A few days later, Klaus returned to his full health, the wounds on his back healing much quicker than they should have. Thankfully, due to what they knew about Anya, they didn't question it, probably assuming the salve and tea had supernatural properties. Not even Katherine knew I had been slipping a few drops of my blood into the tea to aid with the healing and pain. Mikael and Ester didn't appear to notice he had been missing, or they didn't care enough to enquire about his whereabouts. Though, Elijah, Rebekah, Henrik and Kol had been frequent visitors. Finn didn't come around once, but that didn't surprise me. Kat and I had treated Elijah rather coldly during his visits, though Katherine's anger eventually thawed when he saw how forlorn the elder Mikaelson was over what had happened to his brother. Personally, it was going to take a lot longer for me to be able to be civil towards him. I knew about Mikael's abuse, of course, but hearing about it and witnessing it were two very different things. From what I heard Bekah had actually tried to kill and stop Mikael on multiple occasions, while Elijah never interfered. Kol had helped us, and I knew he was usually tasked with the responsibility of keeping Henrik away, not wanting the youngest Mikaelson to witness something so horrific, only the other day that task had fallen to Bekah, which explained their absence. Nik may not hold any grudges, but when I returned to the future Elijah was getting an ass kicking.

Anaya was confident she was almost ready to perform the spell—it would be done on the night of the next full moon, which was when Katherine and I suspected that Henrik was going to fall victim to the wolves. We had both been keeping our distance from the Mikaelson's when we realised this, both fighting the guilt that came from knowing we could save Henrik. But we knew that if Henrik didn't die, Ester wouldn't go on to create vampirism. It made me sick to my stomach, because I felt like I was selfishly deciding everyone's fate. But if we saved Henrik, too much would change and we couldn't take that risk. I just hoped they would forgive me.

'The full moon is in a week.' Katherine said casually as we hung out our laundry to dry.

'I know.' I mumbled, glancing beyond the trees, where I knew the Mikaelson residence to be.

'Are you going to say goodbye?' She asked quietly, her gaze following mine.

'I think I have to.' I bit my lip. If I didn't, it was possible Nik would come looking for me when his brother died, I couldn't bear him finding out that I was no longer here at the time of him dealing with the loss of his youngest brother.

'Me too. How much will this change? I mean, Elijah and Klaus won't recognise me when they meet me in five hundred years.' She looked over to me, her expression soft, 'but Klaus will recognise you when he meets you in that bar. He's going to wonder how you were alive.'

'I'll think of something.' I assured her, an idea already forming in my head, but until I knew it was possible, I was going to keep it to myself.

I could tell that she knew I was holding back information, but before she could push me, there was a knock at the door. We shared a look before we both went to the doorway and hesitantly pushed the door open. I couldn't stop the bright smile from forming on my face when I saw whom it was. Elijah was enamoured with Katherine while Nik and I were drinking each other in. We'd been avoiding them for a few days, but it felt like so much longer; in the future we were inseparable and if the whole family wasn't hanging around together, we were with our partners.

'Hello ladies, we were wondering if you would accompany us to the feast this evening?' Nik asked, but his eyes remained glued to mine.

Katherine and I shared a look, the guilt clear in our eyes, but I knew neither of us would say no either.

'Of course.' Katy answered for the both of us and just like that we were walking towards the village. My arm was linked through Nik's as we trailed behind Katherine and Elijah.

'I haven't seen you for a few days. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.' Nik teased but I could hear his underlying insecurity.

'I got my monthly bleed, I tend to avoid everyone during that time.' I told him, hiding a smile when he looked a little embarrassed.

'I apologise, I didn't mean to impose.' He ducked his head and I squeezed his arm a little tighter in assurance.

'It's fine. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I wanted to see you but I tend to be… out of sorts.' I bit my lip, my guilt growing as I fed the lie.

'You don't owe me an explanation, Arianna.' He assured me, offering me a shy smile when my eyes met his.

I couldn't help it, I never could. This wasn't a side of him I got to see very often and when he allowed it out, I always reacted the same way. We came to a sudden stop when I tugged on his arm, he frowned, concerned but I paid him no mind as I reached up to place a kiss onto his mouth. He didn't respond for a moment but his hesitation only lasted a second before his hands wound around my waist and he kissed me back with just as much passion. I pulled back before it could get too far, resting my forehead against his as we both caught our breath.

His hand came up to gently caress the side of my face and I felt my heart clench at the affectionate look he was giving me in that moment. His eyes were so soft, so open, and I couldn't tell you how long it had taken for me to break down future Nik's walls so that he would look at me like that.

'Ari! Niklaus! Don't fall too far behind now you two.' Katy's teasing voice pulled us out of our moment. Nik's cheeks tinted red and I took his hand to reassure him.

'Yeah, yeah, we're coming Katy.' I rolled my eyes and pulled on Nik's hand to start us walking again.

