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 Twenty-Two

Klaus watched Amelie with a smile as she fixed his bowtie with such concentration that her tongue poked out from the corner of her mouth. When she realised she was being watched, she rolled her eyes up to him and patted his chest. "You're good to go."

"Wish I could say the same to you," he shook down his shirt sleeves and walked towards his dresser, looking for a certain pair of cufflinks, "you're nowhere near ready yet, are you?"

Amelie crossed her arms and placed one hand on her face as she stared into her wardrobe; she had her face put on and her hair up in a beehive style hairdo but she was still in her corset and suspenders. "I was going to wear white but then I thought that I'd be wearing plenty of white on our wedding day."

"Then wear black." He said bluntly as he fiddled with the small pieces of silver.

"But black makes me feel like I'm going to a funeral." She searched through her wardrobe one last time and sighed. "I shouldn't have picked a black and white theme."

Klaus stood behind her and placed his hands on her bare shoulders, leaving a tingle on her body as he leaned in and whispered, "No matter what you wear, you're going to be the most beautiful woman in attendance."

She leaned into him and rested her head on his chest. "You're too sweet, but I just remembered that I have a black and white dress hidden away in a box. I'm bound to have brought it with me." She broke away from his embrace and got onto the floor by the foot of the bed and reached underneath for the large box she kept hidden away.

"How long has that been under there?" he raised an eyebrow and sat on the mattress.

"Since I moved in, now get out while I put this on."

Klaus laughed slightly and got back onto his feet as Amelie took the lid off the box. "Why are you kicking me out?"

"I want to surprise you with my appearance; it's stupid I know but let me have my moment."

"If that's what you want, then you shall have your moment. But if you need a hand with your zipper, just call my name."

Once the door was closed, she pulled the old gown out of the box; she had bought it for an event she was supposed to attend with Klaus eighty years ago, but she never got the chance. The white dress with the black beading hit the floor with a slight train and clung onto her for dear life; the sleeves came to the mid of her arm and her shoulders were exposed. She knew that Klaus had his kinks and her shoulders were one of them. She placed a new pendant on her slender neck, it was cubic zirconia but it shone like it was a diamond; she couldn't wear her mother's necklace anymore, not when it represented how weak she once was. The ring she adorned on her ring finger was her new symbol of the woman she had always wanted to be, loving and strong. Under Klaus' protection she could be that woman.

"I know it's your own party Klaus, but it started twenty minutes ago; don't you think we should hurry Amelie along a bit?" Elijah said impatiently as he glared down at his watch.

"It may take Amelie a while to get ready but it's worth it when you first lay eyes on her; she's going to be truly breath-taking." Klaus looked at his brother and flashed a cheerful smile. "Just wait until you see her."

Elijah noticed how happy Klaus was and put his feelings first. He knew that Klaus enjoyed the little game Amelie was playing, keeping him waiting so that she could see his reaction when he first lays eyes on her; Klaus always enjoyed being kept on his toes.

"I shall take your word for it brother." He patted Klaus on the shoulder and leaned in towards him. "I hope she blows your mind."

Their attentions were drawn to the top of the stairs when the bedroom door finally opened and from it emerged Amelie looking as angelic as she always did. Klaus grabbed onto Elijah's arm and moved his head towards his brother's but kept his eyes locked on Amelie. "Didn't I tell you?" he whispered breathlessly. He stepped away and waited at the bottom of the stairs with his hand out, awaiting her to take it and when she did, he stroked her blushing cheek with his thumb. "You are so beautiful."

"I couldn't let you up stage me in your pristine white suit." She ran her fingers along the fabric of the blazer and caught Elijah watching them. "You look very dapper tonight, as you do every night, Elijah."

"And you look lovely. Everyone is waiting for us at the party, there's fashionably late and then there is us." He put his coat on and waved the two lovebirds towards the front door.

"We shouldn't keep our guests waiting any longer." Amelie smiled as she hopped into the back of a cab, Klaus on one side of her and Elijah on the other.

