In the early morning before Anastasia had woken up, I headed outside and gazed upon the greenery I was surrounded with. We were well and truly in the middle of nowhere and the time I had for myself was far and few in between. So I would spend my time living vicariously through the family I might never get to see again.
I sat on my favourite hill and brought out my notebook, ready to write words I would never say aloud.
Sixteen. I hate that I had to miss another one of your birthdays, but knowing you, you had them eating out of the palm of your hand. I'm sure there's ten stables worth of horses running around that compound now that I'm not there to veto them.
I'm so glad that you spent it together, I know how much it would have meant to Nik that you wanted to celebrate with him. I only wish I was there to join you.
I heard you figured out I existed. I never wanted that for you. I worked so hard to ensure you would never have the burden of me. And I'm sure you hate me for staying away and maybe you have every right to.
"Do you regret it?"
I was startled from my writing by the sudden appearance of Elliott. His eyes were heavy, and I didn't need to see it to know that his heart was too. I shook my head and patted the space beside me.
"I didn't realise you were up."
He sat beside me and I pressed a kiss to his cheek, now that he was too tall for me to reach the top of his head.
"I've got a lot on my mind." He murmured morosely. "Hayley keeps texting me."
"Maybe you should reply." I suggested. "I'm sure she'd love to hear from you."
He sighed and shook his head. "That would only make things harder for her."
"You don't know that."
"I do." He insisted. "And clearly so do you. Otherwise you'd be sending those letters to Grace instead of keeping them in your diary."
"That's...fair." I muttered miserably. "But I do this to keep them safe. Who do you need to keep Hayley safe from?"
"Me."
"Elliott...It sounds like you regret it."
"I made a mistake." He confessed, tears filling his eyes. "I wish I could go back and do it all differently."
"Dwelling on the past does you no good." I reminded him. "You can beat yourself up about the past forever, but it won't change anything. You just focus on the future. That's what you're best at, right?"
He managed to let out a half-hearted laugh, before shaking his head and getting to his feet.
"Yeah. Maybe." He murmured quietly. "Anyway, I should get going. Only so much free time before Stasia wakes up and gets into dictator mode."
I smiled and watched him leave before returning to my letter for Grace.
Your brother just asked if I regretted my decision. And I'm sure you're wondering that too. But honestly Grace, I'd do it all again if it meant it would keep you safe.
So for your 16th birthday, I only have one gift to wish for you: peace. God, I hope you find peace, Grace.
I love you.
Happy birthday baby, love Mum.
~Elliott POV~
Spurred by his conversation with Fiore, Elliott got back to the spell that he had been dreading the completion of. Away from enquiring eyes, Elliott had been working on a séance of his own now that he was aware of all the spells in Anastasia's repertoire.
He stood in the centre of the room and began the spell that would grant him his first semblance of peace in years. The wind rushed through the flimsy walls and Elliott began to momentarily worry that he might be caught, but his pursuit was more than worth it and so he continued. And once every ounce of power had been drained from him, he collapsed to the ground heaving with effort.
"Elliott?" He had barely been able to catch his breath before his eyes snapped up at the sound of his voice.
"Josh?"
"You can hear me?" Josh asked in surprise as Elliott scrambled to his feet.
"And see you too." Elliott replied, tears spilling from his eyes. "Finally, I can...Hi."
"Are you dead?" Josh asked in alarm. "Why can you see me? What's going on?"
"I cast a spell." Elliott explained. "I wanted to see you. I had to see you."
"But why me?" Josh asked in disbelief.
"Because you are the one person who has called me out on every bad thing I have ever done." Elliott explained. "No one ever loved me like you did. I never loved anyone like I loved you."
Josh's heart was filled with love for the man that stood before him and he leaned into kiss him, only for Elliott to pull away with a sad gaze.
"Right. I'm a ghost. Boo." Josh said with a sad laugh.
"I'm gonna fix this." Elliott told him. "The Convergence will be here and then you'll be free. You'll be alive."
"Elliott, whatever Anastasia is planning can't be good." Josh said with a shake of his head. "You have to know that."
"She loves me." Elliott insisted. At the mention of Anastasia, Elliott turned away and began hastily packing away the evidence of his damning spell. "She just wants me to be happy."
"Does she?" Josh asked. "Because you don't look happy to me."
"Who are you talking to?"
Elliott jumped in surprise at the sound of Stasia walking into the room. He mentally exhaled in relief that he had been smart enough to clean up his crime scene, so at least his girlfriend didn't have any proof of him resurrecting his dead fling.
"Just to myself." Elliott said quickly.
