If you'd like to know why I have been gone for so long, please read the author's note at the end. If not, read on and go on about your day xD.

the only thing I could truly feel. The way he used them so tenderly against mine, treating me as if I were the most fragile thing he'd ever came across. What was amazing was the rejuvenation I felt swarming through my body with each second that our lips touched. Instead of sparks, I felt life. His kiss made me feel better than I ever had in over a century and it gave me strength.

Before I knew it, I was alive and able to reach up and run my fingers through the golden blonde hair at the nape of his neck as I returned the kiss. I felt his breath hitch at my response but he didn't pull away yet but instead he kissed me harder, like his eternal life depended on it. I kissed him back just as hard until I couldn't any longer, my human side was dying for oxygen.

At first, neither of us spoke, we were at a loss for words it seemed. Then it all came back to me.

"I don't care if you hate me and you don't care either, I want you here and yelling at me or trying to best me knowing you'll get bested yourself because you believe in yourself and you're strong Dear Angel. I need your strength, love"

From the encounter with his father to the words he spoke to me before he kissed me, I remembered it all.

"Nik, you're not alone" I murmured, sitting up and looking him directly in his bright blue eyes as they darkened.

He turned away from my gaze finding intrigue in the grass, "Dear Angel I've been alone for one thousand years"

"And then you met me" I urged, taking his face in my hands and forcing him to look towards me, "You have me, Nik, and Rebekah and-"

"Rebekah betrayed me" he growled pulling his face from my hands and standing up, forcing me up as well.

I sighed, "Nik, she knows you lied about who killed your mother"

The blonde hybrid man froze up for a second then relaxed his muscles and began walking away without a word. As he retreated back to where he came, I gathered my dress and began to follow him only to pause when I saw the highway beside the field that I hadn't seen before. Before, all I had seen was continuous grassland but then Nik showed up and I could see reality again. The petroleum scent from the gas station down the road filled my nostrils and the hum of engines tunneled to my eardrums. Maybe now that I was alive, I could see the reality of it all.

"Why are you so angry Nik?" I asked catching up to him just as he got to his car and the dress I was wearing became the flowy, red flannel with three-quarter sleeves and black jeans I had been wearing when I died. There was dried blood and rips all over the fabric, my curls became matted and crusted with blood, and Nik almost looked frightened when he saw me.

"What the hell is going on?" he murmured, studying me closely through baby blue glass and ignoring my previous question. He had a habit of dismissing things he didn't want to answer or think about.

"Anastasia must've created an illusion on the two of us" I inquired before the two of us climbed into the vehicle and were speeding off towards god knows where.

*~*~*

As I sat in Nik's car it felt like there were a thousand things going through my head. What were my brothers doing now that they failed to kill Nik? Where was Rebekah? What happens next for Nik and I? How would everyone react now that I was alive? What happens next with everything?

"Where are we going?" I finally asked the blonde man beside me as we got closer to the heart of Mystic Falls.

Nik took his time answering and instead paid close attention to his driving, "A little pit stop before I take you to your brothers"

The smugness in his voice made me look at him skeptically but I just simply nodded as we continued on our journey. It was about ten or so minutes when we got to a huge house that looked like it was in the middle of being built.

"What's this?" I asked Nik before he had gotten fully out of his car and he grinned at me, "The new Mikaelson mansion"

"Wow" I murmured to myself before I got out and followed behind him towards the transforming palace.

As we walked into the place, I realized he had his hybrids doing all of the renovations. Instead of being his personal army, it seemed as though he had almost a hundred house slaves. His brutality never ceased to amaze me.

"You missed quite a bit while you were gone" Nik said to me after he spoke briefly with one of his female hybrids.

"Actually" I said glancing at him, "I was here almost every step of the way, just through another point of view, it just stopped after you killed your father"

He nodded before pausing and glaring at me, "So you mean to say, you knew your brothers were planning against me?"

