Chapter 21:

With their return home, Klaus and Bella had a lot to do, both to prepare for the big reunion and to help Alice get settled in the new place that would be her house.

They started by introducing her to the town's people. Their friends were happy to see them with the piece that was missing in their lives and welcomed the little human with open arms.

"So my boys are coming home then?" Giuseppe asked.

He looked a lot older than the last time they had seen him, even if only a few years had gone by. He had a hard time walking on his own and his speech was wavering.

"Yes, they should be here by the end of the month for our big reunion." Klaus replied gently.

"I'm sorry…" Alice said, interrupting them like she had been talking with them the whole time.

She talked like she had just heard a very bad and sad news.

"What's wrong honey?" Klaus asked his daughter, wondering what she was talking about.

"I had a vision." The little girl said, looking down.

She had been told who she could talk about her vision with and Giuseppe was one of them, she remembered.

"What did you see?" Bella asked, coming fast, hoping nothing bad was going to happen to her family.

"Mister Giuseppe's heart is tired…" Alice explained the best way her little self could.

"When?" Giuseppe asked.

He knew she was talking about his death, he could feel it coming for a few weeks now.

"Before Damon and Stefan come." Alice replied, going to hug the old man as tightly as she could.

She had tears in her eyes. Death was new to her and Bella rushed to sooth the sad little girl.

"I knew it would be soon… I can feel it coming…Well, I have lived a long life… I celebrated my 93rd birthday last month…" He said.

"Do you want me to give you some blood?" Klaus asked, not wanting to loose the one human friend he had, no matter his age.

"Your blood can do miracles my friend, but it cannot cure old age." Giuseppe replied before adding "I have made my peace with it already… I guess I will write letters to my boys to say goodbye…" He added before saying goodbye and going home with the help of a maid that went everywhere with him now.

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Alice had been very excited about having her own room in this big pretty house. They had been sending a lot of things from their trip across the country when visiting their friends and family so the witches had been nice enough to set the bedroom for the little girl. She remembered when her life used to be all dark and lonely with her real parents. She was happy now. She had a big bedroom close to her adoptive parents who loved her; she had lots of toys, books, dolls, dresses…

She loved it when in the morning Bella came in to help her get dressed. Her mother would sit on the chair in front of the dresser and Alice would climb on her knees, then Bella would grab the hairbrush and gently brush her long hair. Sometimes she would braid them, sometimes she would let them free, other times she would add bows in them. She had a lot of bows in every colours and she loved it. She liked that her mother would give her the choice too.

After that, she would go riding horses with her parents, sitting with her father on his beautiful black stallion, sometimes they would even race with her mother who was on her white mare. After lunch, she usually took a small nap before playing with the witches or with her new friends from town.

There is nothing she wouldn't give up to keep this life. Her parents listened to her when she talked about her visions and she never wanted for anything anymore. They never asked her to hide them or to lie about them. They were simply not ashamed of her.

Her parents had taken her the week before to see and be introduced to real mermaids. She had had a lot of fun swimming with them and knew she would remember this magical day forever. It was like the fairytales her mother read her before bed were all coming real.

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Carlisle, his wife Esmee and Lexi, who had joined them a few weeks ago, were on their way to New York where they would meet up with Finn and Sage and wait for Elijah, Jasper and Damon to come back on the next boat. They would then travel together back to Mystic Falls. Lexi and Carlisle took the time to bond together some more and they were now feeling like a true family.

They were all waiting for the boat, which was half an hour late, to arrive. They decided they would run back home, going through the forest and hunting on the way. Even if animal blood wasn't everyone's favourite meal, they all agreed that it was fun to hunt together.

When the boat finally arrived, they all spent some time in a local restaurant getting some rest before they ran away to Mystic Falls. That pause was also the occasion to introduce Elijah to Esmee. He had been in Europe for some times now and hadn't seen her yet.

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Stefan and Rebekah were still in Chicago. They had received a message from Kol and Rosemary saying they would be there to travel back home with them so they waited for him at the house. Rebekah and Stefan were happy together and the blond original was trying to teach her mate some more control. Stefan was drinking a little bit of human blood everyday to increase his intake and until now, everything was going great. When Rosemary and Kol arrived, they all got a drink before getting in the car and driving toward their home and their family.

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Pearl, Annabelle and Harper were also invited to the big reunion and were making their way from were they were staying in Mexico. They were excited about meeting Alice and seeing everyone else once again. They felt honoured to be considered friends by the Mickealson's. In the supernatural world, they were pretty famous and known to be extremely powerful. They had met quite a lot of people over the years and had been treated respectfully because they knew the original family.

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In Mystic Falls, Klaus was watching Alice and Bella cutting some flowers to put in vases inside the house. He couldn't stop from wondering what he had done to deserve so much happiness. He never knew he was missing a soul mate until he met Bella, just like he never knew he could be a good father until Alice came into their lives. He could never be happier than he was at this moment…

"Daddy, Daddy, look, mommy made me a flower crown!" Alice exclaimed, running towards him as fast as she could, showing him the crown.

