Mikael had left a note for Hunter in the mausoleum, when the Petrova woman was not watching. "Stay out of the way. Don't die stupidly." he wrote in a small piece of paper. Mikael thought it was enough to keep Hunter out of trouble. But now, as he watched the busy streets of New Orleans, from the window of the Salvatores' hide out, Mikael wondered. If I die tonight, the thought cross his mind, will he think I wrote too little? A quiet feeling of regret rattled in his chest. No, he forced himself to think, the boy knows better….

A noise came from the other side of the room and pulled Mikael away from his spiraling thoughts. His daughter stormed into the living room, rage contorting her face and blinding her vision. She sat down near the fireplace, barely noticing her father.

"Rebekah." Mikael muttered in disbelief. He strolled to her side, uncertain, though concerned.

"Whatever fatherly rubbish you're thinking, save it." She said dryly, without looking up. "Nothing you say matters to me."

"I see." Mikael sighed, as he gazed into the fire "Where's the dagger?" he added, awkwardly, as he studied her posture.

"The Salvatores have it." She replied, tilting her back and fixing her wrathful gaze on Mikael. "So you can forget your plans of using it on me."

"You were never the one I was after." Mikael said promptly. His voice low and shy.

"Nik was my family." Rebekah snapped back, her voice breaking with rage. "If you were after him, you were after me."

Mikael scoffed. "He killed your mother!"

"I know what he did." She cried. "And he'll pay for his sin with his life." Rebekah jumped up and marched to her father. "But Nik was not born a killer." She raised her chin as she stepped closer to Mikael. "None of us were. You did this to us when you turned us into vampires." Her voice and gaze were drowning in hate. Mikael glanced away, unable to look his daughter in the eye.

She scoffed bitterly. "You destroyed our family. Not him." Rebekah breathed heavily as she turned to leave.

"I know." Mikael blurted out just before his daughter left the room.

Rebekah froze. She stood there, unable to leave and unable to turn and face her father. Mikael stared at the back of his daughter's head. He halfheartedly begged her to turn around and yet dreaded the sight of her doing so.

"I know I failed you, my girl." Mikael sighed. "I failed all of you, my children. I even failed Nik—," he scoffed. "But you're right, Rebekah. Nothing I say now will matter to any of you." He turned to face the fireplace.

Rebekah turned to face Mikael, warm tears mapping her face. Her father did not glance at her. But, for a moment, she thought his eyes held something of regret in them.

"There's no amount of pretty words that will make all your sufferings disappear." He went on, his voice calm and low. "And even if there were," he chuckled, "I believe we can both agree I was never one to know how to make pretty speeches…"

"Why are you bothering with it, then?" Rebekah raised her chin, trying to hold back tears, but failing miserably.

"Because you deserved better. All of you." Mikael glances at his daughter. "And because—," he gazed at the window. "I have a feeling it will be over tonight. All of it." He sighed. "Either I kill Klaus or he kills me. One way or another, it will finally be over…"

Rebekah stared at him. She never wondered if Mikael enjoyed tormenting Klaus. She knew he was cruel, but she never thought about what he gained from their suffering. Though, she was mildly glad to know he wasn't happy with his hunt. The only reason she could ever come up with for his actions was pride. Mikael's pride was his downfall; it was what made him hate the son he once loved and terrorize the children he said he would die to protect.

But, now, as Rebekah studied his face, she realized it could not possibly had been pride. No. A prideful warrior would never accept defeat. It had to be something else.

Besides, the thought crossed her mind, he looks so bloody tired...

"I never thought I would hear you say something like that." she whispered to herself. "You talk as though dying would be ann acceptable outcome…"

Mikael chuckled. "It is." He gazes at his daughter just in time to see her awed expression. "I should not have lived this long, Rebekah." He smiled bitterly. "Gods. I never wished to live a day longer than your mother…" he sighed.

Rebekah gazed at him, perplexed. The sincerity in his voice threw her off guard. She expected anything from Mikael, but some sob story about how he loved their mother. She already knew Mikael loved Esther. But it was before he knew of her transgression... the idea that her father kept on loving her mother even after everything, somehow, warmed her heart.

Though, it also ignited a strange new form of rage in her heart.

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?" She snapped as her rage grew stronger. "You made us miserable for a thousand years, all because of your broken heart?" She scoffed "What about us? Our happiness?" Sobs cut her breath. "What about Nik's heart? Every time you showed up, just your presence almost ripped it from his chest!" she cried. Memories of her brother's terrified face plagued her mind. "What about when we were children?" she continued miserably. "You always scared him—all of us. Nik cried in his sleep everything you yelled at him. And you knew about it!"

Mikael remained quiet. Though, a new emotion contorted his face. A gasp escaped Rebekah's lips. Her rage slowly dying out, a hollowness taking over her heart. I have never seen his face like this; she concluded numbly, so full of, of shame...

"I failed him." He whispered. The words seem to burn his mouth. For an instant, Rebekah thought tears were shining in his eyes.

"You are not supposed to feel anything towards me other than hatred." he went on, barely able to keep his voice steady. "I understand that. I'm not asking you to forgive, Rebekah." his lips trembled as he avoided her gaze.

"What are you asking then?" Rebekah cried, feeling sobs threatening to cut her breath.

"I'm asking you to be happy, my girl." Mikael looked up. His eyes filled with undeniable regret. He tried to smile.

"What?" the words left her lips softly; drowned by disbelief.

Mikael sighed. "I was a selfish father, Rebekah. If there is anything I learned over the years, it was that." He chuckled as he blinked. "I knew I had only three tasks as your father: keep you alive, teach you to survive, and make sure you all were happy. But—," his eyes drifted, a tearful light shone in them. "I forsake one of my duties, because I thought—I was scared—that I wasn't strong enough to manage all three and…" he glance at her. "I told myself it was best to see you all crying in your sleep than dead in the ground." He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I never gave you a choice about your life. And you deserve it—a choice. Just as you deserve to be happy."

Rebekah opened her mouth, but found she had lost her voice. She stared at Mikael. His tearful gaze seemed too impossible to be real…

"It's time." Stefen called as he burst into the room.

"Well," Mikael sighed as passed his hand over his mouth and eyes. "Goodbye, my girl..." he blurted out shyly, almost raising his hand to wave. But deciding against it. He nodded and smiled softly at his daughter. Mikael followed Stefan out of the room.

They left Rebekah alone. She did not realize she was sobbing until Caroline walked in.

"What's wrong?." She asked, startled. "Is Klaus already—," Rebekah broke her neck.

She sat down and went back to crying. If Mikael really regretted his actions, why would he be here, trying to kill Klaus? Was her last coherent thought before her mind descended in chaos.