Amelie

Summary:"You have loved and you have lost, all while I have succumbed to: the darkness, the light, to my wildest dreams and deepest fears. I have loved you while you have lived your life to its fullest, now I must live mine." Klaus kept his last love a secret for a lifetime but now it's time to reintroduce her to the world.

Chapter Eight

"Do I have to go to this charity event tonight?" Klaus asked as he fixed his bow tie in the mirror. "Can't you and Hayley go by yourselves?"

"As one of the biggest donors of money to the city, the both of us need to be there. Hayley is merely accompanying me as support." Elijah replied as he ran a lint roller along the sleeves of his blazer. "There will be many people that you can socialise with if you don't want to be stuck with the two of us."

"I might just have to take you up on that." He put his own blazer on and buttoned the top button. "I'm going to say goodnight to Hope and I'll meet you and Hayley downstairs." He walked to the doorway and moved away to let Hayley flow through into the room. "Speak of the devil."

"Speaking of yourself again, Klaus?" she teased with a harsh look as she stepped over to Elijah.

"I'm not that big headed." He chimed as he marched down the hallway and into his daughter's room.

"How is he holding up?" she asked she fixed Elijah's tie.

"He's well." He placed his arm around her and kissed her softly. "You look ravishing tonight."

"You scrub up well too, I've always loved you in formal attire." Her hand stayed on his chest as she gazed up at him. "I'm not too dressed up, am I?"

"You look perfect, I'm going to be the luckiest man in the room because I have you on my arm."

She bit her lip to hide a smile but it cracked through. "Come on, let's get downstairs. It would be rude to show up late to the party."

Amelie placed the finishing touches of her outfit on when there was a booming knock at the door. She rushed over as she put a pair of dangling earrings in. When she opened the door, she was greeted by a huge bouquet of roses in a vase. Jon emerged from around them, an astonished look on his face as he eyed up his date. She took the vase from his hands and as he followed her into the apartment he found it difficult to use his words. She placed the vase on the island counter in the kitchen and grabbed her coat from over the sofa.

"I've been in such a rush, I thought I was running behind time." She tried to justify herself as she put the coat on and fixed her hair.

"You look enchanting, Amelie." He smoothed down a few frizzy hairs on her head and pecked her lips gently, trying not to ruin the lipstick she had put on.

She took his hand affectionately and followed him out of her home. "Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful."

"I know that roses were your favourite flower because they took their time to bloom."

She looked up at him as if he had said the most thoughtful thing that the world had ever heard. "I'm surprised that you remembered, it was such a long time ago that I told you that little snippet of information."

"I remember all of your favourite things, you were my first love." He glanced down at her as they ventured down the cold city streets.

"That's amazing, sometimes I don't even remember my own favourite things," she admitted as she looked away from him, "my tastes have changed so much over the years."

Jon went quiet after her comment, he was hoping that he'd be able to make her his again by wooing her with all of the things he thought she liked; the roses, the classic music she always listened to and the pain au chocolat that she used to bake in the dozens. It was now becoming clear to him that she wasn't that same sixteen-year-old that was taken away from him and the hold he had on her was starting to slip. Klaus had that advantage over him, he knew this version of her, but he was her original love and he would be damned before he let her forget that.

The charity event was held in a gallery in the middle of the city and it seemed like the whole population came together to celebrate the contribution that the rich of New Orleans donated to the poor and needy. Amelie came in like a shy and timid dog, her tail between her legs. Jon took her coat and got it checked in at the entrance as she looked at the many faces that occupied the room. She gulped back her fear and hung on his arm for dear life. He took a glass of complementary champagne and handed it to her carefully.

"You looked like you needed this."

She took a thankful sip and held the glass as if she was a woman of class. "Aren't you having one?"

"I don't drink anymore," he looked around the crowd as if he was searching for someone, "I'm not the man I want to be when that venom enters my system."

Amelie observed him closely and followed his gaze. "Who are you looking for?"

"My brother, he said he would be here but knowing him he is off galivanting with his date." He sounded annoyed but it passed quickly. "He's bringing the new Regent of the New Orleans witches." Jon said proudly as if he was bragging but it made Amelie feel like she wouldn't be able to compare to this woman.

"Well, hopefully she's lovely; it sounds like she already has your seal of approval while I'm still waiting for Alexander's." Amelie was about to storm off to the bar when Jon grabbed her arm tightly.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Your brother hates me. He wouldn't spit on me even if I was on fire." She caught a glimpse of Alexander and his belle as they entered the venue and handed her empty glass to Jon. "There's your delightful frère and his golden girl now."

Jon let go of Amelie's arm as he turned to greet his brother and the Regent witch but when he turned back he spotted his own date pushing her way through the crowd. Instead of running after her he stayed with his brother, trying to make an alliance with the rest of the witches of New Orleans through their leader.

She found another waiter handing out the free glasses of liquid happiness and quickly made friends with him. To stomach the thought of going back to Jon while he was schmoozing with that witch, she needed a couple of more drinks. What made it worse was Alexander, she didn't know why he hated her so much and from the new light on her past it seemed as if he had always hated her.

Three glasses in to her self-medication, Amelie felt a tap on her shoulder and she expected it to be Jon. But it wasn't, it was Klaus. He looked so dapper in his suit and he was cleanly shaved. She preferred the stubble he adorned before but his face was too handsome to hide behind a beard.

"Klaus, what are you doing here?" she was already tipsy and a little giddy from the champagne.

"I could ask you the same thing." He took the empty glass from her hand and placed it on the tray of a passing by waiter. "I guess you're here with Jon St Martine?"

