Disclaimers: I do not own TO or the characters. I do own all OCs.
Spoilers: season 4
Rating: K+/T

Notes: The next morning, Keelin and Freya attempting to "talk", some Freelin interaction, and the rest of their drive along with Luca being introduced.

Notes 2: I am working on chapter 7. I do have several chapters finished so as soon as I have chapters 7 and 8 completed, updates will be regular for about a month. Thank you to those who have read and reviewed so far!

Enjoy! :)

*The next morning*

Keelin awakens first.

The room is silent, and the first thing she does is check on Hope. The little girl is wrapped up in the blanket and has both of her lions, but is out to the world.

Next is Freya. She sleeps much like her niece, tangled in the sheets and comforter.

Keelin thinks about waking her, after checking the time and seeing that breakfast would be available. However, she knows just how little sleep the witch gets, and decides against it.

Keelin grabs her shoes and a sweatshirt, knocks on Jared's door, and the two venture downstairs. They get milk and cereal and coffee and some gravy and biscuits.

Keelin can make smoothies for them if anyone wants one.

Jared goes back to his room so that Freya (and Hope) can wake up comfortably without a stranger in their room. Keelin leaves their adjoining room door open, and sits in a chair angled so that she can still talk to him.

"Did she say anything about last night?" Jared asks, and Keelin sighs, as she picks at the biscuits and gravy on her plate.

"No. She said nothing except for the occasional comment to Hope."

She looks up at him, and he swallows down the teasing remark when he sees the look in her eyes.

"Keelin…" He stands, dragging the chair closer, right next to the door. "What happened down there?"

She just shakes her head.

"I don't know."

"What do you think happened?" He insists.

Keelin glances up again, her lips quirked up in a humorless half-smile.

"I have many ideas of what it could have been. None of them play out the way I hope they would. All of them played out exactly like this."

Jared furrows his brow in concern, and takes a good look at his friend – her almost despondent body language, her slumped shoulders… it's a stark contrast to yesterday when she was happy, carefree… relaxed.

Just as he goes to say something, however, they are interrupted by Hope waking up. The little girl climbs out of bed, and walks over to them. Her hair is a mess from being wet last night, and she pushes it back with one hand still clutching both of her stuffed lions.

Hope greets Keelin half-enthusiastically, even giving him a good morning and going as far as to give him a hug.

Jared volunteers to walk Hope downstairs for some breakfast (other than the cereal Keelin got), while Keelin waits with Freya. It isn't until nearly 25 minutes later that the wolf notices the slightest of movement in the second bed.

By now, Hope has moved next door, where Jared is brushing out her hair, claiming that, since he has two nieces, he is the best knotted-hair detangler "in the world".

"Hey, good morning."

(Keelin feels weird not using her usual greeting of Sleeping Beauty, yet she does not feel it is appropriate at the moment.)

She makes to sit on the bed next to her before thinking better and just sitting down on her own bed.

"There's no rush to get up. It's still early, so we're just going to hang out for a while. Maybe leave in a couple of hours or so… unless you want to get an early start?"

(She hopes Freya wouldn't mind sticking around it, but at the same time, she feels… trapped in this room.)

"I promised Hope we would go swimming again this morning." Freya answers after several moments of silence. "But we'll need showers after, and you said Jared has pool anyway, right?"

Keelin nods.

"Yeah. He has a big one in his backyard. If we leave soon, we could probably be there a little after 2 or so, and have the afternoon to swim."

So, it is settled. Hope readily agrees once she is told they can go straight to Jared and Lucas house once they arrive in Austin. Keelin leaves Freya in their room to get dressed while she gets herself and Hope ready next door.

She braids Hope's hair, and the young Mikaelson wears one of her little dresses and sandals. Keelin just throws on a tank top and pair of shorts.

She is halfway through brushing out her own curls when Freya knocks on the door and (dare she say, shyly) asks for a fruit smoothie instead of breakfast from downstairs.

(Keelin tries not to think too much about it, but she does 100% ignore Jared's raised eyebrow at her (almost too quickly) agreement.)

They pack up what little they have laying around, gather trash, the pool toys, and random items, and head out at a little after 10 in the morning.

Keelin's instinct is to drive one-handed. However, a quick glance over tells her Freya is not even paying attention. So, (because it's what feels normal at this point), the wolf is left with her right hand low on the steering wheel, and her thumb fidgeting with her ring.

(It's not the same as the witch's soothing touch.)

*2 hours later*

He notices she is not following the GPS directions about an hour and a half into their drive. It is just after noon, and by two they should be in Austin.

However, Keelin makes a couple of turns, and before he can question it, they are turning into the parking lot of a children's park.

"Um… What are we doing, Keelin?" Hope questions.

"Jared, will you please take Hope down to the playground? Freya and I need to talk."

He says nothing except to acknowledge her request. Hope does not question it further, she simply unhooks her seatbelt and climbs out of the truck.

Keelin had told him once, that Hope Mikaelson is sometimes too perceptive for her own good. He thinks she did pick up on… what is going on between Freya and Keelin.

Whatever happened last night has continued over to this morning. And, despite them being amicable with each other this morning and during the drive so far, it is obvious something is amiss between the two.

For one, they've barely spoken (especially to each other). And two, Freya has watched out the window while Keelin used both hands to drive, this entire time.

(And really, Jared never would have guessed seeing Freya not spin that damn ring around on Keelin's finger would be so uncomfortable and weird.

