Chapter Twenty

He guided Hope down the hall carrying the girls backpack in his hand, he imagined he would have been seen multiples times with a pink backpack had Hope grown up with him. Normally such an item would not be seen with him but it changed when it came to Hope, anything for his daughter.

"Are you sure Davina will want to give up her room for me?"

Klaus nodded slightly. "Of course, she will understand the reason" He knocked once on the door before opening it raising his eyebrow at Cami and Kol who were sitting on the edge of Davina's bed, the teenager was sitting cross legged on the floor surrounded by spell books. "What is happening?"

Davina didn't spare him a second glance. "Cannot have people wandering the compound uninvited, we need a barrier" She offered him an explanation.

Klaus frowned; he had instructed her not to use magic while his siblings were around for her own protection. He did not want her to be taken advantage of by them, if they knew they would use her for magic whenever a problem arose, that was not the life he wanted for her any longer. "I thought I made myself clear on the subject…"

Davina cut him off, not wishing for him to break into another lecture. "It's to protect Hope"

Kol sighed, when his brother turned to him. "We've had this conversation already, she is determined. How did your talk go?" He looked at Hope who smiled at him shyly.

"It was fine. Hope, I do believe you have not been properly introduced to my partner Cami" He did not allow the word girlfriend to escape his lips, he was not a teenager, Cami meant more to him than just the word girlfriend. "Cami, this is Hope, my daughter"

Cami smiled at the young girl, she could not deny to anyone that there was indeed a hint of Klaus within the child's eyes. "It is nice to finally meet you Hope"

Hope smiled shyly, giving the woman a brief nodded. "Hi"

Klaus placed the bag down on the chair by the door. "I must leave now, threats to take care of" He placed his hand on Hope's shoulder. "Cami, could you please watch Hope…"

There was a mutual understanding in Cami's eyes when she looked up at Klaus, she was aware of what her partner was asking. He wanted her to watch Hope encase Hayley tried to confront the girl. "Of course, I'll make sure she gets to bed" It was late, she wasn't aware of the time but it had to be in the early hours of the morning.

"Before I forget, Hope is going to be sleeping in here for now. Her current room is a little uncomfortable" He did not mention that the girl was refusing to be close to Hayley and Elijah, though it made his frozen heart swell at the thought of her choosing to be closer to him.

Davina huffed, standing up and collecting the books she was currently studying. "I suppose I shall moved my things to Kol's room then, thanks for update Klaus"

"Darling" Kol stood up from his spot on the bed when Davina strode out of the room brushing past Klaus who stared after her with a puzzled expression. "I'll take care of her. Are you sure you will be alright with Elijah, Marcel or I…"

"Will rest" Klaus finished his younger brothers sentence with a pointed look. "I will be fine, Elijah might be a poor excuse for a brother at this moment but I can confidently say he will not let anything happen to me"

Kol nodded slowly. "You are aware of where I am, in case you need assistance" He gave his brother and niece on last look before leaving them alone, his mind on a mission, one he knew would be difficult. Finding out what was floating around in his girlfriends mind.

Cami stood up. "Well, you need to stay safe"

"Of course love, I will be home in a few hours all limbs intact" He kissed her briefly before looking down at Hope unsure if he should kiss her forehead like his heart was begging him too or settle for a brief goodbye like his mind was telling him she would be comfortable with.

Hope looked up at him. "Come back soon, I don't want to miss anymore time" She wrapped her arms around his waist in the quickest hug ever seen, not giving him enough time to react before she pulled away and moved towards the bed. "Bye"

Klaus cleared his throat, he couldn't help but feel a little confused, puzzled was perhaps a better expression. The amount of energy that had escaped his body tonight with all that had happened left him feeling drained though there was no time to dwell on it or reflect not until the person hunting Hope was caught. "Sleep well, littlest wolf" He caught Cami's eye seeing her smiling at him before he left the room completely. There was no time like the present to hunt down those who threatened to take away the child he had just got back.

…

He knew barely anything about her, only having subjected himself to two conversations with her. She claimed to be their sister, yet he felt no connection with her as he did Rebekah. He knew that it was because they had not grown together yet he wondered if he wished form a bond with her at all, it was exceptionally harder now since she had been part of the group that had taken his daughter. Yet he wondered if beyond that there was any reason to dislike her, perhaps she was not all that bad. Not that it mattered, there was no time to dwell over the knowledge that he did not know her as well as he could.

"Where are they all?" His voice cut through the thick silence.

Freya raised her head from the map she had been working on; it was magically enchanted to show where his enemies were lurking. "Hayley is running in wolf form I believe, possibly plotting a plan to move against you" Her eyes connected with his. "Elijah and Rebekah went to investigate the party venue"

"Alone?" He specially remembered saying he would go with Elijah. "He took our little sister with him?"