Sighing, I looked to the floor then back to his troubled blue eyes, "Yes and if you're thinking I betrayed you by not telling you please remember they're my brothers and I knew you weren't going to be taken that easily"

Niklaus ticked a blonde eyebrow then smirked at me before he turned forward once more and began walking again. We went from corridor to corridor until we found ourselves in the back of the house were things were being taken in and brought out. I knew the outcome was going to be gorgeous and extravagant because a man like Niklaus Mikaelson wouldn't settle for any less.

"Your faith in me is...refreshing, love" Nik murmured before he instructed his hybrid servants to take certain things certain places.

I chuckled at that before he grabbed my hand, sending chills up my arm, and led me back into the house. We traveled through the big house until we were met with a giant stairway and he didn't let go of my hand once as he led me up. He ignored every question I had about where we were going until he reached a tall dark, oak wood door and he left us in revealing a huge bedroom with a giant king sized canopy bed.

Pausing, I looked at him uneasily. He didn't think that since we kissed we were going to 'mate' finally, did he? I was still covered in my own blood that he spilled for Christ's sake.

Noticing my hesitation and reading the look on my face, he let out a deep chuckle, "I never pegged you for one with a dirty mind Dear Angel, surely you realize I brought you here to shower"

My jaw dropped and I felt my body heating up by the second. Not my cheeks from a blush but my entire body. It was embarrassing what the man could do to me.

Biting my lip and avoiding his gaze, I answered nervously, "Of course, Nik, just show me where the damn thing is"

He laughed once more and signaled for me to follow him across the room to a white door before he opened it and sure enough, we were met with a gorgeous bathroom.

After escaping astonishment at the gorgeous restroom, I looked up at him, "I have nothing to change into"

He waved his large hand in dismissal, "I've already arranged it, just take your time, love. There's everything you need from towels to uh...hair wash in there" He pointed towards the direction of a cabinet with rippled doors.

It was my turn to laugh, "It is called shampoo old man"

He faked a glare and went to snap at me but I kissed his cheek, causing him to freeze, "Thanks, Nik"

After that, I gently closed the door and heard him mumble a 'My pleasure, Dear Angel' before he was gone and I was left to clean myself up in peace. Looking into the mirror, I cringed when I saw how terrible I had looked. The fact that Nik was even able to stand around me for a second the way I looked was a surprise to me. I looked like a dead girl walking, literally.

Shedding my dirtied clothing, I looked into the cabinet Nik had pointed out to me and sure enough, I was faced with a series of shampoos, conditioners, loofas, even shaving creams and razors. I raised an eyebrow at the amount of feminine products he had stocked up but then I just grabbed the strawberry scented shampoo and shower gel before turning on the shower.

I climbed in a sighed in relief at the scolding hot water that scattered across my skin and wet my curls. The blood was dried so it was a bit of a task to wipe off but with my enhanced strength, the task was easily done. It felt amazing to finally shower and collect my thoughts.

First, I needed to find my brothers as soon as possible but how I would have been able to was the question. It was obvious they weren't on the best terms because Stefan had saved Nik while Damon had wanted to kill him very badly. I knew how angry Damon could get about not having his way but obviously Stefan had a plan since he stole Nik's family within minutes of saving his life.

It was a bit painstaking to think about the fact that my brothers hated the man who was my supposed mate. They weren't aware of the little detail and that was what made everything even more difficult. How could I tell them about the 'mate' business without them thinking I would betray them for him?

Groaning in frustration, I shook off the thoughts and scrubbed down my aching muscles until I was satisfied then moved on to my hair. I took my time just as Nik suggested and made sure every curl was blood free before I slathered it in conditioner then rinsed and finally turned off the water.

I had no idea when Nik would be back with my clothes but I was hoping it was soon so I wouldn't have to wait around in his room in just a towel. I just wanted to see my brothers as soon as possible, I was taken away from them so fast, it felt like I was returning all over again and I was technically. I'd been dead for a week.

Opening the bathroom door a little, I peeked out and fortunately saw that Nik had left some clothes on the large bed for me. Tightening my towel, I walked into the room and saw that it was a grey high neck, tank dress that would be form fit and a military green blazer to go with it. His good taste in clothing amazed me but not enough to not notice the fact that both pieces of clothing could only be found in my bedroom. It wasn't something of Rebekah's that I'd assume he'd bring or one of his female hybrids but my actual clothing, therefore, he had to have gone to the Boardinghouse and seen my brothers without me.

