Chapter Fourteen

Five years after Evangeline returned from the 15th century.

'Bekah, really this is completely unnecessary.' I tried to reason with her, but I wasn't surprised when my protests seemed to fall on deaf ears.

'It may not be necessary but that doesn't mean it's not happening.' She winked, turning back to the owner of the cute little clothes store we'd found in the centre of the city. She was compelling her to let us have free run of the store, seeing as clothes were limited and she didn't want to lose out on the perfect outfit to someone else.

While she did that, I wondered around, absentmindedly looking at the different clothes she had to offer. I had to hand it to her, everything was beautiful and all one of a kind, seeing as she made the clothes herself and only ever made ten of everything. Once they sold, that was it.

'Find anything?' I asked Elena when I reached her.

'Oh my-,' she cut off with a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

'Sorry.' I grinned, amused that after so many years of me being a vampire I could still startle her.

She shot me a look, clearly not believing my apology but she waved me off anyway.

'You know, I'm surprised I can still startle you with your newfound heightened senses.' I teased.

Elena had become a vampire a few years ago, after she had turned twenty. She had given it a lot of thought beforehand, and was content with her decision when she asked Stefan to turn her so that she could spend an eternity by his side. The younger Salvatore had been hesitant, but after my sister assured him that she had done nothing but think about it since she met him, he followed through with her request.

'Well I was too busy wondering if this top would look cute on me.' She protested, holding up a white and baby pink lace crop top.

'It would not.' Bekah interjected, sliding up next to me and holding out a similar style crop top but in red, 'this colour suits your skin tone better.'

'Thank you, Bekah.' Elena smiled gratefully and put the reject back on the rack before adding the new addition to her basket.

I smirked in amusement when I realised that Elena had already gathered enough to fill half her basket, while Bekah had enough to warrant moving onto a third while I had nothing.

Bekah seemed to notice that too, 'why haven't you got anything in your basket yet? We only have another hour until we need to be back for dinner and the barbecue is tomorrow!'

'I know,' I sighed, running a hand through my hair, 'I've never been good at picking out clothes for myself Bekah. I hate shopping.'

Elena and Bekah gasped dramatically, as if this was news to them, which of course it wasn't. I rolled my eyes at their dramatics, but a small smile still found its way to my lips.

'Well that's easy enough. I'll pick something for you.' Bekah smiled, already wondering off to the back wall—I imagined she already had something in mind.

A few years ago, I would've tried to stop her, but I knew that she would only pick something that would compliment my figure and my personal tastes. She had a gift when it came to styling people, in any other time she could've been an amazing personal shopper. But then again, owning her own clothing line seemed more Bekah's style.

'So when are Stefan and Damon getting in?' I asked, following Elena around while she browsed through the other options.

'Tonight after dinner, which sucks but we can all probably watch a movie together.' Elena replied, the excitement at the prospect of seeing her love leaking into her voice.

'True, though it is Kol's turn to pick this month. Probably means we're gonna be stuck watching some gory horror movie.' I rolled my eyes fondly—the younger Mikaelson loved watching scary movies to mock and point holes in the stories.

'Better than Elijah's documentary obsession.' Elena joked. She wasn't wrong, though. Elijah was fascinated with watching documentaries on anything—the last time it had been his pick, we sat through a two hour movie on how cans were made.

'No arguments here.' Bekah laughed, adding an armful of clothes to my basket.

I knew there was more than one outfit choice there, but I also knew better than to argue—she liked to add options for me to choose from, plus anything I didn't want to wear tomorrow I could just wear some other time.

'Thanks, Bekah.' I smiled offering her a side hug, 'you're a godsend.'

Bekah snorted, commenting on the fact that no one had ever called her that in a thousand years. She offered me a kind smile though and I knew she was grateful for the compliment.

'Well if everyone's finished, I'm craving something sweet.' Elena mused.

'I know just the place.' Bekah smirked; I could already feel my mouth watering at the prospect of pastries.

/

'So, how's being newly married?' Bekah asked my sister just as I'd taken a huge bit of one of the beignets from the centre of the table.

My eyes closed in pleasure and I couldn't help the small moan that formed at the back of my throat from the taste. Heaven.

'Great.' Elena's expression visibly lit up, as it always did when she spoke of her relationship with the younger Salvatore, 'we're actually thinking about moving to New Orleans permanently. Stefan wants to talk to you guys about it first, just to make sure it's alright, but hopefully there won't be an issue. I'm ready to move on from Mystic Falls, and I want to be closer to my second family, seeing as the only ones really left back home are me, Stefan, Damon and Bonnie.'

It was true; Jeremy and a few of his friends from school had decided to travel the world before committing to a college, and Jenna had moved back to Denver after Jeremy had graduated. The old house was currently being rented out by Jenna being as none of us had the heart to put it up for sale.

'I don't think that will be a problem, Elena you're family.' I assured her with a smile, honestly the thought of her moving to the city filled me with joy, 'the Mikaelson's love you like a sister, and Stefan and Nik have the biggest bromance going on, there should be zero issues.'

'She's right, Lena.' Bekah assured her, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement—I imagined mine looked the same. The prospect of us all living in the same city all the time was just too wonderful to comprehend. Usually we had to made do with one weekend a month—that was the mandatory minimum for the whole family to meet up, no matter where they were in the world they had to be back for family weekend. Though to be fair, Elena, Stefan and Damon were the only ones who didn't live in the city permanently, so that rule only really applied to them.

'Do you think Bonnie will come to the barbecue?' I wondered, sipping my caramel latte as I waited for an answer.

Bonnie was a somewhat touchy subject for the group. When I'd gathered the courage and will to go back to Mystic Falls to tell my family the truth about what had happened, Bonnie and Katherine were the only two who had an issue. Bonnie because she believed I'd defied the balance of nature by helping break a curse that had been in place for so long, and Katherine because she'd lost five hundred years bound to paranoia and fear.

