Bella woke up a century later and did just as she had planned, she collected information and power. Always more power to make Mickeal suffer later, always more information to distract her from her pain. She made friends with powerful coven, assuring herself help shall she ever need it and making sure that they owed her so that they'd never go after Klaus out of loyalty to her.

Bella also learned how to use Traveler's magic and how to jump from one body to another before returning to hers. She knew that she couldn't use it to watch over Klaus when she had to sleep for a century but she could use it to travel quicker when all she needed was some information.

At first, it was difficult for her to go through each day. She had seen Niklaus slowly closing himself up to the world and she knew it would only get harder for him. It made it harder for her too but she knew that she had to hold on, she had to be strong and eventually, she'd have her happy life with him and their families, just the way it should have been.

Slowly but surely, time passed and when, 600 years later, Bella finally had managed to gather everything she needed in order to go back in time, she stopped to meditate. She just wanted to make sure that nothing had changed, that this was still the best solution and that she really had everything she needed.

In the middle of her meditation, Bella found out that Esther's first born was still alive, that Dahlia had claimed all the first born of her sister's bloodline and that she was planning to sacrifice the next one in order to steal its power and be able to live forever without having to sleep for a century to have a year of normal life. It was something Bella couldn't allow, especially since she knew Klaus could have children after breaking his curse and she hoped to have some with him.

Going back 6 centuries wouldn't be for the best, Bella could see that now. She could simply go back to when Esther made the deal with Dahlia but then she took the risk of erasing Klaus from existence and to change too many things. Instead, Bella decided to beat Dahlia at her own game.

She'd go back even further, 5000 years in the past. She's have plenty of time to gather more powers so that, when Dahlia came out of hiding to go after her niece and nephews, Bella would be a truly immortal (and all powerful) witch. Then she'd have enough power to defend her loved one against not only Dahlia but anyone else who decided to try and come after them. She'd be powerful enough to fight on her own against covens who could decide to ally against her.

Before she did that, Bella wanted to see Klaus one last time and so she went in town, where she knew he was. For the second time in 600 years, Bella found herself in the same town as Klaus and his siblings were. She was in a town near London, living in a small, isolated house when the Mickealson's lived the big life in a nearby mansion. She had managed to avoid running into them all the while being able to see her Love once in a while. It wasn't easy for her to resist the temptation to let him see her, ask him to change her and simply be happy with him.

She often wondered how he would react if he knew about her and what she was doing. Would his instincts tell him that he could trust her? Did he even remember seeing her eyes? Would he reject her completely and cut himself off from her? She knew that he had trust issues but she also knew that their bond, though incomplete, should push him to trust her, to believe in her.

That night, they were celebrating Niklaus' birthday and Bella dropped a carefully wrapped box on top of the gift pile, casting a spell on it so that only Klaus would be able to open it and so that it would find him, no matter what. She hoped he would believe everything she wrote in her letter to him.

She watched from afar as he pretended to be a rich lord with his siblings and smiled when he joked during the party he was having. Her smile froze when she found herself face to face with a painting, made by Klaus, of a pair of feminine eyes hidden in a bush.

Her eyes.

He remembered and he cared enough to paint it.

She would have loved to be able to take the painting with her but she knew that she couldn't so she turned around, trying to find a way out when she heard, close to her, a couple of nobles talking about this painting. Apparently, Klaus offered a lot of money for anyone who could identify the owner of these eyes.

She really needed to get out of here before anyone looked too closely at her.

"Don't I know you?" Rebekah asked, making Bella turn around and she held her breath, stepping back a few steps so she was in the shadows, hoping for that to be enough to hide who she was and how Rebekah knew her.

She hadn't been careful enough, she had come too close to them. She should have just done her spell and been done with it. Quickly, she did a spell on her eyes, to hide them but she knew it could already be too late.

"I don't think so. I'm new here." Bella replied before she turned around and left, creating a magical distraction to hold the vampire's attention by spilling a nearby bottle on her dress.

While Rebekah was busy arguing with the maid, Bella ran from the party as if she had a crime to hide, afraid of Rebekah suddenly remembering where she had seen her before and calling her brothers for reinforcement. Once she reached her house, Bella quickly packed the few things she had taken with her and arranged her safe travel on a ship, back to her home, in the caves she had protected with her magic.

.

"Everything okay Nik?" Rebekah asked her brother once the last guest left.

"This box... It was left among the gifts. There's a card with it saying it's from 'A friend looking out for your safety and happiness'." Klaus showed her and his brothers.

"I didn't know you had any of those." Kol joked, earning a glare from the hybrid.

