Nik and I are on our way to Arkansas, where Rebekah and Elijah are waiting with our daughter. The whole ride over I was so nervous and Nik held my hand which calmed my nerves. After six long months, I'm finally going to see my daughter. My baby girl.
After a couple of more hours of driving, we finally reached the house. I immediately saw them outside and I couldn't wait any longer. I got out of the car before Nik can even park the car and I ran over to them. I stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw my daughter in Elijah's arms. She looks so beautiful and she's so big from the last time I saw her.
"Hi." I whispered softly as Elijah hands over Hope to me. "Hi, baby."
I hugged my daughter tightly as I closed my eyes and I breathe out a sigh of relief. Holding her in my arms is one of the best feelings. I still can't believe I have her here in my arms. My beautiful baby. My daughter.
I turned around and I saw Nik behind me and he's in near tears. I walked over to him and let him hold her. "Look how beautiful she is." I said as I held her tiny hand as did he.
Nik placed a kiss on her tiny hand and one on her forehead. I looked at the beautiful baby Nik and I made. Our Hope.
***
Nik, Rebekah, Elijah, and I are still outside. Rebekah is assembling firewood to make a bonfire. It was a Mikaelson tradition that we celebrated from time to time. Nik had just told us why Esther wanted to kill our baby.
"Curse on the first-born?" Rebekah asked as she's just as confused as I am. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Well, according to Finn, our sister Freya didn't die of plague." Nik informed us. "She was taken as payment by our aunt Dahlia, who then cursed all Mikaelson first-borns for eternity."
"Is any of this true?" I asked, glancing between each of the Mikaelsons.
"It is if we are to believe Finn, who learned it from the bastion of truth, our mother," said Elijah.
I looked at my daughter, wondering if any of this is true. I can't let anyone take her. I won't. I just got her back.
"Well, no wonder Finn hates us." Rebekah said. "He lost the sister he adored, and instead got a judgy pack of siblings who found him unbearably dull."
"Great. Now we got another lunatic running around. She's probably twice as crazy as Esther and she is crazy." I said and I looked at Elijah. "Is there any chance of us running into your aunt Dahlia any time soon?"
"The fable's over a thousand years old. Dahlia is long dead." Elijah said and I gave him a look.
"Like your dead mother?" I asked and my tone becomes sarcastic. "Oh, wait, she's not dead because she resurrected her own self from the dead six months ago."
"No one's going to hurt Hope, because no one's going to find her." Nik told me before looking at his sister. "There's enough wood, Rebekah. You'll burn down the whole bloody state of Arkansas."
Rebekah rubs her hands together excitedly as she walks over to us. "Well, we're just missing a key ingredient."
"No, we're not." Nik said as he shook his head.
"Yes, we are, Nik!" Rebekah said and looks at her oldest brother"Back me up, Elijah."
"I suspect Niklaus would rather choke on the ashes."
"Are we talking about what I think we're talking about?" I asked and Rebekah smiles.
"Yes, we are." Rebekah said. "Before we light it, we write down our wishes for each other to burn for luck. It was Kol's favorite part when we were kids."
"It's further evidence as to why we should ignore it." Nik said and I somewhat agree with him but I'm not letting Kol ruin my daughter's first bonfire season. Whatever bad blood this is, it's gone for now.
"We're definitely doing it." I said as Nik opens his mouth to say something but I quickly point my finger to keep him from saying one thing. "It's Hope's first bonfire. We're doing it. No complaints. No nothing. I'm talking to you, Nik."
Nik smiles at me as Rebekah turns to her brothers and smiles smugly.
***
I went inside the house to find a pen and some paper so that we can write our wishes down. I walked in the dining room where Nik is sitting at the table with Hope in his arms. I put the small notebook and pencil on the table in front of him. "Here."
"I'm holding a small child, Ava." Nik says as he's busy doting on our daughter that he doesn't look at me and it made me smile. "This silly wish game will have to wait."
"You write, I'll hold." I smiled and he finally looks at me but he has a straight face.
"No." He says as he tries to hold his smile back but failing to do so.
"Give me my daughter." I said, motioning my hands for him to give me her and he gives me a look. "It's my turn to hold her."
"You know, I was thinking..."
Here goes him trying to change the conversation.
"... about what you told me about Ileana turning into a vampire to pass on her hybrid powers to the other wolves when she married Jackson. It would benefit us. Not only will she be sire to our daughter and look after her well-bring, but there would also be the addition of the pack to protect her."
"They are not her parents. We are. We look after her well-being and we protect. Whenever it comes to decide how to protect our daughter, it's between you and me. No one else." I said to my husband. "I told her I would talk to you because I thought you would say no but I guess I was wrong."
