be simpler for them there; but that promise she made to Nocturnal weighed heavily on her now. She couldn't let the daedric prince down, not when she owed her so much.

As they made their way down the secret entrance, they could hear the Guild talking amongst themselves and once they noticed Brynjolf and Elsie, they went silent. Then they looked at the bump that protruded through Elsie's armour and the family started to gather around them, giving them well wishes and congratulations. From the crowd, Karliah emerged with a grin on her face; she hugged Brynjolf first and then Elsie.

"I'm glad to see that you're alive and that your baby is safe." She whispered in her ear.

"You knew?"

"Nocturnal told me about the future she had planned for you and your child before she relinquished me. I'm happy for you and Brynjolf." She looked over at him, her smile fading slightly. "But I need to speak with the two of you privately. I'm sorry that we can't stop to catch up but the two of you have missed a lot."

"Where's Odin?" Brynjolf asked as he followed Karliah through the cistern.

"Ysolda and him have had their child, he's taking some time off and asked me to replace him until you returned. He wants you to take control while he's away." She led them into Odin's space and closed the door behind them. Karliah leaned against the desk, her hands gripping onto the edge. "As I'm sure you're aware, Vex was the one who contacted the Dark Brotherhood."

"Yes, Odin wrote me a letter." Brynjolf replied as he took a seat.

"What was her punishment?" Elsie wasn't going to beat around the bush, she wanted to know exactly what went down in their absence.

Karliah looked between them and ducked her head for a moment. "Odin urged me to follow his philosophy so the outcome that I created was to demote her back to base level." She looked from Brynjolf to Elsie and nodded towards her. "And knowing about your pregnancy, I've decided to promote you so that you rarely have to leave Riften and when the time comes for you to have the child, you and Brynjolf can raise him or her together."

"I barely know the first thing that she does, well used to do." Elsie admitted as she took the seat beside her husband. "I don't know if I can take on so much responsibility."

"Don't worry lass, I'll guide you through it." He said as he reached for her hand, squeezing it gently.

"I know it'll be hard for you to be in the same place as her, but I've experienced first hand how understanding and forgiving you can be." Karliah nodded at her and repositioned herself on the desk. "I encourage you to continue."

"I'll try my best but as I'm sure you can understand, I am hormonal, and I may snap here and there."

"Take a couple of days off to readjust, both of you."

"I'm fine but I think the lass could do with some time at home before taking on this new role." He looked at Elsie as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. She refused to look at him and he could tell that her anger was eating at her. "I'll walk her home and then come back to discuss what'll happen while Odin's gone."

"Take your time, I won't be going anywhere." Karliah moved around the desk and took a seat, finding comfort in having the two thieves back; it meant she could go off on her adventure and make a new life for herself. She was going to be free from the commitment and that excited her.

Brynjolf kept his hand on Elsie's shoulder protectively as they left Odin's office. He could feel the heat she was radiating through her armour, and he hoped that she would simmer down before she did herself or their child any damage. Being back at the cistern was stirring up thoughts and feelings about her situation and he could tell that her mind was churning away.

"How are you feeling lass?"

"I'd feel a lot better if Karliah had of exiled Vex. I don't know if I'll be able to look at her smug little face, day in and day out." She admitted as she placed her hand on the back of her sweaty neck.

"At least you have a few days to think things over and relax." He said as he led her back towards the entrance, but he stopped in his tracks when the door opened and he came face to face with Vex, his own anger bubbling inside of him.

"Brynjolf, Elsie… I'm glad to see that you made it back safely." She dropped her eyes to the floor, noticing Elsie's belly. "I see that congratulations are in order."

Elsie chewed on the inside of her cheek as she thought about her words but before she could say anything, Brynjolf was already whisking her away from Vex's sight.

"I'm just trying to be nice Brynjolf." Vex called out, spinning round to watch the couple leave.

He stopped in his tracks and peered over his shoulder at the person that used to be one of his closest friends and all he felt was disgust. "We'll speak when I get back, Vex." He turned back to his wife, his tone softening as he spoke to her. "Let's get you back home, lass."

Elsie nodded and prepared to climb the ladder up to the street. With one hand on the ladder, she called over to Vex and watched her head pick up expectantly. "Brown armour suits you, but not as much as black will suit me."

She sighed and watched the couple ascend to the street; she knew that when Brynjolf returned, she was going to be chewed up and spat out by him. For old time's sake, she hoped he would be gentle on her but with that baby Elsie's carrying, she knew she was naive to think he'd be soft.

