The Apprentice (The Originals/The Vampire Diaries)

Chapter Twenty-Three

 Mikael sat quietly in the passenger seat as Annette slept. Stealing a car and driving down the highway far over the speed limit until they ran out of gasoline wasn't his ideal escape idea, but it had worked.

 He couldn't sleep. He still shaken up from the previous day's events. He had very nearly died once again at the hands of Klaus, and would certainly be dead now if Annette had not saved him. 

 He kept his arm around Annette, who was sleeping soundly with her head resting on his shoulder, and glanced back at the white oak stake that was thrown on the backseat. He had a choice to make now, he realized. If he went back to New Orleans to kill Klaus, he would lose Annette. If he chose to stay with her, that would mean letting go of the past.

 He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. When Annette first entered his life, a chance at happiness had entered as well. It hadn't taken him too many to begin falling in love with her, but he kept on pushing those feelings out, instead choosing to concentrate on his need for revenge. A revenge that wasn't even worth it. Since Annette had been turned, he had basically been hunting her death sentence. He would have his victory, but at the same time he would have been mourning the loss of the woman he loved.

 He had watched over her during his time on the Other Side, tormented by having to see her mourn him and go through life alone. There were a few times when she slept with other people, though it had clearly only been out of her curiosity. It infuriated him to think of it, and realized he wanted to be the one in bed with her, not anyone else. He had even wondered about it when he was still alive, and wondered how he had been so stupid as to pass up an opportunity to be with such a radiant woman.

 He snapped out of his memories as Annette awoke.

 "Good morning," he said. "Or perhaps the afternoon by now. I don't know which." 

 She sat up, pulling away from him. "Did you get any sleep?"

 He shook his head. "I couldn't. I wanted to stay alert, in case anyone found us."

 "Mikael, you know I don't need protecting anymore. I think we're far away enough from New Orleans; we must have crossed the state border by now."

 "We did. But I'll always feel the need to protect you, Annette."

 He leaned closer, as if to kiss her, but she quickly moved away, saying, "We should keep moving. We have to decide what to do next, where to go."

 She climbed out of the car, and he followed her.

 "Have I done something wrong?" he asked. "If I have, just tell me, please."

 She sighed and stopped walking. "No. You haven't. Look, we just got back to each other, Mikael, and I don't want to lose you ever again. But don't you think it's time you moved on? You know, moved on from the past? Esther is gone, and killing Klaus isn't going to change that. I think you've known that all this time, and you just don't want to say it or believe it. You do know it, don't you? I can see it in your eyes."

 He nodded. "Yes. I know that now. I think I've always known it, deep down. I just needed to realize it. And all it took was one person to make me see it." He took a deep breath. "I think I need to go back to New Orleans."

 "Why?" Annette asked. "In case you have forgotten, that is the place where you were nearly murdered again last night." 

 "I know, but Freya is still there, and Dahlia is out there somewhere. She wants Hope, Klaus' daughter. I...made an attempt to murder Hope's mother while she was still pregnant. But now I believe I was wrong to do so. Even though Niklaus is her father, she's an innocent child. Dahlia would ruin her. And...Esther is buried there. Her real body. I need to say goodbye for good. And I think I should also check up on Elijah and Rebekah. They are still my children, after all."

 Mikael watched as her serious face broke into a smile.

