~Grace POV~
Today was day three of ultimate punishment and Grace had reached her breaking point. Luckily for her, this was the also the agreed upon day that she would give her grand heartfelt apology to her family. Her parents and their partners were all at the dining table, waiting to begin their weekly family breakfast upon her arrival. They had been more than a little bit awkward ever since she had revealed her memories, but this was all about to change.
"Good morning everyone." She began with a smile.
Her father was nonplussed by her arrival but Hayley and even Amelia seemed somewhat delighted by her brightened demeanour. Her uncle shot her a warm smile, and though he was usually fairly quiet, he was currently the one who was speaking to her the most.
"Good morning to you too, did you sleep well?" Hayley asked as Grace took her seat beside her.
"With no TV to send her to sleep? Doubtful." Remarked her father with great bitterness.
"Nik." Amelia scolded, but her father simply rolled his eyes and resumed reading his newspaper.
Grace's first instinct was to deliver a verbal haymaker that would surely land her in more trouble, but there was far more at stake than just her feelings right now.
"I actually didn't." She replied. "I guess I just had a lot of time to think about how things used to be. And how much I wanted things to be back the way they were."
Elijah's eyes seemed to fasten themselves onto her with much more curiosity than anyone else in the room. Her father was also paying more attention, but he was trying (and failing) to remain more inconspicuous about it.
"I'm sorry." She began, reminding herself to swallow her pride as this was better for her in the long run. "I guess I just was really having a hard time. Things were changing so much that I just wanted to...cling onto something familiar. But I should never have taken it out on you guys. Mom, Amelia, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you guys. But I promise it stops today. I know it'll take some time for you to forgive me but—"
Hayley's arms wrapped tightly around Grace and Grace responded in kind. Even though it meant denying her real mom again, Grace took comfort in knowing that she had taken one burden off of Hayley's shoulders.
"Of course I forgive you Grace." Hayley murmured into her hair. "I'm just so glad to have you back."
"And I forgive you too Gracie." Amelia's hand reached out to grab Grace's and the latter had to tense every inch of her body to keep from jerking out of her grasp.
When Hayley finally let her go, Grace met her father's eyes and he almost look angrier than when she was still talking about Fiore.
"Why now?" He asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you decide now to give it up?" He continued. "Because you missed your phone, is that it?"
"Nik, you don't need to—"
"Answer me, Grace." The hybrid once again pressed Grace for answers, paying no mind to Amelia's words.
"Why are you mad at me?" Grace asked in disbelief. "I told you why, I was tired of everyone being angry at me. This is what you wanted."
"Excuse me if I find it hard to believe you simply decided to give up your strongest convictions on a whim."
"I was tired of being isolated, is that what you want me to say?" Grace asked, uncharacteristically losing her temper. "Mom hated me, Amelia hated me, you hated me! The only person in this entire house that cared about making eye contact with me was Elijah of all people! I missed my friends, and I missed my family. But how would you know that? All you know is how to push your family away until there's no one left to care about you!"
"Grace!" Hayley exclaimed in shock. The table was gaping up at her and as she came down from her angry high, she too was surprised by her outburst.
"I...I'm sorry." She stammered as tears began to fill her eyes. "I'm just gonna...I should go."
She ran away from the breakfast table and flopped onto her bed, letting her tears pour out all at once. Not only had she ruined any chances of getting her parents to let Lizzie and Josie come, she'd probably also undone any of the progress that might have gotten her grounding lifted.
"It's been a while since I had breakfast and a show." Grace managed to let out a short laugh at the sound of her uncle's voice. The bed dipped under his weight, and she sighed before sitting up to face him.
"I was going for breakfast and a reconciliation." She huffed as she wiped away her tears.
"Well you wouldn't be a Mikaelson if things went down easy." He teased. "I'm sorry it didn't go as planned."
"It was going so well." She sniffled. "But then dad got mad and so I got mad and—"
"I know, I was there."
"I just don't get why he was so angry." She muttered. "I did exactly what he asked."
"I think your father has his own complicated feelings about Fiore." Elijah said with a look in his eyes that Grace couldn't quite place. But just as quickly as it came, it disappeared and now Grace recognised suspicion in his eyes. "But Grace, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask...did you really make it all up?"
"Yeah." Grace said with as much confidence as she could muster.
"Why?"
"It's like I said. Everything was changing and stuff." Grace told him with a shrug.
"So you added more change?" Elijah asked, making it clear that he didn't buy her story. "And what change are you even talking about? This is probably the most stable your life has been in—ever."
"Just things at school, I guess." Grace was retreating into herself as her uncle worked at dismantling her story. "It doesn't matter anyway. I apologised but I made it worse. They're still gonna hate me, I won't see Lizzie and Josie until I'm 40 and my only friend in the world is gonna be you. No offence."
"None taken." He said with a soft laugh. Grace released a soft sigh of relief as he seemed to drop his line of questioning in turn. He got to his feet and gave her a searching look before sighing pitifully. "I can promise that no one who has ever lived within these walls hates you. And though I make no promises, I can definitely see about you receiving some friendly faces."
