~ Guys, I'm reuploading the story I deleted a while back. I really liked it, so I hope you'll like it too. :)
Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too
-John Mayer, Daughters
Autumn 993
Aoife carried the basket of clothes that needed washing to the river. She felt as though she was being watched, but she shook it off as no big deal. She knelt on the bank of the river and began her washing. She would always sing when she did her daily chores. Her mother would always tell her that it helped pass the time. She wondered if her mother would be proud of her in this moment.
Before her parents had died, they expressed their disdain at her behavior with Niklaus. They were both good friends, but there were no growing feelings of love between them. They were friends who occasionally had relations with each other, but there were absolutely no romantic feelings toward each other. They were both an outlet for each other's primal urges- each caring for the other as a friend, but nothing more.
She knew her mother didn't think it was right for an unmarried woman to have relations with a man who wasn't her husband, but Aoife didn't see any harm in it. When her parents died, however, it was revealed that they were planning with Esther and Mikael. They wanted to arrange a marriage between Niklaus and Aoife- for Niklaus it was meant to tame his impulsive nature, and for Aoife it was to stop her promiscuous behavior towards other men.
They both accepted the arranged marriage- of course; Mikael didn't give them much of a choice. After the wedding they both tried to be the perfect married couple, and it was working out rather well. They didn't really know how to be a married couple- they were only eighteen for goodness sake. She heard a twig snap behind her and whipped her head around. Niklaus was smiling behind her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I thought I'd listen to my wife's beautiful voice," he said.
She rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "Is that so," she said.
He nodded as he sat on the ground beside her. He looked at her, but his smile fell when he saw the tear marks on her face.
"What is wrong?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" she replied.
He reached up to wipe the tears away and said; "You've been crying."
She looked shocked, and wiped at her face. "I didn't realize," she said.
"Why were you crying?" he asked.
"I was thinking about my mother. She would always sing that song when we did our chores," she said.
He smiled softly at her. Sure he wasn't in love with her, but he did love her. He cared for her wellbeing, and he wanted to see her happy. "Does it help to talk about her?" he asked.
"Sometimes," she said.
He smiled. "Then our child shall know everything about her grandparents. Where they sailed here from; how they acted; everything," he replied.
A smile lit up her face, and it warmed him inside. Every night he prayed that their child would have her beautiful smile. She had the perfect full lips, and her smile could light up a room- he wanted his child to have that quality.
"Do you need help carrying that?" he asked as she stood.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant- that doesn't mean I can't fend for myself," she said.
He just smiled at her need for independence and followed her back to their small home.
Niklaus helped Aoife hang up the clothes to dry. He always got teased by his brothers when he helped her with 'women's work' but he didn't care. He had heard that pregnant women should get more rest than women who aren't pregnant, and he didn't want her to over exert herself. He hadn't even seen the child yet, and he already loved it more than life itself.
"How is the child?" he asked when he saw her put a hand on her stomach.
She smiled at him. "It is strong, and demands attention," she replied.
He laughed at her answer, and said; "So already it is acting like Bekah."
Her beautiful laughter was contagious, and soon he found himself laughing as well. They walked back into the house where dinner was almost finished cooking. He sat at the table and began sharpening his blade so he could go hunting tomorrow, when there was a knock at the door. He got up to answer it so that Aoife could finish her cooking.
Rebekah, Kol, and Henrik entered the area where Aoife was cooking- they all had huge grins on their faces. They were Niklaus' younger siblings- Rebekah had just turned thirteen, Kol was sixteen, and Henrik was six. They all looked like they were up to something, and Aoife knew it was never good when they were scheming.
"What are you three up to?" she teased.
Henrik was the first to answer. "We have a surprise," he said.
"Is that so?" she asked.
He nodded, while Rebekah said; "It's for the new baby."
Niklaus and Aoife smiled at the three, and asked; "What is it?"
"Close your eyes," Kol said.
She looked to Niklaus who just shrugged and did what he said. She also closed her eyes, and felt someone reach for her hand. She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow as she felt cold metal fall into her hand.
"Okay, open your eyes," Rebekah said.
She did, and gasped when she saw what was in her hands. It was a beautiful gold locket, with an Onyx stone in the middle. She held it by the chain and watched as it twirled in the light.
"It's beautiful," Niklaus commented.
"It's from Ayanna too. It's the baby's first birthday gift!" Henrik said.
She smiled at the child, and said; "Thank you- all of you."
She knew Rebekah would try to give them some sort of gift- it was sort of her thing. Henrik normally tried to follow what his older siblings were doing, and he liked giving gifts as much as he liked receiving them. However, Kol had surprised her. Ever since he found out the wonders of women, he has been nothing but immature innuendos and jokes.