She exhaled as she folded her arms across her chest. "I thought I would let him take me out on a date, as I let you to make things fair but so far I feel like he wishes he was here with that witch instead of his brother."

"What witch?" Klaus took a sip from his own glass and kept his eyes on her.

"The new Regent, he sounded very happy that she came with Alexander, maybe I'm just overthinking things," she looked down at the floor and shook her head, "I don't even know why it's bothering me. I'm the one that's in love with two people, not him."

Klaus placed his hand on her shoulder affectionately and stepped closer to her; a feeling of electric passed through him as he caught a breeze of her perfume. "Don't beat yourself up, it's not your fault that you've been put into this situation."

"I thought you would be fuming with me for accepting a date with him." She confessed as she peeked up at him through her lashes.

"I lost you once through my own selfish reasons, this time I'm going to let you be selfish for a change."

She took his hand into the two of hers and leaned into him. "Won't you save me a dance? I should get back to my supposed date."

"Of course." His hand slipped away from her grasp as she left him alone again. The sight of her in her exquisite dress took his breath away, but he was confident enough in himself to know that it wouldn't be the last time they shared a moment. He needed to be confident, if he doubted himself for even a split second, he could ruin his shot with her altogether.

As Amelie approached the booth that the St Martine brothers had chosen, the two of them were joking with the pretty brunette that accompanied Alexander. She sat down beside Jon and he glanced at her as if she was a stranger but eventually placed his hand on her knee, pinching it tenderly.

"For two French men, your names aren't exactly French sounding." The Regent said with a smile.

"I know, your name is actually more French than ours," Alexander looked at Jon as he inclined across the table, "Margot Fleur, it just rolls straight off the tongue."

Margot glimpsed at Amelie awkwardly and tried her hardest to be as friendly as possible. "And you are?"

"Amelie Bouchard, et toi?" Amelie rested her elbow on the table as she looked at the other woman.

"Only English my love," Jon looked at her properly for the first time since she sat down, "Margot can't speak our native tongue."

She raised her brow at Jon and made a noise. "Being able to speak my native language was one of the advantages of dating you, but I can communicate just as well in English." She looked at Margot as she gave Jon the cold shoulder. "So how did you and the charming Alexander meet?"

"We happened to bump into each other one day," Alexander started but Amelie raised her finger to him, interrupting his flow.

"I asked Margot." She said bluntly, glancing towards him as he scowled at her.

"Uh, yes we bumped into each other, I was carrying my groceries home and a few herbs for a spell and I dropped everything on the floor. Alex stayed to help me pick it up."

"Margot actually helped us with the spell that brought your memories back." Alexander interjected with a sense of arrogance.

"Fascinating, you must be a powerful witch, I can see why Alexander keeps you around."

Jon turned to Amelie sharply and tried to sound as calm as he could. "Amelie, let's go to the bar and get you a drink." He stared into her eyes with a hard look until she rolled her eyes and relinquished her will to him.

Once she stepped away from the table she grasped her hands and kept her head held high. "Do you realise you've changed since that Regent witch joined us?"

"Yes I realise," he raised his voice a little and a neighbouring cluster of people turned to him. To keep their argument confidential, he spoke to Amelie in a language that only they understood, "Why are you being so difficult tonight?"

"Now you want me to speak in French? I'm your date, not Margot so why are you paying her so much attention?"

"You are my date," he placed his hand on her arm but she moved away from him, "listen Amelie, Alexander and I want to have the backing of the witches if we are to stay in this city. We just want to belong to a coven that will actually accept us."

"Are you sure your brother isn't just using that woman for her power?"

"There's benefits to Alexander dating the Regent. We have to keep her sweet."

"But it's fine for your brother to treat me as if I'm trash?" Amelie got closer to Jon and poked at his chest. "Don't forget that I'm the one that chooses who I want to spend my life with and right now you're showing me the side of you that I never liked."

"And what side is that, Amelie?" he sounded exhausted by her and he was, the Amelie he knew would've done anything he said, he couldn't handle the Amelie that made choices for herself. She was a woman now, not a teenager.

"The power hungry, arrogant asshole that thought he owned the town of Chantilly. Well, let me tell you this Mr St Martine, you don't own New Orleans and you do not own me. I have my own free will and I have my own life and if you wish to be a part of it then I suggest you treat me as if you were trying to woo me. I don't have a ring upon my finger anymore."

Jon grabbed Amelie by the shoulders and pulled her in for a passionate kiss and it made her anger crumble. "You are the woman that I want, and if you'll let me I'll happily place a ring back on your finger. And once New Orleans is mine you'll be its queen."

Amelie smirked as the idea of tempting her with power tumbled through his mind. "Klaus runs this city, if I wanted New Orleans and the power it holds, I'd be his date tonight. But I don't care about power, all I want is to be loved,"

"And you are loved." He interrupted exasperatedly.

"Yes, I know but the two men that love me have my love returned but I'm trying to work out who's going give me everything that I'm looking for." She relaxed a little and glanced over at the booth they walked away from. "I'm going to give you one more chance tonight to show me that you're serious about us, treat me as if I'm your queen. Spend time with me and show me that you love me." She played with the ends of his short hair for a moment and whispered to him, "That's all I want."

He took her hands and looked down at his feet. "I apologise, from this point forward I will show you exactly how I feel, will you allow me to restart this night?"

"You have a second chance, please don't waste it."

A:N Next chapter is going to be the second part of the night and hopefully you all enjoy the back and forth between Klaus/Amelie/Jon. Who do you want her to end up with? I know who I'm leaning towards. Thanks for reading!