Quickly, I got dressed and put my damp hair up in a pineapple ponytail and listened in for Klaus. As soon as I heard his voice, I sped towards it and stopped a few meters away. He was talking to Tyler Lockwood.

"I didn't think that we'd actually have to kill anyone" Tyler urged to Klaus looking quite distraught.

Kill anyone? Who died?

Klaus sighed in annoyance at the naïve hybrid, "Tyler, mate...what you're feeling is the remnant of a guilty conscience, I need you to get over it, okay? At the end of the day, human life is just the means to an end. Our means to our end, you do ought to remember that"

With that, Klaus walked away, leaving Tyler looking frustrated and guilty while I was confused and worried. All I could think about was the human side of me during the time that Klaus had discussed the life of humans so loosely and emotionless.

His words replayed in my head as I sat at the bottom of the bed. Moments later, he returned to the room with a smug look on his face that faltered when he saw me.

"What did you do?" I asked immediately, not wasting any time to get to the point.

The hybrid man played dumb, "I'm not quite sure what you mean, love"

I scoffed and stood up, "Well for starters, these clothes are from my bedroom meaning you went to see my brothers without me and I just heard you talking to Tyler Lockwood. Who did you kill?"

The blonde rolled his eyes, "Oh don't be so dramatic, how is it a crime to give you your own belongings to wear? And in terms of death, Alaric will be fine, I just needed to get a message across to Elena in order to get her to cooperate"

I immediately felt sympathy for the doppelganger, "So you kill her guardian?! What the hell, Niklaus?"

His eye twitched at my screaming in his face but he didn't react fully, "Well the little stunt was meant for her brother who wouldn't come back so I don't see how this is all a big deal, I informed them all of what I want and how I would get it if they would not cooperate"

"They're not entitled to give you want you want, Klaus!" I snapped feeling tears of sympathy filling my eyes, "No one is!"

In less than a second, the Original hybrid had me pinned against the wall by my neck, "That's where you're wrong love" He murmured against the shell of my ear, slightly cutting off my air supply, "They should be lucky I'm not ripping their heads off for releasing my bastard of a father from his entombment and in turn trying to kill me. Isn't that little golden rule treat others the way you'd like to be treated? Well, they treat me like a monster that deserved to be punished so I'm only merely returning the favor love. Surely you understand that, don't you?"

"Are you forgetting that you only came here to kill Elena?" I sputtered through my limited area to breathe, "So wouldn't that apply to them trying to kill you? Both failed didn't they, now it's even"

Klaus laughed maniacally against my hairline, "I'll never cease to love the way your brain works, Dear Angel, but your brother Stefan stole my family, love. So doesn't that mean I can steal his?"

As soon as he said that, I froze in his grasp, immediately knowing what he meant. There was a reason why he hadn't brought me to the Boardinghouse with him. He was holding me hostage from my brothers just as Stefan was keeping his family from him.

"You don't expect to really keep me here, do you?" I muttered, feeling my skin heating up with frustration.

He grinned at me as his skin sizzled and burned, "That's exactly what I expect Dear Angel, Damon has already been informed and I'm sure he's told Stefan by now. It's only a matter of time before they give in to get their dear sister back"

"Niklaus when I said you had me; I was not signing myself away to you!" I yelled, pushing him off of me with as much force that I could muster and catching him off guard, "I'm not just a toy that you can use to get even with my brothers!"

Soon enough, I slammed back into the wall with more force than before, "Watch your tone Evangeline" He threatened through a growl.

"I don't have to watch anything" I growled back, feeling a colossal amount of anger towards the man.

First he kills me, brings me back to life, then attempts to keep me as a prisoner in order to make my family to coincide with his best interests. He was such a selfish bastard during times like those and it pissed me off. My skin was heating up on a tenfold and I began to see red.

"Let me go, Klaus" I hissed, digging my nails into his chest as he began crushing my neck with one palm.

"I'm afraid, I can't love, you're too addicting" He sneered back before there was a crack of my neck and I was back to seeing black all over again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~