Tiberius Salvatore: Mikaelson Extended

48 [Epilogue]

Rio called Caroline ever once in a while after she'd switched her humanity back on. And when Stefan went on the run from Rayna, he and Valerie had stayed with Rio for a week. And when Enzo and Damon were more or less under Sybil's control, Rio knew about it. He couldn't go to Mystic Falls to help his brothers, especially not when he had to look after Rhea as she grew. Anya had gone to study at Harvard Law just as she'd wanted, and Sam was still by his side, helping raise Rhea. He couldn't bring a child into that atmosphere. And he still talked to Klaus every so often. He'd heard about the eldest Mikaelson still being alive. Freya was her name. He'd heard about Esther and Mikael coming back. And Kol and Finn's revival. Rebekah being a witch. And then being Rebekah again. He'd heard about everything that happened in those two towns but knew he had to stay out. Maybe if he wasn't Rhea's guardian, he would have but he had responsibilities he couldn't shy away from this time around. When the devastating news of Stefan's death came round, Rio would be lying if he said he didn't expect Stefan to come back to life like Damon did. He waited half a year before he allowed himself to believe that Stefan wasn't coming back. And that realisation was harder than finding out Stefan was dead. He wasn't coming back.

Rio still wasn't talking to Damon, however, still stubborn enough to keep to his word. Damon refused to be the one to call Rio as well, so with each brother not calling the other, there was no communication between the two. Caroline tried to bring the two closer especially when Elena had gone into her coma. But neither brother would reach out. And when Caroline opened her school, Rio thought about taking Rhea there, but there was a reason why Klaus gave him sole custody for a reason. Klaus wanted Rhea hidden, and Caroline was smart enough. She'd figure out who Rhea was, given the chance. So he declined and moved on. Rio didn't tell Rhea who her father was as she grew up, promising himself he'd do so once she turned thirteen. Old enough to understand. Anya spent five years at Harvard before working at the D.A's office. She forged a path committed to the truth- refusing to prosecute the innocent et cetera et cetera. Charlotte would most definitely have been proud of what she'd accomplished. Zach, the guy she'd been on and off with since she left Mystic falls, had pursued a career as an officer of the law, though they didn't bump into each other much. Which was sad, because Rio was really rooting for the two. Rio spent time at home instead of working, trying to always be there for Rhea. Bad enough she didn't have her biological parents, Rio didn't want her to feel as though she didn't have him either. Occasionally he tried looking for ways for people to perceive him as older that he was. He could, maybe, pass for thirty five. And even that was a stretch. Rhea grew up having red hair, something she shared with her twin. She was smarter than the average child as well. When she turned six, Rio moved the family to New York.

Sam started her own business sewing clothes and soon enough had a big enough business to gain a lot of money. That didn't stop the girls from seizing Rio's card every chance they got. He could only wish that particular bad habit would not be rubbed off onto Rhea as she grew, though knowing Anya, she would. Rio had a lot of money left over from his work over the centuries. He and Charlotte never wanted to live lavishly and Klaus had given him money when they were sorting out the legal guardianship details, asking Rio to give Rhea anything she wanted. Klaus had always lived a lavish life with his family and though Rio did give Rhea what she wanted, he knew sometimes there was a line to be drawn, to humble her. He taught her to care about others, that money wasn't everything. He taught her his values, that killing was wrong no matter what, and that there were other ways to defend oneself without killing. Rio loved her, and protected her. He did raise her, and was her father in that sense. But Klaus deserved the title. He sent away his daughter, to keep her safe. Rio made Klaus a scrapbook. Well several. He took a picture of Rhea every day, so he was almost finished with the twelfth book. He made a compilation of Rhea's firsts. Her first crawl, her first steps, her first words. Rio did all he could so that one day, Klaus and Hayley could feel like they had been part of Rhea's life. That they hadn't missed anything. Rio knew they'd do anything to have their daughter by their side, but they couldn't in order to keep her safe. That was never their fault. No one would suspect that Rhea was alive and living with Rio. Besides, they did pretend Rhea was named Grace. And it may have been a while until Rhea reunited with her family, but Rio was determined for it to happen. Rio had friends to teach Rhea her magic, and he had Anya who was one of the most powerful witches. Almost as powerful as Freya. She'd be more powerful if she was turned into a vampire. Rio did a lot of research into her, and it turned out if she did turn into a vampire, her siphoning abilities would siphon off her vampiric side while her normal witch side wouldn't just die out. There was simply too much magic within her for it to die out. Of course if she was an actual half-witch half-siphoner from this century, she wouldn't have her magic to save her. It was a long story, and Rio barely understood half but once he recited what he'd read, Anya nodded like it made sense. When she was twenty three she decided to turn into a vampire. Said, she still wanted Rio to look older than her, but she didn't want to look too young. They were a perfectly happy family. Sam turned into a hybrid not long after that. And for a while, they lived content. One might even go so far as to say happily, even. It was the best they could have hoped for.