Her eyes brightened with joy, and she flung her arms around her uncle who laughed as he comfortingly patted her back.
"As I said, no promises I can convince him." He reminded her.
"I'm just happy you're trying at all." She murmured softly. "It's nice to know you're on my side."
Almost imperceptibly, Elijah held onto her tighter pressing a soft kiss to her hair. "Always and forever, Grace."
~Klaus POV~
Klaus sat in his study now, trying to examine what had caused him to antagonise his daughter in such a way. She was right, she had done exactly what had been asked of her but he couldn't help that the notion of Fiore being alive was getting to him. Where was she? And how could he get her back?
Back.
Klaus struggled to hold onto the thought as he realised, he was thinking of her like she was real too. Desperate to see if this was a possibility, Klaus tried to follow the line of questioning. Why wasn't she with him now?
Klaus walked into the study where Fiore was, clearly, she had been waiting for him. He had spent a long time thinking about his decision and had been pushing off telling her until just now. His wife grinned at him as he entered, and he couldn't resist smiling right back at her.
"Someone looks very happy to see me." He began.
"Well are you not my handsome husband, King of New Orleans?" She replied with a smirk. "How else should I react to seeing you?"
Klaus laughed, but the look on Fiore's face showed him she had more seductive matters on mind. He grew solemn in order to ensure he followed through with his difficult yet necessary conversation, but his wife had no intention of allowing him to sully her mood.
"We need to talk, Blossom." He told her firmly.
In response, she rolled her eyes and slipped out of her dress, leaving her standing in her corset and a flimsy underskirt.
"Surely it can wait." She drew nearer to him, and she pulled him in for a kiss which the hybrid relished in, even though he knew he needed to stay focused.
"It shouldn't." Klaus gently pulled away from her but even still, she took her leg and hooked it around his thigh, refusing to let him leave her embrace so quickly.
"Niklaus, I know I am not standing here scantily-clad, and you want to talk." She pressed her lips to his again and once more the hybrid was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything else.
"Fiore!" He insisted, placing his hands on her waist and sitting her on the desk; and before she could tempt him any further, he began. "The war is coming. In fact, it might have already begun."
"You want to talk about war?" She asked with a soft laugh as she cupped his cheeks in her hands. "Yes Nik, I know about the war."
"And how do you feel about it?" He asked quietly.
Fiore was silent for a moment and her entire body went rigid as Klaus brought up the topic of biggest contention between them.
"Nik..."
"Please." He murmured, taking one of her hands and holding it tightly. "I need you to be open with me."
"Fine." She huffed. "Hopeful? Is that what you would like me to say?"
"If that's how you feel, then yes."
"Nik, I would love to be hopeful." His wife said with a look of fear in her eyes. "And I suppose to an extent I am but putting stock in hope has gotten me nowhere so far."
"Fiore, the North could win." Klaus told her. "In fact it is likely they will. And—"
"And if they win, then I will rejoice then." Fiore interrupted. "But until then...there is nothing for me to do but wait."
"But there is something I can do." The hybrid took a deep breath before telling Fiore something he had been dreading for quite some time. "I'm going to fight in the war."
"What?"
"I made up my mind some time ago." He continued. "There have been many times when I have felt useless and like there was nothing I can do but this...this I can do. And I know—"
Fiore cut off her husband's rambling with a kiss, surprising the hybrid with her fervour. He quickly reciprocated and when she pulled back, she had the most hopeful smile Klaus had seen in a long time.
"I adore you." She murmured as she ran her fingers through his hair.
"You're not even going to ask what side I'm fighting for?" He teased, causing her to playfully hit his shoulder.
"Don't be silly." She scoffed. "I know your heart. I've always known it."
"Are you sure you're alright with me doing this?" He asked somewhat nervously. "I could be away for a long time. Potentially years."
"Well I'll be coming with you." She told him, causing his eyes to widen in alarm.
"You know that you cannot." He said as he pulled away from her, hoping to curb his fear.
"I most certainly can." She refuted as she got up the table and drew closer to him. "Nothing that a few dozen compulsions won't fix."
"You are not going to fight in a war and that is final." He snapped.
"I think you'll find I decide what's final and what isn't." She shot back.
"I SAID NO!" He bellowed, managing to make Fiore stumble backwards in fear. He sighed as he took her face in his hands, resting his forehead against hers.
"I'm not going to be away from you for that long, Nik." She told him.
"You're gonna have to be." He whispered against her lips.
"Why?" She asked in disbelief. "I am stronger than any man out there and no bullet can harm me. I can handle it."
At the thought of people shooting at her, Klaus' grip on her tightened, unable to even handle the idea of that many people trying to hurt her.
"I know how strong you are, believe me."
"Then why won't you let me come with you?"