It had taken some time, but eventually Bonnie realised that if the curse shouldn't have been broken, the means to break it wouldn't have existed. Katherine was more stubborn and even attempted to gather enough firepower from witches, vampires and werewolves to take Klaus and Elijah down. Of course, when they found out whom she wanted them to go up against they immediately backed out, a few even coming to New Orleans to warn the Mikaelsons of the potential threat—they didn't want to go up against the strongest supernatural army in the world. Which was of course what the Mikaelson's had built in New Orleans. It was the place that any species could come and live with different supernatural creatures in harmony. They did such a good job ruling it, fairly and with a genuine care for each and every person, that the loyalty they earned from each member of the city was unwavering. That was something Katherine hadn't realised, until it was too late.

Klaus and Elijah had sent a few werewolves and vampires for her to "recruit." Of course, it had been a ploy to lure her to New Orleans and once they had her, they gave her three options:

Give up her ploy for revenge and start living her immortal life without a thirst for repentance

Let herself be compelled to once again forget why she wanted vengeance

Or die.

Her rage had inevitably made the decision for her. After she had been given her options, I had returned to the compound after meeting Cami for a drink at Rousseau's. My appearance reminded her of her hatred and she'd attempted to attack me immediately, before she could however Elijah had removed her heart while Klaus had flashed to my side, prepared to aid me should I need it. We had both stared at the elder Mikaelson in shock, but he simply dropped her heart and ordered for her body to be burned to ash.

I still remembered the conversation I'd had with him that night.

A few months after Evangeline returned from the 15th century.

I took a deep breath, trying to build up the courage to knock on his door, but I found myself shuffling from foot to foot. I was just about to bolt and return to bed with Nik when the door opened of its own accord.

'Evangeline, is there something I can help you with?' Elijah's calm voice tampered a little of my anxiety, as did the absence of anger or sorrow in his eyes. But I didn't let that fool me completely—I knew just as well as anyone that he was the best at withholding emotions from those closest to him.

'I- I just wanted to apologise.' I said, clearing my throat as my voice broke.

'Whatever for?' he gestured for me to enter his bedroom and I took a seat on one of the armchairs he had opposite his bed. Elijah himself perched himself on the foot of his bed, rolling his shirtsleeves up to his elbows as he awaited my response.

'For Katherine. I know you cared for her once, and it's my fault that nothing happened with her.' I murmured, suddenly finding myself enamoured with the sleeves of the Henley that I was wearing that happened to belong to my hybrid.

'If I ever cared for Katarina, it was because she reminded me of another life.' Elijah said, the softness of his voice caused me to look up to him, 'she reminded me of a time where my biggest worry was competing with my brother to win the affections of a woman who looked a lot like her.'

'Tatia.' I said, familiar with the story.

'Indeed. When we were human my biggest concerns were trying to win Tatia's hand in marriage, and protecting my siblings from our brute of a father. Katarina reminded me of that, and as a result caused me to yearn for that simplicity.'

I nodded, somewhat understanding.

'Of course, that changed when I realised that Niklaus was finding his humanity, due to a mysterious girl from the future.' Elijah smiled knowingly at me, and I couldn't help but look down, grateful that I couldn't blush, 'you see Evangeline, your appearance in our lives made me yearn for my life in the present. It made me yearn for a time that we could all sit down together as a family and be happy. Happier than we ever were when we lived in that small village in Mystic Falls over a thousand years ago. For the first time in a long time, I was excited by what the future would bring, rather than being consumed with dread over the prospect of witnessing my family commit heinous acts before my very eyes. You saved this family. And for Katarina to come along and try to inadvertently tear that apart, well you know by now… no one hurts my family and lives. And you, Evangeline are just as much a part of this family as I am.'

I knew that my cheeks were wet with tears but I didn't care. In a flash I was hugging Elijah and unconsciously soaking his shirt with tears. He hugged me back and I found myself grateful and lucky to have been accepted into the Mikaelson family.

'Thank you, Elijah.' I murmured against his chest.

'Always and forever, sister.' He murmured back, placing a chaste kiss to the top of my head.

Back to five years after Evangeline returned from the 15th century.

That had been a few months after I returned from the past, and Elijah and I had only grown closer. He was like the big brother I had always wanted, and being accepted into the fold meant that I was also gifted with the huge family I'd always yearned for. I was immensely grateful, being as I'd given up on the idea of a big family when I'd been turned into a vampire. I was lucky, and a day didn't go by where I wasn't reminded of that.

'No. She's accepted everything and I know she understands, but she doesn't want to be a part of it.' Elena said, her bright expression dimming considerably at the reminder of her absent ex-best friend.

'I'm sorry sweetie.' I murmured, squeezing her hand comfortingly.

'It's okay. It's her life to live, and she doesn't want to live it immersed in the supernatural world like we do. That's her choice and she's well within her rights to make it.' Elena murmured, her eyes conveying the sincerity behind her words.

It sucked, of course it did, but Elena was right. Bonnie was living her life like she wanted to—without vampires, hybrids and werewolves. Elena and I still loved her, but we knew it was just a part of life; some people are only meant to be in your life for a certain amount of time before you drift apart and they leave you with the memories you created together.

/

'Aren't you ever going to tire of painting me?' I murmured, partially amused and fond from where I leaned against the doorframe.

After lunch with my sisters, I'd returned to the compound and after placing my newly acquired clothes into our room, I went to find him. Where I found him wasn't a surprise; he was in his art studio painting yet another portrait of me. My heart fluttered every time I saw him taking the time to put me onto another canvas; I'd been so overcome with love when he'd shown me the ones he'd painted in my absence that I'd been reduced to a puddle of tears. Nik still had yet to let me hear the end of that.

'How could one ever tire of capturing such beauty?' he grinned, his eyes sparkling with adoration as he turned to face me. In a flash I was at his side, my arm wound around his waist as I placed a chaste yet passionate kiss to his lips.

'How was your day?' he asked, pulling me against his chest and winding his arms around my waist.

'Fine. Bekah picked out some clothes for me to wear tomorrow.' I told him, my hands resting against his chest and my head against his shoulder.

