Over the centuries, Henrik proved to be a good student. He showed patience and understanding, was good company for Bella and accepted very well the fate she had kind of imposed on him. He understood that she had saved his life and that she was doing what was best for his family. He couldn't deny it, her plan was good and he didn't even object when she started talking of ways to kill Mickeal and to prevent Esther from being able to come back.

Bella and him spent most of their time awake cloaked when they went in public, this way they were sure nobody would recognize them.

"Isn't it hard for you to see him with other women?" Henrik asked Bella one afternoon, about 500 years after Henrik had first joined her.

"It is, but I've grown to accept it. It's the price I pay for this life. There's nothing I can do about it." She shrugged her shoulders.

"You could always go to him and tell him who you are. Even if you can't be together right away, he'd know you exist." he suggested.

"I can't. I know I'm strong now but Dahlia could be ready for this and if she manages to kill me... The same ingredients that can be used to kill her can be used to kill me. I can't bare the thought of Niklaus feeling the pain of my death. My loss would be too painful for him. I'd rather keep on watching him with whores until I've dealt with Dahlia." She shook her head.

"You mean until we've dealt with Dahlia? I'm helping you, right? This is why I'm training so hard, to help you." Henrik asked her, confused.

"No Henrik. I can't risk it. When the time for me to fight Dahlia comes, you'll be needed to protect your siblings in case your crazy aunt has a plan to attack them at the same time."

"But why?" Henry didn't understand.

"Because I don't want to risk her killing you, because this time, your death would be definitive and I refuse to let that happen. I love you Henrik, you're family to me now and I refuse to lose anyone else. I want you safe." Bella replied.

"Fine, we'll talk about it again in a few years." Henrik nodded, hoping to make her change her mind eventually.

"Yes we will, and you'll agree to stay out of this fight." Bella smiled.

Bella had kind of taken the position of mother and of a big sister in Henrik's life now. He came to her for comfort, advice... anything really. She was the one who set the limits and he respected that, he never challenged her, only accepted her decisions and did his best to help her out. He knew that she was always in pain, always suffering because she wasn't with Klaus and the fact that she'd go this far for his family meant a lot to him.

Sometimes, he wished he could take the pain away from her or share it with her, just one day, so she could rest, be at peace for a short moment but he couldn't. He had tried to use magic to take away Bella's pain but it hadn't worked. So instead, he did his best not to upset her and to be as accommodating as he could be. It was his way of helping her, of doing something for her. His brother Klaus was a lucky man, he had a great woman waiting for him, doing everything for him.

.

By the time the past version of Bella did her time traveling ritual, Henrik and Bella were back in the main room of the cave. Bella showed him what her past self had collected, letting him read the Grimoirs she had collected or copied over the years. The teenage boy was more than happy to read them and learn more. They were a welcome distraction.

Bella had taught him a lot of things. Esther had neglected his magical skills because she deemed him to be too young and she already had Finn, Elijah and Kol eager to learn magic with her. Bella taught him how to channel different energies, how to locate people or things, how to move objects and, with practice, they had fun flying on a broomstick. They tried it simply out of fun, it took a lot of energy but when done on a full moon, if they attached the spell to the moon, they could fly for the entire night without breaking a sweat and it turned out to be not only fun but also a quick way to travel that they used when they needed to travel long distances.

"I just know that Kol will love this spell... You won't mind me showing him, right?" Henrik asked her.

"I don't mind but he'll be a vampire and he won't be able to do magic. You'll be able to spell the broom for him though." She reminded him.

"Isn't there a way for us to give them back their powers while staying vampires?" he wondered.

"I don't know but if you want to try and work on it you can. You have lots of power now and we can find anything you might need for it. It could be your own project. Hey, maybe you'll even find a way to allow them to have children if they want to." Bella smiled.

"I'm glad you saved me Bella." Henrik told her with a smile before he started his researches.

.

"Henrik? I thought you wanted to go in town today. Why are you still here?" Bella asked Henrik one day, when she came back from gathering some herbs and found him still in their temporary house.