"Didn't anyone see who dropped it off?" Elijah asked.

"According to one of the maids, it was a woman with long wavy brown hair... Who had eyes similar to those of the painting and tried to stay in the shadows." Klaus replied, the un-opened box still on his lap.

"I bet you it's that girl I talked to. Remember the witch that threw me out of the wolves' village before we left home? The one who asked me to give Mickeal a message shall we ever see him again? I thought I saw her tonight but when I asked her if I knew her, a bottle spilled on my dress and she was gone when I looked up... It could be her." Rebekah explained.

"But why would she want to do something for me?" Klaus asked.

"And how did she survive that long?" Kol added.

"She seemed very upset by Ansel's death... Maybe he was more than her Alpha, maybe he was family or something. That would make her part of your family as well." Rebekah suggested.

"But then why would she stay away for so long? Even if she stayed away to mourn, she could have done so with us, with Klaus." Kol wondered.

"Maybe she was afraid." Rebekah suggested.

"What's in the box?" Elijah asked.

"Let's see." Klaus replied.

He slowly opened the box and saw a ring placed on top of a piece of paper.

"Is that..." Elijah started.

"The ring Mother made for him, for my father? I think so." Klaus nodded, trying to hide the emotions in his voice when he opened the piece of paper.

"What does it say?" Rebekah asked and Klaus handed her the letter so she could read it out loud:

"Dear Niklaus,

You don't know me and I'm not going to give you my name for safety reasons. Not that I'm afraid of you, I'm talking about your own safety.

The ring I send you today belonged to your father, Ansel. I took it from his body the day he was brutally murdered by Mickeal and promised myself I'd deliver it to you one day. He would have wanted you to have it and since today is your birthday, it seemed appropriate to give it to you. You're his only heir after all.

I loved Ansel, he was my Godfather and I figured it was well time you knew just how much he loved you and how painful it was for him to see you suffer as a child without being able to do anything for you. It's an insult to him to let you think any longer that you were unloved and unwanted by your parents. I don't know about Esther and I don't like her at all but I know Ansel.

Your father loved you more than anything and he's the one who chose your name, not Mickeal.

First of all, you need to take off the necklace your mother made you when you were a child. It wasn't spelled so she could always find you when you got lost but to keep you weak so you didn't accidentally trigger your werewolf side. Her own way of avoiding her deal with Ansel.

Esther promised him that, if he stayed away and let her raise you with her other children, your siblings, he'd be able to give you your rightful place in his life, and in his pack, once your triggered your werewolf curse. He loved her enough to agree to it, mainly because he wanted you to know your siblings and because he was afraid of what Mickeal would do to Esther or your siblings if he found out the truth. When Mickeal started to hurt you, Ansel tried to come and get you and he almost did once but Esther was a powerful witch and she kept him away with spells... He could see you but he couldn't help you, he couldn't touch you or speak to you.

The day he died, he was coming to you, to stop Esther from placing the curse on you... It was unfair and I know that one day you'll break it. You'll be free and stronger that you already are, I'll make sure of it if it's the last thing I do.

I can't tell you why I'm helping you, I can't tell you if we'll ever meet but I might send you more letters over the years, it depends if you need them or not.

I just wanted to make sure you knew that Mickeal doesn't deserve for you to call him 'father'. He's not. Ansel is your father and he loved you more than his own life. He sacrificed everything so that you'd be as happy as possible and I can guaranty you that he's on the other side, proud of the man you've become, no matter what.

I can also promise you that you'll see him again some day. Not as a ghost or spirit from the other side. No, I'll bring him back and you'll be able to be happy together. It won't be for some time, but it will happen.

What's a few centuries when you have forever?

Please don't look for me, don't try to find out who I am just yet. When the time is right, I'll come to you and you'll know it's me.

Oh, I almost forgot, when you do the ritual to break your curse, let the doppelganger live, your hybrids won't be able to go through the transition without her blood. A way for your mother to make sure you'd be alone. I won't let that happen.

Last thing, when you go back home, be careful with your siblings: the natives have preserved the ancient White Oak Tree. I burnt it again but there seem to be some sort of natural preservation spell on it. I suggest finding it, cutting it and turning it into an object (or several objects). As long as these objects aren't destroyed, the tree won't grow back. I'll look for a spell to destroy it definitively later.

That's it for now. Just know that I'm going to make sure everything is great for you. You'll be just fine, no matter what happens, you'll make it through and have the family you truly deserve in the end.

Ansel is always by your side, you're never alone.

Your life hasn't been easy so far and the next few centuries probably won't be any better but it will all get better one day, I promise. Keep on believing, don't lose hope.

