Sorry for the late chapter guys but I'm sure you know how busy school can make ya.

Chapter 10

Godric stood at the doorway of Baby Hope's nursery watching as Hayley rocked the infant to sleep. Hayley was so overtaken by her love of Hope that she couldn't focus on anything else but the baby in her arms, letting Godric's peeking go unnoticed.

He stared on in wonderment. Over the course of a thousand years he's seen a million babies but he never cared to actually pay attention to any of them before. Now as he saw her – her innocent face, her tiny feet, and her balled-up, little hands – he wondered why anyone would ever want a baby. She was so vulnerable. She couldn't feed herself or protect herself. They had only been at the safe house for a couple of hours and already she had to have her diaper changed twice. Her only redeeming quality was that she wasn't in the habit of crying every five minutes like the infants he remembered in the past.

Suddenly Hope sneezed and Hayley used the bib around her neck to clean the excess spit from the baby's mouth.

Godric couldn't help but smile. He thought it was funny that the baby couldn't even wipe her own mouth and then he wondered if it was the hilarity of infants that made them so appealing.

Before he could observe anymore, someone grabbed his arm and threw him away from the door against the wall leaving a hole where his head hit.

He stared in fear at Niklaus' surly mug.

"What do you think you're doing?" Klaus growled.

Godric stumbled to find his voice before finally answering, "N-nothing."

Klaus grabbed Godric by the collar and lifted the boy into the air so he was staring straight into his eyes. "I've warned you about my child."

"I didn't touched her." He swore, afraid that Klaus had Papa Tunde's blade tucked away somewhere on his person.

"See that you never do, little brother. We are family but from now on, Hope is my first priority and I will do anything to keep her safe."

With that, Klaus tossed Godric away with a flick of his wrist. As soon as he hit the ground, Godric scurried away to the other end of the house, far away from Klaus and his baby.

Godric was too busy looking behind him to make sure Klaus wasn't following him to notice where he was going and he unwittingly bumped into Elijah hard enough to bounce the boy back to the ground and make Elijah drop the cup of water in his hand.

The water didn't spill on Elijah's suit but when the cup hit the ground, some of it did land on his shoes. Elijah stared down at the mess with furrowed brows and Godric mistook his anger as being directed towards him.

"I-I'm sorry." The boy swiftly apologized with tears in his eyes.

When he saw the terror unhidden on his brother's face, Elijah calmed down.

"It's perfectly alright." He said gently. "It was an accident."

Elijah held a compassionate hand out to help the boy up and show that he wasn't angry but even after he was safely back on his feet Godric still looked terrified.

Elijah glanced back in the direction Godric ran from and noticed he was coming from the way of Hope's nursery.

With a heavy sigh, Elijah asked, "What did Niklaus do this time?"

Godric shook his head timidly and mumbled, "Nothing."

"If he's done nothing then why are you crying?"

Godric barely registered the tears on his face until Elijah pointed it out. Once the gates were open, the boy started bawling. Elijah picked him up and Godric immediately wrapped his arms tightly around his brother's neck.

"I thought you hated me." Godric sobbed.

Elijah's arms tightened around the boy, offended by the very notion. "I could never hate you, Godric. You are my brother."

"But before…you didn't want to touch me…because I'm a Hybrid."

"No, brother, it wasn't you. It was me...it was something mother did...it was not you. I'm sorry for hurting you, Godric. That was never my intention. Now, will you tell me what Klaus did?"

Godric thought carefully. What should he say – that Niklaus yelled at him? That he hurt his feelings? That he scared him?

Now that he knew he was a Hybrid, Godric wanted to be stronger so when the day came that his family would inevitably turn their backs on him he could handle it it but there he was - crying in one brother's arms because the other was mean to him. He hated himself for needing Elijah to hold him but for a thousand years it was only in the arms of his siblings that he found solstice.

"He caught me watching Hayley rock his baby to sleep and he got angry. He still thinks I'm going to hurt her." Godric reluctantly admitted. Suddenly remembering the hateful words he yelled at Niklaus in anger about Hope the first time he was un-daggered, Godric begged, "Don't tell Rebekah what I said about the baby. I didn't mean it, brother, I swear. She'll be so angry with me. And don't tell her I'm a Hybrid! I don't want Rebekah to hate me too."

Rubbing gentle circles against the boy's back, Elijah promised, "No one hates you, Godric. Niklaus just needs to learn a better way to express his feelings towards you, but don't worry, I'll discuss it with him."

Godric's heart skipped with fear. "No! He just wants me to stay away from his baby. If you confront him about trying to keep me away, he may dagger me just to make sure I can't get near her. Or worse, he could dagger you and then I'll be left alone with him! Please, Elijah. Don't say anything to him."

