Previously in "Pages in Between", Finn and Sage celebrate the anniversary of when they first met.

Chapter Nineteen

Salvatore Summer Estate, Tuscany, Italy…

Maria stepped out of the cab when she arrived at the Salvatore summer estate. She had left the States after her fight with Colin, having told her parents she needed to clear her head.

The front door to the estate opened and Alexis came running out. "Ria, I've missed you!" She launched herself at Maria, who returned the eager hug.

Maria hugged her cousin. "I missed you too, Lex." She then heard music. "What's going on in there?"

Alexis smiled. "We're having a party for Aunt Care and Uncle Nik. Their anniversary is today."

"Is that tonight?" Maria asked as she got her suitcases from the taxi's trunk and carried them into the house behind her cousin.

Maria entered the house and saw that it was definitely decorated for a party.

Caroline was supervising where the decorations when Alexis walked back in with Maria.

Caroline caught sight of Maria and went over to her, hugging her. "Oh my God, Maria, I can't believe you're here! This is the best present ever!"

"What's the best present ever?" Klaus asked as he came in from the office.

Caroline smiled at her husband as she stepped back from her niece. "Nik, Maria is here."

Maria smiled at her uncle. "Hi, Uncle Nik, happy anniversary," she said. "I'm sorry that I'm a little underdressed for the occasion. Actually, I didn't know about it until Alexis told me."

Klaus nodded. "It doesn't matter, sweetheart. All that matters is that you're here." He hugged her. "It's good to see you." He then stepped back. "What brings you here? What's going on at home?"

Caroline was curious as well. "Yes, Maria, is everything okay at home?"

Maria shook her head. "Colin is a wreck. He's turned into this guy that none of us like, and Tanya, I'm sure, is feeling alone," she replied softly.

Klaus crossed his arms. "What has he done?"

"He broke up with Tanya," Maria said. "What's worse, he even said something mean about Liam."

"What did Colin say about my son?" Caroline demanded, turning into protective mother mode.

Maria saw the fire in her aunt's eyes and said, "He called him a lovesick idiot."

Upon hearing that, Caroline growled, "That rude little brat! My son is not a lovesick idiot! In fact, Liam is more of a gentleman than Colin is right now!"

Klaus saw how angry his wife was getting and took her firmly in his arms. "Now, now, love, let's not make a scene."

"Not make a scene?" Caroline said. "Nik, our son was just indirectly insulted by our nephew and you expect me to be calm about it?" She pulled out of his grip. "I'm calling Katherine right now and telling her about this."

Her husband nodded and gently grabbed her arms. "I agree, but not tonight. I'm not saying you should forget it entirely, but wait until tomorrow to call Katerina and Elijah."

Caroline sighs but calms down. "Okay. I'll call them tomorrow," she whispers and Klaus pulls her to him, his head resting on top of hers as he rubbed her back soothingly.

Liam came in just then, Carrie following behind him. When he saw Maria, a smile appeared on his face. "Maria, love, I was just thinking about you."

"You were? Well, it's a good thing I'm here then," she replied. "It'll be great to get away for a while."

Carrie nodded. "How are things with you and Gavin?"

"We're still together," Maria said. "I called him before I left and I told him I was heading to Italy because I was under some stress and needed to get away. He told me he understood and that he'd be waiting for me when I got back." She smiled. "I really don't know what I did to deserve him."

"Because he loves you, and he is your best friend?" Carrie asked with a grin.

"Yes, he is," Maria said. "That boy has been in love with me since third grade."

"He sure has," Liam said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he proposes to you before Thanksgiving." Curiously, he added, "So, is there any reason you're here by yourself?"

Maria sighed, her smile fading. "Colin and I had a fight. He's become a jerk. He broke up with Tanya and he called you a lovesick idiot."

"He said what?" Carrie said. "Why would he say that about his own cousin?"

Liam sneered. "If anyone is an idiot, it's Colin. Tanya didn't deserve to have her heart broken."

"No, she didn't, which is why I invited her here. I know she isn't family, but I also know that she needs us right now," Maria told her cousins.

Liam nodded. "Yes, she definitely needs support. If Colin refuses to give it to her, then we certainly will."

Outside, Tanya stepped forth from the limo that had brought her to the Salvatore summer estate. Having Tatiana Petrova as a mother sure had its perks, but sometimes it didn't.

Liam came out to meet Tanya, along with Christian and Sebastian, who assisted her with her luggage. Among the bags, Liam noticed two huge books. "What's with these huge books, love?"

Tanya smiled. "It's for school. I'm doing a report on my family, so my dad and Meghan gave me books on the Lockwood and Fell families."

Liam nodded. "I did the exact same thing when I was in high school. It was my freshman year and I had been out sick most of the time, first with the flu, and then with bronchitis and sinus infections. I got notes from classmates and stayed after class and to make up tests I missed. My history teacher then suggested that for extra credit, I do a research project on my family. So, with my parents' help, I got information on both the Mikaelson and Forbes families."

