Disclaimer: I own nothing

I'm back! What craziness do I have planned for Jacqueline this time? Let's see how she handles Papa Original!

Sit back and enjoy!

Love always,

Avoline

Jacqueline stretched as she awoke, her hand landing on a sheet of paper. She grabbed it and quickly read the note from Elijah, then smiled and stood, slipping on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. At least she'd have the whole compound to herself for the day, so maybe she would be able to finish the book she was reading. She grabbed said book and stepped out into the hall...

Only to be slammed against the wall by her throat.

The man before her radiated danger, yet she remained calm. He looked somewhat like Freya, but older and obviously male. His bright blue eyes shone with rage, and his grip on her neck was cutting off her oxygen. But she knew, just from looking at him, who had intruded on her quiet day, and she refused to be afraid of him.

"Mikael," she gasped, and he let out a low chuckled.

"So, you know who I am," he growled. "Maybe you know where my children are. More importantly, where is that bastard, Klaus?" His grip tightened, and her legs started kicking of their own accord. "Or had his evil influenced you as well, little human?" She were struggling to breath, yet her courage remained strong.

"If he is evil, it's because of how he was raised," she shot back, and he suddenly let go. She sank to the floor coughing for air, but kept her eyes trained on the threat standing over her.

"Got a mouth on you, that's for sure," he snapped. "What makes you so sure he wasn't born evil? Or has he fed you so many lies that you began to believe them truth?" She took a few deep breaths before standing and fully facing the old Viking.

"Not many are truly born evil," she began. "Klaus is simply a product of being despised for so long, and now he can barely make any meaningful connections to anyone outside of his siblings. He is forever paranoid of everyone turning on him or plotting against him, and it's made him so lonely and depressed and it comes out as rage. Rage that I can tell he learned from you." He looked stunned, and she continued. "I have just met you, and you already despise me though you barely know me. Klaus did the same at first. You cannot fault him for how he is when it's clear he is exactly what you wanted him to become."

He kept staring at her, processing what she had said, so she kept talking.

"He is a wonderful father to his daughter, and fiercely loyal to her and his siblings. He and I have even began to get along after a while, because, deep down, he just wants to finally be able to relax. He truly is a kind person, but he had been told for so long that he was weak, and in his mind anger and rage and being who you are makes him strong. If you could only see how much different he is with his child, you would see the real Niklaus." She cocked her head to the side. "And Freya describes you as a kind, loving father. What happened to turn you into the man you are now." His gaze softened at the mention of Freya, and she caught a glimpse of what the blond was talking about.

"When she was born, I was a different man," he muttered, shifting his stare to the opposite wall. "But then I left with the other warriors, and when I came back, she was gone. I was told she had died of sickness, and I couldn't handle it. I started distancing myself from my remaining children, as well as my wife. By the time Niklaus was born, I had become the man you see." He turned and met her eyes. "I despised Niklaus for reasons I myself do not know, and I sometimes wonder if I knew all along that he was not my son."

"But he is," she responded gently. "You still raised him. You taught him everything he knows about being a man. He still seeks your approval, even though he does not realize it. It takes more than blood to be a parent." He sighed and looked away. "It's not too late to try and make things right."

"I would not even know where to begin," he admitted softly. She heard voices through the wall, and gestured for him to follow.

"How about now," she suggested as she lead him to the courtyard balcony. She nodded towards the group sitting in the sun. "It's time you see the man you raised, and maybe meet the closest thing to a grandchild you will ever have." He stood next to the railing, and she turned to watch Klaus and Hope. The child's laughter reached her ears, and she saw Mikael smile out of the corner of her eye.

"He really is a good father," he commented.

"He adores her," she explained. "When he isn't able to spend time with her, he becomes so irate, and counts down the days until he can see her again. If there's no one to kill, he locks himself away and paints, and he can turn his pain into such beautiful art." She turned to him and smiled. "If you give it time and work back to being the man Freya knows you are, Klaus might allow you some time with her." He fixated on the small child and nodded. "Let me talk to him, first. He might need a little convincing." She started down the steps, throwing a glance back at Mikael.

Maybe there was hope for him after all.

It had been months since Mikael had confronted her. She began to get to know another side to the old Viking, the side Freya had spoken about so many times. He was a fiercely loyal man, who valued family above all, and loved telling tales of his days as a warrior. But he was also a damaged man, as Jacqueline soon learned. He grew nervous and restless if he didn't know where Freya was, and his eyes dimmed with hurt and betrayal when Esther was mentioned.

But she could see how attached he was growing to little Hope. His gaze would soften, his eyes would glint with affection, and the harsh edge of his voice would disappear. She seemed fond of him, too, her face lighting up when she spotted him. Klaus and Hayley were never far off, of course, keeping a close watch to make sure Mikael didn't hurt his only grandchild. But he never showed any ill will towards the child, and seemed to relish every moment he had with her.

She made her way down the steps to see Mikael cradling little hope, but Klaus and Hayley were nowhere to be seen.

"Where is everyone," she inquired softly. He glanced up and slowly rose, and she noticed the child was asleep in his arms.

"Hayley went to see if it was safe for her pack to go back home," he answered. "And my sons have left to deal with something. And of course, Rebeka and Freya went shopping for some stupid reason. And since you were asleep, I was left to look after Hope." He smiled at the sleeping form. "And she just dozed off, so I'm going to lay her in the crib." She smiled as he carefully walked up the steps and to the makeshift nursery.

"Seems like this family is one step closer to getting along."