A/N: Yes it is September now but it was August at the beginning so I'm saying it counts.
~Kol POV~
"Hellooooooo!" Kol called out when he finally arrived in New Orleans, trading the sunny skies of San Fransico for the never-ending drama of the French Quarter.
Rebekah immediately dashed to the entrance, blocking the three of them from coming any further.
"Bekah?" Asked Marcel, alarm bells already ringing. "Is everything alright? What's going on?"
"Everything is fine hubby dearest," she said, ignoring the simultaneous gagging of Kol and Davina. "I just wanted to warn you before you cross the threshold, it's going to hurt. A lot."
Marcel smirked, "I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle."
"We'll see."
The three of them crossed into the compound and the screams of Marcel and Davina were shaking the entire city. Kol quickly caught Davina in his arms as tremors wracked her body. He couldn't help but be concerned despite knowing she was strong enough to handle it.
The yells had caught the attention of the rest of the household and now Klaus, Elijah, Freya, Keelin and Hayley had joined them too. But sure enough the two recovered.
"How are you feeling?" Rebekah asked as she rubbed Marcel's back, though her smirk was tough to miss.
"That I was wrong to underestimate you, like always," Marcel replied. "...But also, relieved. I can't believe Fiore is real. My mother. I...Wow. New Orleans never changes."
"That is for damn sure," Davina added before turning to Kol. "This is insane."
Kol shrugged, "Honestly, this is the most normal life has felt in the last few years."
"Well if we're all reacquainted with the past, we need to discuss the future," said Klaus. "Anastaisa is—"
"Where is she?" Asked Kol. "And Grace for that matter?"
"She took Grace and Elliott to Greece to consecrate one of the other Fiore's bodies," Hayley explained.
"Elliott's back?"
"The other Fiore?"
Davina and Marcel asked, trading weary looks no doubt at the perpetual madness of the family they had married into.
"As I was saying," Klaus said, sending a look of disdain towards Kol. "There is a lot to catch you up on. Anastasia is—"
"Why didn't that hurt you?" Freya asked Kol, ignoring the exasperated Klaus.
"Excuse me?"
"The other two, they were in pain when the memories came back, but you were just fine," said Freya, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why is that?"
Kol grinned, "Because I am actually the strongest Mikaelson, despite the rest of you refusing to acknowledge it."
Marcel scoffed and Davina turned to him with a pointed look, "Kol..."
"Fine, fine," he said, though the smirk on his face remained legendary. "Perhaps I am not the strongest Mikaelson, but I am certainly the smartest. Which is why when Elijah was so insistent on us drinking a bottle of La fille en vert one summer night two years ago, I poured out my cup. Next thing I knew, no one remembered Fiore and I was very glad I had learnt my lesson from when mother pulled the same trick some twenty years ago."
"Wait, wait, wait..." Rebekah mumbled. "Are you telling me...that this whole time you knew?"
"Oops?"
"More importantly, you knew, and you never said anything?" Klaus asked, refusing to conceal his boiling rage.
Again Kol shrugged, "I figured Fiore had her reasons for erasing herself from existence."
"You are in for a world of—"
"Oh come off it Nik, or are you gonna dagger me because your wife didn't trust you to keep her safe?"
"I can do a lot worse than dagger you, just give me a chance."
"Boys!" Rebekah yelled, coming in between the two of them. "No one is daggering or punishing anyone! We have much bigger problems than each other."
"Like Fiore herself," Hayley muttered.
Freya rolled her eyes, "We get it Hayley, you feel betrayed. You'd think she was your wife the way you keep droning on about her."
"I mean, there was that time when she was, if I'm remembering that right?" Said Marcel.
"Well right now, she is my wife, and she needs our help. All of ours," Klaus said, turning to his family in a desperate plea. "Anastasia is—"
"What do you mean, your wife?"
The Mikaelsons all turned to see Amelia standing there, eyes locked on Klaus as reality crashed down all around her.
Kol smirked, "This should be fun."
~Klaus POV~
Klaus and Amelia were sat in his room away from eavesdropping ears, though he was sure at least one of his siblings was listening in nearby. Amelia hadn't taken the news well, though that was to be expected. Only Klaus had yet to tell her the only thing more detrimental than their past, their present.
"I can't believe Grace was right," Amelia murmured. "Fiore is real, Fiore is...This might be the worst day of my life."
"Amelia, I wish I knew what to say," said Klaus in earnest. He could never have imagined himself in this situation but no matter what angle he looked at it from, it always ended in tears.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked him, burying her face in her hands.
"...I don't think you want to hear my answer."
"Well I need to hear something Nik!" She said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "What are we doing here? What are you doing with her?"
"I don't know!" Klaus insisted. "I...I went to see her in Texas. I tried to fix things, to fix us, to—"
"So you slept with her?" She grit her teeth together, fisted her palms, but Klaus knew she was closer to tears than an enraged outburst.