He chuckled, 'I don't know why you go; you hate shopping.'

I hummed in agreement before adding, 'but I love spending time with my sisters.'

'Forgive me, I find it hard to imagine why anyone would enjoy Bekah's company.' He deadpanned, but broke out into a laugh when I lightly slapped his shoulder in reprimand.

'Elena mentioned that her and Stefan were thinking of moving here.' I grinned, my hands moving to his shoulders as I leaned back to meet his gaze.

'Is that so?' he said, his hands falling to my hips as a smile formed on his at the sight of my happiness.

I nodded, 'she mentioned Stefan wanted to run it by you all first, but it you're okay with it then they're gonna come.'

'Why would we have a problem?' he mused, his eyes dancing with mirth.

'I think it's Stefan's idea to be honest. Just to make sure they're not stepping on any toes.' I shrugged, not really understanding the need for permission myself.

'Well I'd never deny them residence here and I doubt anyone else would either, lest they incur your wrath.' He teased, grinning when I playfully glared at him.

'I don't know what you're talking about.' I said innocently.

It was true, of course. Over my time with the Mikaelson's I'd gained a reputation. My temper was known to rival Nik's when someone threatened or hurt my family. I'd always been protective, and that instinct had only become heightened when I'd become a vampire. And now I had a family that ruled New Orleans, we were bound to attract trouble, which led to my protective instincts rearing their head more often than I was used to. The Mikaelson's, Nik especially, thought my ability to go from calm to a force that the devil himself would be intimidated by was hilarious. But I couldn't help it. And I was happy to have found a family that understood and even rivalled my over protective tendencies. I thought back to the first time we'd incurred a threat after Katherine.

A year after Evangeline returned from the 15th century.

I woke up to the sun shining on my face, which wasn't unusual seeing as Nik and I had a habit of forgetting to close the drapes. I smiled when I felt his arms still wrapped around me, his warmth seeping through the shirt of his I was wearing. I rolled over to face him and was unsurprised to see his eyes already open; it was rare that I awoke before him, but even though he woke before me most days, he preferred to stay and hold me until I woke up before he even thought of getting out of bed. I'd asked him about it before and he'd admitted to taking the time to bask in the gratitude he felt for finally being able to wake up with me in his arms. I'd held him tight after that.

'Good morning my love.' His voice was husky with sleep, and I couldn't help the small shiver of desire that shot down my spine.

'Good morning my hybrid.' I murmured back, placing a kiss to his cheek, a wave of adoration washing over me at his bashful smile that always followed me calling him that.

That became my nickname for him not long after I found him again and he was able to finally reveal that he had broken his curse. At first, the reception had varied from fear to acceptance. Unfortunately the latter opinion was rare; Elena and everyone from back home had accepted it fairly quickly, though I assumed that Elena not needing to die for the curse to be broken was the main reason for that. It took a while for the factions of New Orleans to realise that Klaus being part werewolf as well as vampire made no difference to who he was as a ruler. When they did, the criticism, fear and disgust had dissipated. Though Nik liked to joke that my attitude towards those who criticised him was the main reason for that. I'd started calling him "My Hybrid" because I wanted him to know he had no reason to be ashamed of who he was, and to remind him that I loved every single part of him.

'Do we have any plans today?' I wondered, nuzzling into his neck, his scent keeping me in a state of contentedness. My eyes were starting to flutter shut again, and I found myself not wanting to fight it.

'Actually, Sophie has contacted Elijah and informed us of a potential threat coming to New Orleans.' Nik murmured, his lips against my hair.

'Hmmm.' I said, not really processing his words and placing a kiss onto the side of his neck.

He chuckled kissing my hair and pulling me tighter against him, 'I should tell you of all potential threats after you've just woken up my love.'

'Hmmm.' I sighed as his hand starting to move back and forth across my lower back.

I thought I heard him chuckle again and it made me smile as I fell into unconsciousness.

/

Kol and Bekah were doubled over in laughter where we were gathered in the courtyard of the compound. Klaus was laughing a lot less rambunctiously, while Elijah was a lot more reserved, though his amusement was still obvious on his expression.

'I don't bloody believe this.' I muttered, shaking my head in exasperation, 'are you having me on?'

'No my love, we're not.' Nik's dimpled smile eased my embarrassment a little, 'I told you of the threat three days ago after you woke up. You must have still been half asleep.'

'That's cheating!' I complained, slapping his shoulder, 'you should've told me again when I was actually awake.'

'Technically you were conscious.' Kol pointed out, seeming to have recovered enough to add a comment.

'Obviously not enough.' I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through my hair, 'now tell me about this threat.'

'The De Martials are on their way to New Orleans.' Elijah said solemnly and I nodded, familiar with the story.

The elder Mikaelson had informed Niklaus over what he had done a few centuries after I'd returned to the future, and Nik had told me a few months ago. Nik had definitely been furious but his rage had subsided when he realised why his elder brother had done what he'd done. It had been around that time that Nik had told his siblings the truth about what happened to their mother. The reactions to that news had varied. Kol hadn't had much of one, Elijah had already known but Bekah had taken it the hardest. But after some time, she came to forgive him.

'So they want revenge for the time they spent pretending to be you and leading Mikael astray.' I summarised, the wheels in my head turning.

'I'd imagine so.' Bekah mused, coming to sit by me on the sofa and stretching her legs out over my lap. Kol came to sit on the other side of me and rolled his eyes at the intrusion of Bekah's legs on his lap as well, but he didn't protest.

'Do you think Aurora might have other motivations?' I asked, internally wincing at the insecurity in my voice.

'If that psychotic bitch comes anywhere near you darling, I can assure you she will be torn limb from limb.' Kol patted my shoulder for reassurance.

'That's not what I'm worried about.' I rolled my eyes and then frowned, 'why would she be interested in me? I doubt she even knows who I am.'

'Over the years you were not with us, we were subtle and discrete over your existence, but evidently rumours did get out about you.' Elijah explained, smiling at my wide eyes, 'your name along with your importance to this family made you somewhat of a legend. Though, no one knew why, or even knew of anyone by the name of Evangeline, so it's often been dismissed as a rumour.'

