Arianna's POV:
I woke up in Nik's arms. I've been waking up in his arms for years, yet I don't think I'll ever get used to it. We've been on the road for two days ever since prank night and now we're in Portland. We've been making hybrids along the way and Nik's army has slowly been building.
"Morning, love." Nik kissed the top of my head.
I rolled over to face him and whispered, "Morning." I leant forwards slightly and placed a kiss on his lips and then laid my head on his chest. We laid in bed for a few more minutes, before Nik interrupted the quiet.
"We need to get ready, my love."
"Why?" I complained. "You know it doesn't take me long to get ready."
Nik laughed. "We need to get ready to leave, sweetheart."
"Ugh, fine." I groaned and rolled out of bed. I quickly got ready so we could leave.
"You look gorgeous, little witch." Nik wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me when I came out of the bathroom.
"Nik, stop." I laughed when he started kissing my neck. "I love this, but you were the one rushing me not 15 minutes ago, so let's go." He growled and let go of me. We left the room after collecting our things and signed out of the hotel.
We were walking through the woods after making even more hybrids when Stefan called. Nik answered after smirking at me, "Portland is fantastic, once you get over the whiney music. It's literally a breeding ground for werewolves."
"Your fathers dead." I overheard Stefan tell Nik, making him freeze in shock.
"What did you say to me?" I had also frozen in shock, but when I heard Nik's voice I went over to him and grabbed his hand. I could hear the fear in his voice at the sound of his father.
"Oh, my mistake. Not your actual father, and not dead." Stefan corrected himself. "Mikael. Daggered. What do you want me to do with the body?"
"Well, first, I want you to explain to me exactly what happened." Nik didn't believe them one bit. Neither did I, this was clearly a trap.
Flashback-One Hour Earlier
"Let's say Mikael followed Elena. Tried to grab her so he could use her as bait." Stefan tried to come up with a plan.
"And you, what, vervained him?" Elena was skeptical.
"No, we vervained him." Damon corrected. "Guy's an Original. We have to make it realistic."
"Okay, fine." Stefan gave in to his brother. "We vervained him, and in the process discovered that he had a dagger."
"Which he planned to use on Rebekah." Elena caught onto Stefan's plan. "But instead——"
"We drove it through his heart." Stefan finished, with a smirk.
"And what happens when he asks to see Mikael's body?" Elena asked.
"Good point." Damon voiced his thoughts. "You have been compelled to do what Klaus says. So, if the idea is to lure him back here and kill him... the last thing we need is you getting tongue-tied."
"Well don't look at me." Stefan said when Elena turned to him. "I'm just in charge of getting him here."
"Klaus is smart." Elena pointed out. "If we tell him Mikael's dead, he'll want proof."
"Then I shall be dead." Mikael walked into the room carrying a dagger and white oak ash.
"What if he wants to see you in person?" Elena slowly approached him.
"It means our plan is working." Mikael answered her. "Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here, and I will kill him."
"What about Arianna, his wife?" Damon asked. "What will you do to her?"
"I'll kill her, too." Mikael stated.
"What are you going to kill Klaus with?" Stefan asked, disbelievingly. "Those daggers won't work on him."
"Oh, I'm in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree. The one that left these ashes when it burned." Mikael told them.
"Where is it?" Damon asked.
"Not here." Mikael answered simply. "Knowing its location is my insurance policy." He dipped the dagger in the ash.
"Against what?" Stefan asked cautiously.
"You leaving this in my heart." Mikael looked at the dagger. "You see, a vampire can't dagger an Original without dying. So, it falls to you." He handed the dagger to Elena.
"You want me to actually dagger you?" Elena double checked.
"Klaus will leave nothing to chance..." Mikael truthfully stated. "especially when it comes to trust."
End of Flashback
"I wanna see him." Nik started pacing. "I want to see his rotting body. For myself."
"Well, he's here." Stefan told Nik. "Come by whenever."
"If you're lying to me, Stefan, my wife's compulsion will expose you. So answer with your life. Is what you're saying the truth?"
