Nik and I woke many times during the night to a crying Nikolas who wanted a little of everything; food, to be held, some sort of contact with either of us. After he'd taken Bekah to the house he was building he'd come back to spend the night with both me and Nikolas. I'd been awake so long that I was happy when the sun rose, hoping with the moon falling my son would go to sleep.

"What's the matter love?" Nik asked wrapping his arms around me as I watched the sun rise with Nikolas in my arms.

"Nothing. Just thinking what the day might bring." I said to him. "It's Caroline's birthday today which means Elena and Bonnie will be decorating her locker at school."

"What about you?" he asked me.

"What about me?" I asked him.

"Are you going to be joining Caroline in celebration?" he asked.

"I might. I don't really know how everyone feels about me right now." I told him before leaving his embrace and putting Nikolas to bed again. Suddenly my phone rang and I hurried to it so it wouldn't wake Nikolas. "Hello?"

"Nikky. I have something I need to tell you." Elena said on the other end.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"Jeremy's leaving town. He's going to stay in Denver with some old family friends for a while." she told me and I froze.

"What? Why?" I asked her.

"You saw what he did to that Hybrid yesterday. I had Damon compel him to leave and live a normal life." she said and I was shocked. Nik took my phone and hung up on her before sitting me down on the bed and holding me to him.

"She's making him leave. Leave me, Aunt Jenna, Bonnie, all of us." I said.

"Come to the Wickery Bridge Restoration Party." he told me and I gave him a look.

"My sister had on of her boyfriends compel my brother to leave town, probably until they think they kill you and you want me to go to a restoration party for the bridge my parents died on?" I asked him.

"You don't have to, but if you do it might take your mind off of everything that's happened." he told me.

"I don't know, Nik." I said.

"Please." he said and I sighed, looking away from him. "For me?" Damn him.

"Fine. I'll go with you tonight." I told him. "I'll have to get a dress and find a babysitter. Maybe Aunt Jenna could do it for us."

"A new vampire watching over my son?" he asked me and I gave him a look.

"She's not new, she's been a vampire for a while. And if you must now, Jeremy will be with her. Make sure Nikolas is safe in case it's too much for her."

"I'm still not sure." he told me and I sighed.

"Do you trust me?" I asked him.

"With my life." he told me and I smiled, before kissing him gently. I parted from him and stared into his eyes for a moment before he used his vampire speed to push me onto the bed. He kissed me passionately until we heard Nikolas cry. We parted and I laughed lightly.

"I guess this is how it's going to be for a while." I told him as he got off me and went to check on Nikolas. Nik picked up Nikolas and rocked him in his arms, making me smile. The big bad Original Hybrid was putty in his son's hands. Nik looked up at me and smiled at me.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm just thinking about you holding your son. If the others could see you know they might rethink trying to kill you." I told him.

"No, they just might use my son to kill me." he told me and my smile fell. I hadn't thought of that.

"Is he safe?" I asked Nik, worried.

"You don't have to worry Nicole. Both you and our son will be safe from anyone and anything wanting to harm you. I give you my word." he told me and I smiled at him.

"I know you'll protect us. I've always known that." I told him and he smiled. "I have to go shopping, do you want to come with me?"

"I've had enough retail therapy to last me a life time." he told me and I laughed remembering when he undaggered Rebekah.

"Maybe I'll ask Bekah then." I told him and he looked back down to Nikolas. "Nik?"

"I haven't undaggered her yet." he told me and I sighed.

"Nik, why haven't you undaggered her?" I asked him, but he just kept staring at Nikolas. "Is it because she knows how your mother died?" he looked up at me, shocked.

"How do you know how she died?" he asked me.

"There's a cave with your family history on it." I told him. "I'm going to go shopping for a dress and ask Jenna to watch Nikolas while we're at the party. I'll be back before the party."

"No. I want you to get some sleep. You've been up all night with a crying baby. After you get some rest and something to eat you can go shopping then meet me at the party. I'l talk to your aunt for you." he told me and I nodded smiling at him. He walked to me, still holding Nikolas, and kissed me gently before sitting in a chair talking to Nikolas lightly. That was the picture I fell asleep to.


When I woke up it was late and both Nik and Nikolas were gone. I got up and went shopping, liked I'd planned, and called Jenna to make sure that Nik talked to her. I trusted him but he didn't trust her. I was surprised to hear he had talked to her and she was watching Nikolas as we spoke. I told her I'd call and check in with them and she laughed at me, telling me my mother was the same with me and Elena. I hung up and enjoyed my time shopping alone. It had been a while since I'd gotten time alone with my thoughts. It seemed like so long ago that I was helping Katherine gather everything for the ritual that would release Nik's Hybrid Curse. I found the perfect dress, payed for it with Nik's credit card, and left to change before going to the party. The dress was white all over with a blue design on the left side with blue on the bottom of it. It fell just above my knees. (www. rprom. com short-spaghetti-strap-prom-dress-by-dave-and-johnny-p-3432/ no spaces theres a / between com and short)


When I got to the party I saw Nik talking with Carol Lockwood and I made my way over to them.