 "You know, when I first met you," she began, "You didn't seem to care about anything or anyone. You were only mildly interested in me. And now you're standing here, declaring your love. I'm proud of you for finally coming in contact with human emotions again. If you really need to go back, then let's go. Forget the car. We'll figure out something else."

~~~~~~ 

 They quietly snuck into the compound. They could hear voices from inside, but not anyone particularly close.

 "What do you think they're planning?" Annette whispered.

 "Whatever it is, it can't have too good an outcome," Mikael replied. "There's Freya. She's all right. Freya!"

 The older Mikaelson sister turned at the sound of her father's voice. "Father? Annette? What are you doing back here? Klaus tried to kill you last night!"

 "I had to come back," said Mikael. "I wanted to check up on you. So, while Klaus isn't here, fill me in. What's been happening?"

 "Well, Klaus seems to have found a way to get rid of Dahlia."

 "How so?" Annette asked.

 "By using the perfect weapon," Klaus said, pulling someone along behind him. "The sister whom she claims abandoned her."

 Annette quickly recognized Esther Mikaelson; she looked almost exactly the way Mikael had once described her. 

 "I should have known you would have the nerve to show your face here again," Klaus said to Mikael. "And of course you brought her along with you. Mother, I suppose you haven't met Mademoiselle Chevalier. Father seems to have taken quite a shining to her."

 Though Annette would have loved to tear his head off, Mikael was obviously not paying any attention to the fact that Klaus was even there. He staring in shock at his newly-resurrected wife. 

 "What is this?" he asked. "Isn't it bad enough you murdered her and framed me? Now what? You're resurrected her so you could hand her over to the woman who took our daughter?"

 "Believe me, I will be ridding us of two problems this city can do without. Why don't the two of you just stay out of this?"

 "I know who she is, Niklaus," Esther said calmly, the first time Annette had heard her speak. "She has always been Mikael's friend. They are true friends for always sticking with each other, at that."

 Annette was going to ask how she knew about their friendship, but remembered that Mikael had been able to watch over her when he was on the Other Side, and realized Esther must have been able to watch her family from there.

 "Five minutes," Mikael said in a shaky voice. "Give us five minutes to just...talk."

 "And why should I?" Klaus asked. "The sooner we get rid of our evil Aunt Dahlia, the better."

 "Niklaus, surely we can reasonable here." They turned as Elijah strode into the courtyard. "We should give our parents a chance to...say goodbye, I suppose."

 Klaus looked between them and sighed. "Very well. Five minutes. No more." 

 Mikael was instantly at Esther's side, and Annette watched as he pulled her aside to talk with her.

 "You're very calm," Freya remarked. "Are you okay?"

 "Yes, I'm fine," Annette answered. "It's been an exciting week for me. I discovered Mikael had
returned, was reunited with him, and saved him from dying again."
 
 "That is quite a week," said Elijah. "But I assure you, being a Mikaelson I have had much stranger times." He glanced over at his parents. "This is most likely going to be their last conversation with each other, you know. Our father is clearly not well, mentally and emotionally. He can quite reckless, honestly. "

 "What are you trying to tell me?" Annette asked.

 "I think what he's trying to say," Freya began, "Is that he needs time to heal after the thousand years he's had. If you're willing, I think you could help him with that."

 Annette sighed. "Well, not much else seems to be happening in my life at the moment. I may as well. Hold on a moment." She reached into her jacket and pulled out the little pen and notepad she usually carried around. "Since I think I like the two of you, here is a phone number and email address you can contact me with. Just in case you ever need help with anything. I seem to good at murder, thanks to your father."

 Elijah smiled and took the paper from her. "Thank you. I'll consider it."

 Annette looked back at Mikael just in time to see him vamp-speed out of the compound. She began to go after him when she heard Esther call, "Annette!"

 She turned around. "Yes?"

 "Look after him, will you? I don't think he's in his right mind." 

 There was no reason for everyone to keep telling her, she thought. People like Mikael needed someone to keep an eye on them. 

 Annette found Mikael outside the compound, leaning against the building. 

 "Well?" she said. "You left pretty fast."

 "I know. But...there were still things unsaid, things we should have gotten to the chance to talk about but never did. We got to say goodbye."

 Annette wasn't sure what to do or say. But she laid her hand on his shoulder and asked him, "Do you remember the day at the train station where you told me we could go anywhere in the world, wherever I wanted?"

 "Of course I do. That was the first time you told me you liked me."

 "It was, wasn't it? And you were shocked to hear the words. Well, it's your turn now. Pick a place, anywhere. I think we should just go away somewhere for a while."

 Mikael took a quick moment to think. "Norway. I want to spend time in my homeland."

 Annette nodded. "All right. We'll go. You need time to get over everything. You're still stuck in the past, Mikael."

 "I know. I just didn't realize it. But I know now, and I know I have to move on. So that's what I'll do."