Evangeline (Stephanie Bertram Rose) is to the left, Anastasia (Jasmine Sanders) is on the right.

had come and gone and the next thing I knew it was the day before the ritual. It was also the most stressful day of the century because all hell had broken loose in three weeks. There were a plethora of good things that happened that should've balanced out the bad but the bad seemed to loom over me and place an invisible weight on my shoulders that made the heels of my feet grind into the pavement with every step I took that day.

My brothers found out the truth within the three weeks and instead of accepting it, they were hell bent on trying to prevent it from being true. They seriously thought that after shunning me for weeks and disowning me, now that they knew I "couldn't help it" they wanted to help me and be my brothers again. Honest to god, I laughed in their faces and slammed the door of the mansion in their faces.

Being the stubborn Salvatores that they were, they continued to pester me about it. I got endless phone calls from both of my brothers telling me that they were going to find a way around my "fate" and that I wouldn't have to be stuck with Niklaus for an eternity. It must've flown past their heads that I was actually in love with Nik and I wasn't afraid of my fate.

The only thing I was worried about, ironically, was killing him when the time came but it's not like it mattered to my brothers, they were convinced they were helping.

On the positive side of things, Rebekah agreed to be the vampire for the ritual and Anastasia was convinced she had a perfect unus candidate for the ritual, though she still refused to say who it was. Also, Elena had a change of heart—probably from all of the shit my brothers were putting me through with their delusions—and decided that she would give her blood for the ritual but it was the last time she would give her blood for Klaus. I refrained from telling her it was actually for me directly and figured she was hinting at the fact that Nik had tried to drain her like a river for blood for his hybrids before my brother intervened.

I wondered for a short period of time if they were going to change her into a vampire and then I stopped caring and all of the curiosity vanished.

Another good thing is that yesterday Esther came back but she was hardly a threat seeing as she died right after. I offered comfort to Nik but he seemed to be more relieved than upset with losing a parent, I couldn't really blame him much for that part.

Meanwhile, the day before the full moon, I woke up to my phone ringing again and guess who it was?

"Hello Stefan" the smugness in Nik's British accent as he answered my phone (which he had probably done too many times) told me he was going to antagonize my brother but I didn't even lift my head. Instead, I cuddled more against my mate's warm, hard, naked chest and listened to the secret that only I could hear as I listened in on the conversation.

"I want to speak to my sister" Hearing my brother call me his sister lead to a nostalgic pang in my chest.

I couldn't deny that I missed Stefan and Damon. I missed running around the Boardinghouse with them rough housing like we were kids again. I missed their bad nicknames and their surprisingly good cooking. I missed the blues and greens of their eyes. I missed them being my family. But, I absolutely refused to return to those old tactics and leave behind my new family.

Klaus, Rebekah, Elijah, Anastasia, they each meant the world to me and I loved them like they were related to me by blood--or bound, in Niklaus's case. My brother wanted me to completely disregard them and that was simply impossible at this point.

I'd spoken to Ana about it on many occasions as we planned for the ritual but she always said the same thing: everything will work out for the best. She was such a vague optimist, it was aggravating.

Sometimes she forgot that I was stuck in the body of an eighteen-year-old, not a twenty-five-year-old like her and I still had the urge to be overly dramatic with theories and worst case scenarios like the human teenager side of me.

That was where Rebekah came into play, she loved finding things to worry about like a melodramatic teen with me. We even bought ice cream for our imaginary meltdowns from time to time. She felt more and more like a sister to me as the three weeks went on.

"Will she continue to be your sister once you realize that I am not brainwashing her and she's actually fallen in love with me?"

Nik's sass brought me out of my thoughts as my brother went silent on the other line before saying, "It's impossible for someone like you to actually be loved"

My brother's words actually probably hurt me more than it hurt my mate who just smirked at the venom Stefan attempted to inject into his resolve. Sadly, I'm sure Nik had been told similar things many times so hearing such things from Stefan barely left a scratch on him. It still didn't stop me from being angry at my brother.

Before Nik could respond, I took the phone out of his hand, "Nothing is impossible Stefan"

"He's a terrible person Evan, he's—"

"Murdered and maimed and lied and cheated and so on and so forth" I finished for my brother with a simple roll of my eyes as I sat up from Nik's chest, "And you haven't then, I presume, dear little brother?"

The other green eyed Salvatore was silent once again, "Look Stef, I love you more than you could imagine but I love Nik too and nothing you can say is going to change that. It's literally in my blood to bond with him Stefan and if you can't accept that then...after the ritual we'll be out of your hair for good"

The words hurt to say to my younger sibling. I didn't want to escape the town after the ritual like everyone expected. They were some of the last members of my blood family and my original reason for arriving to Mystic Falls was to rekindle our relationship, not make it more estranged.