"Asides from the fact that every soldier would be distracted by your beauty," He teased, earning a soft laugh from her. "You are my priority in all things. If anyone so much as looks at you the wrong way I wish a brutal death on them. If people were genuinely trying to kill you, I...I would tear every one of those soldiers to shreds."
"Am I supposed to not want that?" She asked with a smirk and now it was his turn to laugh.
"Please Blossom." He continued. "I am not as strong as you. And I will never be able to subside my worries as long as you are there with me. Stay here. Be safe here. Please."
"Okay. I'll stay." She conceded, causing the hybrid to breathe a sigh of relief as their lips met in a kiss once more. "But you had better end that war as fast as possible, you hear me?"
"When I know I have you waiting back home for me? How could I not?"
She kissed him again and now that they'd had the difficult conversation, Klaus was ready to act on the sexual frustration he had pushed down in favour of having it. Hands on her hips, he hoisted her onto the table once more but just as he was about to start unfastening her corset, she pulled away with a concerned look.
"What is it?" He asked in confusion.
"I hope you know...you don't have to do this for me." Fiore began.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, if you are only going to fight this war because you think it will make me happy or feel better, then you don't need to do it." She insisted. "I will not love you any less for staying out of it."
The hybrid sighed and fondly ran his thumb across her cheek, pressing a chaste kiss to his wife's lips.
"Fiore for you, I would move mountains." He began. "For you I would stop time."
"What a lucky girl I am." She murmured with a sad laugh, misinterpreting his words.
"For you I would bring the sun closer to the earth just so I could see your shine that much brighter." He continued. "And I would go to any war for you in less than a heartbeat, if that was what you asked of me. But you didn't. And even if you did, my position on the matter would not change. I am happy that this war ending in the North's victory will help you feel better, truly. But I am fighting because I know it is the right thing to do. And I have no intention of sitting in the side-lines when I know I can change history for good."
"I love you." She told him before kissing him again.
"I love you too." The two beamed at one another until Nik's look turned mischievous. "Now if we can continue what you were ever so desperate to start earlier..."
"Finally."
Klaus was struck by how vivid the memory was, but he couldn't figure out how it could be real. The civil war was centuries ago so that didn't explain why she was gone now. What had happened since then?
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Klaus was shaken out of his mystery spiral by Elijah's entrance. But as he opened his mouth to express them to his brother, he found all the thoughts were taken from his head. And now he couldn't even remember what he was thinking about.
"You know they're worth so much more." Klaus replied, causing his brother to reply with his usual snark.
"Well I certainly won't be coughing up the cash until I'm sure it doesn't come with an unwarranted verbal berating." His brother scolded.
"So that's what this is?" Klaus muttered with a roll of his eyes. "A haranguing."
"Well it's only fair, seeing as you chased Grace out of the dining room when she was trying to do right by this family." The brunette continued.
"I admit I was perhaps too harsh." The hybrid said with a sigh. "I don't know what came over me."
"I think it's safe to assume the reality of Fiore is affecting you more than you would like to let on."
Elijah sat opposite his brother with a probing look that Klaus quickly sought to avoid. The hybrid kept his eyes locked to the table as he tried to make sense of the thoughts that constantly eluded him.
"What if she's real?" Klaus murmured quietly. "What if Grace is right and somewhere out there she exists? What if she waits every day for me to come save her and I never come?"
"Niklaus..." Elijah seemed lost for words and Klaus realised he had unnecessarily burdened him with thoughts of a person that doesn't exist.
"But it doesn't matter." The hybrid murmured, shaking off his doubts. "Fiore is not real and even if she was, Grace did not deserve to be the recipient of my insecurities. I'll apologise to her before soon."
"If I could make a suggestion, I think she might appreciate a visit from the twins." Elijah suggested and Klaus' face fell into a frown.
"So there was an ulterior motive." Klaus muttered.
"I can't say one way or another." Elijah told him with a shrug. "But I can with absolute certainty that your daughter is struggling. And a visit from her friends might help."
Klaus sighed but nodded his head in agreement. "I suppose you're right. As always."
"Should I look outside for flying pigs and blue moon?" Elijah teased with a raised brow. The hybrid managed a chuckle but only for a moment as his thoughts turned serious once more.
"You remain my wisest counsel, brother." Klaus murmured humbly, holding his brother's gaze. "I am forever grateful that I can always rely on you."
"Yes...yes of course." Elijah's gaze seemed trouble but before the younger brother had a chance to question it, he had already gone. Klaus was left trying to remember the thoughts that had seem to plague him but now were nothing more but a distant dream.
A/N: The way I just became an Elijah stan in this book because my guy is really stepping up to be the emotional pillar this family needs I love him.
Speaking of love- Why are Fiore and Klaus so in love??? like damn Fiore what's it like to be living my dream (the gag is she is literally living my dream because I'm just writing about my dream man - screaming) crying in 100000% single
P.S. Sorry for the slow updates, life is kicking my a$$ right now and I haven't been able to make as much progress on E8 as I would have liked to by now. I'm gonna aim for at least once a month from now on but no promises whoops!