'Until now.' Nik murmured, his eyes on me and shining with concern.

'And Aurora always was the jealous type.' Bekah sneered.

'I don't care about me.' I muttered; my only concern was with my family, 'you're basically invincible. If they're coming for revenge now after all this time, that must mean they have a plan, one that they're confident will work.'

'We've faced many people over our thousand years, all of which intended to end us all, and yet we're still here.' Elijah murmured, smiling in assurance, 'I assure you, this time will be no different.'

I wished I had his confidence, but I had a bad feeling about this and Nik must have sensed it because he held his hand out to me from where he was sat on the armchair. I shifted Bekah's legs off me and moved to sit on his lap. His scent soothed my nerves like a balm—I'd always be grateful for how safe Nik's arms made me feel. Especially in that moment because the absence of anxiety allowed me to think clearly and I had a plan.

/

Nik: They're here. Aurora left a body surrounded by lavender and a scavenger hunt for me to follow.

Kol: Tristan has made himself known; he's already got the strix out looking for vampires descended from Elijah.

Elijah: The witches are preforming the spell now.

Me: Lucien has just walked into Rousseau's.

Bekah: This is an insane plan; I just want that on the record.

Nik: Now is not the time. Focus.

Me: If anything bad happens, I just want you to know I love you all.

I slid my phone into the back pocket of my high-waisted jeans, subtly watching Lucien from where I sat at the bar, while Bekah was blending in with the crowd thanks to a glamour spell a witch had placed on her. My hair was down and wavy, cutting off at the bottom of my spine and offering me some comfort as it covered up the most of my back. The crop top had been Bekah's idea, it was white, lacy and entirely too revealing but I was looking to gain the attention of Lucien.

A small smile formed on my lips as I noticed a family of tourists sitting by the window, a mother and father sat across from their twin daughters. They were all laughing and talking, enjoying their meal together. I felt a small wave of homesickness wash over me in that moment. I hadn't seen my family in almost a year—not since I'd told them the truth about everything. We were still in touch, but I hadn't seen them in the flesh for ten months, and I realised in that moment that I missed them. It wasn't as bad as it could be, as I was already surrounded by family, but I found myself wondering if Elena, Jeremy and Jenna would be up for a weekend visit. Though it would be difficult to organise now; Elena was coming up to the end of senior year, Jeremy near the end of Junior, and Jenna was in the middle of writing her thesis. Though I'd heard from Elena that she was thinking of moving back to Denver after Jeremy was done with school. As the youngest Gilbert had already mentioned his desire to travel after he graduated, and with Elena potentially going to collage, Jenna would be in Mystic Falls all by herself. It wouldn't be the same not having Jenna back home, but I understood her desire to move away being as the life she had before our parents died was in Denver.

'Hello there darling.' An arrogant sounding voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked to my right to see just the man I was looking for, now occupying the empty seat beside me.

'Hello.' I forced a smile and hoped the disgust didn't show on my face. He was sitting far too close and his scent was overwhelming me. He smelled like he'd bathed in cologne and whiskey, it was so bad that I had to make due with breathing through my mouth. A pang of longing to be encased in my Hybrid's scent overwhelmed me, but I forced myself to focus.

'Now what's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?' He smirked, his breath fanning over my face. If I were still capable of vomiting, I would have in that moment.

'You'll have to be more specific. In this bar or in this city?' I was being evasive, but I couldn't help it.

'This city, of course.' He said, taking a sip of the drink in his hand.

'I like it here.' I shrugged, downing the shot of tequila Cami placed in front of me. Apparently seeming uninterested was a sure way to garner his attention, which was exactly what was needed. I leaned forward over the bar to grab the bottle of liquor that Cami had purposefully left within reach.

'I'm starting to as well' I rolled my eyes when I realised he was checking out my ass and when I fell back into my seat his eyes trailed over my chest. I fought the urge to cross my arms to try and cover up as I poured myself another shot.

'How would you feel about coming back to my place later?' he asked, his fingers trailing up and down my arm. I assume he mistook my shiver of disgust as pleasure, because his hand moved to my back, trailing up and down my spine and lightly tugging my hair.

Quick as a flash I held his wrist in mine, before he could react I snapped it like a twig, 'I think I'd rather set myself on fire.'

'You're feisty I like that.' He bit out as he reset his wrist with a click.

'I'm leaving now.' I huffed placing a hundred on the bar to cover my drinks and tip.

I shot Bekah a reassuring look before I left. I didn't have to turn around to know he was following me; his pungent scent assured me he was.

It shouldn't have been so simple, but it was. I led him into a trap; witches bought him to his knees while I turned and snapped his neck. After that, he was trapped in a basement with chains and boundary spells, where he would be bled out until the vervain was out of his system. Which shouldn't take long for how fast the selected vampires were working on him. One down. Two to go.

/

'Nik?' I called out as I entered the compound—he should have been back by now and I'll admit the fact he wasn't had me feeling both worried and insecure.

I was about to call him when the scent hit my nose—blood. Most importantly Nik's blood. I followed it to his art studio—he was in the centre of the room a circle of salt hinting at the boundary spell that was around him. He was shirtless and the dried blood on his torso hinted at how much he had lost. Despite the overwhelming urge to go to him, I forced myself to focus, someone had obviously done this to him, but where were they? I didn't have to look far. She had her back to me, which hinted at her arrogance—she clearly didn't perceive me to be a threat. She was staring at one of the portraits Nik had painted of me and hung along the back wall. Her fingers were pressed against the canvas gently at first, and in the blink of an eye her fingers tore through with such force she created a hole in the brickwork. That was when she turned to face me. Her eyes is what stood out to me at first, they were a striking green, seeming to shine brighter due to the red curly hair that draped around her shoulders and down her back. She was dressed in a short and low cut black dress; clearly she'd been intending to impress my Hybrid.

'Aurora I presume.' I said, unable to keep the venom from my voice.

