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•••
"Niklaus!" He heard a shout. A voice that was basically carved into the side of his skull screaming at him from his own mind. "Niklaus! Wake up, goddammit!" Finally, Niklaus opened his eyes in his mind. His body still lay on the floor as Marcel stared at the now two bodies at his feet, but his mind was back when he began building New Orleans, the compound freshly stamped with the Mikaelson 'M' on every wall. "God, its been over a century and you take this long to let me in? You used to not even consider fighting me," Belle giggled, remembering when she would find him having nightmares and fill his sleep with peaceful dreams instead.
"Belle?" he gasped, sitting up at lightning speed, not able to take his eyes from hers. "You...you're dead. How..?"
With a sigh, Belle sat back down on the ground next to him, her 1800s era dress plopping to the ground around her. "Apparently, death was too good for me in Mikael's eyes. He tormented me for a century before a witch desiccated him. Eventually, I built up my strength and got out." She breathed deeply, trying to process the recent events. "I'm sorry, Niklaus."
"For what?" he breathed, his brow furrowed in confusion at her sudden apology.
"I should have helped you. I saw him stab you. Now, you're to be tormented by that dreadful blade," Belle said sadly, her gaze flitting to her fiddling hands as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Belle, it's all right. It is probably good that you didn't try to save me," he couldn't help but chuckle. She had a habit of feeling responsible for things that are so obviously out of her control. "Why did you not come sooner?" He took her hand in his now, wanting desperately to feel her touch. A century he spent believing she was dead, he couldn't let himself waste his chance to feel her. To know this wasn't just a figment of his imagination—even if they still are in his head.
"I was afraid Mikael would find you if I did; and I had no idea of your whereabouts until I spoke with Damon Salvatore a couple months back. Only then, did I know that Mikael was dead. It was only a matter of time before I figured out where you were." Belle gave him a beaming smile after wiping her tears. She wanted this reunion to be happy, and she will be damned if she ruined her own plan.
•••
"I cannot believe you named your daughter Hope!" Belle laughed, hitting Klaus' arm lightly. After their initial reunion, they decided they were going to make the most of their time together in Klaus' head—telling each other about what they have been doing since she was taken. "How did you remember?"
"I listened to everything you ever told me as children, Belle. Do you truly think I'd ever forget the one thing you went on for weeks about?" Klaus smiled, a genuine smile—one that hasn't touched his face since 1919. "I thought you were dead, Belle. I felt that I needed to have something in your memory, and what better than to name my daughter what you have always wished?"
"Thank you, Niklaus. Thank you so much," Belle hugged Klaus, burying her face in his shoulder and breathing in his scent. Even after a century, it hadn't changed. The strange mix of vanilla, whiskey, and musk he'd always had. Pulling away, she stared into his eyes. "I know you're scared, Niklaus. Scared for what's to come before Hayley finds your siblings' cures. Scared for what's to come when you finally meet your daughter—when she truly knows who you are. You're scared for their lives—your life." Klaus couldn't help but look away as she spoke. He had almost forgotten his reality during his time with her. "But you don't need to be, Niklaus. Though, I don't know Hayley, I have faith in her. She will get the cures. Do you know why I know this, Niklaus?" Turning his face back to look at hers, she finished, "Because she would never leave her daughter without her father. Every child should have both of her parents, and she will. And maybe I can talk Hayley into letting me be godmother?" This made Klaus laugh. Of course, she's the only person who's been able to bring him from even the darkest of times, into the sun.
"You know, Hayley and Elijah are together?" Klaus turned to Belle, who was looking at him lovingly as he smiled. He desperately wanted to change the subject and he knew exactly what would catch her attention. Despite already knowing this, Belle let her jaw drop just as it did when she had discovered the information initially, her eyes comically wide as Klaus just laughed. "Oh, yes. Elijah has been pining after Hayley, even before she was married. It was truly pathetic for a time, but I guess it was worth it in the end. He got his girl."
Belle giggled, hiding her face into her knees—a habit she's seemed to always have; hiding her face when she laughed. Once she settled down, she looked back to Klaus, who was now staring at her lovingly. Klaus couldn't help but think that despite the fact his current reality was being subjected to a torturous, cursed blade and trapped by Marcel—maybe it would be bearable with Belle there.