"How did you do?"

Liam smiled. "Dear girl, I got an A+ and boosted up my grade point average."

Tanya smiled again. "That's great, Liam!" She turns her smile to Klaus and Caroline. "I hope that you don't mind that I'm invading on your anniversary party."

Caroline smiled at her. "You're not invading at all." She looked at her husband. "Isn't that right, Nik?"

"No, the more the merrier," he replied. "In fact, it might help take her mind off of Colin and his stupidity."

Tanya chose to ignore the mention of Colin, instead bringing her hand to her the small mound of her belly. "It's just you and me, baby girl," she whispered.

Carrie took notice of Tanya after they walked back into the house, smiling at her as she said, "Tanya, what a surprise! I've missed you so much!"

Tanya hugged her friend. "I missed you too, Carrie."

"How are you doing, with everything, I mean?" Carrie asked, her hands waving around her.

Tanya smiled. "I'm doing well, all things considered." She cleared her throat. "How are you doing?"

"I've been well," Carrie said. "Oh, and I'm not sure you know, but Aubrey passed away a while ago."

Tanya nodded. "Riley called and told me all about it. Thank god he has Penny for support."

"I think we're all grateful to have a person in our lives. So! That means we'll find someone for you. An Italian guy too," Carrie says excitedly.

Tanya's smile faded. "Carrie, please, you don't have to do this. I just got my heart broken. I'm a little gun-shy right now."

"I know, but you're my friend and I want to help you," she replied. "Don't you trust me?"

"I do, but…"

"No buts, Tanya," Carrie said. "This will be good for you."

Later that Evening…

Tanya was relaxing with a glass of water when a tan-skinned man with dark hair approached her and held out his hand. "Oh, no, I don't really feel like dancing," she said as she shook her head no.

The man smiled. "One dance won't hurt you, signora."

Tanya sighs and puts aside her glass of water then takes his hand and allows him to guide her to her feet. She places one hand in his then puts the other onto his broad shoulder.

The man then said, "My name is Antonio. What's yours?"

Tanya could have lied straight through her teeth but she refrained from it. "My name is Tanya Petrova-Lockwood. My mother is Tatiana Petrova," she replied.

Antonio nodded. "Ah, yes, I remember hearing that your mother was in Rome twenty years ago."

"She was," Tanya nodded. "She was going to stop the wedding of the parents of one of my best friends."

Carrie looked over Liam's shoulder as they danced, seeing what was happening between Tanya and Antonio. She may not have heard what was being said, but she did hear Tanya's mother's name being mentioned. Liam gave her a curious look. "What's wrong, love? Why do you keep looking over there?"

"I heard Tanya mention her mother's name," she replied. "I don't know the extent of their conversation, but I get a weird feeling from it."

"Want to cut in?" Liam suggested and Carrie nodded before they danced over to where Tanya and Antonio where. They stopped dancing long enough for Liam to snag Tanya's hand, pulling her away from Antonio, who protested when she was taken away. Carrie stepped in to dance with him instead, but he pushed her away and left through the front door.

Liam noticed what Antonio had done to Carrie and immediately got concerned about her. He looked at Tanya and said, "Tanya, love, why don't you go talk to your date? I'm going to see if Carrie is all right."

Tanya nodded and went after Antonio. Once she was gone, Liam went over to Carrie. "Carrie, what happened? Are you hurt?"

Carrie shook her head. "No, I'm okay. I just…didn't expect him to push me away like that. All I was trying to do was dance with him. Seriously, what kind of guy pushes a girl away when she's trying to dance with him?"

Outside, Tanya found Antonio and said, "Why did you push Carrie like that, Antonio? All she was trying to do was dance with you. You didn't have to treat her like that."

"I should not be here right now, signora," Antonio said before kissing her forehead and leaving her standing there alone.

Tanya returned to the party and Carrie saw the sad look on her face. "I'm so sorry, Tanya."

Tanya shook her head. "It's not your fault, Carrie." Before her friend could speak again, she added, "I'm going to go to bed. Good night."

Liam and Carrie watched as she walked away, obviously concerned about what had gone on.

Upstairs, Tanya was just getting into her pajama Capri set when she noticed another suitcase next to hers. She glanced over to see that the bathroom door was slightly ajar.

Tanya scowled toward the door and slowly approached it. "Hello? Is anyone in there?"

No sooner did she finish that than the door opened and into the room stepped the last person she ever expected to see. "Colin? What are you doing here?"

"I know that you don't want to see me right now because of how I treated you and I'll leave if you want," he replied. "But, I want to talk to you."

"Oh, now you want to talk?" Tanya said. "And what makes you think that I'll listen to what you have to say? You made it perfectly clear that you don't want to be with me, so why bother?" She scowled. "I told Caroline what you said about Liam and she went ballistic. In fact, she's going to call your parents tomorrow and tell them."

