~Hayley POV~
The return of her son was more than a little emotional and Hayley had taken some much-needed time to fawn over him. They were in the study where Hayley had yet to release him from her tight hold.
"I missed you so much," Hayley said as she took Elliott's face in her hands, determined to never part from him again. "I can't believe you're here!"
"Nor I," Klaus said as he hesitantly approached the two. "It's really good to see you again."
"Are you kidding? It's better than good!" Hayley exclaimed.
Hayley and Klaus were practically vibrating with excitement, but Elliott didn't seem to share their sentiment.
"Aren't you mad at me?" He asked the two, eyes flitting between his parents. "I turned my back on you, on our entire family! All for a girl."
"Honey, I will never judge you for who you love," Hayley said as she ran her fingers across his cheek. "If anyone is a testament to the heart wants what it wants, it's your dad and I."
Klaus laugh as he sat beside him and brought his son in for a tight hug, "You're young, this is the time to make mistakes. A thousand years in and I'm still not sure I learnt my lesson."
"I love everything about you, kid," Hayley told him. "Nothing and no one can ever take that away."
She joined the hug and breathed a peaceful sigh at her dysfunctional family brought together under one roof, her son clinging onto her for dear life as tears spilled from his eyes.
"I'm so sorry Mom, I wish I never left, I wish I never—"
"Shhhhh, don't worry about that, you're home now, kiddo. You're home."
~Fiore POV~
Elliott's arrival had put a halt on Anastasia discussion, and I decided to take the time to talk to my timeline counterpart. She was standing on the balcony overlooking the French Quarter, a smirk on her lips once she noticed my presence.
"Comforting to know the French Quarter is the same in every timeline—boozy, trashy, and full of life," she said, earning a laugh from me.
"There's a reason we always come back to New Orleans," I replied and suddenly her smile disappeared. "It appears I struck a nerve."
"You would know," she said with a mirthless laugh. "I've only been here once. I don't return anywhere. I don't have anywhere to return to. I don't have a family. Not a real one anyway."
"What about Silas?"
She scoffed, "I heard you and him mended fences. Not an option for me. If Silas is what counts for family, then I'm glad to be alone. I'll settle for knowing that at least in another life I am living a picturesque fantasy."
"My life isn't perfect either," she rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."
"I know you are, that's what makes it so silly," she replied. "You live in the Mikaelson compound with your husband and daughter and still got to be the most powerful being in existence. You got to have it all, so even if it's not perfect, it's pretty close."
"A power that I don't even know how to use," I said with an exasperated sigh. "Anastasia could never have taken someone like you. All it took was a death hex and a splitting spell and I became her property. That's why she chose me because I was the weakest. The one she could control."
The two of us stood side-by-side, silently longing for the life the other half until Fiore spoke up.
"What a pair we are," she said with a smirk. "It sounds like together we would make the ultimate Fiore. The one who really does have it all."
"I wish it were that simple," I muttered with a shake of my head. "I think having power like ours excludes us from all that. I'm not sure we were ever meant to be happy."
"Oh cry me a river!" Fiore said as she playfully nudged me. "Power is a gift, not a curse. If you took the time to stop fearing it, stop resenting it, you would see that you are your power. And you deserve everything, happiness, excitement—"
"Love?" I said with an arched brow.
"You really are me," she muttered.
"I mean it Fiore. Life isn't all about power. Or at least it doesn't have to be," I told her. "Having people in your corner who would die for you, who would go to the ends of the Earth to save you...there's nothing like it."
"I'm sure."
"Perhaps you should meet Silas."
"Never."
"I do not know the man who raised you, but if he is anything like the man who raised me, then I know he made mistakes—many of them—but I also know he is capable of change. And in spite of all the ways Silas hurt me, he loved me too." Her eyes refused to meet mine, but I knew she had heard me.
"Well it would be nice to tell him how much I hate him for emotionally torturing me for much of my life. And show him how much better I became in his absence."
I laughed, "I think that's more than fair."
