Mrs Mikaelson

Chapter 59

Nik had just completed the drive from New Orleans to Arkansas again, this time with Katherine as he explained to her the plan that Isa concocted to punish their mother.

"What I would give to be able to come with plans as devious as hers," Katherine whined as she helped haul bags from the trunk. One of her clothes and the other of psychology textbooks.

"You are devious enough as it is, Katerina. And here, you are safe from my evil brother while you help cure my good one, who's suffering from the worst case of post-traumatic stress disorder likely anyone's ever seen. "

"And so Hope can spend some time with her Aunt Kat," came Isa's voice as she walked out of the house, Hope a big bundle of pink blankets in her arms.

A massive smile instantly appeared on Katherine's face as she dropped her bags and ran over to her niece, gently taking her from Isa's arms and heading inside, knowing full well her friend would want a moment alone with Nik.

Isa's smile faded as she marched over to Nik and shoved him to the ground, knocking the air out of him. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when I felt something was wrong with you and then no one picked up their phones?!" she yelled at Nik as he hauled himself to his feet, dusting off the grass. "Do you have any idea how I felt when Katherine told me that you were ready to sacrifice your life without so much as a goodbye to me, or to our daughter?" Isa asked as her voice began to break."Do you have any idea how much it hurt me that after all that, you still didn't call?" she was crying now, and guilt hit Nik like a freight train. "This is me, Nik. I'm not one of your siblings. This is me. And we tell each other everything. We are always there for each other. So why didn't you call?"

"Isa, I am sorry for the pain I caused you. I truly am, but the guilt of what happened -"

"That's why I'm here, Nik! I am here to remind you that what happened to Rebekah was not your fault. I am here to remind you that you did all that you could to try and save her, even sacrifice yourself in her place. I am here to remind you that you beat your mother, you bested her. The two most wicked people we know tried to kill you and you came out on top. You should be feeling anything but guilt right now! I'm here to remind you of all that because I love you!"

Nik pulled her into a hug, the embrace relieving a lot of tension from them both as they melted into one another.

"Don't do that again. You know we've never done well being apart," Isa said into his shoulder as he pulled her closer.

"I am truly sorry for any pain I caused you, my love. It won't happen again, you have my word," he said as his hand moved to hold her head to his shoulder.

"You know I never push you to talk about how you feel, so if you don't want to speak, then tell me that. Don't just cut me out."

"I know, sweetheart," he said as he kissed the top of her head before something caught his eye. Glancing up at the house, something moved in the window as his lips spread into a smile. "We appear to have an audience," he whispered and Isa turned to see Elijah and Katherine, who stood with Hope in her arms, watching from the window next to the door. Though, as soon as they were spotted, Elijah dropped the curtain, pretending as if they were never watching at all. Isa had to laugh at her family as she wiped her tears.

"How about, to make it up to you, I show you some lovely pictures I took of your wonderous plan in action?" Nik suggested and Isa whirled, eyes wide.

"You have pictures?"

"Only a few hundred. It's not every day I get to watch my mother suffer and I thought it might be a nice apology gift for you."

Isa kissed him, Nik's hands pressing fast to her back as he pulled her close, their argument long forgotten. "You always get me the best gifts," she said with a smile as they pulled apart, Nik laughing at his wife. "Let's go inside! I want to see them," she said eagerly, and she would've pulled her husband inside, had he not gone back to the car to get the bags that Katherine had dropped. He rolled his eyes at the doppelganger who sheepishly waved from the window, her fiancé chuckling behind her at the scene. This was their family and it couldn't be more perfect.