"I'm sorry" my younger brother apologized with a sigh, "It's just...hard to believe"

"I know" I said, looking over at my mate who closed his pretty blue eyes and pretended to go back to sleep as I reached over and ran my hands through his curls gently, "but it's not the worst thing in the world, we'll balance each other out"

My brother went silent on the other end for a few moments before he finally spoke up, "We're going to help you Evan"

"Stefan I don't need—"The other green eyed Salvatore hung up before I could finish my sentence.

Tossing my phone away from me on the bed, I ran my fingers through my hair and clenched it tightly, groaning in frustration. Nik's eyes seared my skin as I tried to put a lid on my annoyance before my skin became an inferno and I did something stupid. My brothers truly thought I was a babbling idiot when it came to Niklaus. They thought he had charmed me with his accent into believing I loved him and he controlled me every second of the day. As if I didn't know how to make choices for myself and know when I was being lied to. They thought I was a fool.

"Love" My mate's murmured words slipped through the air and thrummed against my eardrums. My heart didn't know whether to speed up or slow down as the heat overcame me.

"I'm not a fool" I harrumphed, fiddling with the sheets before looking up to my mate with discernment, "Am I?"

His stormy ice blue eyes melted into a slick silver at his annoyance with my uncertainty, "You know you're not. Don't let your foolish brothers make you question yourself"

Licking my lips, I nodded, adverting my gaze to the bay window of the bedroom. The sun had completely risen, which meant that Anastasia was on her way over to discuss tomorrow. From what she had informed me of, she had every component needed for the ritual. Today was a day to set things up and make sure each person's participation was complete. That also meant I had to go see Elena Gilbert.

Wiggling out of my thoughts, I slipped out of bed semi-gracefully, semi-clumsily and headed for the dresser where I had my outfit for the day already laid out. I picked out my clothes the night before like some anxious adolescent, why? Probably because I wanted to be comfortable the day before my life practically changed forever. Who knew how the ritual would even turn out? I didn't, but I knew I owned sweatpants and that was enough for the time being.

While got dressed in a pair of dark grey fitted sweatpants and a maroon Henley, Nik dressed in the opposite. He was clad in a leather jacket, V-neck and jeans by the time I finished parting my curly hair down the middle and French braiding each side.

"Going somewhere?" I queried as I pulled on a pair of socks and looked for a pair of sneakers.

Niklaus paused from unplugging his phone and studied me for several moments, "I like your hair like that"

"Do you have somewhere to be other than with Anastasia and I as we prepare for tomorrow?" I asked once again, a wordier question and completely disregarded his compliment.

His annoyance transferred to me before I saw the flicker of the emotion in his eyes. His jaw clenched as he avoided answering me and his eyes flickered away as the cat finally let go of his tongue. "I have business to take care of, yes"

"What business?" I asked curiously, though I knew he'd rather rip out his own tongue than answer me.

"It will have no interference with the ritual" He said instead of answering my question.

Cocking my head to the side, I knit my eyebrows together in annoyance, "That's interesting...I don't remember asking that". Of course, the presence of my irritability fed Niklaus's.

"Don't start Evangeline"

"I'm not starting anything! I'm asking you simple questions and you're avoiding them like the bubonic plague as if I don't notice! Stop treating me for a fool and answer me!"

If we had been standing there a month or so earlier, Klaus would've snapped and had his hand wrapped around my neck in a millisecond. Fortunately, Klaus was used to my defiant attitude as well as faced the fact that his bossiness and sense of entitlement had rubbed off on me. Don't get me wrong, he didn't back down, he probably never would. My mate was never the type to submit, I knew that when I yelled at him and I knew that there would always be a downside to getting mouthy with Klaus. That didn't stop me though.

A low growl escaped Klaus's lips before he was standing directly in front of me with supernatural speed. His golden eyes flashed as he spoke. "Watch your tone when addressing me"

I immediately rolled my eyes at that, "Answer my questions and there won't be a tone to be watched"

Seeing as neither one of us was willing to step down, the air around us became thick with tension and the room became so quiet that you could hear a mouse sneeze. Or a doorbell ring on the first floor.

"That's probably Ana" I said to myself before I turned away from my stubborn mate and went to leave the room. In that moment, Klaus decided to unfreeze from his stance and race behind me, gently pulling me into his embrace by wrapping his arms around my waist before talking against the shell of my ear, "Just trust me love"

My eyes were halfway rolled by the time he disappeared from the room. No matter how long I had been around Klaus he had always been one for the ever so dramatic exit. He acted as though his life was some sort of drama the way he exited and entered rooms at times.

When I came down to the living room, Ana had set her shoulder bag down on the table and taken a seat on the leather couch but my mate was nowhere to be seen. Instead of letting out the annoyed sigh I felt coming on, I put on a smile and greeted my best friend instead. Even if she could see right through my act.

