I went to the maternity shop to buy something for the homecoming dance. Caroline wanted me to go and spend their last high school dance with them. She was very pushy when it came to something she wanted, but I was okay with that. As I walked I felt a slight pain in my abdomen. I stopped and felt my stomach for a moment before continuing on my look out.

"What are you doing in here?" I turned to see Rebekah behind me.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I asked her, smiling.

"With you this close to your due date I thought you would be with your aunt." she told me, helping me look for a dress.

"No, I'm looking for a homecoming dress." I told her.

"Why are you going to homecoming?" she asked me.

"I was invited bu Caroline." I told her. "Besides, I want to see if you'll be homecoming queen." we laughed and continued looking for a dress.

"I think this will be perfect for you. It'll make Nik go crazy." she told me. The dress was a soft turquoise blue in color and strapless. It would hug my enlarged bust before falling down to my knees. There was a silk turquoise blue cloth wrapped right under the bust.

"It's beautiful." I told her, looking it over.

"Try it on." she told me and I took it from her, smiling. I went to the dressing room and tried it on. I stepped out of small room and looked at myself in the mirror. The dress fit me beautifully and took my breath away.

"It's perfect." she told me and I smiled.

"You really think Nik will like it?" I asked her.

"He'll love it." I smiled at her before going and putting the dress back on the hanger and stepping out again. We walked up to the counter and I pulled out my wallet to pay. "Don't you dare." she told me handing over the money for the dress.

"Bekah, I can't let you pay for this." I told her.

"Nonsense. Why can't I buy things for the mother of my nephew?" she asked me and I smiled at her.

"Thank you." I said smiling. She took me to Aunt Jenna for safety from Mikael.

"Aunt Jenna?" I called to her.

"I'm upstairs." she told me. I went upstairs to see her sitting on her bed, a blood bag next to her.

"I never thought I'd see this." I said. She quickly moved the bag to the trash, out of sight out of mind I guess. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." she told me.

"If I hadn't lured Nik to Mystic Falls this wouldn't have happened to you." I said.

"If what I've learned was true, he would have come anyway to find both you and Elena. He would have killed one of you and used the other to make his Hybrids." she told me.

"If Isabel hadn't given us away..."

"Hey, don't think like that." she told me. "If Isabel hadn't given both of you to us then we would have lost out on two wonderful gifts." she told me. I smiled at her and she gave me a comforting hug.

"Thank you." I told her.

"So, where were you?" she asked me.

"I was getting a dress for Homecoming." I told her.

"Why are you going to Homecoming?" she asked me.

"Caroline asked me to go. So I'm going to go and be a supportive friend." I told her.

"Ah. Can I see the dress?" she asked me.

"I thought you'd never ask." I told her and we laughed. I pulled out the dress and showed it to her on the hanger.

"Nicole, it's beautiful." she told me.

"Thanks, Rebekah found it and wouldn't let me pay for it." I told her smiling.

"Wow. She's really treating you nicely." Jenna said and I shrugged.

"We're about to be family. My due date is next week so I guess she's just wanting to be on good terms." I said.

"That's probably it. So, did you get any shoes with this or are you going barefoot?" she asked me and we laughed. We spent the rest of the afternoon together, getting ready for the dance.

"Looks like the dance has been moved." I said.

"Where to?" she asked me.

"Lockwood house." I told her. I went and changed into the dress and sat down so Aunt Jenna could do my hair while I did my makeup.

"Do you have a date?" she asked me.

"Nik's coming back." I told her.

"How do you know?" she asked me.

"Rebekah talked to him on the phone. He said he'd be here." I told her.

"Is he going to pick you up?" she asked.

"No, I'm going to meet him there." I told her. Everything was done. My hair was half up while the rest fell down my back in waves and curls.


When I got to the Lockwood Mansion I saw a band outside in the garden. How did they plan all this in such a short time?

"Good evening everyone!" I turned to look at the stage and saw Nik. "I wanna thank you for being here with me to celebrate! It's been a long time coming!" I walked towards him, stopping to talk to people I'd once gone to school with.

"Nikky." I turned to see Nik standing behind me and I smiled.

"Hey Nik." I said. "Welcome home."

"Thank you love." he said before kissing me. "What have you been up to?"