'You've heard of me?' she seemed to preen with the knowledge.

'Yes, when Nik was recounting his psychotic exes you were the first name out of his mouth.' I smiled, inwardly cheering when her expression transformed into fury.

'I cannot understand what he possibly sees in you.' She sneered, walking around me like a shark circling its prey.

'That makes two of us,' I shrugged.

'I'll admit I'm disappointed. I expected more fire.' She said, coming to stand in front of me again, and that was when she revealed a stake, 'white oak seems a waste on you, but it'll kill you just the same and to be honest, I rather enjoy the poetry of Nik waking up to see you dead beside him. The pathetic abomination will be so overcome with grief that he'll be powerless to falling into my awaiting arms. As soon as that happens, I'll be able to easily convince him to dagger his other pathetic siblings and we'll live happily ever after as King and Queen of New Orleans.'

My eyes flashed and before she could comprehend it, the stake clattered to the floor as the snap her wrist made when I twisted it behind her back echoed throughout the room.

'How dare you.' I growled, unbelievably enraged, picking the stake myself and plunging it into her stomach. She fell to her knees with a cry of pain, her hands moving to the wound when I yanked the wood out.

'How dare you come into this city and threaten my family. How dare you call my Hybrid an abomination? The way I see it, the only abominable creature in this room is you, you psychotic, ignorant, pretentious bitch.' I snarled, too far-gone in my fury to notice my Hybrid stirring behind me.

'This isn't your family.' She protested, albeit a little weekly as I drove the stake through her chest, a mere inch from her heart.

'Yes it is. I love each and every one of the Mikaelson's, and I'd be damned if I let you threaten one of them, but all of them, including the man I love more than anything? Well you just signed your death certificate.' With that, my hand punctured her chest cavity, clenching around her heart and tearing it out. I watched with relief and satisfaction as her corpse turned grey, before dropping the organ to the ground.

I pulled my phone out of my back pocket to send a text to the group chat; pleased to see everyone else had achieved their goals without a hitch.

Me: Need a witch back at the compound. Aurora has Nik trapped with a boundary spell.

Elijah: Will bring Sophie now.

Me: Thanks, Lijah. Glad everyone else is okay.

Elijah had been with the witches to lure those of his sire line and trap them. Those who already resided in the quarter had been given a remedy that granted them immunity while the spell was being cast. When the strix arrived they would be given the chance to leave Tristan's leadership or risk death. Tristan himself was trapped much like Lucien in a separate space secured with chains and witchcraft, which is where he would remain until the vervain had been drained and his plan had been compelled out of him. Either way, after that was discovered they would both be dead. The same had been planned for Aurora… before I'd gone AWOL.

'Evangeline.' I jumped a mile at the sound of his voice, having not heard him come around. When I faced him I was surprised by the intense expression on his face.

'Are you okay?' I asked, my fingers pressing against the boundary in vein as I tried to reach him.

'I'm fine. A little hungry, but otherwise I'll live. I managed to secure the location of the white oak from her mind before she incapacitated me.' He smiled softly, 'I already sent the location to Kol, I'm sure he's taken care of it by now.'

'Then why do you look so… astounded?' I wondered.

'Because watching you defend our family, and defend me has got to have been one of the most erotic things I've ever seen.' He told me honestly.

I blinked in surprise before letting out a laugh, him joining me. Though I knew he was being sincere due to the lust in his eyes, which seemed to grow as his eyes roamed over my outfit.

'I'll take it your part of the plan was successful?' he wondered.

'Yes, though I feel like I need to scrub every inch of my body. Lucien is a pig.' I informed him honestly. There were no secrets between us.

'What did he do?' Nik growled, his eyes flashing protectively.

'He touched my arm and back, pulled on my hair and leaned way too close. Not terrible when you say it aloud but he made me feel really uncomfortable. But it doesn't matter now.' I waved it off, 'once he's had the vervain drained from his system and whatever plan they had in place is revealed he's dead. At the rate they were draining him, I can't imagine it would take long.'

This seemed to soothe him somewhat, but I could see him itching to hold me, his wolf needing to make sure I was indeed okay. Thankfully in that moment, Elijah walked through the door, Sophie following closely behind him. The elder Mikaelson raised a brow at the dead De Martial on the floor in confusion, looking over and pursing his lips in amusement when I hid my bloodied hand and the stake behind my back.

'I don't remember killing her being a part of the plan,' Elijah commented as Sophie got to work.

'I know. My temper might have gotten the best of me.' I winced like a child about to be reprimanded by their parents.

'She defended us brother. Aurora intended to kill her and use my grief to manipulate me to dagger you all and allow her to rule beside me.' Nik explained, amused by my timid behaviour.

'I couldn't help it. I'm protective of my family, and of Nik, she threatened all of that.' I pursed my lips, glancing down to her body, 'she was one crazy bitch.'

Nik laughed loudly and the sound bought a smile to my lips, relieved that at least he wasn't pissed at me for messing with the plan. A glance at Elijah and the amusement on his expression assured me he wasn't all that mad either. I felt the tension in my shoulders ease.

'She had white oak though,' I revealed the stake and handed it to the older Original, 'Nik sent Kol to collect the rest.'

Elijah nodded, some tension easing from his expression. In that moment Kol entered the room, grinning so widely I was surprised when his face didn't split in half.

'The white oak is gone. Apparently they gathered it from the wood made to construct a bridge and sign in Mystic Falls. Ironic, but alas I has all burned to ash.' He said, practically bouncing with happiness at his success.

'Excellent. Well done brother.' Nik said, his expression conveying the sincerity behind his words. Kol's expression softened under Nik's praise and I couldn't help but smile at the strong bonds they all now shared—My Hybrid had told me of Kol's feeling of being left out of the family and so moments like this reminded me of how much they'd all overcome.

Kol nodded, a soft smile aimed at his older brother before he accepted a hug from Elijah and then me. When I pulled away, he frowned at the dried blood on my hand and forearm.

'Don't ask.' I said before he could inquire.

