The Hybrid's Wife

Chapter seventeen

We sat on a bench in the middle of the town square, the clock tower behind us. I held Nik's hand as we watched everyone pass, going about their daily lives.

"It's strange to see all this, like that shop over there was where the butcher lived" I pointed in that direction with my free hand.

"And past those buildings over there was where my father helped curse me." Nik rolled his eyes. I tightened my hold on his hand, a silent gesture for comfort.

"This town holds great sorrow, but it did carry happy memories" I stood, dragging Nik up with me. "Come, lets go see the falls." I poked his chest, disconnecting our hands. "I'll race you there"

"Really love? You want to play that childish game?" He tried to sound annoyed but there were memories that started to surface, I could see it on his face.

"What? Think you'll lose?" I raised a challenging eyebrow, we often chased each other around the village, always ending up at our spot.

"Never" he tried to grab me but I'd already took off, running at a human pace until I got out of sight, and then I really ran.

Halting to a stop, I watched the falls, they were still the same, even after a thousand years.

"Nikki?" A young girl called, looking for her best friend who she'd chased all the way out here. The waterfall caught her eye, making her watch. She'd seen beauty before, but this was something all together different.

"Eve?" A blonde boy stepped out from behind a tree, wondering why his friend had suddenly stopped playing.

"Look at it Nikki, isn't it beautiful?" The girl asked in wonder.

"It's just water Eve, we should get back soon, father will be furious if I don't help hunt" the young boy looked around wearily, as if his father would jump out of the bushes any second.

"This should be our spot, one no one knows about" Eve looked around, spotting an opening. She tentatively stepped towards it.

"What are you doing? Be careful!" Her best friend shouted in worry, the girl was heading toward the powerful falls, and there were slippery rocks all around.

"Relax Nikki, I'll just be a second" Eve called, when she finally managed to get to the opening, she realized it was a cave, one that would be completely hidden from sight. It was perfect.

"What are you thinking about?" Arms wrapped around my waist, a chin resting on my shoulder. His voice startled me out of my memory.

"The time we found our place, you were such a scaredy-cat back then" I glanced at my husband, pecking his cheek, and getting out of his grip. "Come on, I want to see if anything has changed."

I dragged him behind the waterfall, stepping into the cave. I grabbed my phone to use as a flashlight.

Even after all these years, no one has found this place, everything was just as we left it. There was a few trunks scattered around, the walls held drawings done by Niklaus himself, a heart carved near the entrance.

"Look Nikki" I touched the heart with my fingers, grazing it lightly. "Well we got one thing right" I laughed. It was my first two initials followed by a plus sign and Nik's initials afterward.

"I wonder how no one has found this yet?" Klaus questioned, he stepped past me, carefully opening up the old trunk.

He pulled out old pieces of parchment paper that looked ready to disintegrate in his hands. I carefully took one out of the trunk. "Aw, these were your early artist days" I smiled "you insisted you draw me on these, but paper was always so rare back then, I thought your father might actually kill me when he found out I was the one stealing it from him"

Nik shot me a look "Yes, but if I remember correctly, you were the one who insisted we take it from father. I was always the lookout while you stole them" he sent me a grin, carefully putting the pages back.

Historians would die to have stuff like this. I'm surprised any of this is still here, walking over to another trunk, I discovered some bowls, this was where we kept everything when the other would miss a meal due to their parent.

Our cave was thankfully untouched, our sanctuary still safe, even after a thousand years.

"Come Eve, lets go to the Grill, we can eat something there" I could tell memories were starting the plague his mind, one of the reasons we even had the sanctuary in the first place.

I walked up to Nik, and taking his hand in mine. "You killed him, he can't harm you anymore" I pulled his face to mine with my free hand, resting our foreheads together. "And I'm not leaving your side ever again" I promised. I wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"How did I survive without you" he whispered.

"Because you're strong Nikki" I answered "you always have been, and you always will be"