"It's very pretty Sweetheart. It's because you are our little princess." he answered with a smile, replacing the falling flower crown on his daughter's head.

"I helped mommy make one for her too, isn't she pretty?" Alice asked, perching herself on her father's knees without asking for permission.

"Of course she is pretty. Your mother is the most beautiful woman that walks this Earth…" Klaus replied, looking his wife in the eyes with love.

"I made you one all by myself too..." Alice said, showing him another flower crown.

"It's very nice of you princess." He said, dreading the moment she would ask him to wear it, knowing he would do it anyway, just because she's the one asking him. He couldn't even imagine how he would bear the disappointed look she'd have on her face if he told her that he wouldn't wear it after all.

"Will you wear it?" Alice asked him with a smile so big Klaus was sure even Mickeal would have worn the pink flower crown.

"Of course I will love. This way the three of us will match." He agreed, letting her crown him softly.

Bella joined them and they all hugged.

"Oh, how I wish we could capture this moment forever to show everyone. The big bad Klaus wearing a pink flower crown..." A voice said with laughter from behind them.

They all turned around and saw Magdalena and Maria, also invited for the big party. Maria had grown into a very beautiful young woman and her position as Queen of the seas was obvious when one looked at her. She was now several centuries old but, since mermaid grew up slower than humans, she looked only 16.

Alice jumped out of her father's arms and ran into Maria's. They had only spent one day together a few weeks ago but she was already very attached to the mermaid. They would often talk through the seashell.

"Welcome to Mystic Falls." Bella greeted as she went over to hug them.

"I'm happy to see you again Aunt Bella." Maria said with a happy smile.

Over the last few centuries, they had spent some time together and Maria loved Bella, just like everyone else.

"Is anyone else here yet?" Magdalena asked, curiously.

"Pearl, Annabelle and Harper should be here tonight, the others are supposed to arrive at some point this week." Klaus answered as they showed the two mermaids to their room.

They all spent the next few days welcoming friends and family home. It was very exciting for Alice to see so many people but Klaus and Bella did their best to keep a little bit of their daily routine so she didn't get to used to staying late with guests.

Stefan and Damon would be staying in their father's house, using this time to mourn him. Rebekah was staying with them, wanting to show Stefan that she was with him not only during the fun times but also during the sad ones.

Elijah had been surprised to meet Alice, especially since the little girl, who was barely taller than his knee, told him straight away:

"You will meet your soul mate too some day… her name will start with an E." Before running off with the candy he had brought her from France.

When it was time for Jasper to be introduced to Alice, Bella was smiling. She didn't know what her daughter had seen exactly, but Alice had asked to wear one of her prettiest dress and her favourite bow. The little girl was very nervous and this made Bella smile…her daughter had her first crush. As soon as the major came into her eyesight, Alice stood a little straighter and brushed some invisible dust from her dress.

"Hello, I'm Alice. I'm very happy to meet you Jasper..." She said with a smile so bright Klaus was sure it could light up a whole town.

"Hello Alice. I'm happy to meet you too. Here, I got you a porcelain doll from Italy." He said, giving Alice the little box.

Jasper was confused; he didn't know why he felt the sudden urge to keep the little girl safe. He smiled slightly when he saw her eyes brighten when she saw the doll and excused himself to go catch up with Lexi.

Later that day, when Bella was putting Alice to bed, she realised that the little bubble of joy had been pretty quiet the reminder of the day.

"What has you pouting honey?" Bella asked softly.

"Jasper doesn't like me…" Alice whispered, trying not to be heard by anyone else that was in the house.

"What makes you think that, baby?" Bella asked.

"He didn't spend any time with me... He gave me his gift and left right away!" Alice exclaimed looking scandalised.

"Of course not honey! He just wanted to catch up with Carlisle and Lexi… They are like family to him and he hasn't seen them in a while… You'll see, tomorrow is going to be a big day with the party and I'm sure he will spend some more time with you then." Bella explained, kissing her softly on the forehead.

As she left Alice's room and got downstairs, Bella grabbed Klaus' hand and dragged him in the garden where Jasper was looking at the moon.

"What is it Love?" Klaus asked her.

"We need to speak with Jasper. Something is up with Alice and it seems to concern him…" Bella explained as they passed the double doors.

"What is wrong Bella?" Jasper asked the woman.

"It seems that Alice has somewhat of a crush on you Jasper…" Bella said as Klaus growled silently.

His daughter was way too young to have a crush on anyone.

"Oh…" Jasper was suddenly very nervous and didn't know what to say.

"Now, I have an idea about this but I need you to confirm it for me… Why did you avoid her all throughout the day?" Bella asked him as she passed one arm around her husband's waist to calm him down.

"When I saw her…I can't explain it…I felt this sudden urge to protect her, to keep her safe and happy… I don't know why…I've never felt anything this intense before..." Jasper was looking for his words.