"This and that." I said, not really telling him. "I missed you Nik. Don't ever leave me behind again."

"I'll try and remember that." he told me.

"You better." I told him.

"You look absolutely stunning in that dress." he told me and I smiled.

"Thank you, Bekah helped me pick it out at the store today." I told him as Stefan joined us as we walked around the party.

"Quite the Homecoming." Stefan told him.

"I've been planning my father's funeral for a thousand years. Granted, in no version of it were any of these people invited, but you get the idea." Nik told him.

"So, what now? Stop running?" Stefan asked him.

"Hm- now I reunite my family." Nik said, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"Your family?" I asked him and he nodded.

"You mean the people you cart around in caskets?" Stefan asked him.

"None of that matters anymore. Mikael is gone. Bygones will be bygones." Nik said before we watched the Homecoming Queen walk by. "Seems the Homecoming Queen still walks among the living, which leads me to believe Rebekah isn't here... Where is she?" Nik asked.

"I have no idea. I thought she was coming with Matt." Stefan told him.

"Oh, be honest now, Stefan. Where is my sister?" Nik asked him.

"I said I have no idea. How would you like me to take you to your father?" Stefan asked him. Elena had told me they'd daggered Mikael.

"Well, it wouldn't be a party without the guest of honor, would it? Bring him to me." Nik ordered him.

"All right. Perhaps there's something in it for me...? My freedom from your compulsion?" Stefan asked him.

"Oh, you want your freedom. Well, once he is dead and his weapon destroyed, you'll have your freedom. It'll be my pleasure to give it back." Nik told him and I smiled at them before Stefan left us.

"What have you been up to, other than making Hybrids?" I asked him.

"That took most of my time." he told me. "I did pick up something for you."

"You did? What is it?" I asked him.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise." he told me and I hit his arm.

"Then don't tease me about it." I told him and he laughed at me. "I love you."

"I love you." he told me before pulling me close to him. "Would you like a drink?" he asked me.

"Sure." I told him. We walked to the table with all the foods and drinks when Tyler met us.

"My mom would seriously freak if she saw all these people here." Tyler told us and I laughed looking around at the people who were enjoying themselves.

"Your mother won't be a problem: I compelled her to go to church and pray for your friends." Nik told him and I looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about?" Tyler asked him.

"I want you to look around. Here's Nicole, there is Bonnie, there is Elena and Matt and there's your pretty little girlfriend Caroline. Epic dance was wrecked tonight and who came through with the party? You did. What a pal. But who are all these other people here?" Nik asked him.

"I have no idea. I've never seen half these people in my life." Tyler said and I took a good look at some of the people who were here. He was right, most of these people weren't from here.

"That's because I've invited a few dozen friends of my own. That`s my friend Mindy- picked her up along the way in Kansas. Did you know that there's an entire bloodline of werewolves in the heartland? That's Tony from North Dakota and let's not forget the Seattle contingent." Nik told us.

"Are those people all hybrids?" Tyler asked him and I gave him a confused look.

"And they also love a good party. And they're like you were sired by me, they wish to serve their master. So if anyone should so much as make a move against me, they may feel obligated to retaliate. You're free to warn your friends." Nik said grabbing my hands and pulling me with him to the tables.

"You knew they'd be sired to you." I said, not bothering to ask him.

"I did." he told me.

"And you think that's okay?" I asked him.

"How is it not? They'll protect you because you are important to me. That's all they need to know." he told me.

"But they're not truly free to choose to protect someone." I said.

"Shall we discuss this later?" he asked me and I turned to see Elena walking up to us.

"We will be talking about this." I told him and he nodded at my statement. "Where's Matt?" I asked Elena.

"Getting me a drink." she told him. He offered her his drink but she rejected it.

"Well, seems I have you to thank for Mikael's demise." he said to her.

"He came at me. I didn't have a choice." she told him.

"Still I'm impressed. It's not easy for a human to dagger an Original." Nik said, as though trying to get something from her.

"It wasn't the first time." Elena told him.

"Right. Elijah. You seem nervous." He said, noting she looked as though she'd rather be anywhere but here.

"I/m not nervous. I just don't like you." she told him. There was something about her tonight that seemed off.