Kol looked over to Nik who grinned and nodded in answer to his silent question: he would tell him later.

'It's all done.' Sophie announced, but before she could even get up from the floor I found myself surrounded by Nik's warmth and his scent.

All of the tension eased of my body, and I felt Nik relax too as his face nuzzled into my neck and took in my scent, now assured that I was in fact okay.

'You two are too cute.' Bekah commented, I noted that she had her own voice back, which meant the glamour had been removed, but I didn't lift my head to look.

I hummed in contentment as Nik's hand moved back and forth at the bottom of my spine, while his other hand rested at the centre of my back, his thumb moving back and forth comfortingly. The warmth his arms and hands emitted would never fail to make me feel safe and home. One of my hands were moving through the curls on his head, while the other rested against his chest, playing with the collection of necklaces that laid there. I was so contented and relaxed that I almost forgot where we were and what had happened when—

'Why is Aurora dead?' Bekah asked.

Nik laughed and I hid my face in his chest, embarrassed and already aware that I would never live this down.

/

Back to Five years after Evangeline returned from the 15th century.

'Come on, Kol!' Bekah complained from one of the love seats—Nik and I occupied the other.

'It's my choice, Bekah. You think I wanted to watch that god-awful romance movie you picked last month? No. But did I complain?' his question was intended to be rhetorical but I answered anyway.

'Excessively.' I deadpanned, chuckling with the others.

'Well—I didn't complain as much as I wanted to.' He said, as if that were a solid argument. I rolled my eyes and settled further into Nik's side, my head resting on his chest. His arm was wrapped around me and he was tracing random patterns on my arm. I sighed in contentment, knowing that if he kept that up with how warm and relaxed I was, I wouldn't see ten minutes of this movie.

'Then Bekah can complain just shy of how much she wants to, and you'll have to take it.' Marcel pointed out, laughing at Kol's affronted expression.

'Can we just get this over with? The sooner it's on, the sooner it can be over.' Elena mumbled, a blanket wrapped around her, that and her husband's arms around her providing her with protection from the zombies that Kol was subjecting us to. She was sat on the far end of the couch, Stefan to her right, Kol to his right and Damon on the other side of him. Bekah and Marcel were sat on the armchair; the female Mikaelson basically sat on her husband's lap.

'Come on, you're a vampire. If zombies were running around in this world, they'd be no match for any of us.' Damon smirked smugly from his seat next to Kol.

'You don't know that. What if a zombie bite affected us? If we also became zombie's I'd hate to spend an eternity like that.' Elena argued, pointing to the zombie that was now on the screen.

Instead of arguing, Damon shushed her, reaching for a handful of popcorn where the ridiculously huge bowl rested on Kol's lap. I busied myself with the chocolate Eminem's I'd commandeered, occasionally feeding some to Nik as I munched away.

I reached over to the arm of the chair for one of the blood bags we'd bought over to sustain us through the movie. I opened the cap and drank a few sips before offering some to my Hybrid, when he was finished I recapped it and placed it back where I'd grabbed it. I sighed softly, not interested in the movie in the slightest. But I knew this was the whole point of movie night, it wasn't simply to watch; it was an opportunity to spend time together. Glancing around I noticed that Bekah and Nik were also unimpressed, Elena was terrified, while Kol, Damon, Marcel were overly amused by what passed as a horror movie.

I shifted in Nik's arms so my head now rested on his shoulder, I faced his neck, not bothering any further with the terrible acting on the screen and started to play with the collection of necklaces around his throat. A small smile always formed on my face when my fingers connected with the only metallic one he wore—the locket I'd given him all those centuries ago. He'd tried to return it to me, but I insisted he wore it, liking that a part of me was always with him on the rare occasions I couldn't be. In return he'd gifted me with his necklace that bore the Mikaelson crest. It had originally hung from a leather cord but he'd had it transferred to a silver chain and I wore it around my neck, happy to have something that reminded me of him for always.

'Bored there my love?' He murmured, to quiet to be heard by anyone else over the T.V.

'While I'm in your arms? Never.' I grinned as his chuckle, placing a kiss to his pulse point.

'Do you ever think about getting married?' Nik asked and I blinked at the question.

I leaned up, my hands resting against his face so I could take in his expression. He looked curious, yet slightly nervous.

'I used to all the time when I was human. Had my perfect wedding all planned out. But it was something I gave up on when I became a vampire.' I told him honestly.

'Why?' he wondered, reaching up to brush some hair behind my ear.

'Because I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to spend an eternity with me. I could barely imagine sixty years, but forever? It just seemed impossible.' I murmured.

'What about now?' he seemed tentative, which was rare for him and I couldn't help but instinctively move a hand to his hair, knowing that it soothed him.

'Is that your way of proposing?' I teased, trying to ease his nerves.

He grinned, leaning up and pecking my lips before falling back to the love seat, 'I've been thinking about it for a while now.'

The sincerity in his expression caught me off guard, but my surprise quickly faded to delight, 'really?'

He nodded, relieved by my excitement, 'I even have a ring. I was planning on a romantic dinner with just the two of us, ending with me asking you.'

'That sounds like quite the proposal.' I commented, my hand gently moving back and forth against his jaw, 'why mention it now?'

'My love, patience has never been my strength. I've waited so long to have you back in my arms and I can't keep putting off making you mine because I'm waiting for a perfect moment. Every moment with you is more perfect than I ever could have imagined, and certainly more perfect than I deserve. I love you Evangeline, with everything that I am. Spend an eternity with me. Marry me.' He said, softly wiping away the tears that had fallen down my cheeks.

'Okay,' I was sure my tears didn't dampen the pure happiness that I could feel radiating from my face. Nik captured my lips, kissing me with a softness and tenderness that made my heart flutter in my chest.

'I love you.' I told him, my voice barely above a whisper, but his soft smile assured me that he'd heard me.

'I love you too.' He replied as I settled against his chest again.

I drifted off to sleep there, surrounded by our oblivious family and in the arms of the man I loved.

/

Five years and six months after Evangeline returned from the 15th century.