Ansel's Goddaughter, your friend."

"Wow... That's something. Do you think it's some sort of prank?" Kol asked them all.

"No, I can smell his blood on the ring. She probably preserved it and kept it this way to prove that what she was saying is true." Klaus replied with a small voice.

"Are you okay?" Elijah asked his brother.

"Yes, I think I am." Klaus replied, looking around, wondering where his father was standing.

His siblings could see that Klaus looked freer, somehow less tortured. This letter had changed something in him and they could tell that he was ready to believe everything it said.

"And here I thought I was the one who gave you the best birthday gift this year." Rebekah chuckled, making his brother smile.

"I think Niklaus needs to be alone with his thoughts a moment. We'll see you in the morning brother." Elijah decided and Klaus thanked him before he went to stand in front of the painting of the eyes in a bush .

There, Klaus smiled and placed his father's ring on his finger before taking down the painting. Whoever she was, she had done something great for him, she had given him back his father and if in exchange the only thing she asked was for him not to look for her, then he'd do it. He didn't know why he wanted to trust her without knowing anything about her but he did and, since it came from his gut, his instinct, he decided to listen to it and trust her.

He placed his painting of her eyes in a closet, protecting it with a blanket and looked around once more:

"I... If you're around, Ansel, dad... I... I hope she's right, that I'll see you some day and I hope that when this day comes, you're not disappointed in me. I don't have the best temper, but... I'll try." Klaus said to them empty room, not seeing Ansel's spirit present, smiling with pride at both Klaus and Bella.

.

Once she arrived back in her caves, Bella locked everything back up and waited for the next full moon before she started the ritual to take her back 5000 years in the past.

She knew that her life would be long, sad and extremely lonely but she did it for Niklaus, her beloved. He was worth her sacrifice and she'd stay focused on her tasks. She knew that there was a risk for her to go crazy, but to prevent that, she took books back in time with her. She'd study them, learn from ancestral magic, live and learn as history was made all the while staying in the shadows and interfering with absolutely nothing, important or not. She didn't want to risk causing Klaus never existing at all, or even herself, so she stayed in America, hidden in the caves and only coming out when she knew no human was around.

She even became a vegetarian to make sure she didn't accidentally eat an animal supposed to be eaten by someone else. Her life was hard but Bella held on, she started writing her thoughts in a journal, writing letters that Niklaus would never read because she used magic to erase them and be able to write over them.

If Bella had feared at first that the distance might make her forget Niklaus, she soon realised that she was wrong, her Love was still very present in every single one of her dreams.

The years until Niklaus was born flew by and Bella prepared, accumulating power to make sure she'd be able to live forever without any restrains.

Bella woke up exactly one month before Henrik was killed and she was able to watch everything from afar. With time, she had learn to completely cloak herself and to be invisible, even to the most powerful witch so she used it on herself as she watched her love live his life. She had to restrain herself a few times, seeing Mickeal was still hard for her but she knew that she couldn't kill him now, she needed to wait for the right time and this certainly wasn't it.

The day before the night when Henrik was supposed to die, Bella snuck up behind him and silently placed a resurrection spell on him, like she had done on herself so long ago. This way, he'd wake up 24 hours after being killed. Bella would be able to replace him with a very real illusion she'd been working on for the past few years and he'd be alive, with her.

As she waited in the shadows for Henrik and Niklaus to leave the house at dawn, Bella was torn aver her next big decision: Ansel. She couldn't keep him with her under the same spell as she would Henrik because he wasn't a witch and she couldn't openly save his life either because it would change everything. What else could she do but to let him die once more, hoping to be able to bring him back later?

.

Right on time, Bella saw first Henrik, then Niklaus leaving their family to go watch the wolves turn back into men. Bella followed them and had to bite down on her hands to prevent herself from interfering. Seeing her beloved Soul Mate in such danger made her anxious but she managed to hold on until the fight was over. Without any surprises, Henrik was dead and Klaus carried his body back to their village.

Seeing the family cry over the young boy's dead body was heartbreaking but Bella had learned to sort through her emotions and to compartmentalize, it's what prevented her from going crazy for the past few centuries. She waited patiently for her chance and the next day, at dawn, Henrik's body was alone so she managed to be there when he woke up.

"What... What's going on?" He asked before his eyes zeroed on her and he added "Who are you?"

"My name is Isabella, you can call me Bella. It's a long story but you just died and your family can't know you survived yet. I need you to trust me and come with me before they wake up." Bella told him quickly.

It was strange speaking to another human being again. She hadn't done it in so long that it felt almost foreign to her.