"Good morning Ana"

"Morning" she said before yawning, "I've been up since sunrise making sure everything was coming together correctly...this ritual is officially my metaphorical child and nothing will stop it from happening, I won't allow it"

"On that note" I said with my eyebrows reaching my hairline, "I'll put on some coffee"

Klaus entered the Mystic Grill and headed straight for a booth where a girl sat. There was a plate in front of her with untouched loaded fries and a distant look in her deep brown eyes. The millions of thoughts that ran through her mind paused immediately when she locked eyes with Niklaus Mikaelson. It was a dumb idea for her to meet him, she knew that but she was tired of everyone doing everything for her, it was time for her to take care of things herself.

Upon making eye contact, the blue eyed Original threw the girl a wolfish smile, "Elena, you look quite paranoid, loosen up. I have no reason to cause you any harm...do I?"

The teenaged Gilbert rolled her eyes, "I'm not playing games with you Klaus, you know why I'm here"

"Yes" The Original said as he slid into the booth and nodded to a woman with green eyes and pale blonde hair before turning to the naïve teen, "You want to make sure you never see Evangeline or I again after the ritual"

Elena nodded slowly, glancing over at the green eyed witch who put a cloak over the pair so that no one could see nor hear them. If the Salvatores, no matter the gender, spotted the two together at the grill, all hell would break loose. Well, more hell would break loose.

"There's no need for the two of you to stay in town after the ritual or whatever it is happens. It would be better for everyone if you left. Who knows what will happen or who will show up after people catch wind of what went on. This town doesn't need that"

The Hybrid pursed his lips in "thought" as he listened to the teens spiel until he raised a finger to halt the short speech, "And who's idea is this?"

"Mine" Elena said furrowing her eyebrows frustration. Of course Klaus thought that she was playing messenger for someone else who wasn't bold enough to speak to him directly.

"And what about My Angel's brothers? Her initial reason for coming to town was to be around them" It was odd, Klaus thought to himself, caring so much about another that their feelings came into play with his plans. Not unenjoyable, just odd.

Elena rolled her eyes dismissively, "They won't want to be around her when they figure out that she's not lying about loving you"

The Gilbert's words came out harsh and without a "no offense". To Klaus, they seemed a bit envious as well, which he enjoyed.

"Why Elena, that's quite the theory" The Mikaelson chortled at the disdain across the table from him, "why should they hate her for something she cannot control?"

"Because soon enough she'll be just like you" Venom was spat out at Klaus would the statement and he clenched his fists beside him, holding back from his temper only because the rude teen was essential to the ritual that would save the life of his mate.

The blonde tsked at the Gilbert girl, "Careful Elena, I became this way because of hateful attitudes and disdain for others, not love"

Elena rolled her eyes, "Whatever"

The Mikaelson immediately wished he had his spitfire mate beside him to bite back at the ignorant teenager blinded by her hate for him. He found it amusing how so many labeled his love because of him and instead of getting angry with him, Evangeline always got angry with everyone else. Seeing the caramel skinned beauty snap and fizzle as she yelled at the doppelganger would've been a treat for the Mikaelson hybrid. Even more so of what his mate gave him for his birthday, however in hell she found out the day it was.

"Now I have no idea how old you are actually and I honestly don't think you do either" Evangeline chuckled as she sat her mate down on their bed after his shower and straddled his lap, "But I did figure out that today is your birthday and we're going celebrate"

The blonde hybrid's eyebrows shot up to his scalp as he listened to the woman before him. It had been centuries since he had last acknowledged the day of his birth. There was absolutely no reason for him to in his opinion and there was no need to celebrate something that had no true reward to it. He was immortal therefore he would have an infinite amount of "birth" days and he wasn't physically getting older, which made the whole idea even more pointless. But, he did desire to know what his vixen of a mate was brewing in her mind.

"And how do you suggest we do that" He questioned, securing his mate's weight onto his lap as he held her waist and positioned her perfectly on top of his towel.

"Well first" His goddess snapped her forest green eyes up to him and stole his nonexistent heartbeat, "Would you care for a drink?"

The hybrid licked his lips as she tied her hair back and bared her neck to him. He took no time to sink his teeth in to her dangerously warm skin and get a taste of beauty itself and find himself in pure ecstasy as she moaned softly at his aggression.

Klaus found himself grinning at the memory. Evangeline Salvatore had been completely submissive to him and his desires for that entire day. She had never been so willing for him, even when he still could compel her. It was safe to say that if he had not loved her by then, he had begun to that day.

"I wish to leave this town and explore the world with my mate" Niklaus admitted, "I have never met anyone who gave me the feeling that I had a reason for a new beginning until I met Evangeline Salvatore. I plan to repay her with a vacation to paradise as long as she would like"

Something snapped in Elena at the sight of the Original who was so obviously lovestruck. How the hell could this happen?!

She went to speak but Klaus wasn't finished, "But, because I have found myself in love for the first time in..." A distant look flashed across his face so quick that the human barely saw it, "Evangeline's wish is my command. If she wishes to stay in the town and try to rekindle her relationship with her brothers, I will not step in her way no matter the dislike I have for the two. She is my reason for existence and I will sacrifice for her until I draw my last breath"

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