A.N. - Surprise, there's a sequel! Before reading this, be sure to read "Sinners" if you haven't already. I've decided to pick up right where we left off. I'm not sure if anyone was expecting or wanted a sequel, but I just felt like there was so much more for me to tell with these characters. Hopefully you all agree. Please review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Originals (unfortunately), but I do own my OCs and the plot of this story.

Song: Passenger, The Once, & Stu Larsen – Hard To Say I'm Sorry (cover)

Belle stared up at the ceiling, watching the shadows dance above her. She had been like this for over an hour – lying in bed, listening to the steady rhythm of Klaus' breathing as he slept beside her. Her mind reeled relentlessly, uncontrollably.

The diamond ring on her finger had, at first, been a blessing. It had felt like it was made just for her – which it was, but it just felt like...fate. Like she was meant to wear it. Like she was meant to be his – forever.

But now, mere hours after one simple word had all but sealed her fate, the ring felt awkward and heavy. Something just didn't feel right. She knew it should, but it just didn't. There was an ache in her heart that wouldn't subside and a voice in her head that muttered things she couldn't understand. Maybe the ring wasn't a blessing; maybe it was a curse.

She had pictured this moment a million times in her head over the years: the moment when she would be his and he would be hers. She had spent hours upon hours thinking about how it would feel. And the massive ball of anxiety she felt in her chest sure as hell wasn't what she had had in mind.

Everything started to feel wrong when just hours before it had felt so right, so perfect. Had she made a mistake?

Were the walls closing in? She could've sworn they were. And the room was hot, too hot. And she couldn't breathe. Was the air thinning? The room started to spin like the blades of a helicopter.

Blade. Was he crying? She couldn't tell. The ringing in her ears was too loud and the voice of her subconscious wouldn't shut the hell up.

Eyes starting to blur, senses starting to dull, she crawled out of bed, trying her best to be absolutely silent, and blindly grabbed for her clothes in the pitch black. She dressed quickly and stumbled out of the room, trying to regain her balance. Her head was foggy, like she was in a dream, but her pounding heart served as a reminder that it was, in fact, very real. She tried to take deep breaths to ease her anxiety, but the panic attack was already in full-swing, a nearly unstoppable force of her subconscious.

By the time she reached Blade's room she was in tears. She sunk down to the floor, back against the wall that faced his crib. Blade was sound asleep. She closed the door with one hand, keeping the other clamped tightly over her mouth to muffle her cries. She didn't want to disturb anyone, especially Blade. He was so young; he didn't deserve to see her in pain.

Eventually the anxiety subsided and her thoughts were clearer. So, she devised a quick plan. Maybe she just needed to get out, go for a drive to sort everything out and clear her head. So, she packed up a quick diaper bag for Blade, who was starting to stir. She didn't want to leave him,

He looked up at her with his big brown eyes and rolled over onto his side, grasping at the bars of the crib with his tiny hands. He smiled up at Belle and pulled himself up with the bars, reaching out to her. She put the bag on her shoulder and lifted him up, holding him on her hip.

"We're gonna go for a drive, baby. Okay?" She kept her voice low, not wanting anyone else to hear. As far as she could tell everyone else in the house was asleep, but, just in case they weren't, she didn't want to attract any attention. She popped a pacifier in Blade's mouth to keep him quiet.

There was one last thing she had to do.

Belle quietly snuck back into Klaus' room – their room, and left a note on the nightstand where he could find it when he woke up, knowing that he would worry.

She grabbed the keys to her Range Rover from the top of the dresser and headed downstairs, trying to stifle another anxiety attack. Hastily, she pulled on a pair of boots by the back door before slipping outside and walking quickly to her SUV that was parked out front, not realizing that they weren't her shoes until she had already closed the door; they were at least two sizes too big – probably Hayley's. And the shirt she wore wasn't hers either: it was one of Klaus' henleys.

Once she unlocked the car she buckled Blade into his carseat. He had his little dimpled fist in her hair, holding onto his mother's ebony curls like his life depended on it. He knew something was wrong, she could see it in his face. The way his eyebrows knit together. The way his eyes narrowed. It was such a peculiar expression for an infant; it was all Klaus. He was all Klaus.

When Belle forced him to release his surpassingly tight grasp he started to whine, attempting to protest, but all he could manage was a high-pitched wail. His mouth hung open, like he was trying to speak, as he watched her with great intensity.

She leaned in, running her fingers over his tight blonde curls to soothe him. The diamond on her ring glinted in the moonlight like a star, catching her eye before becoming hidden in Blade's hair. "It's okay, baby boy. We're just going for a drive. Alright?" He didn't seem entirely appeased, but he calmed down. After planting a quick, comforting kiss on his forehead, she closed the door, opened her own, and got in the driver's seat, quietly closing the door behind her.

She put the key in the ignition, turned it, and put the car in drive, but she didn't take her foot off the brake. She put both of her hands on the wheel, gripping it so tightly now that her knuckles turned white.

Her eyes were fixed on the ring, now overcast by a shadow. The diamond was no longer shining. In the darkness it appeared to be nothing more than a dull rock. She couldn't bear to look at it anymore – it made her feel sick. Hands shaking, she pulled ring off her finger and slipped it into the pocket of her jeans. "I'll put it back on later," she whispered to herself. "Later. After my drive." The doubt in her voice was blatant evidence of her uncertainty. She tried to ignore it. She had to believe her words. She needed to convince herself that this was just a drive. That she would put the ring back on.

After taking a deep breath and glancing up at the darkened window of Klaus' room, she was ready.

As she headed off into the night, outside the city's limits, she didn't realize how long it would be until she would see New Orleans again. Until she would see Klaus again.