"But... What will my family think?" Henrik asked.

He was standing up now and looking at Bella in confusion.

"They'll have to think your body was put to rest." Bella replied as she revealed the illusion of him she had created.

Henrik tried to pass his hand through it but he couldn't, the illusion became solid when you tried to touch it.

"I promise I'll explain everything later but you have to come with me." She begged.

"Fine." Henrik nodded.

He wasn't a fool, he might have been young, but he could sense her power and he knew that he'd have no chance of fighting her. His only chance was to give her a chance to explain herself. Obviously she was powerful enough to save his life, that had to mean something.

Bella guided him discreetly back to her cave and while he looked around, she told him everything. She didn't hide anything from him and made sure to make things clear to him. She told him who she was, explained her feelings for Niklaus, told him how she survived so long and why she did it.

"I don't know what's the biggest shock here, the fact that you came back from the future or that Freya is still alive and manipulated by our Aunt Dahlia..." Henrik shook his head.

"Listen Henrik, I know that the temptation to go find your family now and tell them that you're alive is big but you have to understand why I'm doing this. Being a Hybrid, it's your brother's destiny and we can't take that from him, he deserves this after everything your parents put him through." Bella insisted, hoping to convince Henrik to join her plan willingly.

"But were do I fit in all this? Why do you need me? For more power?" Henrik asked her.

"I have all the power I need on my own Henrik, I don't need you for anything. I only saved your life because I could do it and it would make your siblings happy later, when we deal with Dahlia and free Freya." Bella smiled.

"Will you teach me to do this too? Sleep for a century and be awake for one year?" He asked her and she nodded.

"Your powers will grow, I'll teach you everything you need to know and stay by your side. We'll have to be careful not to interfere too much before we reach the point when I went back in time but I know we'll be fine. You'll learn power, control, how to channel power from anything..." She replied.

"You must really love Niklaus a lot to be willing to sacrifice so much for him." Henrik commented, realizing that Bella had been alone for over 5000 years.

"I don't see it as a sacrifice, I see it as bumps in the road leading me to him and our happy future." Bella smiled.

"I've always had a good instinct about people and I can feel that I can trust you. I'm in. Hey, maybe it's you! Niklaus told me once of a pair of eyes he saw in a bush for a fraction of a second and that he can't keep out of his head for some reason... Was that you?" Henrik asked her.

"It was... He told you about that?" She asked her new traveling companion.

"Oh yeah, he's been drawing them whenever he has time. Mother said that maybe it was the magic in him showing him the eyes of the person he was destined to be with so he promised never to forget them." Henrik replied excitedly.

"So what do we do now?" Henrik asked her a few minutes later.

"We try to resist the urge to change things and stay in the shadows. Once the house is empty, we'll snick in and you'll be able to gather everything you want to take with you, we'll store it in here along with my things." She told him.

"But won't you, I mean past you, come in here soon?"

"Yes, and we'll hide everything of ours in the back, behind that wall. I set this up during the past few centuries. Past me won't detect us and everything will be fine." Bella smiled.

"Okay. Can you teach me the spell now?" Henrik asked her, eager to learn.

"Sure, I don't know what else we can do anyway. It's best to stay here, this way I won't be tempted to save Ansel." She nodded.

"Don't you want to speak with your parents one last time? I'm sure we could do it while the other you is away."

"No, I don't really feel that need, I've made my peace with their passing. I was never very close to them, Ansel is the one I was the closest to, he's the one I'll miss."

"And you'll bring him back?" Henrik asked her.

"Before or after I take care of Dahlia, yes, I'll bring him back."

"Hey, does it mean I'll be a teenager forever? I don't really like being this young." Henrik complained.

"Don't worry, I stayed the same age and so will you but once we reach a safer time, you'll be able to spend a few years in a row without doing the spell, this way you'll grow up. Unless you want to wait and start growing up again when you can do so with your siblings." Bella suggested.

"I think I like the second option best." He nodded.

"Good, now let's start your lessons."

Henrik had insisted to be present when his parents cursed Klaus. He wanted to believe Bella but a doubt still remained in his head, a part of him that refused to believe his parents could be capable of doing such a cruel thing to one of their own and Bella had allowed him to go, making sure that they both remained cloaked as they watched the scene she had missed the first time around because she had been too busy fighting Mickeal and being dead.

"I can't believe they really went through with it... And Elijah helped them! Why?" Henrik whispered when they came back home.

"I don't know Henrik, you can ask him in about a thousand years when we reunite with them. Now come on, time to go before my past self reaches the cave and settles inside." She replied.


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Lorelei Candice Black