They stayed for a while before they had to leave to finish their own chores and Niklaus sat staring at the necklace.
Niklaus and Aoife were both sleeping soundly. They didn't know it, but both were dreaming of what their child will look like. Aoife was brought out of her dreams by a hand wrapping around her swollen belly. She smiled when she realized it was Niklaus. Since she revealed her pregnancy, he had been extremely protective of her. People could hardly look in her direction without being question by him. She would just shake her head and roll her eyes.
She slipped back into dreamland, but was shocked out of her dreams hours later by a pain through her abdomen. She looked to the window, and saw it was barely morning. Niklaus wasn't beside her, but his shoes were still by the door- hopefully he was within earshot.
"Niklaus!" she shouted.
She didn't hear anything. When she tried to stand, the pain shot through her stomach again. It was a clenching pain, and it radiated through her midsection. She waited a moments before hearing footsteps coming through the door.
"Niklaus!" she shouted again.
He came rushing into the room, and when he saw her he rushed to her side. "What is it? Are you okay?" he asked.
"Get Ayanna- please. Or Esther…" she said.
"Is the baby coming?" he asked.
"I think so. Please, just get someone," she said.
He ran out of the room and straight to his parents' home. Rebekah was already outside helping Esther with the morning chores. They looked startled by Niklaus when he came running toward them.
"Niklaus, what has happened?" Esther asked.
He was out of breath, but tried speaking anyway. "She… and Aoife… needs…" he stuttered.
"Niklaus, breathe," Rebekah said.
"Aoife sent me to get you. She thinks the baby is coming now," he managed to say.
They both ran to get Ayanna before rushing to help Aoife with her delivery.
Niklaus wouldn't stop pacing. Every time he heard Aoife's cries, he wanted to rush in there to comfort her. His brothers looked just as uncomfortable. Aoife was like a sister to them too, and she had been in labor for hours. Then there was the matter of wondering if the baby would be stillborn or not- it had happened to other couples and they hadn't been the same afterwards. It was like a part of them went missing, and they couldn't get it back.
Kol stood from where he sat on a stone, and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Niklaus, you will make a hole in the Earth if you do not stop pacing," he said.
Niklaus scowled at him, but was interrupted from whatever he was about to say when the door opened. Esther and Ayanna exited looking worn and tired, and they smiled at Niklaus. "Go see your child, Niklaus," Ayanna said.
As soon as she opened her mouth, he was sprinting for the front door. He ran through to the bedroom and opened the door to see Rebekah and Aoife smiling at a cooing baby. The child seemed entranced by Rebekah's blonde hair.
"Nik, her eyes! They are beautiful!" Rebekah exclaimed as she stood to hug the new father.
"Her?" he asked.
Rebekah smiled and nodded, motioning for him to go see as she exited the room. Niklaus knelt by the low bed and smiled at the beautiful baby in his wife's arms. She was stunning- the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
"She is lovely, isn't she," Aoife stated.
Niklaus nodded. "Breathtaking… genuine beauty," he commented.
"What should we name her?" Aoife asked.
Niklaus thought for a moment. "I am not certain. She needs a special name," he said.
They both seemed deep in thought, before Niklaus thought of the perfect name. "What about Irina?" he asked.
She thought for a moment, and then a smile came over her face. "Irina is beautiful- and it means peace, does it not?" she asked.
"Yes, it does," he replied.
Irina began to squirm in her mother's arms, and Aoife smiled at her. "Would you like to hold your daughter, Niklaus?" she asked.
He hesitated. "I would, but… what if I don't do it right," he said.
Aoife rolled her eyes. "It's not difficult, Niklaus. Here- position your arms like mine, and I will hand her to you," she said.
Niklaus did as she said, and she handed Irina to him. The child began to cry as she was placed in his arms, and he looked fearful. "Did I do something?" he asked.
"No, she just didn't want to be moved. Comfort her, Niklaus," Aoife said.
Niklaus did his best at comforting the child, but it was difficult. He didn't know how- he had never needed to comfort his younger siblings when they were newborns. That had been his mother's job. He tried calming her by holding her close and shushing. It seemed to work, and Irina opened her eyes.
Niklaus gasped. "Aoife, her eyes… they are so beautiful," he said.
"Yes, they are. See, she is already taking after her father," she teased.
Niklaus spent the rest of the day holding his daughter whenever he could. He was the happiest man in the world at that moment, and he vowed to protect his daughter with his life. No harm would ever come to her.
"You know what the great thing about babies is? They are like little bundles of hope. Like the future in a basket."
― Lish McBride