"Nicole. I see you enjoyed your shopping." Nik told me and I smiled at him before he gave me a quick kiss.

"Nicole, it's good to see you again." Carol said to me.

"Mrs. Lockwood, it's good to see you again." I said to her, smiling.

"Look at what the cat dragged in. Nice vest." I looked to see Damon walking up to us.

"Thank you very much, good to see you, Damon. Carol and I were discussing about whether you would be the other big benefactor." Nik told him.

"What do you say Damon? Klaus has made a very generous pledge. You know how we're chomping at the bit to begin the renovation." Carol told him.

"Carol, don't take this the wrong way, but do you realize that you've been kissing the ass of an immortal hybrid who ruined your son's life?" Damon asked her.

"Oh, come now. Some would say that I saved him from all that nasty full moon business. I've never had to go through it myself more than twice, to be honest, but still, I'm very sympathetic." Nik told her.

"Klaus has promised to protect Tyler, Damon. And our town." Carol told him and I smiled up at Nik.

"From who? His hybrids are the one the town needs protection from." Damon told her.

"Well, I'd have no use for them if your brother would kindly return my family." Nik told him.

"Not gonna happen." Damon refused and I sighed.

"That's what I thought, which is why I've come to an agreement with the Mayor. You and the Council stay out of my hair, I stay out of yours. Your town gets protected, my hybrids, my girl, and my son get left alone and everybody will be happy. All you have to do is to get Stefan to stop decapitating my friends." Nik told him.

"Please Damon, just get your brother under control, or the Council will be forced to take action against him." Carol told Damon.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Damon said.

"Oh come on mate, give peace a chance." Nik told him walking away.

"Just return the coffins Damon. There his family. We already have Rebekah back, what's the harm in returning the others?" I asked him before walking away from him to mingle with the others. I walked outside to the lake by the house and sat on the bench where I first met Stefan.

"Hello Nicole." I turned and saw Stefan.

"Stefan." I greeted him. "What are you doing here? Nik has Hybrids everywhere."

"Not so much everywhere." he told me and I stood up, slowly making my way back to the Lockwood mansion, keeping my eyes on him. He used his vampire speed and knocked me out.


When I woke up I felt like I was squished between two people.

"What are you doing, Stefan?" I heard Elena say.

"Elena?" I mumbled looking to my right to see her. Past her I saw trees flying past us. Why were we in a car.

"Hello Damon, she's a little busy right now." I heard Stefan say. I turned to him and scooted closer to Elena, holding her hand. "I'm making my next move. Let me ask you something...what will Klaus do if he can't make anymore hybrids?"

"What?" Elena and I yelled at him. Stefan rolled down the window and threw the phone out of it, onto the road below.

"What are you doing? Stefan, let us out of this car. Do you hear me? Let us out of the car!" Elena yelled at him.

"You're the key to making the Hybrids and Nicole is Klaus's girlfriend." Stefan told us.

"So, what's the plan, Stefan? What's the big move you're making against Nik?" I asked him.

"I took Klaus's family to make him suffer. I'm not gonna let him make himself a new one." Stefan told us and I got scared.

"So, what are you gonna do, huh? Are you gonna lock us in some cave and keep us hostage?" Elena asked him.

"Maybe. Maybe, I'll just turn you into a vampire." he told her.

"And what about me?" I asked him, but he didn't answer.

"Stop the car, Stefan! Stop the car, Stefan!" Elena and I ordered but he didn't listen as he messed with his phone, calling someone and putting it on speaker before tossing it on the dash.

"Stefan, how nice to hear your voice." Nik said to him.

"Tell your hybrids to get out of town, Klaus." Stefan told him.

"Well that's not gonna happen until I get my coffins back." Nik said.

"Okay, well then I'm gonna drive your blood source and girlfriend off Wickery Bridge." Stefan told him. Nik was silent for a moment.

"I don't believe you Stefan. You won't kill them." Nik told him. Stefan bit into his wrist and forced in into Elena's mouth, forcing her to drink his blood.

"Stefan! No!" I shouted at him.

"No! No! No! What are you doing?" Elena asked him, trying to spit the blood out.

"What's going on?" I heard Nik asked him concerned.

