If I hadn't had a dream about this I would've never written a story from Stefan's perspective, so enjoy.
Caroline played with Hope in the Salvatore Mansion, under the watchful eye of Stefan. He watched her grin at her little girl. Caroline had a child with Klaus Mikaelson. The one thing she thought she'd never have, and the worst evil, apart from the one that overtook Damon, had given it to her. Stefan raised his brow and bowed his head. Elena was on the opposite side of the room with her daughter Bonnie, holding her infant son Alaric on her knee. Damon walked over to join them and took Alaric from Elena, playing with his son to stop his crying at being separated from his mother. Stefan eyed his big brother. Of all the people he thought would end up with a family; little kids to play with, neighbors named Frank and Marge who'd wave hello over a white picket fence, and married to Elena, he never imagined it would be Damon. When Damon picked up the infant boy again, he grinned at him and started talking to him. Damon was happy. Stefan felt a pang of jealousy.
"Why so glum, old friend?" Klaus asked, entering the room and coming to Stefan. He scoffed and didn't reply. Klaus's nickname for him only had meaning in the 20's, which was over a hundred years ago. He didn't trust the hybrid any further than he could carry out a plan to end his life. Still, he didn't mind having an ally, still fooled by the notion that he was good.
"Everyone has kids, man. You and Caroline, my brother, Bonnie's got a kid with Enzo. I'm like, the only one without all that, and it sucks."
"Well I've learned from experience how right you are, Stefan. Life without a child becomes empty." Klaus replied, looking over at Caroline. "It was hard for her, Caroline, to adapt to our child's power." He turned back to Stefan with a smile. "But she did."
"Well that's great for you." Stefan replied wryly. He shifted in his seat towards Klaus. "Did you know when the Travelers came to Mystic Falls, they put visions in my and Elena's heads, showing us this perfect life we both wanted?" Klaus looked at him with interest. "We had kids running around the house, we were human. We were happy. I just didn't think that future wouldn't happen. The first time I saw her I could see it happening. Now a lifetime later I'm still this, and Elena's living her happy ending with my brother."
"My heart breaks for you." Caroline called from the other side of the room, poking Hope, making her laugh really hard. Klaus had to hide his own grin, unable to stop chuckling, before looking back at Stefan. He clapped a hand on Stefan's shoulder.
"I think it's time to tell you something, old friend." Klaus said.
"Rebekah had my baby?" Stefan replied. Klaus clapped the back of Stefan's head and then stood up.
"I need to tell you a story. But first we need to go someplace else."
"I would like to get away from the rabble." Stefan agreed.
"Oh I'm sure they'd like to come along, and I won't stop them. But this is important for you." Klaus replied. Stefan begrudgingly stood and eyed Caroline. Caroline looked across to Elena and they all turned to him.
"We'll give you an hour before we come too." Elena said. Damon smirked and Stefan turned around, following Klaus.
They took Klaus's car and ended up at a grocery store, parking around back.
"What're we doing here?" Stefan asked
"You'll see." Klaus replied, staring at the back door. "Come on." He left the car and Stefan followed him across the heat radiating off the black parking lot. Klaus opened the back door for him and they went in. They came down a neon-lighted hallway, and found a curtained booth. No words, no indication as to what was inside. But they walked towards it all the same.
"You know that old story, Stefan. Boy meets girl, girl meets boy. Boy and girl fall in love. But this story's different. The boy's name was Jacob, the girl's Katherine. They broke apart, something happened to the two and they became enemies. He never wanted to see her face again and it broke her heart. They ended up reuniting, and came to this very store. Needed supplies for a road trip, she was an ally he needed in a plan. And a witch had cast a spell in this spot, making a portal, to another world far better than this one. Jacob and Katherine end up falling into the portal, and have only themselves and eachother to depend upon. This strange new world becomes easy to survive in; kingdoms ruled by kind giants, only queens on the thrones. Generosity, kindness, honesty and peace were the norm. It became a paradise for them as they were both human, and they were at peace. No one wished them harm. They didn't have to run. All they had to do was live. Jacob and Katherine become friends getting used to a human life, with no hope of ever returning to their home. So they made one there. Then they became lovers. This is decades into living in this world. They had a life there, friends, happiness. And their friends found a way to get them back to our world, and do so; only they hadn't expected one thing. The lovers had conceived a child, who had grown into a strong woman. When the family came back through the portal, a whole manner of things happened. The boy forgot again that he had fallen in love with the girl. He didn't know the girl at all, in fact. He didn't know what had happened, and never remembered a detail from their life. The girl having suffered heartbreak twice died of her pain after departing from her former love. She abandoned her child. And then their daughter had transformed from a woman into an infant, mere days old. That same witch performed a spell on the infant girl."
Stefan turned to Klaus and stared at him suspiciously. Klaus opened the curtain and looked inside, expecting Stefan to follow suit and he did so.
"What was the spell?" Stefan asked.
"You will have to learn that on your own, old friend." Klaus replied. They stepped into the booth, and found it was a bigger place than what was seen outside. There was a table, draped in the same color fabric as what the curtains were made of, dark red. On the table was a wicker basket.
And in the wicker basket, was a wriggling, crying baby.
Stefan looked hard at the infant and looked at Klaus.
"How is no one hearing this baby cry?" Stefan asked
"This is protected by a spell, Stefan. It sustains the child, gives it all it requires, and keeps it alive, and this age." Klaus replied. Stefan stared at the infant a little longer.