"It's true." Stefan answered. "I saw it with my own eyes."
'Ask to talk to Bekah.' I mouthed to Nik. He nodded. "I want to talk to Rebekah."
"That's not a problem." Stefan sounded worried this time. "She's right here."
"Hello, Nik." Bekah's voice came through the phone this time.
"Rebekah, love. What's this I hear about Mikael's tragic run-in with a dagger?"
To the gang that I'm sure were with Bekah, it would've sounded like she wasn't saying anything , just hesitating. She was actually whispering something to us that she knew only we would be able to hear. 'Everything that comes out of their mouths and what I'm about to say is a lie.' "It's true. He's finally out of our lives for good." Nik and I looked at each other. 'Thanks.' I told Bex through our connection I created when she was woken up. "I miss you." Bekah said after a while. I could tell that was the truth, not a lie. "I'm miserable here."
"We'll be home soon." Nik assured her.
"Good." I could hear the fear in her voice. She was terrified of Mikael. "I'll see you then, brother, sister."
"It's a trap." I told him as soon as he ended the call. "You could hear the fear in Bekah's voice. She was terrified."
"I know, love." He pulled me into a hug, sending my worry for Bekah. "She'll be okay, Anna. She's an Original. She's strong and Mikael was never after her. He's after me."
"I know." I murmured. "Deep down, I know that. I'm just worried about her."
"Well, my love, it looks like we're going to Homecoming." I didn't even have to look at him to know he was smirking. He knows how much I hate them.
"You can't see my dress until I get to the Homecoming dance. I want it to be a surprise, so drop me off at the house so I can get changed." I told Nik. He was going to argue but he saw the look on my face and knew he wouldn't win so he dropped it.
Nik ended up flooding the hall of the high school so he could move the party to Tyler Lockwood's house so he can control it. He also turned it into a 'wake'.
I arrived when Nik was up on a stage addressing the crowd. "Good evening, everyone. I wanna thank you all for being here with me to celebrate." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. He really has a thing for dramatics. "It's been a long time coming."
The crowd cheered and then he got down and came over to me. "You have a thing for the dramatics, don't you love?"
"You love it really." He smirked and handed me a drink. "You look stunning, my love."
"Thank you, Nik." I was trying my hardest to take my mind off the fact that Mikael will be here soon, if he isn't already. I kissed his cheek and took the drink off him, "I'm gonna go and torment the others."
Nik smiled at the excitement he could clearly hear in my voice. "Okay, my love. I'll see you soon, stay safe." I knew he meant to look out for Mikael so he couldn't hurt me.
"I've learned not to be surprised by anything Klaus does." I walked over to Elena, Care and Matt, only it wasn't Elena, it was Katherine. "I'm gonna go find Bonnie." She smiled as she passed me. I smiled back at her.
"Ari!" Care exclaimed and threw her arms around my neck.
"Hi Care." I laughed and hugged her back.
She let go of me and turned to Matt. "What's going on? Why are you here with her? You were supposed to be here with Rebekah."
This piece of news wasn't surprising. Bex was always talking to me about him in our daily phone calls. What is surprising is that Bekah isn't with him. "Plans changed." Is all he said. "I need a drink." He then walked off.
Care sighed. "Men suck. They're completely useless."
I laughed loudly, "I have to agree with you on that one, Care." Just then, I felt an arm snake around my waist. Out of pure instinct, I leant back into him.
"I really hope that doesn't include me." He whispered in my ear, making me smirk. I saw Care smile at us out of the corner of my eye.
"Mmh, and what if it does?" I smirked even more.
"Well then, I guess I'd just have to change your mind." He started to kiss down my neck.
"No, stop it." I slapped his arm that was still wrapped around my waist. "Not in front of Care." I told him.
"Let's go and mingle with the pathetic teenagers. Act normal." Nik said.
"Okay. Bye Care, I'll see you later." I hugged her and then went outside with Nik.
As soon as we got outside, Stefan came up to us, "Quite the homecoming."