"I think that Alice is supposed to be your soul mate when she'll be older… This is why you feel like this… I've read about it a while ago… Right now you will be the best friend she will ever have, and when she grows older you will love her." Bella said.

"What?" Klaus and Jasper exclaimed at the same time in different tones.

"Are you sure Love?" Klaus asked, looking murderously at Jasper.

"Yes, I am." Bella answered.

"I don't know what to do… I'm lost…"Jasper tried to say.

"Just spend some time with her Jasper, get to know her and go with the flow." Bella suggested before Klaus added:

"No courting before she is 18!" Klaus growled.

"Come on Klaus honey, at least give them 16..." Bella pleaded in the way she knew he couldn't resist.

"Fine… but if you break her heart Major I will break you. Nobody hurts my baby girl." The scary hybrid said before going back inside with his wife, leaving Jasper to his star gazing.

.

That night, Kol and Lexi were playing chess in his apartment while Carlisle and Esmee were being very loud, Elijah was catching up with Sage and Finn in their house while Harper, Annabelle and Pearl were spending some time with the witches.

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Rose was walking in town, looking for something to do, when she crossed path with Stefan, Rebekah and Damon. They were heading to a local bar and she decided to join them, wanting to spend time with Rebekah and thinking it was about time she got to know the Salvatore brothers. She found that Stefan was fun but that Damon was funnier, that Stefan was cute, but that Damon was hot and sexy. She enjoyed the evening a lot and ended up in bed with Damon. She didn't know if he was her soul mate, actually she seriously doubted it because it felt nothing like Bella told her it felt, but being together felt right at the moment so she let go and enjoyed herself.

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The next day the sun was shining and everyone was in the park of the Mickealson property. They had a big picnic planned. It had been Alice's idea and her parents had thought it to be a very good idea. They had lunch, played games, talked, danced, joked… Jasper spent some time with Alice and the little girl was beyond happy.

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Esmee didn't know what to think.

She was aware that she was still pretty much a new born and that she still had to get used to her heightened feelings, but she couldn't help but feel jealousy towards both Lexi and Bella. Lexi because she had been spending some time alone with Carlisle the day before and Bella simply because she was so loved by everyone and because she had been given a second chance at motherhood with Alice.

Also she knew Bella and Carlisle had a special link and she didn't like it. Carlisle spoke so often of the Original wife, and they did spend quite some time alone together when Klaus and she came to visit… Off course some part in her brain told her she was being silly, but that didn't change the fact that she was feeling jealous.

Earlier that morning, Carlisle and her had gotten into an argument about this. She told him her worries, asked him to stay away from Bella and Lexi. He told her she was being silly, she protested, he argued, she got angry, so did he. Now she was standing alone watching him playing baseball with the rest of the men.

"Is something wrong Esmee? You seem worried." Bella asked her in a gentle and caring tone.

She was standing with Lexi, Rebekah and Rose and looked truly worried for her. Esmee realised she had been wrong in her worries about Bella. She was a very great woman.

"Not really, I just got into an argument with Carlisle last night or early this morning, about something silly." Esmee covered.

"What was it about?" Rose asked, wanting to help.

"It's not really important, what's important is that I was wrong…" Esmee answered.

"It happens you know, people fight and make up all the time…" Lexi consoled the woman.

"Well, except for Klaus and Bella. Those two never fight." Rebekah said.

"Really? Never?" Esmee asked, turning towards Bella.

"Since the first time I met him we have never had a single argument about anything…" Bella nodded.

"Wow…" Was all Esmee could say.

"Well, you're the one missing on the angry make up sex!" Rebecca said, making the others laugh.

"Maybe, but we do have angry sex… The anger is just never directed at each other but at people who tried to hurt us or people we love…" Bella explained.

"How do I fix it?" Esmee asked.

"Wait until he is done playing with the boys, then you go to him, tell him you are sorry, and add that he was right and that you were wrong…" Bella suggested while her friends nodded.

"And then run in the woods and have make-up sex." Rebekah added with a knowing smile.

The rest of the day happened without any problems. Esmee and Carlisle made up, Alice had a great time playing with everyone, and they all had a very good day

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Klaus had his arms around Bella's waist and his chin on her shoulder. They were looking at the odd group that were her friends and family having a good time.

"You know I love you right?" Klaus asked Bella after kissing her in the neck.

"Yes I do…and I love you too. Do you think it's strange that we never had an argument?" She asked him.

"No…we love each other enough to meet each other half way when we disagree." He answered while tightening his arms around her waist.

"Did you ever agree to something I wanted and regret it?" She asked him.

"No, never…Did you?"

"No, never." She answered with a smile on her face as she turned around in her husband's arms and began making out with him.

"The future looks very bright from here." Bella whispered against his lips as he nodded his agreement:

"I don't need Alice's gift to agree with you about this Love."

You know what to do,

Lorelei Candice Black