~Grace POV~
"So Sixteen?" Elijah began as the family sat together at the table. "How are you feeling about it?"
"Great!" Grace replied with a smirk. "Dad's gonna get me a stable, mom's gonna get me a car, so that leaves you the private jet."
Klaus rolled his eyes as Elijah and Hayley laughed good naturedly. In fact, the only person not engaging was her father's "friend" Amelia. She was awkwardly looking in from the outside and Grace decided to make an attempt to include her.
"Don't worry Amelia, the Salvatore School is still up for grabs." She added causing the brunette's eyes to light up. "The Grace Mikaelson School has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
"Why stop there?" Amelia asked. "If you pleaded hard enough, I'm sure we could get you into mount Rushmore."
"Mount Rushmore was made by a white supremacist on land stolen from the natives, so I'll skip that." Grace corrected.
"That's my girl." Hayley remarked, leaning over to give her a high five.
"On the other hand, it would be a big f you if you had a girl that looked like me carved next to them."
An indescribable wave of confusion fell over the room, but it was quickly dissolved by her Uncle moving the conversation along.
"Have you heard from Kol and Davina?" He asked.
"Oh yeah." Grace replied. "Davina's still too sick so she and Kol won't be able to come. They will still be sending their present though."
"Grace!" Hayley called out scoldingly.
"But of course, I'll still miss them." She added with a cheeky grin.
"Well, I for one am delighted to have less people to share you with this week." Klaus told her with a fond smile.
"When did he get so sappy?" She asked the table.
"What's that saying about ungrateful children?" Klaus countered.
"Well, it's—"
"Um Klaus?" Amelia suddenly drew all eyes to her, and Grace now realised she was more nervous than anything. "Isn't there something you wanted to say?"
"Oh. Oh right." Klaus muttered, but Grace could see that he was not happy having been put on the spot. "Well Grace...I suppose there's a secret I think it's time I told you."
"Oooh I love secrets!" Grace said excitedly.
"And I hope you will love this one as much as I do." Klaus' eyes locked onto Amelia's with an affection he had failed at hiding. "I know I told you that Amelia was just a friend but she's really my—"
"Your girlfriend." Grace finished to her father's surprise.
"What?"
"Yeah, I'm not stupid." Grace continued with a roll of her eyes. "I knew you two were together the whole time."
"Oh. And you—"
"And you're truly alright with that?" Her uncle Elijah asked in disbelief.
"Well yeah." In truth, Grace didn't feel one way or another about Amelia. But her father's feelings were clear and so she could deal with having a stepmother to feel indifferent about. "Dad, if you love Amelia, then I am happy for you."
Klaus leaned over to squeeze his daughter's hand affectionately and Grace beamed back at him with all the love she could muster.
"I love you, Sweetheart." Klaus told her.
"I love you too, Dad."
They beamed at each other for a moment longer before their attention was abruptly turned to Elijah. He got out of his chair but froze when he realised they were all staring at him.
"Uncle Elijah, you good?" Grace asked him.
"Yes, yes, I just—" For a second he seemed to glare at Amelia before his face returned impossibly neutral. "I just remembered I have a last-minute requirement of me."
"What?" Hayley asked in confusion, but he simply walked out of the room without a second glance.
"That was weird." Grace remarked.
"It most certainly was." Klaus murmured with a furrowed brow.
"But if that means breakfast is over, can I go to my room?" She asked.
"But we've barely—"
"Klaus, stop being so clingy!" Hayley said with a roll of her eyes. "Go ahead, Gracie."
Grace hugged her parents before rushing to her bedroom. She then locked the door and cast a spell to ensure that no one could eavesdrop on her either. She rushed to the windowsill where a large white envelope lay with her name on it. She tore it open and saw a return ticket to Sweden with her name on it. Her flight left tomorrow but wouldn't return until the day after her birthday.
"Jeez, way to give me no warning."
Grace hadn't told anyone, but for the past few months, she had been receiving letters from an anonymous witch. They helped her with magic, taught her things she didn't know about herself and had invited her on this "Life-changing" trip.
She knew that there was every chance that this was a trap, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the person was the answer to many of her problems. So she had told her dad that she wanted to stay at home for her birthday so she could find a way to go on this trip. But now she only had a day to convince him to let her go.
~Elijah POV~
Elijah watched from the balcony as Klaus kissed Amelia goodbye. As she walked out of the compound, Elijah could practically see the lovesickness that radiated off of her, something he knew his brother did not feel.
"Would you like to explain what happened at breakfast this morning?" Elijah startled, so lost in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed his brother join him.
"Nothing." He replied nonchalantly. "As I said, last minute requirement."
"Yes, what a normal thing for someone to say before dramatically ditching their family at the breakfast table." Klaus said with a roll of his eyes.
"I don't know what you would like me to say, Brother." Elijah muttered, desperate to not give him any hints about Fiore.
"The truth." Klaus persisted. "Is this about Amelia?"
"Why do you say that?"
"So it is then."
"I never said that."
"You didn't have to."
"Your relationship with her is none of my business." Elijah told him with a shrug.
"You're right, it isn't." The hybrid said with a glare. "But you storming off like a hurricane could have given her the wrong impression."
"I could have given her the wrong impression?" Elijah asked, unable to hide his disbelief. "How rich."
"Excuse me?"
"Niklaus, be honest with me. And perhaps even with yourself." The brunette stared intensely into his brother's eyes. "Do you really think you can love her the way that she loves you?"
"Yes." Klaus said determinedly. "And I do."
"She clings onto your words like they are gospel. She follows you around like a lost puppy. And yet it took you a year to tell your daughter a secret that she already knew." Elijah retorted.
"I took so long to tell Grace so that she knew I wasn't trying to replacing her mother!" Klaus snapped.
"Hayley?" Elijah asked with a roll of her eyes. "The same Hayley you never bore any romantic feelings for? That's who you were worried Amelia would replace?"
"Grace has had enough instability in her life and—"
"I asked you to be honest with me, Niklaus." Elijah interrupted. "And you and I both know it is not honest to say you love Amelia the way you claim to."
"I have loved Amelia for centuries." Klaus insisted. "How dare you insinuate that love is not real?"
"She has loved you for centuries." Elijah refuted. "You love her when she is around but forget her when she is not. That is not the same."
"You have no right to speak on my relationship with Amelia." Klaus told his brother sinisterly, clearly tired of having defend his love.
"You are going to hurt her, Niklaus. The way you did before." Elijah said with a sigh. "Because just like before...your love is unequal."
Elijah began to walk away from his brother who was momentarily frozen in shock. Elijah wished he didn't have to say this, but he knew the love Klaus and Amelia had was fragile and fleeting. Not like—
"How often is love equal anyway?" Klaus asked. "What love is always equal?"
"A very special kind." Elijah replied with a sad smile. "The unconditional kind."