Freya nodded slowly. "Rebekah's a big girl, besides do you care?" She knew that he loved Rebekah underneath it all, but since they had arrived he had gone out of his way to avoid their little sister.

Niklaus glowered at her. "I might not like Rebekah at this very moment but that does not mean I want my little sister fighting my battles" He walked towards her. "You do not know me as well as you might think. I do not wish for my family to get into my business, to be hurt by the hands of people that wish to strike me down. Taking Rebekah and putting her in the middle of a battle field does not sit well me"

"You're protective of her"

Klaus tilted his head, seeing a fleet of emotion pass through Freya's eyes, one that looked like envy. "Of course. We have our issues as does every family and despite our broken relationship at this point in time, I still do not want anything to happen to her or Elijah" It struck him solid when he spoke Elijah's name, he was still rather angry with his brother. The idea of rolling Elijah's head through the French quarter was still on his mind yet no harm was allowed to come to his brother unless it came at his hands. "I'll find them. Are you…"

"I'm tracking your enemies. There is no one in the French quarter which leads me to believe that they have taken up residence elsewhere or they are being cloaked. I heard Davina…" Klaus' dark look did not go unnoticed by her. "Do not fear, I have heard her but I have known since we arrived that she has magic running through her veins. I can feel it yet I have said nothing to anyone. I was merely going to suggest that I could help her perform a barrier spell. One to secure the compound safely"

"You will understand if I am wary of your offer"

"I do however I think I may have the perfect spell. One Dahlia taught me though it is very effective"

Klaus pinched the bridge of his nose, studying her body. He could not read her as well as he liked but for some insane reason he found himself willing to trust that her current intentions were honest. He did not forgive her yet he could trust her if Hope's life was at risk. "Kol will remain with you, I do not wish for you to be alone with Davina"

"Of course" Freya bit her bottom lip, looking unsure of herself. "Despite what you may think Klaus, I am happy that Hope knows the truth. When I tucked her into bed that first night, when she asked me if you were angry at her, I realised it was never our choice to make. She should have been here with you all along. I'm sorry" She paused briefly seeing his stoic expression. "I know that an apology cannot change the past, nor can it fix the relationship between us but it is a start in my vow to make amends for the past"

Klaus nodded slowly, acknowledging what she was saying though he knew that it would not be in the near future that he would forgive her, they would need to work towards it. "I will return soon. Keep Hayley away from Hope, the child is upset enough without adding fuel to the fire" He didn't wait for her to say anything more, not wishing to hear anymore apologizing.

/`/`/`/`/`/`/`

Kol watched Davina as she set her books up on the bed taking a seat in the middle, he could sense that something wasn't right with her. The stressed and uncertain look on her face were signs that something was indeed wrong though he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Usually he was quiet good at reading other people, a trait he had learnt from Nik though all he knew in this moment was that Davina had started crying not long after they returned from the party. His initial thought was that it was because he was hurt and she was being hunted by unknown vampires yet now he wasn't so certain. "Davina, love, why don't you sleep? This will hold til tomorrow"

Davina did not raise her head from the book. "No, this needs to be done now" She knew why Kol was hovering, he was worried about her. He wanted to know what was wrong with her though she was not sure she wanted to tell anyone. It was jealously over Hope which she knew was wrong since Klaus and Hope deserved nothing more than to be together, despite it was quiet immature of her, Hope was Klaus's biological daughter. "I'm fine" She gritted out knowing he was still staring at her, she was not at all pleased that Klaus had offered her room to Hope. Not only had he given it up without consulting her, it actually hurt to know the first place she had called her own in many years had been taken from her. It had not been used for sleeping, yet it was for many other things.

"Davina, are you listening?"

Davina closed her eyes, Kol's voice interrupting her thoughts. "Hmm?" She flicked through the book trying to find the right spell for the task at hand, she might have been jealous over Hope and angry at Klaus but there was absolutely no way she would allow anything to happen to the girl.

Kol walked towards the bed gently taking the book from Davina. "Talk to me, love, what is on your mind?"

"Nothing. I understand you are worried Kol but I just wish to find a spell and protect Klaus' daughter"

Kol frowned, ignoring the fact that his girlfriend snapped at him. He knew that she was simply redirecting her anger yet it was her worlds that stuck him cold. "You are his daughter too, he wishes to protect you"

Davina took the book back from his hands. "Either help me or leave Kol, I don't want to talk about anything else" While the relationship between Klaus and Kol intrigued her, it did have its draw backs. There was a constant reminder in her head that certain things she told Kol may make their way to Klaus.