Anastasia looked at Josh and rolled her eyes before laying an obnoxious kiss on Elliott's lips in a bid to stake her claim on him. She pulled away and beamed at Elliott's lovesick eyes before sparing a glance at the furious Josh.
"Come along." She told the brunette, running her hand through his short brown hair. "We have work to do."
Elliott nodded and headed out, but not before turning to Josh with one last wistful smile.
~Grace POV~
Grace knocked on the door of her father's study where he was sitting at his table, idly arranging his belongings as she knew he did when he was feeling upset. She hated that they erent getting along. They had worked so hard to build a relationship and overcome all the hurt and pain from the years before and now the one person she wanted to turn to about Fiore being alive was her father who had no idea.
"Hi Dad." He glanced up at her with a tight smile before returning to his knick-knacks. "Uncle Elijah told me you let Josie and Lizzie come."
"Yes, he thought it might help you out of what is clearly a tough time." He murmured in response.
"Well, thank you." She continued. "It'll be nice to see them."
"Hm."
"I really am sorry, you know?" Grace added, stepping further into his study. He had gone rigidly quiet, and she wondered if things between them could ever return to normal. "I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to hurt anyone, I just...I don't know what I thought."
"No Grace, I'm sorry." He told her with a sigh, finally turning to face her. "I knew it wasn't the right time to tell you about Amelia, I should've just waited until, I was sure."
"Dad—"
"Do you hate her that much?" Klaus asked. "Because I love her, Grace. And I can't even begin to imagine how I would stop."
Grace's eyes filled with tears as on the one hand, she wanted her dad to be happy more than anything, but on the other, if his happiness was with Amelia, what would that mean if her mom did come back?
"This has nothing to do with Amelia Dad, I promise." Grace insisted. "I just want you to be happy...are you?"
Her father was hesitant for a second, but then a genuine smile appeared on his face. "I think I am happy. And I think I can be."
She swallowed the large lump that was clogging up her throat and nodded weakly. "Then I will be happy for you."
He brought her into a tight hug that she gladly reciprocated, happy to be on the same team as her father once more. But silently she wished it didn't have to be at her mother's expense.
"I love you, Grace."
"I love you too, Dad."
He pulled away with a wide grin that she shared. But over his shoulder, she glanced at a picture she hadn't seen before. She left his embrace and reached high up on one of his shelves for the flimsy picture of her father in a soldier's uniform.
"I didn't know you fought in a war." Grace remarked as she examined the photo.
"For the most part, I wanted nothing to do with it." He replied as he too looked over the relic.
"For the most part?" She continued. "What brought you out of hiding?"
"I suppose they don't teach you much history in that Salvatore school." Said her father whilst rolling his eyes. "I fought in the civil war, to end slavery."
The littlest Mikaelson' eyes widened in surprise and she realised that an opportunity had fallen into her lap. All she had to do was play her cards ever so carefully.
"Why that one?" Grace probed, hoping to get the real truth from him.
"Fiore was scared of very few things but the idea of slavery terrified her to no end." Klaus answered absentmindedly. "Every day it killed me that I couldn't take that fear and hurt away from her. So when given the chance to do so, I leapt at it."
An excruciatingly long second passed as Grace replayed her father's words in her head over and over, just to make sure she had heard him correctly. And she had.
"You said Fiore." Grace murmured in disbelief.
"What?" Klaus said with a dismissive frown. "No I didn't."
"Yes, you did, you said Fiore was scared!" She continued, her shock turning to joy.
"I said no such thing and if I did, it was a slip of the tongue."
"No it was a memory!" Grace insisted, refusing to let her father slip away. "Tell me again. Why did you fight in the civil war?"
"I... It was a long time ago." He replied. "It was the right thing to do."
"Dad please." Grace begged. "Just remember her. You were in love for a thousand years, this can't just be it!"
"It was a mistake to tell you those stories." He said with a sigh. "Had I known they would distort your reality in this way, I never would have. Enough is enough, Grace."
"Dad, no!" Grace yelled. "No please! Those stories of her are all I have!"
"I'm sorry sweetheart." Her fathersaid with a shake of his head. "But it's for your own good."
A/N: Fiore returns y'all! I know she hasn't been in the story a lot so far but on god, you guys are not ready for her return because explosive does not even begin to describe the nuclear winter that is about to be Fiore Mikaelson.
Klaus is so in love with Amelia and I simultaneously love and hate that for him. Becuase on the one hand, the guy is not built for being alone, he is such a my wife guy. But also the wife he is built for is Fiore and no one else!!!!
But only Grace and Elijah know that so hey ho!
Next chapter, the twins take on New Orleans, you love to see it and Klaus and Amelia are on the rocks...?
Until then, love you as always! X