"I've been planning my father's funeral for 1000 years." Nik revealed. "I mean, in no version of it were these people invited, but you get the idea." I squeezed his hand, noticing his slight discomfort. Nik smiled down at me.
"So, what now?" Stefan ignored our interaction. "You stop running?"
"Now I reunite my family." Nik corrected him. I don't think that was the best idea since I don't trust Stefan at all, but it's Nik's decision in the end.
"Your family?" Stefan seemed shocked. "You mean the people you cart around in caskets?"
"None of that matters anymore." Nik dismissed Stefan's sly comment. "Mikael's gone. Bygones will be bygones."
"Really great party." The homecoming queen walked past us. "I like the band."
"It seems the homecoming queen still walks among the living," I observed the situation. "which leads me to believe that Bekah isn't here. Do you happen to know where she is, by any chance?"
"No, I have no idea." Stefan shrugged. "I thought she was coming with Matt."
"Yes, so did I." I mused. "Although, I saw Matt earlier, and Bekah wasn't with him."
"Be honest now, Stefan." Nik glared. He doesn't mess around when it comes to his family. "Where's my sister?"
"I said, I have no idea." Stefan still denied it. "Now, would you like me to take you to your father?"
Nik blinked in slight surprise at the quick change of subject, "Well, it wouldn't be a party without the guest of honour, would it? Bring him to me."
Stefan rolled his eyes. "All right. Perhaps there's something in it for me?" When Nik still acted confused and I just stood there smirking, Stefan continued talking. "My freedom from yours and Arianna's compulsion."
"Oh, you want your freedom?" I smirked at him, just to annoy him even more than normal.
"How about this? Once he's dead and his weapon's destroyed, you can have your freedom." Nik propositioned. "It would be my pleasure to give it back to you." I rolled my eyes. Nik really trusts Stefan way too much. It's strange seeing him trust someone that isn't me like this. Stefan smiled and walked away.
"You trust him too much, Nik."
"It's okay, my love." Nik promised me. "It's all going to be okay."
Tyler came up to us, "My mum would seriously freak if she saw all these people here."
"Your mother won't be a problem." Nik told him. "I compelled her to go to church and pray for your friends."
Tyler laughed, "What are you talking about?"
Nik smiled at me and answered Tyler's question, "I want you to look around. There's Bonnie. There's Elena, and Matt, and there's your pretty little girlfriend, Caroline. Their big dance was wrecked tonight, and who came through with a party? You did. What a pal."
"But, who are all these other people here?" I got to Nik's point.
That made Tyler think, "I have no idea. I've never seen half these people in my life."
"Well, that's because we invited a few dozen friends of our own. That's my friend Mindy." Nik pointed to one of the closest hybrids to us. "We picked her up along the way in Kansas. Did you know that there's an entire bloodline of werewolves in the heartland? There's Tony, from North Dakota, and let's not forget the Seattle contingent."
"Hold on." Tyler was now quite concerned. "Are those people all hybrids?"
I nodded. "They also love a good party."
"And they, like you, were sired by me." Nik added. "They wish to serve their master. So if anyone should so much as make a move against me or my wife... they may feel obligated to retaliate." Nik smiled at him. "Feel free to warn your friends."
When Tyler walked off, he was pretty angry and I saw him go to Caroline. When they both went in a room together, and only Tyler came out, I turned to Nik, "Tyler's done something to Caroline."
"Go, but be careful." Nik kissed the top of my head and then let me leave. I ran into the room that I had just seen Care go into and found her on the floor, unconscious.
"Care!" I rushed over to her. I could smell vervain, quite a lot of it. I'm guessing Tyler injected her with it. I picked her up carefully and vamp sped home to put her in the guest room. I made sure she wouldn't be uncomfortable and left her a note just in case she woke up before we got back and I then raced back to Tyler's so Nik wasn't alone. I wasn't careful enough though. When I got to the front of the Lockwood's house, Mikael was there waiting for me.
"Well, well. Look who decided to come running back." Mikael taunted me.
"Look who isn't daggered."
"You don't seem surprised by that."