'You look beautiful.' Jenna said, dabbing away the tears in her eyes with a tissue.

I smiled at her from where I was sat, getting my hair curled by one of the professionals Bekah had hired for all of us.

'Thank you Aunt Jenna.' I winked.

'If you're this emotional now, you're gonna be done for when she puts on the dress.' Elena teased, winding an arm around Jenna's waist.

They had all gotten ready before me so they (mainly Bekah) could assure everything else was going to plan everywhere else. The female Mikaelson was currently checking on the boys and making sure they were finished, honestly I was so grateful for her. If it hadn't been for her input, I doubt we could've pulled off the wedding I'd been dreaming of since I was a little girl.

'I know, I just keep thinking about your Mom and Dad and how proud they would be right now.' She said, barely squeezing out her words before the tears started streaming again.

'They are here, Jenna. Maybe not in body but definitely in spirit.' Elena assured both our aunt and I. I offered her a grateful smile, my eyes flicking over to my bouquet of red and white roses I would be holding while walking down the isle—my mom and dad's favourite flowers. It had been Nik's idea and I'd loved it.

'You're right.' Our emotional aunt nodded, seeming to steel herself as she dabbed her eyes one last time before securing her tissue in her bra. Elena and I shared an amused glance.

'You both look beautiful by the way.' I complimented them.

I had chosen Elena as my maid of honour, with Bekah and Jenna being bridesmaids. Each wore a deep purple A-line styled dress made of chiffon material. This colour matched the ties of the groomsman, aside from Nik's—his would be white. The dress cut off just below the knee, revealing the black platform shoes each of them wore. I had encouraged them to choose how they wanted to wear their own hair and was surprised when they'd all agreed on one hairstyle for them all. Their hair had been curled, with the front being pinned back to the backs of their heads with a jewelled clip that matched the deep purple of their dresses. They looked stunning.

'Not as beautiful as you're going to look.' Bekah commented as she re-entered the room, looking moderately relieved.

'What's up?' Lena asked.

'Nik's pacing a hole in the floor from his room. It amazes me how quickly his paranoia grows the longer he's separated from you.' She shook her head in amazement, moving over to the mirror to unzip my dress.

'Well maybe it wouldn't be so bad if someone hadn't made us sleep apart last night.' I muttered, already reaching for my phone.

'It's bad luck to see the groom before the wedding!' Bekah protested, frowning when she saw me walking towards the bathroom, 'what are you doing? You need to put your dress on, the ceremony starts in ten minutes!'

'I'll be two, I promise.' I smiled reassuringly and closed the door behind me, finding Nik's contact and clicking it before bringing it to my ear.

It rung once before he answered, 'Evangeline.' He murmured; his voice already sounding a little more relaxed.

'Hello my gorgeous Hybrid and soon to be husband.' I answered brightly, smiling at the sound of his chuckle, 'what's this I hear about you being paranoid?'

'It's nothing, my love. Just my self depreciating voice rearing it's ugly head and telling me that I don't deserve you.' He said, his voice more sombre now.

'Nik, you are the strongest, sweetest, smartest, funniest, sexiest and most talented man I've ever known. So you tell that voice inside your head to shove it because you're an amazing man and I promise to keep reminding you of that fact for eternity.'

'Thank you, my love. You always know what to say,' he said, his voice soft.

'You're welcome, we all need reassurance sometimes, and that's nothing to be ashamed of.' My voice was as gentle as his.

'I can't wait to marry you.' I could sense his smile on the other side of the phone.

'Right back at you my Hybrid.' I grinned, 'speaking of I should put my dress on before Bekah has an aneurism. I'll see you soon.'

'That you will, my love.'

I hung up the phone and exited the bathroom, handing my phone to Jenna while Bekah and Elena helped me step into my dress. I had surprised everyone with my determination to choose my own wedding attire, which was fair seeing as any other clothing trip ended with me leaving it to Bekah. But I'd had a very specific dress in mind for my wedding day and I was overjoyed with the end result. It was a ball gown dress with a three-foot train; the bodice had a lace overlay that extended on sheer material to my arms. There were hundreds of diamonds scattered all over that twinkled when they caught the light just right. The veil that was clipped into my hair was also decorated with lace and hung all the way down to the floor. I was wearing my Mikaelson necklace, which I'd been sure to pull from underneath my dress, displaying the crest proudly where it rested on my chest. My hair was curled; the front pinned back similarly to the girls' but mine was secured with the clip of my veil. My made up was natural; my lips painted with a deep red lip stain that matched the roses I'd be carrying perfectly.

'You look radiant.' Bekah said, tears forming in her own eyes.

'Don't, you're gonna make me cry.' I warned.

'We can't have that, you'll ruin your make up and you look perfect.' Elena nudged Bekah playfully.

A knock on the door broke us out of our conversation; Elena answered the door to reveal Elijah. His expression became soft when he saw me, his own eyes glassing over as emotion overcame him.

'Sister, you look… wonderful.' He murmured.

I hugged him, 'thank you Lijah.'

'Well, it's time.' Bekah announced, shooing the other bridesmaids out of the room, 'remember walk down the isle when you hear the wedding march.'

'We know Bekah.' I chuckled, my arm linking through Elijah's as we followed them.

I had asked him to walk me down the isle because I couldn't imagine anyone else doing it. Elijah had become the best big brother I could have ever hoped for, and it seemed wrong to be given away by anyone else. Of course, Nik had also asked him to be best man, so after he'd delivered me to the end of the isle, he would take his place in between Nik and Kol. I took a deep breath as we reached the entrance to the ballroom; we were getting married at a house Nik had built in Mystic Falls long before I had even been born. He wanted to have a house where we could live when I wanted to visit my home, and a place that he could stay in to reminisce about the village he'd lived in when he was human. He'd built this house on top of the same place he'd resided all those years ago. When he'd told me that, it seemed to be the perfect location; the town where I'd grown up, where my parents were born and buried, and the village he'd spent time with his family before they'd become vampires. It held a lot of nostalgia and meaning for the both of us, and I knew then that this is where we could become husband and wife.