Elijah was angry at the intense fear Niklaus was causing the boy but he realized confronting the Hybrid about it would only ignite more fear in Godric so he decided to put Klaus' scolding on the back burner for now. Instead, he walked around the house, shushing Godric's sobs and rubbing his back until the boy finally fell asleep.

Just as Godric fell asleep, Rebekah came inside from building the bonfire and met her two exhausted brothers.

"What happened?" She asked referencing the drying tears on Godric's cheeks.

Elijah considered telling her the truth but he knew there was no way he could stop her from challenging Klaus.

"He spilled some water and I scolded him." He lied.

"And he cried this hard? Your jacket is wet."

"Yes, well…I don't think he's taken his nap today…plus, his Hybrid emotions are a lot stronger than we're used to."

Rebekah nodded, believing her brother's story.

"I know that you are still fighting against whatever mother did to you, Elijah, and it's making you a tad bit mad but do try to take it easy on him. He's just a little boy. Kids make messes."

"Of course, sister. My apologies."

Rebekah took Godric from Elijah's hands and carried him out to the front porch where she sat on the porch swing with Godric in her lap, staring at the unlit bonfire stick pile. The sight of the pile mixed with the familiar smell of the top of Godric's head lulled her mind back to the first bonfire she had with her brothers as vampire.

Flashback:

Godric came skipping through the Mikaelson Manor with Rebekah at his side, holding tight to his sister's hand.

"Niklaus! Elijah!" The boy yelled excitedly as the two skipped through the house until they found the two other Mikaelson brothers in the Great Room – both barking orders at servants as they tried to hurriedly finish the preparations for the night's festivities. "It's bonfire day!" Godric continued to scream with glee. "Come! Let's go make the bonfire!"

Niklaus ignored his brother's excitement, though he could feel it strongly, and replied, "We have 70 guests to prepare entertainment for tonight, little brother. We hardly have time to indulge in childish traditions."

"Nik!" Rebekah barked warningly.

Niklaus looked down to see Godric's watery eyes staring back up at him. With a sigh, he restated, "Perhaps next year, brother."

"But you said that last year. And the year before that." Godric whined.

Elijah made his way closer to the boy and said apologetically, "I know, dear brother, and if this gala wasn't important, you know we would jump at the chance to build a bonfire with you but it's just not that simple anymore."

Godric dropped his head and mumbled lowly, "Forty-two."

"What was that?"

"Forty-two." He replied louder. "That's how many bonfires we've missed…in a row. And every year you promise to make it up to me the following year but you never do. Today will make forty-three."

"I know, Ricky." Elijah affectionately brushed Godric's hair out of his face. "But there are important people on their way and it is our duty as aristocrats to afford them our full attention. Even Kol is providing his assistance to Lady Buchanan at her early arrival."

Frustrated, Godric yanked his hand from his sister's hold and sprinted out of the room.

Rebekah huffed vehemently as the doors slammed behind the discouraged boy.

"His assistance." She repeated. "I think we all know what Kol is really up to with the 'early arriving' Lady Buchanan and quite frankly I think his body could use a rest. And you two are no better. Godric does anything anyone in this house asks of him and he only makes one request every year but the three of you are always too busy to oblige him. But you know who would love to build a bonfire with him and pretend to be a family for one day if it meant securing Godric's loyalty? Mikael. And if you two don't start acting like a family soon you're going to push him back into our father's arms."

The two eldest brothers contemplated silently. The Elijah spoke, "I suppose…we could go out and build the bonfire now, be done in time to greet our guests, slip away again to burn our wishes while everyone's too distracted to notice, and then be back before the end of the celebration."

"Fine." Rebekah reluctantly agreed. "But next year there will be no other celebration, you will not make other plans, none of you will be preoccupied with more important matters – bonfire season will be spent with no one but the five of us." She suddenly directed her anger at Niklaus in particular. "He's dedicated his entire life to you. The least you can do is give him one day out of the year."

End Flashback

Godric woke in his sister's arms. A fleck of sunlight beamed on the porch from the lowering sun and warmed his cold cheek.

"Good evening, sweet boy." Rebekah said fondly. "How was your nap?"

Godric tightened his arms around Rebekah and fought against the resurfacing tears of joy. Being away from her reminded him that there was a chance they wouldn't be together forever and the thought terrified him so he was committed to enjoying every moment he was with her.

"Where's Niklaus?" He asked habitually.

Rebekah shrugged. "You know Klaus. Probably ruining someone else's evening. But if we're lucky, he has fallen for Hope's charm and is too distracted to do anything truly terrible today."

He hoped so much that she was right.

Please Review :D