When we reached the feast, the party appeared to be in full swing. I saw Tatia sat around the fire talking to a young girl, but it was if she sensed when we arrived. Her eyes looked up from the small blonde and over to us. When she saw that Nik and Elijah had Katherine and I on their arms, her eyes narrowed and I couldn't help but bite back a smirk.

'Nik! Arianna! Katarina! Elijah! Over here.' Bekah called each of us over to the large table she was sat around with Finn, Kol and Henrik. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that Ester and Mikael were nowhere to be seen.

There were enough seats to seat all of us comfortably. I ended up in between Bekah and Nik; Katy and Elijah were across from me, Kol was on Bekah's other side and Henrik and Finn were sitting at the ends of the table.

'Who cooked this?' I asked after taking a bite of the stew I had been handed by Bekah.

'I did.' The blonde announced, biting her lip.

'It's delicious.' I told her, smiling when she beamed, 'I've never been much of a good cook.'

'I can teach you, if you'd like.' She answered.

'That might be dangerous for everyone involved,' Katy snorted in between bites of her own food.

I laughed at her teasing and threw a loose stone at her that I found on the ground. It hit her square in the forehead and landed in her food. Katherine's expression was one of complete shock as she looked in between me and her bowl of half-finished food that she could no longer eat.

'You little—,' she started but when Elijah placed a calming hand on her arm, her jaw snapped shut.

'There's plenty more to go around, Katarina.' The elder Mikaelson assured her, mirth and assurance dancing in his eyes.

Katherine nodded, managing to shake herself out of her daze and giving me a glare.

'I'll get you back for that, Ari.'

'I don't doubt it.' I winked at her, causing her annoyance to melt into amusement and soon we were all laughing.

We finished our food and the conversation was flowing freely, like it always did when we were together. Though the presence of Finn and Henrik was a little different. Henrik was lovely, sweet and innocent. Honestly, in a way he reminded me of Nik. His hair was lighter, he had dimples, but he had a cheeky streak he got from Kol. It was easy to pretend Finn wasn't there as he only spoke five words in the course of three hours, which I was grateful for; the eldest Mikaelson and I didn't have the best history. Henrik was in the middle of telling a story about a deer he had managed to get close enough to feed an apple when he was interrupted.

'And I was bringing the water up to my lips, I was so thirsty and when I heard a twig snapped behind me I turned around really slowly—,' the annoyed look Henrik gave Tatia when she approached our table and cut into the conversation didn't escape anyone's notice.

'May I join you?' She asked with a smile directed at Nik and Elijah. I hid a smirk when Nik didn't even glance in her direction, his hand was currently holding mine underneath the table and when she spoke he rubbed his thumb back and forth comfortingly.

'Sorry, but we don't have any room. Be on your way now.' Katherine said in a tone that wasn't sorry at all. I bit back a laugh and cleared my throat, deciding to at least attempt being civil.

Katherine hadn't really been lying; there weren't any chairs free, after all.

'Sure you can,' I offered her a forced bright smile. Tatia smirked and walked over to where I was sitting, probably expecting me to get up and leave. Who did she think she was, royalty?

I offered her a smirk of my own as I slid from my seat and onto Nik's lap in one smooth movement. Nik stiffened in surprise for the briefest of moments before one of his hands went to my hip to hold me in place and the other took my hand again. Tatia glared at me and took the empty seat with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest and sulking like a child. Katy and I shared a look before I rolled my eyes and started running my free hand through Nik's curls, a habit I had picked up over the years. I smiled when I saw his eyes flutter as if he were struggling to keep them open.

'So, Henrik you were saying?' I prompted him, genuinely wanting to hear the rest of his story.

The youngest Mikaelson's expression brightened as he dove into the rest of the tale, telling us how he had pulled out an apple he had picked on his journey down to the stream from his satchel. He had been planning to have it as a snack on the way back, but instead he held it out for the deer to eat. When it had taken the fruit, Henrik had been both delighted and amazed.

'Father would not be pleased at that wasted opportunity, Henrik. Animals are for food, not to be fed by you.' Finn berated him. I sent him a glare, feeling everyone else at the table do the same before I looked over to Henrik and offered him a bright smile, wanting the sadness in his eyes to go away.

'I wish I could do that, for some reason whenever an animal sees me, it runs the other way.' I frowned, leaning forward on Nik's lap a little more to get a clearer view of the youngest Mikaelson, 'what's your secret?'

Henrik's smile was brighter than the sun as he laughed. Nik's hand went to my lower back, rubbing small circles of appreciation for subtly telling Henrik that liking animals was nothing to be ashamed of.

'You have to be calm and show no fear,' Henrik shrugged like it was no big deal, but his grin was proud.

'You'll have to teach me sometime.' I told him, genuinely meaning it.

'For sure.' Henrik promised me.

'Careful there, Nik, it looks like you have competition for Arianna's affections.' Kol teased, leaning forward and ruffling Henrik's hair. He blushed and batted away his brother's hand in annoyance and embarrassment.