"Let's get straight to the point then, shall I, love? People have been after me for 1,000 years. And I am always one step ahead. So whatever it is you're thinking of trying, go for it, give it your best shot. You won't succeed." Nik told her.


After a short time I was walking around inside when a man walked up to me.

"Miss Gilbert." he said, nodding his head in a greeting.

"Hi, who are you?" I asked him.

"My name's Tony. Klaus would like to see you at the front door." he told me before walking off. I sighed and walked in that direction.

"Hello, Niklaus." I heard a man say to him.

"Hello, Mikael. Why don`t you come in? Oh, that`s right. I forgot you can`t." Nik said, baiting him from inside the house.

"Or you can come outside if you want." Mikael told him.

"Or I could watch my hybrids tear you limb from limb." Nik said and I saw a group of Hybrids walk up behind Mikael.

"They can`t kill me." Mikael reminded him.

"True. But it`ll make a hell of a party game. All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce." Nik told him, holding up his fingers.

"The big bad wolf. You haven't changed. Still hiding behind your playthings like a coward. You only forget. They may be sired by you, but they're still part vampire. And they can be compelled by me." Mikael said and a female Hybrid pushed Elena to him.

"Elena?" I said and they all turned to me.

"Nikky get out of here." she told me, worry filling her words.

"Come out and face me, Niklaus. Or she dies." Mikael warned him. I looked to Nik, begging him with my eyes to help her.

"Go ahead. Kill her." Nik told him.

"No." I tried to go to her but Nik held me back from both her and Mikael.

"No, Klaus. He'll do it." Elena told him.

"If she and her sister die, this lot will be last of your abominations." Mikael reminded Nik. "You know how I like to tie up my loose ends."

"I don't need them." Nik told him, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "I just need to be rid of you."

"To what end, Niklaus? So you can live forever, with no one at your side? Nobody cares about you anymore, boy! What do you have other than those whose loyalty you forced? No one. No one." Mikael said to him.

"He has me." I told him and Nik.

"But how long is your life? Hmm? Another fifty years before you die. Then who will there be?" he asked and I remained silent.

"I'm calling your bluff, father. Kill her." Nik told him. I could only hope Nik knew what he was doing.

"Come outside and face me, you little coward. And I won`t have to." Mikael told him.

"My whole life you've underestimated me. If you kill her you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on. Kill her. Come on, old man. Kill her. Kill her!" Nik shouted. I felt something cold and wet touch my skin. I looked up at Nik to see him crying. I turned back to Mikael as he laughed.

"Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great." Mikael told him. He then stabbed Elena with a dagger and she fell to the ground, dead.

"NO!" I shouted, forcing Nik's hands off me. I fell to my knees before turning when I heard Nik scream. I saw Damon stabbing Nik with a stake in his stomach.

"Katherine..." I turned and saw Elena stand up. Mikael was right, it was Katherine. She smiled to us before turning around.

"Kaboom." I saw in her hands two grenades and hid on one side of the door as they went off. I watched as Damon was about to stake Nik when Stefan knocked him off Nik and held him down.

"What are you doing?!" Damon asked him. I watched as Nik took the stake and drove it through Mikael's heart. He screamed before bursting into flames. Nik helped me up and wrapped his arms around me tightly. "What the hell did you do?"

"He's earned his freedom. Thank you my friend. You no longer have to do as I say. You're free." Nik compelled Stefan. Stefan turned to look behind him, but Damon was already gone. Nik walked me to my car and sat with me for a while.

"Are you ikay?" I asked him.

"I'll heal. How are you?" he asked me.

"I wasn't the one being attacked." I told him.

"No, but you had to watch as Mikael appeared to kill your sister the Damon tried to kill me." he told me.

"I'll survive." I told him.

"I'm sorry." he said.

"I'm going to go home and get to bed." I told him. He got out of my car and walked to the driver side window.

"Goodnight Nicole." he said to me.

"Goodnight Nik." and I left.


I decided to stay with Aunt Jenna that night. I wanted to avoid the Salvatore boys knowing Elena would be at the boarding house. I was walking in my room when I suddenly felt this gushing sensation and looked down. I saw a puddle of water around my feet.

"What the...? I suddenly doubled over in pain from my abdomen. "Oh my God." I got my phone and called the first person I could think of. "Nik? He's coming."