"Speaking of love, is Klaus Mikaelson as good in bed as I think he is?" She asked with undisguised lust.
"Honestly? Better."
The two of us collapsed into a fit of giggles, able to look past the surreal reality of our situation. Though at this point, was our reality ever normal to begin with?
"I am really regretting not taking him for a spin," she said with a yearning groan.
"Why didn't you?"
"He was with someone. Her name was Camille. I think Grace mentioned you know her."
"Klaus and Camille?" I asked, eyes wide with surprise. "I'm not quite sure I can imagine that."
"You had a child 2000 years post-mortem, I can't imagine Camille and Klaus are that far out of reach."
"...Touché."
Just then, Klaus walked out of Hayley's study, his eyes met mine with an awkward smile on his face, but I quickly turned away. He didn't stay for much longer than that but now I had Fiore to contend with.
"Trouble in paradise, I see."
"To say the least."
"The self-sabotage is not a shared trait I can tell you that," Fiore said. "You love him, he loves you, is even willing to look past your abrupt departure, yet you're still finding a problem?"
"I don't know," I said with a shrug. "A lot has changed since I was last here. I don't know if we'll come back from this. I don't know if we can."
"Only one way to find out," she replied. "I'm confronting Silas, the least you can do is have a conversation with Klaus."
I glared at her again, but she remained undeterred. Finally I relented. "Fine, one conversation. No promises about how it goes."
"Well for your sake and mine—I hope it ends in sex!"
~Elijah POV~
Elijah had only ever been known for his cool calm demeanour, yet from the moment Hayley's memories had been restored, he had yet to stop shaking. He knew there would be consequences for keeping Fiore's secret, but he hadn't realised just how dire those would be. Klaus' ire he had expected, and he was in fact prepared for, having gone over his apology time and time again, but he could never have anticipated just how hurt Hayley would be.
Klaus was the first to exit and Elijah rushed to his brother's side, expecting unbridled rage, but was instead surprised to find his brother's drooping eyes.
"Niklaus, I—"
"You needn't apologise to me, Brother." Klaus told him with a wry smile. "After all, in my perfect world it would be me in your shoes."
"Fiore is not my wife." Elijah countered with a sombre shake of his head. "And I know how thoughts of her tormented you."
"That's between Fiore and I." His brother said with a shrug. "But you were only trying to do right by this family. And for that alone I consider us even."
He took a moment to examine his brother, to ensure this was not a trick of his mind, but Klaus seemed to genuinely understand his brother's position.
"You've matured right before my eyes, Brother." Elijah murmured with wide eyes.
"Not too mature." Klaus said with a smirk. "Trust that I am to lord this over you and bring this up whenever possible..." The two brothers laughed, and Elijah felt relief wash over him. "But my anger lies not with you."
"Thank you." Elijah accepted gratefully. "Your forgiveness is a gift unlike any other."
"After all the times you've forgiven me, it's only fair."
Hayley came out shortly after and the fury in her eyes told Elijah this apology would not be so easily won. Klaus was quick to pick up on the tension between the two and patted his older brother on the shoulder.
"Good luck."
As soon as Klaus walked away, Hayley stalked up to Elijah, shaking with rage, "How could you?"
"Hayley—"
"You kept that secret from me for years!" She yelled. "When Grace remembered, I was so devastated that my own daughter had disowned me, and even then you didn't tell me the truth! You could have told me the truth! You should have!"
"I know, but Fiore made it clear the truth was not an option," Elijah insisted but it fell on deaf ears.
"And I guess what Fiore says is gospel?" She asked, eyes wide in disbelief. "Why do her needs come before mine?"
"They don't—"
"You are supposed to love me—"
"I do! More than anyone in this world!"
"If that were true, you wouldn't have let me find out like this," she said with a shake of her head. "You would have trusted me—the way I have always trusted you. We could have talked this through together, dealt with it as a team. I thought we were a team."
"We are—"
"How can you say that to me after you have lied in my face for years?" She shook her head and bit her lip, a tell Elijah knew meant she was holding back tears.