He was sitting in an armchair, reading a book and taking noted on it when she had expected him to be in town all day, enjoying some normal human time wiht the friends he had just made.

"Trying to get rid of me already?" he replied in a joking tone.

"You know I'm not." She smiled.

"It's better if I stay here. I met a girl and... I mean... I really like her. I'd rather stay here and not be tempted." Henrik replied.

"You know that if you want, you can stay. If you feel like you'll be happier here, in this time, you can. I'm not forcing you to come with me, you know that. I'm doing all of this because I'm following my heart, you need to follow yours too." She told him.

"I know, but I don't want to stay here, I want to go with you, to see my family again, to save them and have a chance a being all of us together and happy." Henrik replied.

"Very well then. Now, what would you say about us getting invisible and going to spy on your family for a bit? Make sure they're alright? They're having a party so we'll be able to go in unnoticed." Bella asked him.

"That would definitely change my mind and bring my mood up. Are you going to leave Klaus a letter?" Henrik asked her when he saw the envelop in her hands.

"Yes, I want him to know that the previous letter wasn't a one time thing, that someone still has his back. I want him to keep his hopes up." Bella smiled.

"Are you going to help him locate Katerina Petrova?" Henrik asked her.

"I am, yes. I had a vision and I know that she'll be in Prague in 37 years and 4 months. I'll tell him that much."

"You don't like her much." Henrik commented.

"I don't think anyone who has met Katerina Petrova likes her at all. She's selfish and conceited. I get that her father was harsh on her when he took her child from her and sent her away, but she did disobey him by having a child out of wedlock with someone she knew her father wouldn't agree on. She could have done things differently." Bella replied.

"But you haven't met her, not in person." he argued.

"I've seen enough. She ruined Niklaus' chances of breaking his curse, because of her he needs to wait who knows how long. If he doesn't make her pay, I will." Bella shook her head.

"Do you tell him something about me? In the letter I mean."

"Not clearly, but I'm telling him not to lose hope, that he'll see again the people he lost and loved. I'm sure he'll be able to guess on his own." She replied.

"How long will we stay?" Henrik asked her.

"They're holding a party, so we'll be able to stay around a while. The invisibility spell will be anchored to the moon, so we'll be invisible all night. We'll probably get separated so just remember to come back here before dawn, alright? I won't forbid you to tell your siblings about you, feel free to do so if you want but, if you decide to stay with them, please don't tell them about me." Bella asked the young boy who nodded before they whispered the spell that would make them invisible to everyone.

.

As soon as they arrived in the current Mickealson estate, Henrik went to watch over Kol and Elijah while Bella went to look for Klaus. She found him entertaining a local noble and she just stood by, watching and listening as he spoke of art like an expert and as he showed that he truly had a sensitivity for works of art. After a few minutes, the hybrid seemed to sense that someone was watching him because he looked right through Bella before excusing himself and walking toward his private office, leaving the door open behind him just long enough for Bella to follow him, a knowing smile on her lips.

"Is it you? Are you the one who left me the letter and my father's ring?" Klaus asked.

More than anything Bella wanted to lift the spell and speak to him face to face but she knew that she couldn't. Instead, she decided to reply to him. He had never heard her voice before, so he wouldn't recognize it. He wouldn't be able to fall in love or to feel their mate bond through her voice, but he would be able to recognize it later, when it was time for her to reveal herself. Maybe he'd even get a feeling in his gut, telling him to trust her.

"I am." She replied, doing her best to keep the emotion from her voice.

"Why can't I see you?" he asked her, trying to walked closer to the voice, not knowing that Bella was moving around the room so he wouldn't catch up with her.

"I can't tell you without revealing too much. I know it's difficult for you, but I need for you to trust me that this is for the best, for you." She replied in his back.

"For me? Meaning it's not for the best for you?" he asked her, trying to catch her once more.

"What's best for you is my main concern." She replied, avoiding speaking his name because she knew it would be filled with emotions.