"Why would I said no?"
"I don't know. I thought you would." I said and he smiles but then it disappears as I moved the paper and pen closer to him. "You know that I had to endure horrendous labor and actual death birthing the child that you're holding?"
I walked over to him and grabs our daughter from his arms. "Come on, baby. Daddy has to write his wish for tonight's bonfire. You are the honor of this one and every year after." I said and Nik smiles at me. I looked at him and my voice changed into a demanding one. "Now, write your damn wish."
"Ava, our child can hear you." Nik scolded me and I know he's trying to get on my nerves.
"She won't remember anything." I said and I looked at my daughter as I got an idea. I turn her around for her to face her father and I hid my head behind her back. I turn my voice into a kids voice as if it were Hope speaking to him. "Daddy, will you please write your wish? It is my first ever bonfire. I know you will do this for me because you love me."
"Like you said, love, she won't remember anything." Nik said and I moved my head to glare at him.
"Write your wish. You're making me angry and this energy radiates off of me. I don't want to upset our daughter." I said and he's still smiling. "You know what? Never mind."
I grabbed the pen and paper just as Nik grabs my hand. "I'll write my wish."
He stands up and I'm not looking at him in the eyes because of how annoyed I am with him. He kisses me but I don't kiss him back so he stands there waiting for me to look at him. I roll my eyes as I looked at him before I kissed him and he smiles.
"You really annoy me sometimes."
"I know."
***
We're all outside except for Rebekah. Nik has just lit a match to light the bonfire when Rebekah comes outside and rushes over to us.
"Hey!" Rebekah called out to us as she came out of the house, "Look what I found!" She says and I saw her holding up a Polaroid camera. "I wonder if it'll work?"
"Oh, bloody hell." I heard Nik said and I smiled.
"Come on, let's try it!" Rebekah says, excitedly, and holds out the camera for her brother to take it. "Hey, Nik, do you think you can cram us all into a selfie?"
"Oh, Niklaus is a virtuoso at cramming his siblings into confined spaces." Elijah said.
"Well, I'm just glad I traveled hundreds of miles to visit my mentally ill brother, only to have him insult me to my face." Klaus said as he grabs the camera and I smiled at him.
"Oh, come on, just take the picture." Rebekah told Nik.
Nik sighs and holds up the camera to take a picture of us and all of us posed for the picture. Once we saw a flash a photo came out and we waited for it to develop. I smiled when I saw it. We all look so happy. My family.
"Aw, see? I wish that it could always be like this."
"If wishes were horses..." said Elijah.
"...Beggars would ride." Nik finished and he sighs. "You realize we'll have to burn it. You want me to make a wish for the family, Rebekah? I wish it didn't have to be like this. But, it does. We can't risk it falling into the wrong hands."
Nik hands the photo to me and I looked at him, sadly, because I knew he was right. I look at the photo one last time before I threw it into the fire.
"No! This isn't right. We deserve this. We've earned this." Rebekah said as she looked at all three of us. "I won't let it slip away. I know what to do to stop Esther."
"Rebekah, no." Elijah said trying to stop Rebekah but she continues speaking.
"I'm going to take her deal. And, when I do, I'm taking her down with me." Rebekah said and we all stared at her as if she was crazy because her plan could backfire.
***
I'm outside sitting on the rocking chair while feeding my daughter. Nik, Rebekah, and Elijah are inside discussing the plan to take down Esther. Kol was a big part of our plan in taking down Esther which made me a bit hesitant. I knew Kol wasn't going to help us without a price. And of course, as expected, we wanted the Paragon diamond that Nik took for him in 1914 before he was daggered.
After they finished discussing their plan the front door opens and Nik walks outside. "We came up with a plan. Rebekah and I leave in an hour."
"When do you come back?" I asked him.
"Tomorrow morning." Nik says and I nodded. "Did you bring your dress?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Go put it on." Nik says and I looked at him confused. "Come here, sweetheart." He says as he takes Hope out of my arms and then he looks at me. "Be ready in ten."
Nik walks back inside and I'm standing there confused on what he's up to until I realized we're going on our date since we didn't go on our date last night because we were on the road to Arkansas.
***
I'm in a room and Rebekah is helping me get ready for what Nik has planned. "Did you help him plan this?" I asked her. "We haven't been here that long and surely he couldn't have gotten all this ready."
"He called while you were sleeping and he told me to help." Rebekah smiles and I couldn't help but smile too. "He loves you, Ava. He really does."
"I know." I smiled. "Every time I looked at Nik I get this feeling in my heart... like this warm feeling. It's the same feeling I got when I realized I was in love with him and I knew he loved me too. You know, I still get nervous around him."
"You do?"