"Of course not. My bitch of a sister would never be able to dagger you unless you let her. And the only way you would let her would be if you had some insurance policy that they didn't keep the dagger in you. That also means you have a plan. You won't get away with it. Nik will beat you. He always gets away from you."
"Yes, he might get away, but you won't." He said and sped towards me and then everything went black.
I woke up by being pushed into one of Mikael's arms by one of Nik's hybrids. Kat was in his other arm. Once I got over my confusion I looked up to see Nik in front of me. Guess we're Mikael's attempts to get Nik out of the house.
'Whatever he says, do not leave that house.' I sent to Nik before he could even think about doing anything. I know that Nik's first thought would be to get me to safety but I can't allow that if it puts his life in danger. I could see the conflict on his face, but he must've decided to listen to me because his expression turned to one void of any emotion when he looked at Mikael.
"Come out and face me, Niklaus... or she dies." Mikael threatened.
"Go ahead. Kill them." Nik smirked, but I could see the concern for me in his eyes.
"No." Kat gasped. "Klaus. He'll do it." She's pretending to be Elena. That makes more sense now.
"If the doppelganger dies, this lot will be the last of your abominations." Mikael taunted Nik.
"I don't need them. I just need to be rid of you."
"To what end, Niklaus? So you can live forever with no one at your side after I kill your mate? Nobody will care about you anymore, boy! Who will you have, other than those whose loyalty you've forced? No one."
'Nik, don't listen to him, I love you so much. And your family cares about you. Don't listen to him.' I told Nik when I saw him getting upset by Mikael's words.
"I'm calling your bluff, Father. Kill them."
"Come outside and face me, you little coward, and I won't have to."
"My whole life, you've underestimated me. If you kill them, you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on, kill them. Come on, old man. Kill them. Kill them!"
Mikael chuckled, "Ah... Your impulse, Niklaus. It has, and will forever be, the one thing that keeps you from truly being great." He then stabbed both Kat and I through the stomach from behind and pulled the daggers out. We both fell to the floor in pain, well Kat was acting and I was trying to heal myself quicker.
Damon then sped up to Nik from behind and stabbed him with the white oak stake. "No!" My eyes widened out of worry for him. Kat stood back up.
"Katherine." Mikael growled.
She turned to face the hybrids, "Ka-boom." She threw vervain and wolfsbane grenades at them causing them severe pain.
Damon was about to stake Nik through the heart, but Stefan knocked Damon off him. "What are you doing?"
Nik used this moment of distraction to pick up the stake and speed towards Mikael and stab him through the heart. They landed at the bottom of the stairs where Mikael's body then burst into flames. Once Nik was sure he was dead he rushed over to me and gave me his blood which would speed up the healing process even more because of the mate bond. Mikael must've drugged me with something beforehand because I wasn't healing like usual but Nik's blood did the trick.
"What the hell did you do?" We heard Damon ask Stefan.
We got up and went over to them, "He's earned his freedom. Thank you, my friend. You no longer have to do as my wife or I say. You're free."
When Nik and I got home I got changed into one of Nik's tops and shorts before going into the guest room to check on Care who was just waking up. I sat next to her on the bed, "Hey, how are you feeling?" I brushed her hair out of her face.
"Like shit." She mumbled before hugging me and crying into my shoulder.
"It's okay, Care. He won't do that to you again, I can promise you that."
"Why didn't he just ask me to leave?" She sobbed.
"I don't know, Care-bear. I don't know." I let go of her and she laid back down. "You can stay here tonight if you want to. Have a little break from everything."
"Yes please." She mumbled into the pillow.
"Okay, well there's food and blood bags in the fridge, but if you need me for anything just come and find me. Our room is just down the hall." I kissed her forehead and then left.
I went to our room and Nik was already in bed waiting for me. I flopped down onto the bed and cuddled into Nik. "Nik?"
"Yes, my love?"
"I want to find my daughter. Please can you help me?"
"Of course, moya lyubov. I would help you with anything, you know that. And I will treat her as if she is my own child."
"I love you, so much."
"And I love you."