She was once more standing on the opposite side of the room, amused by the sight of him trying to catch her.

"Why?"

"It's complicated and will be explained to you later." He almost caught her this time but she managed to stand back just in time.

"When?"

"You just need to be patient. I promise that when you see me, you'll understand everything. When we finally see each other, when the time is right, I will take the time to answer any question you might have."

"I'll starts writing them down." Klaus nodded.

"Good idea." She smiled, imagining future Klaus presenting her with a large pile of questions to be answered.

"Did you really know my father that well?" Klaus asked, still trying to find Bella's location.

"He was my godfather. He was more a father to me that my own father was. My father would have wanted a boy and spent most of his time training young werewolves in our village. Had you grown with your father, my father would have been your godfather." She replied.

"How are you still alive?"

"How are you still alive? Magic. It all comes down to magic in the end. Surprisingly, over the years I found out that even the lives of non magical beings result from magic." She replied.

"What's your name?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you that." She replied, starting to think that this had been a terrible idea.

She shouldn't have answered him, she should have dropped the letter and left but she couldn't deny that this was a little fun. How could something that was so fun and felt so good be so bad for her?

"What should I call you then?" He asked her.

"How have you been calling me so far?"

"My mysterious guardian angel." He admitted after a second of silence.

"I can assure you, I'm no angel. I've had to kill to get to where I am. Not much, but still, I'm no angel. An angel probably wouldn't kill, even to protect the people she loves." She replied with a chuckle, glad that he couldn't see her blush.

"Are you always around?"

"No, I try to stay away. Being around you is hard for me, painful. It's complicated... I'm mostly staying away, preparing for the moment I'll need to protect you and your loved ones from a bigger Evil."

"Do I detect guilt in your voice?" He asked, giving up on chasing her and sitting down on a chair, inviting her to do the same on the other one, which she did.

He knew better than to ask her who this big evil was. He knew that she wouldn't answer him so he saved the question for later and used the time she granted him for lighter subjects.

"I shouldn't be speaking to you, I should have just left you another letter and gone back home. I should follow my own advises." She admitted.

"Someone else is here with you?"

He was curious now because if she was to give someone advises, then she had someone with her.

"Not right now. Not in this room."

"Is it my father?" he asked her.

"No, Ansel is on the other side, not with me. Actually, he's probably rolling his eyes at me right now. I'm sure he'd think I should have done things differently. He'd want me to find a way to show myself to you while doing what I plan to do... he wants us both happy and safe." She chuckled.

"I talk to him sometimes. When I'm alone in the room, I picture him in this chair and talk to him, hoping one day he'll answer me."

"And one day he will, that's my promise to you." She assured him.

"Are you in danger from helping me?"

"No, don't worry about that, I'm strong enough to be safe. I can take care of myself and of the ones I love."

"So, why did you come tonight then? It's been a while since you left me this ring." he asked, showing her that he had placed his father's ring on his finger.

"I was going to give you a little gift. Katerina Petrova, she'll be passing through Prague in 37 years and 4 months, she'll stay there a few weeks. That's all I saw but I'm sure you can find what to do with this information." Bella informed him.

"Thank you, I... Thank you."

"You're welcome. Also, you might want to take a closer look at her family tree. She's not the last Petrova, she had a daughter who became a vampire. As close as I feel to travelers, the Petrova's don't have my sympathy." Bella added.

"Thank you. How long do you have?" Klaus asked her, noting in the back of his mind that his mysterious friend had links to the Travelers and so, he should refrain from killing too many of them in the future.

"I shouldn't be here at all... I, I need to leave before I say too much." She declared, standing up from the armchair she had been sitting on.

"Will we speak again?" he asked her, desperate to find out more.

He couldn't explain why he felt so at peace when she was around but he loved it and he hated knowing she was leaving.