"Hayley, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."
His hand instinctively went out to wipe her tears, but she jerked away from him, "I am so tired of your noble needs coming before me. I need to know I am a priority to you because if I'm not, then what are we doing here?"
"Hayley, I—"
But she never stayed to hear the end of the sentence, instead swiftly walking away from him. Probably for the best as Elijah knew he didn't have the words to make her stay.
~Elliott POV~
Having made peace with his parents, Elliott was on his way to deliver his next olive branch. The last time he had seen his sister was the worst day of his life, the day he turned his back on his family and the day she made it clear that theirs was a bond that could never be repaired.
He had only just brought up his hand to knock on her door when she called out to him.
"Get out."
"Gracie—"
"I told you I never wanted to speak to you again and I meant it."
She finally turned to look at him and Elliott wanted to be happy at being reunited with him, but he was only met with an enraged teenage girl, her hairs standing on end. He wished he could be upset with her, but he knew she was justified in how she felt.
"I know but—"
"There is no but, Elliott," she snapped. "What did you think was going to happen? I was going to forget that you hexed me? That you let my twin die? That you abandoned us—abandoned me—for Anastasia?"
"Grace, it's not that simple."
"Of course not," she scoffed. "But I don't care about your excuses because there is nothing you could say that would make me change my mind. So enjoy your redemption arc era, I hope everyone believes it, but I will always know who you are. One girl away from burning it all down."
"Grace, I made mistakes! I know that! I am sorry!" He pleaded. "But I want to make it better between us. I want to make up for it. Please. Don't let it end like this, after everything we've been through, please it can't be over. We can't be over."
Grace seemed to soften, and Elliott grew hope that she was open to a reconciliation. Yet not a moment later, she waved her hand and the door slammed in his face, locking it for good measure.
Defeated, Elliott walked to his room and lay on his bed, staring up at his bare ceiling with tears in his eyes.
"You did the right thing," Josh told him.
"Yeah, it really feels like it."
"I mean it," Josh sat beside him, his ghostly hand running over Elliott's palm. "You don't apologise for forgiveness; you apologise because they deserve to hear it. And Grace deserved to know you were sorry."
"I know, I know," Elliott said as he pulled his pillow over his face. "I just wish it wasn't this hard."
"Nothing good came for free."
"Jeez, did you read an inspirational quote book or something?" Elliott asked him with a wry laugh.
"Yeah, 1001 ghostly quotes to help the one you love," Josh said with a teasing smile.
"I should apologise to you too," Elliott said as he sat up and ran his finger's across where Josh's cheek would be. "I never should have chosen Anastasia over you. I wish I was brave enough to face my feelings for you. Brave enough to forgive you. Maybe if I had, we wouldn't be here today."
"Doesn't matter," Josh said with a shrug. "We are where we are. But we can fix this, you can fix this. I know you can. I know you will."
And just like that, the sting of Grace's rejection was quickly engulfed by the loving feeling washing over him with Josh's every word.
~Klaus POV~
Klaus hadn't been able to speak to Fiore in the time since her explosive return and was taking this moment of relative silence to do so. She was sat on the front porch of their home looking over the city stretch in front of it. He leaned against the doorpost and silently examined her at first. She was sat in a peaceful quiet, her hair flowing softly in the wind, and you'd never be able to tell the hell she'd been through.
"You let her straighten her hair." Was the first thing she said to him. His brows furrowed in confusion, but she went on. "I told you she was self-conscious about her hair and that you need to monitor that. And you forgot."
"I didn't forget." Klaus said as he sat down beside her, satisfied that at least her bloodlust was quelled for now. "But when she was 15, Lizzie straightened her hair once and she loved it. Who was I to say no?"
"Her father."
"It's not my job to control her. You know that."
Fiore sighed but nodded in agreement. "You're right. It should've been me. But I wasn't there."
Fiore's hurt shone in her eyes and though he wanted to say something comforting, he figured that as she was now she wouldn't believe him. So he sat with her in the silence and let her mourn the time lost with her daughter.