"Oh, yeah, my nerves can get the best of me." I said and she chuckles. "What happened with Elijah... about him having feelings for me, I never meant for it tomorrow. I didn't even know I was giving him the idea of me liking him. I like him but not the way he expected me too. I love Nik. I don't think I'll ever fall out of love with him."
"I know, Ava. Unlike others, some of us do have our limits." Rebekah said. "Go put on your dress. I finished with your hair."
We both stand up and I give her a hug. "Thank you, Rebekah. For everything."
***
After I put my dress on, I walk downstairs to where Nik is waiting and his back was facing me. I saw him with Hope in his arms and I smiled at the sight. He's giving her multiple kisses on her cheeks which causes her to giggle uncontrollably. He turned around like he could sense my presence. His eyes meet mines and an instant smile appears on his face. His eyes traveled down my body before meeting my eyes.
"Wow." Nik breaths out. "You look... you look stunning, love."
I smiled at him as I walked over to him. I'm wearing a long silver sparkly dress. It reaches my ankles and there's a slit that starts mid-thigh. It shows a little bit of cleavage.
"I think this little one is the most beautiful one here." I smiled at my daughter and I kissed her cheek. "Come on, baby." I said as I grabbed my daughter from my husband's arms. "Auntie Bex is going to put you sleep so that mommy and daddy can finally celebrate their anniversary."
I heard footsteps and I turned around to see Rebekah so I handed her Hope. "Thank you, sister." Nik said before we left to go have dinner.
***
After we had dinner, we walked outside hand in hand. I'm grinning so happily. "What are we doing here?"
"Well, have about fifteen minutes before we leave." Nik says and I smiled as I wrapped my arms around him.
He smiles as I stared into his eyes. I'm thinking about how lucky I am to him and our daughter. I'm so happy right now. "I love you, Nik. So much."
"I love you, too." Nik says as he kisses me. "I have something for you."
He pulls out a small rectangular box and gives it to open. I opened it to see a silver necklace with a small hummingbird bird dangling in the middle.
"It's a little hummingbird." I smiled, happily. "It's so cute. Can you?"
He takes the necklace out of the box as I turned around. I moved my hair to the side as he puts it on and clips it. I turned around to look at him and he's smiling.
"I think it's time for our dance." Nik says as I smiled at him and he plays the song. He holds his hand out and I took his hand as We Belong Together covered by Ritchie Valens starts playing.
He has on one hand on waist and the other is holding mines as we slowly danced.
🎶You're mine and we belong together
Yes, we belong together, for eternity
You're mine, your lips belong to me
Yes, they belong to only me, for eternity
You're mine, my baby and you'll always be
I swear by everything I own
You'll always, always be mine
You're mine and, we belong together
Yes, we belong together, for eternity🎶
When we first heard this song it kinda became our song. We used to dance to this song on our anniversary. Everyday on May 15 for 24 years we danced to this song. We got back together for a little over two years ago. Last year celebrated in New York. Now here we are with a baby of our own. Our daughter. Who would've thought that weeks after we celebrate in New York that I would find out that I was pregnant. Right now I'm so overwhelmed with emotions. I'm just so happy to be here.
My eyes meet Nik's and I smiled at him as he smiles at me, too. I felt that warm feeling in my heart when I looked at him. "Have I mentioned how incredibly sexy you look tonight?" Nik smirks and I smiled at him.
"Do you want to know what I wished for?" I asked and he nods for me to continue. "I wished that we could stay like this. Happy. I haven't been this happy in months and right now I am so happy."
I put my hand on his cheek as I kissed him and I wrapped my arms his neck as we continued to dance the rest of the song.
***
(Narrator's POV) "Ava is your friend?" Davina asks while holding a picture of Kol and Ava from 1914.
"We still are even though she says we aren't."
"She hates you." Davina points out.
"She hated me for five years before we became friends," Kol said. "We're still friends."
"But she hates you..."
"Betrayal is one of the things she can't forgive. She can but she won't. Siding with my mother was the ultimate betrayal for her. Once you lose her trust you can never regain it back." Kol said as he took the picture from Davina's hands. "Even if you did get her trust back and she says she trusts you again she will always question your true intentions."
"You're afraid... you're afraid that you actually might lose her." Davina says and Kol looks at her, confirming what she said. "Do you love her?"
"Something like that."
"Are you in love with her?" Davina asks, curiously.
"I love her but I don't if I was in love with her."
"But you had feelings for her?" Davina asks and Kol slightly nods.
