nine; "all I have ever wanted is right here in front of me."

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Eventually, after a full day of telling Hope stories of their long, long lives, and a delicious dinner, everyone had gone to do their own thing. Rebekah took Freya out to shop for new clothes, taking the liberty of buying Belle a new wardrobe as well. Since they've all come out of a five year stint in boxes and a sewer, they didn't exactly have the chance to keep their old clothes. Kol, after being chased around the house and yard by Belle for stealing her blood bag, decided to relax in his room away from his family. Elijah and Hayley, shockingly, decided to go on another date, but this time at a local diner after they put Hope to bed.

Belle and Klaus, however, went to Klaus' designated room and got in bed, facing each other only inches apart as they whispered conversations. They talked for who knows how long before they finally quieted down. Then they laid in silence, sharing gentle touches and loving gazes.

Getting just barely closer, Belle put her hand to his neck, feathering her finger tips over his carotid artery, trailing them forward to his Adam's apple. Klaus let out a breath as his eyes fluttered closed for just a moment. Belle couldn't help the smitten smile that took over her face as she watched him open his eyes. "I don't know how I did it."

"Do what?" Klaus let out, his voice just as light as her touch.

"Last over a thousand years without this." She couldn't keep her gaze to his eyes as she admitted this, staring at her own hand as she caressed his neck instead. "I know we didn't admit our feelings out of the fear it would ruin everything," she began, glancing at his curious eyes. "But I've truly never been so happy in my life. Not when my father died, not after we turned and traveled the world." She finally turned her gaze to Klaus' eyes and kept it there, her hand finally pausing to rest on his cheek. "I have my family back and there are a few extra members. I have my best friend back." She looked all over his face, as if taking every little feature, blemish, and imperfection to memory. "I have everything I could ever want."

Klaus' smile had slowly grown as she spoke, taking this chance to put his own hand on her waist, rubbing his thumb on the bare skin after he slightly lifted her shirt—just enjoying the little skin-to-skin contact. With his tone just as hers; happy, adoring, and soft, "Love, despite a thousand years of not being able to kiss you or properly love you—" he said, caressing from her cheek bone down to her lower lip. "I was just happy to have you in my life. Every moment I spent with you were the best moments of my life."

Belle kissed him then, moving almost impossibly closer. Her body pressed against his just as tightly as her lips were. As the kiss got deeper, it still remained slow, the both of them wanting this kiss to last as long as possible, as if when it stopped, they would disappear from each other.

However, they did eventually pull away, just as slowly as they kissed. They kept their foreheads pressed together, reveling in just the presence of each other. "All I want," Belle began, breathing deeply. "All I have ever wanted is right here in front of me. I can finally say 'I love you' and mean it in every possible way it can be interpreted." She kissed him once more before he could respond. "I love you, Niklaus Mikaelson. More than the air I breathe or the blood I drink."

Klaus let out the slightest of chuckles, placing the lightest of kisses to her lips. "And I love you, Belle Folan. More than the moon loves the stars and more than Kol loves to torture." This made Belle let out an ugly laugh, one that Klaus couldn't help but adore.

"Let's go to sleep." Belle offered, snuggling her face into Klaus' neck. "I thought we could go on a date tomorrow. You know, like normal people."

Klaus once again laughed, planting a kiss to her forehead and hugging her tightly. They only laid there for a few moments before they heard Kol speak. "Thank god, I was about to throw up." Belle didn't waste a second to rush out of the room and to Kol's, pouncing on him, yet still doing her best to be quiet enough to not wake Hope. Klaus, however, let out a belting laugh, flipping over onto his back.

Finally, he had found true happiness.

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