'Are you ready, sister?' Elijah murmured, turning to me as the march started.

I nodded, unable to keep the smile off my face as I followed Elijah's lead down the isle. I've never felt more love and happiness than I did in that moment, surrounded by those I loved, and the man I loved more than anything. Those invited had been kept to a bare minimum. Nik had most of his friends as groomsmen: Marcel, Stefan, Kol and Elijah were all stood up there with him, while on my side stood Jenna, Bekah and Elena. Other than that, Damon, Jeremy, April (he'd asked to bring her as his guest), Sophie, Josh, Cami, Finn and Freya all sat in white wooden chairs as the audience.

Freya had been a surprise to the Mikaelson's not long after Nik had proposed. She'd popped up explaining that their aunt Dahlia had kidnapped her and cursed to spend a hundred years sleeping to every year of life. That had been a close fight that involved another time travel spell for Esther's blood and a few other ingredients, but we defeated her and Freya was free and connecting with the family she'd yearned to know for centuries. Finn was a different story. He'd been undaggered after Nik had tracked down Sage, who'd been his long lost love nine centuries ago. After their reunion, they'd departed and we hadn't heard a word from him until Freya popped up and he came to the compound to visit her. Even during those visits he'd only really spoken to his eldest sister. Still, we'd extended a wedding invitation to him seeing as he was technically family. But I'll admit I was stunned by his attendance; I suspected Freya had something to do with it. Though I was unsurprised that Sage hadn't come; her and Nik had apparently never gotten along.

After my eyes had quickly glanced over those present they fell and remained on the most important one of all. My Hybrid was positively beaming with happiness, the same kind that I was sure he could see on my face. The kind of elation that you felt at the prospect of marrying your best friend, your confidant, your lover… your person. His gorgeous blue eyes were glassed over as he fought to hold back his tears, I want as strong however, my tears having long fallen onto my cheeks. Bekah would have a fit, but I didn't care. Elijah took my hand and placed it in Nik's and just like that, I was home. My fingers entwined with his as we faced the man we'd chosen to officiate our marriage.

'We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in matrimony.' I couldn't help but tune out what he was saying, too lost in Nik's eyes to worry about anything else.

'I believe you have written your own vows?' I startled at the question, and nodded.

'Nik, before I met you, I had given up on the idea of marriage, of finding someone to spend the rest of my life with. When I was human, it seemed plausible, as sixty years doesn't seem as daunting as an eternity. But suddenly faced with the prospect of forever, I couldn't imagine finding anyone who would love me enough to want to be tied with me for eternity. Then I met you. We might have first gotten of on the wrong foot,' we all shared a chuckle at that, 'but I fell in love with you so fast that it scared me. I'd never felt so much so fast before, but before I could get too lost in my own insecurities, you told me that you loved me too. Not with words at first, but in the way you protected me, the way that you touched me and the way that you looked at me. From that moment all those years ago, I couldn't picture a future without you in it, and now I can't wait to spend eternity with you as your wife.' I gently wiped away the tears that had fallen onto his cheeks before grasping his hands in mine again.

'Evangeline, I've been on this earth for a long time, and for a majority of it I was a man I'm not proud of. As a human, I was berated and beaten for no reason other than my father's unexplainable hatred of me. When I became a vampire and my werewolf side was revealed, I was more of an outsider then I had ever been. I learned to be ashamed of who I was, because that is what my mother inadvertently told me when she cursed my werewolf side into dormancy. This created a man whose insecurity and fear manifested itself as anger and aggression. I believed I didn't deserve to be loved by anyone. I became a monster, pushing away those closest to me until I believed they hated me too. I belittled anyone who showed emotion, when deep down I envied them for being brave enough to love, to adore, to laugh, and to be happy. I spent centuries taking the fate of my sibling's into my own hands, because while I knew they hated me, I loved them and I couldn't tamper my protective instincts when it came to their safety. They perceived it was out of spite or superiority and I let them believe it because it was easier to accept their hate than their love. But then I met you. You came into my life and within two minutes you'd already, albeit unwillingly, revealed your plans to kill me.' I chuckled with him, my tears falling steadily down my face, 'but despite the obvious threat, I couldn't bring myself to hurt you. When you offered a plan to help me I was grateful that it meant I didn't have to come up with an excuse myself. Your light, your kindness to a man who you only knew to cause you pain drew me in. You bought out my humanity without effort and I found myself overcome with my love for you, with my protectiveness and adoration. You accepted me for who I was, you made accepting your love and returning it effortless. You made me realise that I deserved to be loved.' He took a breath, gently wiping the tears from my cheeks and smiling when I leaned into his touch. 'I vow that for the rest of eternity, you will never doubt how much I love you, Evangeline.'

My hands squeezed his gently as we shared a smile.

'The rings?' The officiate asked.

I turned and took Nik's ring from Elena, while Nik retrieved mine from Elijah.

After we exchanged 'I do's,' Nik pulled me in for a passionate kiss and just like that, we were married. The idea of an eternity with one person may have scared me once. But that was before Nik. That was before I'd met the one person in the world who seemed to understand me better than I understood myself. He was my rock, my Hybrid, and as long as he was by my side the prospect of forever was anything but daunting.

Whew! There you have it! I'm sorry it's taken so long to wrap up, to be honest I hadn't had the motivation to write this for a while because I didn't know how I wanted it to end, and also because a part of me didn't want it to. I've loved writing this story and creating this relationship between Klaus and Evangeline, but alas all good things must come to an end! I hope this satisfies you all, honestly I'm surprised at how long it turned (over 10,000 words yikes!) but I'm happy with how things have come together. I'm sorry if the flashbacks were confusing, and I hope the De Martial threat wasn't too long, that one kind of got away from me haha.

Also wanna say a huge thank you to MageVicky for the lovely comment, and for the idea of making Evangeline a legend. Hope I did that suggestion justice (:

Also I've read through this once, but there might still be some spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, please forgive me if there are.

VampireGirl1797

xoxo