Esther

As promised, here is a chapter about Esther from the moment she finds herself as a vampire to her freedom, and after when she adapts to her family and earns their forgiveness.

Sorry for the delay, my only excuse is life.

She was a vampire.

Her children, she didn't know which one but one of them did it for sure, turned her into a vampire. Probably a fitting punishment since she had forced this on them as well, and then tried to take it from them by killing them all, without asking any of them if this was what they wanted. At least they had given her a choice to complete the transition or not. There was a blood bag with her in the tomb and she drank it, completing the transition, but she could have resisted and died peacefully.

She almost didn't drink it, truly, she would have been strong enough to hold on, but it would have been abandonning her children once more and she refused to do it. She had to take her punishment and try to make it up to them. They'd visit again, surely. Maybe she'd be able to help them, to convince them to give her another chance. She had to show them that she wasn't giving up on them, that, despite everything she had done, she did love them, truly.

Still, her children had no idea of the danger she had saved them from when she killed Bella and her babies.

Esther didn't know how long she had been alone in the tomb when the door opened, revealing her children, Alaric, who wasn't a crazed as she had expected him to be, and, surprisingly, a still pregnant and well Bella.

They had saved the day and Esther found out that they had a plan to deal with Dahlia, which reassured her. Still, they wanted to leave her in there, alone, as punishment. She knew that she probably would have done the same, but she still begged, hoping for freedom and the possibility to be with her children.

Of course Bella is the one who saved her, saying that once the babies where born, they'd reconsider her fate, adding that they'd bring Freya to her for a visit once she was freed from Dahlia. Obviously she had been wrong to misjudge the young human, because she was full of goodness. Maybe she truly was good for her children.

Esther didn't see time pass once the door of her prison closed once more, but she felt herself growing weaker. Eventually, it opened again and she saw Bella standing on the other side. She had two babies in a stroller behind her and a young blond woman by her side.

"Is that..." Esther asked in a very weak voice, not able to finish.

"Yes, this is Freya, Dahlia is lock away in another world, a prison world, like we planned. My and Klaus' babies are fine as well. Here, a few blood bags, I figured you'd need them for this." Bella said, throwing a couple of blood bags toward her mother in law who caught them and drank them immediately.

"So you do remember me? Considering how easily you gave me away to your sister, you'd think you had forgotten I was even your daughter in the first place." Freya spat at Esther who knew she deserved it, and more, but was willing to deal with everything if it granted her freedom and the possibility to be with her children, and grandchildren.

"I swear to you, Freya, it wasn't easy at all! If only you knew how sorry I am, how often I thought about you... When I turned them all into vampires, I had hoped they'd all be able to keep their witch powers after the change, then we would have been a very powerful family and I would have been able to come and get you, free you from her, but alone... I couldn't, she was too powerful, she scared me too much..." Esther pleaded.

"Yeah, well, the damage was done by then. I guess I'm lucky Klaus fell in love with Bella, it's because of her that I'm free, and safe. Without her, who knows how much longer I would have had been forced to follow Dahlia." Freya replied, her face closed off.

"Actually, it's technically for the babies." Bella replied with a smile.

"The babies... How are they? I... I am sorry for trying to kill them, and you... My only defense is that I was trying to protect my children from Dahlia. I was too afraid..." Esther replied.

"They're fine. We named our boy Henry Ansel Swan Mickealson and our girl Hope Isobel Swan Mickealson." Bella replied kindly, turning the stroller to allow Esther to look at them.

"Henry?" Esther asked.

"After Henrik, yes. We wanted a piece of him to still be in the family." Bella nodded.

"Thank you... I don't deserve this kindness... Even you introducing them to me... You're much kinder than I deserve." Esther admitted.

"At least you admit it." Freya frowned, a little reluctant to admit that she had missed her mother and that she wanted her to join them once more.

"I believe that everyone can change, and you admitting this right now is proof that you can change too. Admitting your faults is the first step. I believe that you can be a part of your family once more, if you work on it. I'm willing to help you." Bella replied.

"You are? Really?" Esther asked her.

"Yes, she's serious. Bella is a blessing on our family." Freya smiled at her newest sister.