"I met Ava just a few months before her wedding with Nik. She hated me, to say the least. I walked her down the aisle because neither of her brothers bothered to show up. I figured it was the least I could so since I kept telling her that she was backing out of the wedding since she kept pushing it back but in reality, she was waiting for her brothers. When I saw her in her wedding dress she was beautiful. How could one not have feelings for her? Ava has this way of letting you be comfortable around her without even trying. You could tell her the worst thing you ever done and she wouldn't judge. And when she smiles her eyes light up. Not a lot of people have that."
"Did you ever tell you had feelings for her?"
"I was going to but it would do more harm than good and I saw how happy she was. I didn't want to ruin it. Some would say that I tormented her for it."
"You tormented her for having feelings for her?" Davina asks as if he was joking but he wasn't. "How?"
"I may have told everyone about the two times I walked in on her and Nik."
"Kol..." She scolded him.
"We ended up becoming best friends which made Nik jealous because I would always flirt with her just to make him angry." Kol says and he pauses for a moment. "Then one day I kissed her."
"You kissed her?"
"I did and she wasn't happy about it either. Ava, she has her limits. She wouldn't fall for two brothers. Once she falls in love, her heart is set. She wouldn't pit brother against brother. She told me that she wouldn't tell Nik and I believed her but I know her. Ava, she can keep a secret and she'll forget about until she remembers and it'll eat her alive that she would've ended up telling Nik. So, I had a witch take away her memory by channeling me because I knew I would be dagger sooner or later. Turns out it was sooner."
"And then what happened?" Davina asks, wanting to know more.
"And then I woke up almost a hundred years later and nothing had changed between her and Nik except that they weren't together. I still don't know why. I figured it would be best if I got over her because it would be I who got hurt. So I did. And now..."
"And now what?"
"And now I think I may have feelings for someone else." Kol says smiling at her causing her to blush.
***
(Ava's POV) Nik and Rebekah just left to go deal with Esther. I'm in the kitchen, smiling to myself as I remember what happened with Nik. Us dancing, laughing, smiling. Him kissing me. Everything was so perfect. I played with the necklace he gave me and when I turned I saw Elijah standing there. I let go of the necklace because he caught me off guard. I don't know how long he was standing there.
"Sorry, I didn't hear when you came in."
"I wasn't here that long." Elijah says and I nodded. The awkward tension was building quickly.
"I should go to bed and get out of this dress." I said as I walked over to him since the only way out of the kitchen is behind him.
"You look beautiful."
"Elijah..." I warned.
"Just take the compliment, Ava... without thinking there's anything behind it." Elijah says and I knew there was something behind it even if he says there isn't.
"Elijah, you can't keep doing this. You can't wait until something happens between me and Nik. Even if something were to happen, I won't run to you. It'll be best if you just get over me. I'm sorry, Elijah. I really am."
Elijah just stands there, not say anything so I just walked out of the kitchen and made my way upstairs.
***
I walked into the room where I see my daughter's crib and she's sleeping peacefully. Suddenly, my phone starts ringing and I immediately pick it up without looking at the caller ID because I didn't want to wake up Hope.
"Hello?" I answered with a whispered.
"Ava? Where are you? We've been looking and calling you all day. And why are you whispering?" I heard that it was Damon.
I looked at my daughter and I think it's time for her to meet her uncles. "Listen to me closely, Damon. Take the back roads out of New Orleans and take the first plane out to Arkansas."
I don't need anyone following them.
"Why?"
"Just do as I say, Damon. If anyone suspicious follows you, you kill them. Call me when you're in Arkansas." I said before hanging up. I didn't want him to ask more questions.
I turned around to go changed out of my clothes when I noticed a bouquet of roses with a note on the side. I immediately knew it was from Nik. I grabbed the note and read it.
To my dearest wife, Ava Rose.
From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were special. Your eyes, your lips, your body enticing me, your laughter. I loved everything about you. You came into my life and there's not a moment I don't think about you.
I still remember that night you walk in the bar in 1884. I was lucky that you sat next to me that night. We spent hours talking to each other and as the time passed I fell in love with you all over again.
I stopped believing in love long before I met you but when I did, it changed everything. It was your love that made me believe in love again. It was your love that took me to a passion-filled world. It was all you. The truth is, Ava, is that you keep me so deep in love and I'm so happy to have you by my side. Everyday my love grows stronger for you and it'll continue to grow.
I love you, Ava. Always & Forever.
Nik
By the time I'm done, tears are strolling down my face. He hasn't written me a letter in a long time. He would not like me calling the letter a love letter but it is. He wrote me a love letter. It's always been easier for him to write what he was feeling and I loved it because I keep them as memories.
I heard faint cries and it was my daughter's, so I walked over to her crib. I picked her out of the crib and swayed her in my arms until she fell back asleep. I still couldn't believe that I have her in my arms.
"Sweet dreams, baby. Mommy loves you very much."