Kol exhaled, he saw the vulnerable look in Davina's eyes when he told there that she was Klaus daughter as well. "You can talk to me; I promise that I will always listen to you Davina. Klaus is my brother, I know that he loves you as though you are one of his own but that does not mean I am taking away your concerns. I will always listen to what you have to say"

"It does not matter. Will you help me with this?" She raised her head to look at him, determination spread through her eyes.

He realised when he looked at her, that she was indeed only sixteen though he was not much older in physical appearance at seventeen; it still made him aware that her emotions would be running on high at this point in time. "Of course I will help you" He knew that he could not force her to talk; he could only be there for her when she was ready. The knock on the door drew his attention. "Yes…Oh, Freya, what is it you need?"

Freya gave him a soft smile, though it held a certain nervousness. "I spoke with Klaus briefly before he left. I think I may have a spell to use for a barrier, with Davina's help I believe we can have the compound protected in a matter of minutes"

Kol raised his eyebrow. "I will not leave you alone with her"

"I was not asking you too, Klaus was clear that you were to stay. I can assure you, brother, that I have no intention of hurting Davina"

Davina glanced at the both of them. "I am right here, able to speak for myself. While I don't particularly like you Freya, if it is for Hope then I will work with you"

"Davina…"

"Not right now Kol; let's just get this over with"

/`/`/`/`/`/`/`

Klaus stepped into the establishment with a silent air around him, things were quiet the party had obviously been brought to an end. He had wondered briefly how those vampires knew to find Davina, how they knew where she would be. It was an unsettling thought. He noticed a few chairs turned on their sides, a table upside down and a smashed window. His senses tingled going on alert for anyone who might be still lurking in the shadows, if these vampires were smart they would indeed be aware that he would come looking, it would make sense for them to hide and then ambush him. Though he did not let that affect him as he looked around the room, hearing the sound of ragged breathing his attention was drawn to his right away from the mess that had obviously been created by a struggle.
His footsteps echoed as he moved towards the bar, leaning over his eyes widened slightly at the sight of Elijah lying on the ground with a stake through his back and into his heart. It was impossible for his brother to reach on his own, and though it would not kill him it was clearly causing him pain. Klaus wanted nothing more than to relish in the fact, that the brother whom had stolen his daughter was in fact lying in pain right before his very eyes. It was a satisfying sight and if he had not been concerned for the Hope's safety then he would have stayed for a while and simply watched with a bottle of whiskey by his side, though he did not have time to do that.

Casting a glance around him to be sure no one was watching he moved to kneel beside his brother. "I am not ashamed to admit that this, my brother, is quiet a pleasurable sight" He gripped the stake, pulling it out of his brothers body, a painful moan escaping Elijah's mouth. "Ah, do not act like a whiny child, that was nothing"

Elijah groaned, his body writhing in pain. "Bekah…" The name escaped his lips in a whisper.

Klaus's head shot up, eyes scanning every remaining surface of the room, not seeing Rebekah's body anywhere. "Where is she?"

"T-They…"

"Don't finish that sentence" Klaus growled. He was not on talking terms with his sister, he wasn't even sure he liked her at the moment but no one was allowed to lay a hand on her.

"They took her"

Niklaus breathed deeply. "Then they'll die"

/`/`/`/`/`/`/`

I know, I know, I didn't post a chapter yesterday. Sorry guys, I had tones of housework to catch up on! Anyways, I got it all done yesterday so I spent the night while the kids were in bed writing this. Did the end shock you, were you expecting it?

QUESTION: I had a plot line to put into this story regarding Hayley, but then I double thought about it and was a little hesitant…I mean do you guys like Hayley's character enough for her to continue to be a part of the story long term or would you consider the idea of Elijah eventually leaving her? I have been asked by a reviewer to have Elijah get with Katherine, if ya'll know who that is ;) So it is up to you all, Hayley or Katherine, or I suppose I could go neither and have him single! Also Hayley, long term or fade out, warning, if I fade her out I may not bring her back!
So leave your thoughts on that, thank-you guys!

Guest: Glad to hear you love my story, I always enjoy hearing that!
Fan: I can understand your English just fine! (: I will see what I can do about that, might see what all my readers think!
Dee: It is not weird at all, I love vulnerable Nik! I want the story to be realistic; I don't want Hope and Klaus to jump into anything without knowing one another first. Eeek, I don't want to give away the bad guys, so it looks like I am winning there!
Guest: I see that you love Elijah and Katherine together so am going to get a vote from all my readers on who they wish for Elijah to be with. If Katherine is the choice then do doubt I could make something happen. I can totally understand I would never think to date my sisters ex or the father of her child, but then again you cannot help who you fall in love with.
Lisa: Davina is feeling very insecure, sadly I don't think things are ready to resolve themselves just get. Rebekah and Elijah do want to make amends but they have a long way to go.

Thoughts?
Much Love. x