"I'm willing to do anything, for however long necessary, in order to gain my children's forgiveness, all of my children's forgiveness. Anything you offer, I'll take it, as long as, in the end, I get to be with my family, my children and my grandchildren." Esther nodded.

"Then I'll come and see you twice a week, you'll stay here but you'll have enough blood bags to feed yourself, along with a lamp and anything you'd need to entertain yourself a bit." Bella smiled.

"Thank you." Esther nodded.

"Finn and Elijah will bring it by later. We couldn't carry everything with us and Freya already used magic to move the stone... Klaus would have come but he's busy with his pack." Bella explained.

"How are they, my children? Are they alright? Happy?" Esther asked and Freya decided to make an effort to answer as peacefully as possible.

"Everyone is fine. We've all found our place together quite naturally and we're all happy with the present situation. Rebekah is going to school and has friends there, along with a potential boyfriend, Kol finds his fill of magic by mentoring a young witch... We've all found something that makes us happy."

"Then I'm glad. I'm sorry it took this long for everyone to be happy and at peace, I know it's mainly my fault, but I'm happy it happened. And congratulations on these two babies, Bella... They... They're beautiful... They look so much like Niklaus... Tough I have to say that Hope looks more like Rebekah did at the same age... But they're strong and healthy, I can tell... I... I know that I'm in no position to ask anything, but I'd appreciate it if you could bring them over once in a while." Esther asked.

"Of course, I'll bring them along once a week to start." Bella smiled.

And so it started.

Esther talked to Bella honestly, and she listen to her as well. She did everything Bella advised, including a personalized letter to each of her children. When Ansel was brought back, Bella told her, and also informed her that he had been turned into a hybrid, by his choice. Of course Esther understood it. This way, he'd be strong enough to stay with his son if anyone tried to separate them again.

"I think you're ready to be freed and reunited with the family. Klaus and the others have prepared a room for you but I believe you should speak with Ansel first. You're both new to this life and you have lots of untold feelings... Anger mostly on his part... He's agreed to make an effort, to ignore you if you don't get along, but I know it would make everything much easier on everyone if you two managed to at least be friends, or friendly. You got along once, loved each other. Maybe you can get some of this back without Mickeal getting in the way." Bella told Esther a few weeks later.

"Of course... Do you really think I'm ready?" Esther asked.

"I do, and all of your children have forgiven you. They're all willing to help you adjust." Bella smiled.

"Then I'd love to meet Ansel again. Anything you think is best." Esther nodded.

"Good, we'll come tomorrow and if everything goes well between you two, then Bonnie will let you out." Bella smiled.

"Any advice?" Esther asked Bella before she left.

"For tomorrow? Be open, be honest and sincere. Let your heart speak." Bella replied kindly.

"Thank you." Esther nodded, sitting back down to prepare herself for what was to come.

.

As soon as Ansel appeared in front of the magic barrier, Esther stood up and smiled at him. Ansel's face was neutral but he did greet her back politely.

Then it became awkward. How did you apologize to your ex lover for keeping his son from him, for lying to him for years, for being the reason he died even?

"Ansel... I know that I owe you an apology, or several, for everything I've put you through but I also know that words probably won't be enough... Just know that I am truly sorry and I am willing to do anything to get you to forgive me." Esther declared, trying to be as open as possible and to let her heart speak with honesty, like Bella had suggested.

"At least you acknowledge it." Ansel nodded with a small frown.

"Please, give me a chance to show you that I have changed, that I can learn from my mistakes." She begged him.

"I guess I can try... As long as you don't come between Klaus and I again." Ansel warned her.

"Never again, I swear it, Ansel! It's the last thing I want." She nodded.

"It will take time for me to forgive you completely, but I believe Bella is right when she says that we can eventually be friends again." Ansel agreed, sending a message to Kol on the Cell phone his son had gotten him.

A few minutes later, Kol, Freya and Finn were there, opening the barrier, allowing Esther to step out of the tomb she had been a prisoner of for what felt like years instead of just months.

Esther slowly followed them, taking it one step at the time, discovering the outside world with her new senses. The sights, the smells, the sounds... It was all so overwhelming... The tomb had been locked up tight and she hadn't been able to discover her improved senses yet.

"Are you okay, mother?" Finn asked her.