"I just fed Elena my blood. No more hybrids if she's a vampire." Stefan told him.

"And Nicole?" Nik asked.

"Nope." Stefan told him and I could feel the tears pouring down my face.

"You won't do it." Nik said and I could hear the worry in his voice.

"Really? Try me, because your coffins are next to go. Say goodbye to your family Klaus." Stefan told him before speeding up.

"Stefan, slow down! Stefan! Stefan ,stop it!" Elena shouted at him.

"Nik please!" I begged him, crying my eyes out.

"Fine, I'll send them away, you win." Nik told him.

"Stefan! Stefan, stop!" I yelled at him. "He gave into your demand! Stop the car and let us go!"

"Stop the car, Stefan!" Nik yelled at him. Stefan roughly stopped the car just before we went over and I heard the phone disconnect. Elena and I got out of the car and ran away from him.

"Get back in the car." Stefan told us.

"Stay away from us." Elena yelled at him.

"Elena, Nicole, get in the car." Stefan ordered.

"How could you?! Our parents died going over this bridge. I almost died. You knew that. You're the one who saved me." Elena said before she started crying.

"Look, he had to believe that I would do it, alright? Your fear sold it." he told us.

"What if he hadn't?" Elena asked him.

"He did." Stefan said.

"Well, what if he hadn't?" Elena shouted at him louder.

"He did Elena! He backed down! He has a weakness. If I know his weakness, I can destroy him." Stefan told us.

"You already knew he weakness when you grabbed me, Stefan. You knew his family was his weakness before you grabbed the coffins." I said to him before walking away. I pulled out my phone and called Nik.

"Nicole, are you alright?" Nik asked me and I smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Could you come and get me, please. I can't be here right now." I told him, tears rushing down my face.

"Of course love. I'll be right there. I love you." he told me and I smiled.

"I love you." I told him before we hung up the phone. My phone started ringing instantly. "Tyler? What is it?" I asked him.

"I need your help."


Nik and I stood in front of the door, ringing the door bell. Matt opened the door and looked at us confused.

"Tyler called me. Where is she?" I asked him.

"Her room." Matt told me and I rushed to her room. I saw Caroline lying in bed.

"Oh Care." I said going to her. I sat behind her and held one of her hands. I looked up when I heard someone coming inside her room. Nik.

"Are you going to kill me?" Caroline asked him.

"On your birthday? You really think that low of me?" Nik asked her.

"Yes." she told him. He reached over and removed her blanket from her shoulder to reveal the bite Tyler gave her.

"That looks bad. My apologies, you're whats known as collateral damage, it's nothing personal." Nik told her. "I love birthdays."

"Yeah. Aren't you like...a billion, or something?" Caroline asked her and I laughed.

"Well you have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions. You're free." Nik told her.

"No, I'm dying." Caroline told him and he sat on the bed on the other side of me.

"And I could let you die, if that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning. I thought about it myself, once or twice over the centuries, truth will be told. But I'll let you in on a little secret. There is a whole world out there, waiting for you. Great cities and art and music, genuine beauty. And you can have all of it. You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask." Nik told her and she started to cry.

"Care, we still need you here. I need you to be an Aunt to Nikolas. I don't know if I'll be around forever and Nik can't be with him every second of the day, as much as he wants that. I want my best friend with me until I die. I need you with me." I said to her.

"I don't wanna die." Caroline told him and I smiled. Nik lifted Caroline's head up and offered her his wrist.

"There you go, sweetheart. Have at it." he told her and she bit him.

"Happy birthday Caroline." I told her. Before we left I put a box on her nightstand with a note saying, who it was from.


The next morning, I walked into Elena and Jeremy standing in the foyer of the Gilbert house.

"You're gonna have to let me go, eventually." Jeremy told her making me smile sadly.

"Be safe, okay?" Elena told him. she released him from her hug and they turned to me.

"Nikky." Jer said with a smile. He walked to me and hugged me tightly.

"I love you Jer." I told him crying. While I didn't agree with Elena's methods, she was right. He wasn't safe if he was here with us.

"Yeah, okay, alright. Alaric is waiting." Jer told me. We turned, hearing someone at the door, and saw Bonnie.

"Good, you haven't left yet." Bonnie said to him.

"What are you doing here?" Jer asked her and we all waited with baited breath to see what she'd say.

"I came to say goodbye." she told him. They hugged each other tightly before Jer grabbed his stuff and left to go to the car.


So I'm deciding on a few things for Nicole. 1-Is she going to be a vampire before she and The Originals go to New Orleans or will she just remain human? 2-Am I going to keep Haley as the pregnant wolf or am I going to switch her out for Nicole? If you guys have any thoughts, please pass them on.