"There were times when I hated being black." She explained to his surprise. "Because I knew how much easier it would be to fit in if I wasn't. How much easier my life would've been if even one of my innumerable identities to be the status quo."
"I didn't know that." He murmured sadly. Fiore simply laughed wryly before continuing.
"I got over it. And I came to love who I am." She said with a fond smile that soon turned sad. "But I never wanted her to feel that. I wanted her to love everything about her."
"She does."
"She straightens her hair." Fiore's jaw was tight as she spoke, and Klaus could practically see the anger bubbling up at the surface. "She's surrounded by people who don't look like her and people who look at her funny because of how she looks. She straightens her hair because it means she's that much closer to fitting in."
The silence fell over them once more, but this time was somehow even more suffocating than its predecessor.
"War is over, my love. We're free." Fiore's eyes widened with recognition at the words Klaus spoke. And in spite of their irony, she couldn't help but laugh. And once he had recovered from the initial surprise, he too joined her.
"I didn't sleep for a month." Fiore confessed. "I sat here every day and every night waiting for you. Sometimes Marcel would join me, other times Elijah. Even Amelia ironically. But I just stayed here waiting, watching the grass grow, until the day you came home."
~Fiore POV~
"I made you some tea, mother." Marcel said to me, delicately holding a tray in his hand.
"You are absolutely precious." I replied with a beam as I took it from him. He sat down beside me and smiled as I made a show of drinking it. "Why Marcellus this is simply the best cup of tea anyone has ever made! We'll be making a tea chef out of you any day now."
He playfully rolled his eyes at me before turning back to the fields before us. "Is he here yet?"
"Soon." I said with a hopeful sigh. "He's going to be so happy to see you."
"I don't think anyone is going to be happier than you, Mother."
"That's probably true. I am going to squeeze him so tight and then I will never ever let go of him." I replied with a wide grin. "You know, you don't need to wait here with me. I'll be fine."
"But don't you want company?" He asked with a frown. "I really don't mind."
"Don't worry about me sweetheart, I'll be perfectly fine." I told my warm-hearted boy.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
With a soft kiss to my cheek, Marcel went back inside whilst I continued waiting for my husband's safe return.
Some few hours later, I heard the distant scraping of another carriage and tried but failed to keep my hopes at bay. I listened in hoping to hear something or someone in the carriage that would let me know if it was Nik.
"Faster will you? I can walk quicker than this!" I gasped at the sound of Nik's voice and before I even knew what I was doing, I raced towards him.
I ran as fast as my legs would allow across the field, only just noticing Nik leaping out of the carriage. I launched myself into his arms and held onto him as tightly as I could, unable to get even one of the many thoughts in my head out.
Our lips connected and the passion of every missed word, touch and kiss poured into it. My hands cupped his cheeks so tenderly, savouring the touch of him once again. His hands ran up and down my back gently and softly caressing me with love.
"I missed you." He whispered, laying a soft kiss to my collarbone.
"I missed you so much more." I replied as tears poured down my face. "I missed you every second of every day and I just wanted you back with me all the time."
"Well, I'm here now." He told me definitively as he wiped away my tears.
"And you're never leaving my side ever again." I demanded, practically wailing as I burrowed myself in his chest now. "I mean it."
"Alright, my love. I promise." He murmured into my hair, his hands still running soft lines across my back.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled half-heartedly. "I was going to be strong for you. You'd done all this fighting and I wanted to be strong for you but here I am sobbing into your clothes."
"I can get new clothes." Nik said with a wry laugh. "I don't want you to ever pretend for me, Blossom."
"I don't want you to have to be strong all the time." I said looking up into his concerned blue eyes.
"I'm not." He continued. "Because I married the most amazing woman in the whole world."
"But Nik—"
"Blossom, your reaction is perfect because it came from you." He told me. "I love every single thing about you. And there is nothing that could change that."
I surged up to meet his lips again in another kiss that's effects reverberated through every bone in my body.