Jacques couldn't help but wait at the door for someone he knew to walk in, but as more and more strangers piled in, his hopes for Amelie making a quick arrival were shattered. From across the room he did notice one familiar face but it was someone he didn't want to see, Alexander was here and fitting in as if he knew everyone personally. He pushed through the hordes of people and grabbed Alexander by the arm, excusing himself in front of the other guests and moved him to the corner of the packed ballroom.

"What are you doing here? I thought I made myself very clear." Jacques kept his eyes on the crowd and his words sharp.

"You made yourself as clear as crystal but Amelie invited me tonight." He pulled his arm away from Jacques which made him turn his attention to him. "Since my brother's death, I realised that it wasn't her that I hated and now we're friendly. If you don't like that then take it up with your sister."

"I will take it up with her but in the meantime, you keep your distance from me or little Margot will find out what my wrath feels like."

"I told you that you weren't allowed to hurt her." Alexander looked desperately at his tormentor; Jacques could do whatever he wanted to him but if he were to hurt the innocent Margot, Alexander would lose his mind.

"Since when have I ever done what I'm told?" he flashed a smirk and noticed Elijah walking through the door; he knew that Amelie and Klaus would be following closely behind him. "Excuse me, but I think my sister has just arrived."

She kept herself close to Klaus as they approached the rest of their family and greeted the occasional friendly face. The night seemed like it was everything she hoped it was going to be; there was no drama and everyone was complimenting her on the ring.

Klaus got his moment in the spotlight as he spoke to allies about the proposal and the story of how the couple met. But one thing distracted him and it wasn't Amelie like it should've been; Alexander kept staring over at him as if he was requiring his immediate attention. He tried to shake off the feeling of his stares but he couldn't. With a growl, he walked towards the man he hated more than Jacques and crossed his arms.

"You've got my attention, now what do you want?"

"What are your intentions with Jacques? Is he welcomed into the Mikaelson family home?"

"Not yet he isn't, not that it's any of your concern."

Alexander smirked and let out a displeased noise as he shook his head at the seemingly naïve Klaus. "I know you're not pleased with him, you're not stupid you can feel that there's something off with him."

"Instead of keeping me away from my fiancée, how about you skip the charade and jump straight to the point. You want me to get rid of Jacques."

"He's dangerous." He said quickly.

"To whom? You or I?" Klaus leaned into him and lowered his brow in irritation. "I know that you can't get rid of him by yourself, but did you really think that you could lure me into your little plan?"

"I went to Amelie and warned her but I know that she won't listen to anything that she doesn't want to hear. He's coming for all of us; you, me and in the end, Amelie."

"And why should I believe you?" Klaus crossed his arms and widened his stature.

"Because unlike the two of you, I know him."

"Elijah knows him and he is pleased that he has an old ally back on the battlefield."

"Your brother knows the face he wants you all to see; I know the man underneath the mask." Alexander ran his hands through his longish hair and took a deep breath. "There's going to come a time where you wished you listened to me; I just wish I'm still around to help." He patted Klaus on the shoulder and started to back into the crowd. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

"I'm so glad that you came; I didn't think you'd show up to this little soiree." She looked up at her brother and took a sip from her wine glass. "If the roles were reversed, I don't think I'd have the stomach to appear."

"I'm not going to let a crowd and soon to be in-laws stop me from getting to know my blood." He leaned against the bar and caught a glimpse of Alexander leaving the party early; it made him grin but he dropped the face quickly and turned to his sister. "I want to know everything about you."

"And I you, but your past seems to be more complicated than mine."

"How so?"

She ran her finger along the rim of the glass and looked up at the ceiling. "Where to start? Perhaps the bombshell that our mother had an affair, the fact that you are half witch or maybe you being locked away in a cave for most of the century?"

