As I continue with this, I realize I should have made this A/H as well. Oh well. Also - patience. Caroline will make her appearance in the 5th chapter. :)

"I'm removing Hope from that school," Klaus declared. "I'll enroll her at St. Anne's. And the next time someone mistakes us as - being together - at one of these ridiculous conferences, we won't bother to correct them."

"St. Anne's won't accept her if they think we're - why am I indulging you in this conversation?" Elijah wondered.

"This is your fault, Elijah, you and Rebekah!"


"She needs to have a normal life, Nik!"

"She should have an opportunity to make friends, Niklaus."

"It will be good for her - she'll be with others her own age and make friends," Rebekah insisted.

"We did not go through a supernatural war just to lock her away upon her return," Elijah stated.

His siblings did not sway him, but his daughter had. When he tucked her in for the night, she pleaded, "Please, daddy - I want to go to school."

At the start of the school year, he enrolled her in First grade.

One month in, he received a text, an email, a formal letter in the mail, and a flyer Hope brought home, announcing a Parent Teacher Conference.

Klaus asked Elijah to come with him, since they both helped Hope with her studies.

Earlier that Evening:

They dutifully sat in the auditorium as Principal Elliot gave a presentation regarding future plans, state test scores, and pleas for money.

"Christ, I'll give him my paycheck to shut up and give me a taste of the bottle he's got hidden in his desk," one of the parents had muttered behind them.

After the presentation, they made their way to Hope's classroom.

Ms. Greyson was standing outside her classroom, greeting parents and shaking hands.

"Hello, Mr. Mikaelson," she said, smiling and shaking Klaus' hand. "It's nice to see you again."

"And you as well, Ms. Greyson," he said charmingly as he shook her hand, then stepped inside.

He had met her on the first day of school, when he had walked Hope to her classroom.

Klaus knew everything there was to know about Amelia Greyson. He practically fell asleep reading the dossier that had been compiled on her. The only important thing about her - in his mind - was that she had no supernatural affiliations.

But he supposed he liked her - he hadn't felt the immediate urge to rip open her throat, and Hope spoke about her all the time in glowing terms.

"Hello, Elijah Mikaelson," he said, also shaking her hand and smiling.

They flat-out refused to sit in the ridiculously tiny chairs meant for children, instead, they chose to stand, in the back of the classroom.

They politely gave Ms. Greyson their attention as she talked about her class and her teaching philosophy.

As she spoke, Elijah took in her appearance. She was young, but tried to make up for it by dressing conservatively - or badly, he couldn't tell.

She wore a red sweater set paired with an unflattering beige skirt that might have been acceptable if it wasn't so long. A pair of black flats completed the - he hesitated to call it an outfit.

Her light brown hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail and she wore no makeup, except for a light coat of lipstick, which was exactly the wrong shade of lipstick to be wearing.

On the plus side, she had a nice smile and her eyes were bright with animation as she discussed her students. She was clearly enthusiastic about teaching.

"Now, the fun begins - I'm going to ask all of you to step outside, and when it's your turn, I'll call you back in. We're going alphabetically, so - Mr. and Mrs. Archer, you're up first."

Once in the hallway, Klaus blew out his breath. "I don't want to be here all night," he muttered. "Let's start compelling -"

"Vervain in the punch," Elijah said softly.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Bloody Human Faction. Wonderful. I'll just amuse myself by looking at tacky artwork with an over-abundance of glitter."

"Your daughter is the queen of glitter," Elijah said mildly.

"That's different - she is a prodigy," Klaus said arrogantly.

"Well, I think it's wonderful we have such a progressive and upstanding couple we can welcome to our community."

Curious, both Klaus and Elijah turned to woman holding court across the hallway.

"I mean, it is a shame, they're both such handsome men, but - to each his own and if they've found love, then c'est la vie! Oh, hello," she said brightly as she noticed Klaus and Elijah looking at her.

"I know, you must think we're just horrible talking about you, but we were all just saying how great it is that you're proudly out and the heck with what anyone thinks!" she said with a tinkling laugh.

"Out?" Elijah inquired.

"Well - you know - gay," she said.

Klaus burst out laughing. "He's my brother."

"Oh?!" she said, a new tone entirely creeping into her voice.

"Hope's mother died a few years ago," Elijah said.

"Yes, tragic," Klaus confirmed, not sounding like it was a tragedy at all. "My brother and sister help me to raise my daughter."

"Oh, how sad," another woman said, this one with impossibly blonde hair, a dozen bangles on her wrist and wearing what looked like her young daughter's t-shirt.

She pushed her way forward. "And - there's no Mrs. Mikaelson," she asked, looking to Elijah.

Too late, the brothers realized their mistake. As one, the single - and the not-so-single - mothers of the children of Crescent City Elementary turned to them.

Bloody hell.