We all chuckled, well everyone aside from Finn and Tatia. Maybe they would have been better together? They weren't easily pleased; maybe they could please each other? It wasn't long after that Finn excused himself to take Henrik home, much to his displeasure; he didn't like that he had to go to bed so much earlier than all of his other siblings. Finn however seemed overjoyed that his mother had given him the task to take his brother home at the right time, so there was that at least.

'So, Katarina, Arianna, where are you both from?' Tatia asked and I flat out ignored her, sending Katy a look to let her know she could take this one.

My hand was still running through Nik's hair, and I knew I was being more affectionate than this Nik was used to, but I couldn't help it. This was how I was used to acting around him, and now that I had literally been placed onto his lap, trying to keep my hands to myself was pointless. But the guilt over Henrik was still bouncing around in my gut, I knew there was nothing I could do about it, but it didn't help the ache. Nik detangled his hand from mine and brushed my hair behind my ear to caress my cheek.

'What's on your mind, love?' he asked quietly, both of us ignoring the conversation happening around us. I leaned into his touch, enjoying the familiar warmth as I stared into his beautiful blue eyes that were full of concern.

'I-I think I'm a little tired. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude.' I stuttered, looking down to my hands that were twiddling nervously in my lap. His index finger came underneath my chin and gently tilted my head until I met his eyes again.

'You have nothing to apologise for. Come, I'll walk you back to your hut.' He said, waiting for me to stand up off his lap before pushing himself from his chair. I reached for his hand as soon as he was on his feet, another force of habit. Now that I had given in there was nothing stopping me, and so touching him at this point was basically muscle memory. Now that I wasn't focusing on holding myself back, my body was falling into familiar habits.

'I'm going to take Arianna back to her hut and then I'm going home.' Nik told the others.

'Okay, goodnight.' Bekah smiled at me, 'maybe you, Katarina and I can take a walk tomorrow? I think that would be lovely.'

'It would. Come to our hut when you wish to leave?' I said, squeezing her hand as I passed by her. She grinned and nodded. I gave everyone else a wave, ignoring Tatia's sour face as Nik and I started walking away from the main part of the village.

'You don't really talk about where you're from.' Nik commented after a while.

'I don't like to talk about it.' I lied, biting my lip and vowing to apologise profusely to Nik when I got back to my time, 'my parents only saw me as a pawn to enhance their wealth. They promised my hand to a brute of a man. I didn't want to marry him, so I ran away. Katarina was a friend of mine in our village, she was in a similar predicament and so she came with me.'

'You're very strong. It's one of the things I like about you.' He smiled his dimpled smile.

'One of the things?' I mused, taking his other hand with my free one so all of our hands were entwined as I turned him to face me, 'what else do you like about me?'

'You're brave, compassionate, loyal, protective, funny… beautiful.' He kissed my forehead and I felt my eyes close at the sensation. When I opened them I noticed he didn't move away. Our lips were only an inch apart.

'One of the things I like about you is how strong you are, too.' I murmured, wanting him to hear the words.

'What else?' he breathed and the desperation in his eyes made my heart ache.

'You're sweet, kind, funny, loyal, gentle, talented and powerful.' I told him, moving forward just a little more, I could feel his lips press against mine as I spoke, but it was only a whisper of a touch.

Nik's hands untangled from mine and went to my waist, gently pulling my body flush against his. My own hands went to his biceps and then slid up to his shoulders. Before I could blink, his lips were on mine. But this kiss was different than the one we had shared on my first night. This was soft, slow and filled with so much emotion it made my knees weak. As if he could sense it, he held me tighter against him, his hand splaying across my lower back. It didn't go any further and I was a little surprised. When I had first arrived, I was aware I had been a distraction, but tonight had been the first indication that he actually cared for me. It made my dead heart pound and filled my stomach with butterflies. A part of me wondered if the whole evening had been a ploy to make Tatia jealous, but the look in his eyes told me it wasn't. It was a look I had been on the receiving end of many times in fifty years. He was looking at me how my Nik looked at me, with complete adoration and... love. It made my breath catch in my throat. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek, before offering him my hand to continue walking back to my hut. He cleared his throat and took it, both of us sharing a soft smile as we continued on in comfortable silence.

When we finally reached our destination, I couldn't help but cling to his hold a little tighter, not wanting him to go. Both Katy and I hadn't been sleeping well the whole time we had been here; when you're used to sleeping next to someone for five decades, it's hard to suddenly have him not there. Thankfully he didn't comment on my reluctance and he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

'Goodnight, Arianna.' He whispered, but I stopped him as he went to leave.

'Wait. Do you… will you stay with me?' I asked so quietly I wondered if his human ears would be able to detect the sound.

'Of course I will,' he offered me a soft smile when I looked up to meet his gaze.

Without another word, we went inside and for the first time since I had entered that century, I had a peaceful nights sleep.