"I love you Nik. You're my everything." He beamed at me, and his smile warmed me like it was the sun itself. "And I'm never letting go of you ever again."
"And you will never have to." He hiked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he headed to the compound. "War is over my love. We're free."
"I really thought that would be the end." Klaus told me with a sigh.
"In your defence it should've been." I replied with a shrug.
"All those years I spent fighting in a war only for some few centuries to pass and I find my daughter fighting those same problems." He muttered dejectedly. "It was all for nothing."
"It was not for nothing." I refuted. "The civil war didn't fix all the problems, but one is more than none. And whatever part you had to play in that mattered. To Marcel, to Grace and to me."
He nodded in acknowledgement, but I could see that he was trying to tamp down his joy at the small praise I'd given to him.
"Marcel told me. About how long you waited for me." Klaus confessed. "In fact he couldn't wait to tell me."
"Him and that big mouth." I said with a soft laugh.
"It just proved to me that every risk, every hurt, every broken promise—it was all worth it." He was making eye contact with me now and I could see all the turmoil of emotions swimming in his blue eyes. He held his gaze for a moment longer before turning away with a sigh and I knew whatever he was looking for, he didn't find.
"There were a lot of broken promises." I remarked. "In that conversation alone, I count three."
"You do all the leaving, Fiore."
"Remember that time you ignored me for six years?"
"Well 102 to 6 is quite the difference." He countered. "And you... you never even gave me a chance."
"There was too much at stake."
"I told you if you loved me you wouldn't do this. And you did it anyway." A quick glance at his eyes and I realised how much that had hurt him. But I knew that I made the right decision.
"Love is not enough." I told him.
"Your love was enough for me."
"No it wasn't." I said with a roll of my eyes. "My love was not enough to keep you from hurting Rebekah. Or to stop you from lying about The Hollow. Or even something as simple as pick up the phone when I called. Love wasn't what kept us together. It was endurance and time and respect and need and a myriad of other things. But love is useless without anything to support it. My love made me want to stay with you and Grace. It also made me want to do anything to save you. So it didn't matter whether I loved you or not because that wouldn't have saved your life. My leaving did."
"Do you regret it?"
"No." I answered honestly. "It kept you alive and safe. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Just better."
He nodded and got to his feet, holding out a hand to pull me up. I took his offering and dusted myself off with a wry smile. We walked in silence until we reached my room. I stopped and stared at him for a moment before glancing in the direction of our daughter's room.
"She showed me her Student of the Year award." I began. "I cannot begin to imagine how you accomplished that."
"Bribery." He teased and we both laughed, happy to release a bit of the tension.
"You did a great job with our girl, Nik."
"It took a village."
"I'm sure it did. But... she is doing so well. I was genuinely happy to see that. And that feeling has become a rare occurrence these days." Klaus flinched at the mention of my tortured existence, and I sighed realising he would never be able to grasp who I was now. "Not better than me though."
"Is that so?" He asked with a raised brow.
"Oh certainly." I continued. "I wouldn't have let her straighten her hair."
Nik laughed again and I allowed myself to relish in the way his eyes crinkled, and his nose wrinkled as he threw his head back in delight.
"What is it?" He asked once he noticed me staring at him.
"Nothing." I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. "Goodnight Nik."
"Goodnight Blossom."
I closed the door and climbed into bed, but it wasn't until I had closed my eyes that I realised something crucial—he had called me Blossom and I had done nothing about it.
Maybe there was more hope for us than I had thought.
A/N: Bit long this one, but definitely one of my favourites!
Anytime Kliore are getting along and chatting in cute harmony is always a good time.
Peak for Elijah and Hayley who's relationship is in a dire state right now.
Same for Grace and Elliott who are showing no signs of reconciliation.
Anastasia really came into that family and just broke up everyone's relationships.
But thankfully, what is broken can always be fixed!
Until next time (Where a familiar/l face makes a return) Love you as always! X
P.S. Quick reminder for all black women reading this, your natural hair is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!