Vex sat at the bar in the flagon, her head rested on her hand as she waited for Vekel to fetch her some mead. She turned slowly when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked away when Delvin took the space beside her.

"What do you want, old man?"

"Someone's in a mood. Heard that Bryn and Elsie are back, so that explains that attitude." He watched her take a long gulp from the tankard, he could see it in her eyes, the fear of what Brynjolf was going to say to her. She didn't care so much about Elsie's opinion, but to her, Brynjolf mattered. Probably more than anyone else in the Guild.

"I hate this waiting around, he should've yelled and screamed at me when he first saw me. At least it would've been over and done with."

"He won't be too hard on you, we've all been friends for decades. He'll take that into consideration." Delvin was trying to remain optimistic, but even he didn't believe what he was saying.

"I don't think so. You didn't see the way he looked at me. I saw the hatred and I could feel the ice in his stare. Whatever friendship we had, I destroyed it and because of what?"

He placed his hand on hers briefly, trying his best to comfort her. "It's okay to have feelings for him and you're allowed to be jealous. Granted, you probably shouldn't have hired the Dark Brotherhood, but we all have our faults."

"If I hadn't of performed the black sacrament, we could've moved past this mess and the Guild wouldn't have slipped so far off the tracks. Everything that's happened has been my doing and I need to own up to it." She finished off her mead and wiped the remainder from her face with the back of her sleeve. "Thanks for trying and failing to cheer me up. You're the only friend I've got left in this place."

Delvin couldn't help but feel guilty, he wasn't completely honest with Vex but this wasn't the right time to drop the bombshell that he was in on the plan with Odin. If she knew that he told Odin about his suspicions in the first place, she would've pushed him away again and he had taken so long to get a functioning relationship with her. He wanted Vex to depend on him because he thought that she would eventually give into his invitation of a date. He was getting old and he didn't want to spend the last decades of his life alone.

"Why'd you do it, Vex?" his voice was full of disappointment and he could just about bring his eyes towards her face as he leant against Odin's desk. "Did you think you would get away with it?"

"You are well aware that I have loved you for many, many years. We had a good relationship once and when you broke it off with me so suddenly and moved onto her, I let my jealousy take over." She admitted as she picked at the skin on the edge of her thumbs.

"I always knew you were a jealous little thing but by the nine Vex, murder? Why mark her for death?" he was trying his best not to shout, as angry as he was, he was aware that he would have to lead this Guild for a while, and he had to act like a Guildmaster.

"If I had of just scared her off, you would've left this Guild to chase her throughout Skyrim. The fact that she's a Frey played into it. The hatred for Mercer and my jealousy mixed made a lethal cocktail. Please realise that I am sorry for my lapse in judgement."

He shifted his weight and stared down at the desk underneath him. If he bit his tongue any harder, it would've fell off. Brynjolf was going to be truthful and he wanted his message to get through to Vex.

"The lass is pregnant with my child and you nearly wiped out my future." He glared at Vex and watched her gulp back her nerves. "Do you think I would've ran back to you? What we had, it wasn't love. Not for me anyway. We used each other when we got drunk and that was that. I married Elsie for a reason, you need to remember that and move on."

"It's hard to move on when I still love you, Brynjolf. We may have ended a long time ago but the love I have still burns for you." She watched his face screw up as she lay her heart on the table for him. "I know you don't want to hear that, but it's the truth. And you were soft on me once so I'm begging you, Bryn… Please forgive me for what I've done."

"I'm not the one you should be begging forgiveness from. If you ever try to harm Elsie again, I assure you lass, I will deal with you myself and I won't need the Brotherhood to do my dirty work." He straightened himself up and ran his hands through his auburn hair. "Get out of my sight, Vex."

She got out of her chair and stepped towards the door, glancing back at him as he paced around the room. "I'll apologise to her, I hope she's more understanding than you are."

"Understanding? It's by my good graces that you're still breathing." His temper surfaced properly for the first time in a long time as he bounded towards her. "Get out, Vex. Last warning."

Vex hadn't saw Brynjolf like this since Mercer's betrayal was revealed and that behaviour still petrified her. She slinked out of the room and left the cistern to get some air. She rested her back on the wall of the secret entrance and rested her hands on her thighs, gasping for air. If she was going to win back her friendship with Brynjolf, she would have to be real with Elsie and apologise sincerely. It was never like Vex to be the one to make the first move, but there was a first time for everything.

A:N Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while but I've been working new hours and then I went on holiday but I'm back with a new chapter. I hope you enjoyed and what do you think will happen next? Will Elsie be able to forgive Vex? Thank you for reading!