"I don't think it would be wise of me to come back before the time is right. But you need to trust me and keep hope. I know you lost people you loved but you will see them again. Even when it's all over and I stand before you, I will have the power to bring back whomever you want, even if it's to settle a debt you have or for a friend of yours. I will always have your back." She replied, walking to the door.

Klaus stood but faced the window, letting her know that he wouldn't try to stop her from leaving, that he was trusting her judgement.

"Beside Ansel, the only person I lost that I love is my brother Henrik." Klaus replied, not even considering his mother.

"Just like I said, keep hope. The next time we speak, everything will be different. You'll see me, you'll understand everything with one look. You'll be safe. Everyone you love will be by your side and safe." Bella replied, Klaus turned to look at the door and saw the handle turn before it stopped and a white envelop appeared and was placed on the shelf .

"This is the letter I was going to leave you... Inside, there is the name of a shaman who owes me and will be expecting your visit. He'll be able to allow you to speak with Ansel for a couple of hours. If you do things right and make a friend out of this man, you'll be able to get more time with your father. Please don't ask Ansel who I am, don't put him in a position where he has to choose between telling you the truth or protecting you and my mission. And please, be safe. Oh, and when you have Mickeal at your mercy, when you kill him, please give him the message I left your sister. Even if he dies, I will make him suffer for what he did to you, to Ansel, to my entire village and to me. He took everything away from me that night, he'll pay and dying won't save him from this." Bella replied, on the verge of tears, before she opened the door and ran out, heading straight to their current home.

Speaking with her love face to face, even if he couldn't see her back, had been hard. She worked hard to keep her voice void of her pain but now it all came rushing back on her and all she could do was lie on her bed and cry.

When Henrik came back, shortly before dawn and obviously after having had a good time, he came to comfort her.

"I heard Niklaus tell Elijah of your visit. Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I don't know... I'm happy because we spoke but keeping my voice void of emotions... Him not seeing me, not being able to touch him, it was so hard... I know better, I knew it was a mistake to speak to him but I couldn't help but answer his questions..." She replied.

"It's okay Bella, It's all going to be okay." He promised her, hugging her and praying that the time separating them from the end of their lonely journey would pass quickly.

"What about you, did you have fun?" She asked him, still tearful.

"Oh yes, I played pranks on Kol and Rebekah, they thought it was a ghost or something. I'm sure that after hearing what happened to Nik, they'll have a different theory though." he replied.

"We can't let ourselves get close to them again Henrik. We can't see them again until it's time." Bella whispered.

"If you think it's best, Bella, I'll do it. You're my family too. I'm here for you and I'm not going anywhere." Henrik whispered back to her, trying to sooth her pain so she'd fall asleep.

"Niklaus, do you think that the one playing pranks on Kol and I was Henrik?" Rebekah asked her brother the next day, when they all sat together and ate breakfast.

"If it was, I'm sure it was for the best that he stayed hidden." Niklaus replied.

"Whoever this witch is, if she really saved Henrik, kept him alive all this time... She has to be powerful and dangerous." Kol commented.

"I guess it's a good thing that she's on our side then." Elijah smiled.

"You mean she's on Nik's side. The minute Nik gets mad at us, she'll stop being on our side." Rebekah reminded her older brother.

"Unless you truly try to go after me and kill me, I don't think she'll ever go after you. I don't know how but she really seems to know me. I don't think she'll turn on you over a fight or an argument. She's better than that." Niklaus replied with faith in his voice.

"I can't wait to meet her." Elijah smiled.

"Me too, you have no idea how much I want to know her. But she left me a name and that's where I'm going. I'm leaving to find this Shaman tomorrow." Klaus replied.

"And in 37 years, we're moving to Prague?" Rebekah smiled, letting him know that she'd be with him, that they'd all stay together.

"Of course." Klaus nodded.

What did you think of this one? At first I planned to have Bella keep her distance but I couldn't help it and I figured that in her position, I would try to sneak a peek too. She's only human and so she sometimes breaks the rules she set for herself.

None of you guessed the right song. One last try? Which song kind of inspired this story?

Review please?

Lorelei Candice Black