Colin got onto his knees. "Please, Tanya Louise Petrova-Lockwood, take me back?" he pleaded with her.

Tanya saw him on his knees and raised an eyebrow. "If I take you back, are you going to treat me like the lady that I am? And are you going to accept my baby, even though she's not really yours?"

Colin nodded. "Yes." He reached into his pocket. "In fact, I'll do one better." He took Tanya's hand in his free hand. "Tanya, I come before you today as a man, nothing more and nothing less, to ask you this very important question." He took a box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a diamond ring. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I promise to make you the happiest woman in the world and officially make the baby a Mikaelson."

By the time he was finished speaking, Tanya had tackled him to the floor, smothering his face with kisses before she said, "Yes, yes, yes! A million times yes, I'd love to be your wife, Colin Zachary Mikaelson."

Colin smiled and put the ring on her finger before kissing her passionately. "I love you so much, Tanya."

"Not as much as I love you," she whispered against his lips, smiling like a canary.

Colin smiled. "Oh, I think I love you more."

The next morning, Tanya woke up with a big smile on her face as she glanced at her engagement ring. She heard soft voices coming from the hall and went to investigate, finding that it was Caroline and Klaus. "Hey," she said in a soft voice. "What's going on?"

Caroline smiled at Tanya. "Oh, we're just talking about the baby." She then noticed the ring on her finger. "Tanya, where did you get that ring?"

"From me," Colin's voice said from behind Tanya.

Klaus looked at Caroline and then at his nephew. "You gave her that ring after the way you treated her?"

"I had a lot of time to think about that, Uncle Nik," Colin said. "I realized that what I did was wrong, so I came here to ask Tanya for her forgiveness, as well as her hand in marriage."

The door to Carrie's room opened from behind Klaus and he moved to allow room for his future daughter in law to step out.

Carrie gave Colin a stern look. "Just because Tanya forgave you, that doesn't mean I have. You hurt her, Colin, and I don't take kindly to that."

She was about to step forward and attack him with her fists but Klaus stepped into her path. "Carrie, love, I don't think that is the best idea right now, especially not in your condition," he said softly.

Carrie scowled at him. "But, he has to pay for hurting Tanya."

Klaus shook his head. "I realize you want to help her, but at the same time, I don't want you getting hurt. Liam wouldn't forgive me if something were to happen to you."

Liam was then seen coming toward them and when he saw Colin, he wasn't too thrilled. "What are you doing here, Colin?"

"We're getting married, Liam," Tanya replied as she put her arms around Colin's waist from behind.

Liam scowled. "After what he did to you, not to mention what he said about me, you agreed to marry him?"

Tanya was about to reply, but Colin spoke for her. "I didn't mean to say what I said about you, Liam. I was angry and not in control of what I was saying."

Klaus saw that Liam was clenching his fists and said to Caroline, "Caroline, love, could you take Carrie, Liam and Tanya downstairs? I want to have a word with Colin alone."

Caroline nodded. "Okay." She turned to the trio in question. "Come on, guys, let's go downstairs and have some breakfast."

They all followed the older blonde downstairs, where Tanya sat with Carrie at the island beside the stove and Liam went out to the back porch.

Damon and Elena walked into the kitchen at that moment, still wearing their clothes from the party. Caroline scowled at them. "Where did you two go off to last night?"

Damon smirked as he put his arm around Elena's shoulder. "We went outside to dance under the stars and then we sat out on the porch. Before we knew it, we ended up falling asleep in each other's arms." He noticed his eldest daughter and Tanya. "What happened?"

Caroline shook her head. "Oh, there was a bit of drama this morning. Scratch that, there was a lot of drama."

"What kind of drama?" Elena asked.

Caroline looked at the girls. "Well, it had to do with Colin. Apparently, he and Tanya are engaged now. Carrie and Liam aren't exactly thrilled about it."

"Who is Tanya again?" a voice asked from behind Damon and Elena and everyone turned to see a woman with dark red hair.

"Bridget Mikaelson, what on earth are you doing here?" Caroline squealed as she moved around to hug her tall niece.

Bridget hugged her aunt. "Actually, I was going to visit my sister. Mother and Father put her in a special school for the blind. But, I thought I'd drop by to see you."

"When did Finn and Sage decide this?" Caroline asked, having only heard this news for the first time.

Bridget sighed. "Well, every doctor they contacted said that they couldn't do the surgery to repair Ruby's eyes, so they decided that it was time she learned to adapt to being blind, so that led to them putting her in a special school. Mother was devastated, of course, but if Ruby is fated to be blind, what other alternative is there?"

Author's Note: I hoped you enjoyed seeing Bridget, because there will most likely be more of her in the next chapter. ENJOY!