"This is not easy for me either," Klaus told her. "Fiore is...it has always been the two of us. And right now it feels like a different life. Like a life I can never have again. She's not the same person she was when she left, and I am not the same person I was then either. And this Fiore and this Klaus might be walking different paths."
Amelia took a deep breath, "Okay."
"...Okay?"
"Okay." She nodded her head and took his hand in hers, looking at him with those lovesick eyes. "Let's walk a different path. Let's walk this path that we are on together."
He knew he should have said no. He knew he should have told her to go and walk away. He knew this was a doomed endeavour.
Perhaps they were destined to crash and burn but she was here right now. She wanted to be here.
Fiore didn't.
And so he nodded his head and sealed his broken promise with a kiss.
~Fiore POV~
"That's everything," Silas said as he put the last of the bags in the boat.
"Thank you. Kids, say goodbye to your grandfather," I told them.
Elliott and Grace threw their arms around Silas and my heart melted at the sight. If Power's words weren't enough of a reminder, then this perfect scene was. My father had really changed and that deserved acknowledgment.
"Bye Pops, I'm gonna miss you so much," Grace told him.
"Me too," Elliott added. "When are we going to see you again?"
Silas coughed awkwardly, stumbling over his words, "Well, there are many factors and when you consider—"
"He'll come see you soon," I told them, watching my father's eyes widen in disbelief. "Isn't that right, Silas?"
"Yes, yes of course!" He replied, squeezing them even tighter. "I love you both. So so much."
"We love you too," said Elliott, before finally pulling away and getting into the boat.
My father walked towards me with clear apprehension on his face. I opened my arms for a hug, and he rushed into my embrace, engulfing me in his warmth.
"I wish you would stop making mistakes, so I don't have to be angry at you so often," I told him, and he laughed.
"Me too."
"But that isn't fair," I pulled back to look in his eyes. "I make mistakes all the time, it's part of being alive."
"I know, but I spent most of our time together making mistakes. It cannot be easy for you to look past everything that came before," he said. "But I promise I am not the person I was, nor do I want to be. I just want to be better. For you, for Grace, for Elliott and even for me. I promise I am trying to do better."
"I believe you," I told him and the two of us shared the most genuine smile we'd had in a while. "And I meant what I said you know; the ban is gone. You are more than welcome to come to New Orleans when—"
"How about now?"
I startled, "Well I didn't mean right this second."
"Right, I suppose I was a little too excited," he said with a stilted laugh.
"That being said...we might have an easier time with Anastaisa if you were there...So if you wanted to come—"
"I'll go pack my bag!"
Silas rushed back into the villa at the speed of light, and I let out a wry laugh. Here I was giving my father another chance, one that I would hopefully not regret. But the burden of fixing all our problems was too much for my shoulders, so it would be nice to have another person to share it with.
"All burdens are meant to be shared. Especially with your husband," Power said as she stood beside me, waving goodbye to the children.
"Stop reading my mind!"
"Stop thinking so loudly."
The two of us laughed and I offered my arms for a hug that my counterpart tentatively accepted. Even if it was only for a millisecond.
"That is enough of that," she said as she pried herself out of my arms.
"You need to work on showing affection."
"You don't want me to list all the things you need to work on," she teased, rolling her eyes at me.
"Very funny."
"I try."
"So Silas is coming back to New Orleans, what will you be doing?" I asked her.
She shrugged, "I should probably be looking for a way back to my timeline. Start my new life."
"New life?"
"Oh yes, I really want to see what Klaus is about, especially if we could have a mythical baby of our own."
"Is that what you want now?" I asked, eyes widening in disbelief.
"Now...? Probably but not. But maybe someday," she said, pointedly avoiding my gaze. "I've never had the option before, so I never really thought about it. It's at least worth a serious thought."
"Damn. I really do have a lot to work on."
She laughed and slung an arm around my shoulders, "Well at least you've taken the first step—realising I am the superior Enigma."
"And now I'm ready for you to return to your world."
She smirked and pulled me in a tight hug. This was the weirdest relationship I had ever had but I was grateful to have had it. Meeting Fiore made me realise things about myself I never would have seen without her there.
"You know, we could turn this into a real relationship," she said still keeping me in her embrace. "Ever wonder what it's like to have sex with yourself?"
"SILAS! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Fiore was already doubled over in laughter, "Relax Love, we've already established, I'm out of your league."
I shook my head and got into the boat, soon followed by my father. He started to row away, and we waved goodbye to Fiore, as we headed back to New Orleans. All the players were in place, and it was time for the final act to begin.
A/N: Y'all I'm tired as hell but here you go. I am still aiming for a September update so see you then. Unless I get lazy lol.
Until next time when Anastasia and the Mikaelson go head-to-head!
Love you as always! X