"I am. I's just... hard to adjust to all of this... I had no idea how strong it all was." Esther replied honestly.

"Now you know what you forced on them all. At least you were warned of what to expect, they weren't." Freya told her mother and Esther could tell that it would take her longer to get her eldest daughter to truly forgive her.

.

The first thing Esther did when they arrived in the house, was to shower and change clothes, thankfully, Rebekah had gone shopping for her and she had plenty of choice. What surprised Esther was that her daughter had known what to buy for her, the style she'd prefer.

The second thing she did, was join her children and ask if she could hold her grandchildren. Of course Bella agreed, even though Klaus would have liked to wait a while longer.

"They truly are perfect Niklaus... They have the best of both of you..." Esther told her son while Bella was answering a phone call from a patient, an emergency.

"I think they're more like their mother, but she thinks they're more like me." He admitted, deciding to be open with his mother.

"Well, I see a bit of you both in them." Esther smiled.

"Hope has her maternal grandfather's curls." Ansel added, deciding to join in and not stay away from his son just because Esther was hanging around him.

.

Later that night, the house was quiet but Esther couldn't sleep. She went to the kitchen to try and find something that would help her sleep when she noticed that she wasn't alone.

"Ansel! I thought everyone was asleep!" She exclaimed when she saw him waiting for the water to boil so he could make himself something warm to drink.

"I couldn't sleep. Probably not tired enough yet." he replied, trying to keep his tone of voice as neutral as possible.

"I couldn't sleep either, too much new things going on... Finn warned me that it could happen, he said there was an infusion in the kitchen that would help me calm down and sleep..." Esther replied.

"There is. Here." He nodded, handing her the right box.

"Thanks. Ansel... Please don't hate me... I know that I have a lot to do in order to earn your forgiveness but I will do anything... Just... please, don't hate me anymore..." Esther pleaded.

"I don't hate you, Esther, that's in the past. Bella's helped me grow out of this. But it will take a while before I'm confortable enough to call you my friend again." Ansel replied honestly.

"But it will happen eventually?" She asked, full of hope.

"Yes, of course it will." He nodded before he wished her goodnight and left with his cup, letting her do her own cup the way she wanted it and not wishing to speak to her any more that night.

.

The next few days, and weeks, passed rather nicely for Esther, who was surprised by how easy it was for her to adjust with her family around her. She managed to find something to do with her day, all day. She even got to spend time with her grandchildren, which she appreciated a lot. She had her family around her, something she had always wanted.

She was a mother and a grandmother.

It made her even feel worst about the way she had hunted her children down over the centuries, preventing them from living their lives like they truly deserved. She of course made sure to apologize again to her children, earning a real place in the family.

"Are you alright, Esther?" Bella asked her that day, seeing the new vampire standing alone in the garden.

"Of course, I'm just watching the garden Niklaus designed and grew, it's beautiful." Esther replied.

"I sense a 'but' in there."

"The roses are being eaten by some bug, they'll die if we don't do anything about it."

"I didn't notice... Well, I don't think Klaus would mind if you took care of it. I mean, you seem to want to do it..." Bella smiled.

"Thank you... I was afraid he'd get upset if I stepped into his private space..."

"Oh, it's not his private space. He designed the garden, and made sure it grew beautiful, mainly because he wanted the perfect house for his family. If you want to take care of it, or change something, feel free to do it. I know that Freya has already added some magical plants here and there..." Bella smiled.

Esther nodded and left to get what she'd need to protect the roses.

.

More time passed and each day Esther grew closer to her family. Bella helped a lot of course, she was always willing to listen, or to talk. She always had time to help members of the family solve an argument and Esther knew that the unity they had was mostly because of Bella.

She also grew closer to Ansel, slowly becoming friends, good friends again until, eventually, they were back to being in love. It took a couple of years but they did and were happy together. Esther knew that it was what had always been meant to happen. She should have left Mickeal when he started hurting them, she should have left Klaus with him, been with Ansel from the beginning...

There was no point in going over this again though, what happened was in the past, they were now in the present, and all happy.

Here you have another special chapter done. Sorry it took so long since the last one, but since then I moved, and then life took over.

There are a couple more "extra" chapters coming, but I don't know when they'll be ready.

Review please?

Lorelei Candice Black