He smiled at her and shook his head. "Runaway fiancée at sixteen, poor girl moving into the world of vampires and being spelled away in a coffin for eighty years definitely trumps the baggage I have."

She raised a brow at him and took a long gulp of wine. "Why do you want to keep your history hidden from me?"

He grabbed onto her hands, feeling the frustration radiating from her. "Because I don't want to scare you off, I care about you too deeply to ruin any chance of getting to know you." He let go of her and plastered a fake frown onto his face. "I thought you understood that, Amelie but I guess not."

For some reason, she felt guilt even though she knew she was in the right. "I'm sorry, I'll let you open up to me in your own time. I promise."

"No, I'm sorry I should've anticipated your curiosity. Let's put it behind us and have a smoke. If you're anything like me, you enjoy it better when you have a few drinks knocked back."

She finished off her wine and put the glass on the bar with a smile. "You really are my brother." She fiddled through her bag and took out the almost empty pack. "After you."

It had been almost an hour since Klaus had placed eyes upon Amelie and Jacques but it was like they had disappeared into thin air. He knew that Jacques couldn't be trusted yet, he hadn't earned it but a part of him didn't want to think that he would do anything to hurt her. Hayley noticed the concern written on Klaus' face and approached him, Hope on her hip. The sight of his daughter made him smile but only a little.

"What's wrong?" she said quietly.

"Amelie's been gone for quite some time and I can't see Jacques."

"I'm sure they're around here somewhere." Hayley looked around, taking in all the face but when she didn't see the ones she was looking for, a grimace crossed her face. "Have you checked outside?"

"Not yet, do you think she could be there?"

"You know just as well as I do that Amelie enjoys having a smoke. Perhaps Jacques accompanied her?"

"I'll check there now; I was wanting to spend a bit of time with her but instead I've been pulled here and there by our guests."

Hayley smiled a little and rolled her eyes. "It's a party, Klaus. People are going to want to talk to the happy couple individually."

"I suppose, thanks for the tip." He petted his daughter on the top of her head before making his way to the outside of the hotel.

When he got to the outside of the venue he looked around frantically for any sign of her. Following the smoke trail coming from around the corner, he could see the two of them in the distance laughing at each other. Amelie had a cigarette hanging from her lips as she grinned wildly at her brother. He had a cigar in between his fingers and had his eyes fixated on her. He looked over his shoulder and noticed Klaus in the distance which made Amelie calm her behaviour down. The closer he got to the two of them, he could see the smile in Amelie's eyes and decided in that moment that he was going to help her ease into this new relationship.

"Did you decide to come join us for a smoke?" she said, holding her arm out towards him.

"I was actually coming out to bring you back in; I want to share a dance with you before the night ends." He took her hand and glanced at Jacques as his smile faded into a scowl.

"We were actually about to go back in."

"Well Amelie was, I was going to call it a night. It's quite late for me to still be partying."

"The night's still young, Jack I know you have a little bit of partying still in you." She used his fake name as an affectionate nickname. It surprised him a little.

"You're forgetting that I have ten years on you besides, I wasn't a partying kind of guy back in the day." He finished off his cigar and dropped it onto the floor.

"If he wants to go home, let him go. You can spend time with him whenever you want." Klaus reminded her with a soothing tone.

"I know that, I was just enjoying the time we got to spend together." She looked between her love and her brother. "That's all."

"Perhaps I'll bring you round to where I'm staying sometime soon." He placed his hands into his pockets and looked at her awkwardly. "Maybe even tell you what you want to know."

"That would be nice, sometime soon?"

As Klaus looked away from him, Jacques gave her a quick nod and wink. "I'll keep you posted."

She watched him walk away into the dark street and kept a tight grasp of Klaus' jacket. Even though she was shaking so much from the cold, she refused to go inside until she couldn't see Jacques anymore. For her sake, Klaus really wanted Alexander to be wrong but he knew that was fairly unlikely.

A:N If you guys are wanting to read more, leave a little review. Thank you for reading!