"The two parents, how did they become enemies the first time?" Stefan asked.
"Katherine had compelled Jacob when he was human, and in his young vampire mind, she'd manipulated him. She truly had only taken away his fear." Klaus replied. Stefan felt his heart race.
"What's the child's name?" Stefan asked, looking over the infant.
"Nadia."
It clicked. Stefan touched the wicker basket and the infant stopped crying, staring him in the eyes. He felt a connection to her in an instant. And he knew.
"I'm her father." Stefan stated. Klaus smiled at him.
"Yes you are."
"Katherine's dead?" He asked, beginning to feel a frog in his throat.
"Died of a broken heart. Every creature in the world can do so." Klaus replied. Stefan picked Nadia up from her basket with the blanket over her, and held her head, looking in her eyes.
Katherine flashed a grin at him as they went into their new home, Stefan watching after her. She skipped into the kitchen, her long hair flowing out gracefully. God she was beautiful. And the queen of the kingdom they resided in now, had given him the truth. Katherine had never lied to him. He had really been in love with her once, just like Silas had loved Amara, even better than he had loved Elena. He'd made Katherine speechless in his confession of feelings. 'I touch you, and my whole body ignites. I kiss you and I know that I am falling in love.' He'd kissed her. And he wanted to do it again. Just like he'd done dozens of times before.
He remembered asking Katherine if she wanted to go back. She'd stared at him a long while and shook her head, knowing that it wouldn't be the same in their home world.
He remembered the feeling of falling for Katherine the first time. And then when he did again, living only with her, all alone.
He remembered her keeping the secret of their child from him. Afraid of what he'd say, until he saw the bump on her stomach. And the look on her face when he was incandescently happy.
They probably weren't the best parents. Katherine's darkness mingled with his own, which made him realize he needed to do what Elena did and accept it. Katherine's good side was only slightly coming back even when they'd been safe for decades. He began to see her innocent and gentle side, before Nadia was even born. And when she was. Screw it, Katherine was an amazing mother.
Stefan felt a tear roll down his face as he looked at the only thing left of Katherine, staring at him in his own arms. His daughter.
"Did the witch want me to come back and get her?" Stefan croaked.
"Now you're getting it."
"Why couldn't she have brought Nadia to me?"
"Nadia was part of a magical ritual; it would break however many magic laws to move her anywhere. The spell required you to want to take her, for you to learn who you were to her on your own, and to free her from the spell. No one else could."
"Blood magic I'm guessing." Stefan replied.
"Probably, yes." Klaus replied. Stefan took a staggering step back, bringing Nadia into his chest.
"Why did my memories just suddenly come back?"
"Don't ask me Stefan, I'm not a witch."
"How long have you known about her?"
"The witch came to us a few months ago. It was before Alaric was born, remember? She told us of your and Katherine's child, and that we would not be able to lift a finger to help."
"Why didn't you do some threatening, kidnap her?"
"We were concerned the child would not live through that ordeal." Klaus replied. Stefan saw it. Klaus's love for his own daughter, for Caroline, had made him follow the rules. He wouldn't endanger the life of a child anymore for any reason. Stefan looked at his daughter and held her to his chest.
"Why did she get transformed into a baby?"
"The time was different here than in the land you and Katherine dwelled. Despite Nadia growing up to twenty, twenty years was twenty minutes for us."
"Will she grow like that here?"
"I don't bloody know, Stefan. I'm not the witch, and she's not here. I would guess that when the spell's effect leaves the child, she'll make up for lost time. But other than that I confess I am at a loss."
"So Hope didn't grow like that? Despite being a vampire she grew up like a human kid would?"
"No she didn't grow that way. But I should warn you. Don't raise your daughter to be a Traveler. From what Caroline told me that was not a fun period for you."
"Well, Mystic Falls isn't exactly a barrel of laughs." Stefan countered. Klaus opened the curtain for him with a smile.
"And yet here you are still. Were you planning on waiting for Elena to decide to make another switch?" Klaus replied.
"Screw you, Klaus. We're over that dramatic period." Stefan said. He left the booth and saw everyone before him cheer. Caroline had Hope on her hip, bouncing up and down and watching her smile. Elena had young Bonnie and Damon held Alaric's hands to keep him standing upright. His brother's little family grinned at him Stefan smiled at them and looked over to see Bonnie walking along behind her son Daniel who was even older than Hope. Enzo smiled at them and nodded to Stefan.
"Finally! We've been waiting to meet this little one for months!" Bonnie said, nearing Nadia.
"Yeah, Klaus told me."
"Did he tell you who was by Katherine's bed side the whole time she was dying, listening to how perfect that world was, and how happy you guys were?" Caroline asked. "He had to keep you from skipping town the whole time because you were so far back in your memory the thought of seeing Elena with Damon made you want to live at the bottom of a Jack Daniel's bottle." Klaus smiled sheepishly to himself.
"Yeah, thank God he grew outta that." Damon replied sarcastically. Elena gave him a look and Alaric made a sound to be picked up. The group just stared at him, waiting for his response to the news they'd all known for a while. Stefan smiled and held Nadia out, Bonnie's hand brushing her arm.
"I'm a dad." He croaked. He looked down at her and saw a toothless smile. Maybe this time around, Nadia will smile bigger than she did in this world.