Yet this whole time, he stared at the center console, waiting for exactly that to happen.)

So, when Keelin asks Jared to take Hope down to the playground, neither of them object. And they are gone within seconds.

Keelin blows out a breath, waits for a moment, to see if Freya is going to say something. When all she receives is radio-silence, Keelin turns the truck off, opens her door, and orders her to follow.

They walk down a path, around a small bend and to a bench, not exactly cut off from Hope and Jared, but enough that they have privacy for… whatever is about to happen.

"Are we going to talk about this?"

Keelin walks a few paces before turning around. Freya's sat on the bench, arms folded.

"There's nothing to talk about."

Keelin scoffs. "The last four and hours beg to differ, Freya! You haven't said more than five sentences to me, and that one does not count!"

Freya remains silent. Keelin tries not to let it frustrate her. She turns away, reminds herself to breathe deeply.

Once she is calmer, Keelin walks back to the bench.

"Something happened last night." She states, softly. "And this… thing.… that has come between us, this is not how I want to spend the weekend, Freya. Whatever that was, it's created this rift between us and please-" She holds up a hand. "- do not try to tell me it was nothing, because you and I both know it wasn't. If it were, we would still be driving, instead of sitting here. You know it; I know it."

Freya stands, leaving Keelin on the bench, walks a few feet away. But ultimately, does not respond in any other way.

Keelin waits for several moments, just watching. Freya's body language, overall, is not yet close off, allowing her to keep going.

"Talk to me, Freya. Please. We can't get to Austin and spend the weekend with this between us. It's not fair to Hope, and that isn't how I want your first visit to go."

Keelin waits and when she receives no answer, she tries again.

"Freya, come on. Just… let me know what's going on in your head." She stands, steps closer. "Please."

All she gets is a pleading look from the witch.

So, she tries something different.

"Look, I know we're not exactly… friends. But, I do know that you work tirelessly to protect your family. And, Freya, you deserve a break. All day yesterday, you were happy, and relaxed, and I want you to be able to enjoy the rest of the weekend in that way."

Keelin takes another step forward.

"I don't know what happened down there last night. I don't understand it, but what I do know? Is that it has made you uncomfortable — it looks like it has made you uncomfortable — and so, if you don't want to talk about it, if you can't, or if you just… don't know how… then just say so. And I promise, I will not bring it up again. Not unless you want to. Okay?

She sighs, looks down at her hands.

"I just want you to be able to enjoy this trip. And if me not bringing it up helps, then that is exactly what I will do. All you have to do is say so."

Keelin glances up then, at Freya, tries to make eye contact, is rewarded with it.

"I–… I, I don't know how." Freya's voice cracks, but Keelin nods immediately. "I don't know how, and I… I can't, I-I'm sorry-"

"No, hey," Keelin cuts her off. "Don't be sorry, I don't want you to be sorry. You don't know how to talk about it, and that's ok, Freya. You're allowed to not know."

Keelin had been keeping no contact with her before now, but now reaches over with her hands. Freya meets her halfway, palms up, and Keelin squeezes her hands.

"We won't mention it again until we are both ready, and able to talk about it. Okay?"

Keelin looks up, smiles reassuringly, receives a nod in response.

"Can we stay here?" Freya gestures to around them. "Just for a few minutes?"

"Of course. We can stay as long as you need."

She leads them back to the bench, and they spend a few minutes in silent. Keelin listens for Hope and Jared, hears the little girl goading him to come down the slide with her, knows this will not end well.

Keelin runs a hand down her face, sighing, and Freya looks up from where she was focused on their hands.

"What's wrong?"

Keelin shakes her head. "Oh, you know… just those two causing trouble again."

Freya looks to the path they come down; she listens for the sounds that Keelin heard, but all she picks up is the rustling of the leaves and the birds fluttering around.

"Do we need to go back?"

(Keelin tells her no, they should enjoy the peace and quiet, so they go back to sitting in comfortable silence.)

After a while, Freya asks the question Keelin has been dreading: how much of what's happened does Jared know?

Oh, boy.

This is going to be a fun conversation.

Keelin blows out a breath and shifts to face sideways. She takes a moment… to gather her thoughts, to decide which topic is most important.

"Rebekah and I," She starts. "We told him the majority of… about us. He knows that I am a werewolf, and you are a witch, and your siblings are vampires."

Keelin breathes out a laugh.

That had been fun.

"Rebekah showed him her face." Keelin continues, watching Freya's reaction. "That was fun."

"Did he freak out?" Freya asks, wide-eyed.

Keelin half scoffs-half laughs.

"Of course he did. Any sane person would. All those fairytales? Witches, vampires, werewolves… those are supposed to be things of fictional stories that are forgotten about passed the age of 12. And to find out that all three of them are real? Two of which are standing right in front of him?"

She shakes her head, tilting it to look at Freya, finds her observing.

"Of course he freaked out. We talked about it beforehand — Rebekah and I — and we agreed that she would reveal herself to him first. That way, if he freaked too much, I didn't have to say anything. He wouldn't know about me."

"But he does know." Freya comments a few minutes later, after they have enjoyed the sunshine in silence, feeling no rush for this conversation.

"You mentioned your ring."

She remembers Keelin had told him she had her ring, and could use it should Jonathan become a problem for them while in Austin.

"Yes. Eventually, he… calmed down enough… that I was able to explain some things. Jonathan had not told him about me being a… werewolf. But he had said that I was "staying with the… people… who kidnapped me", and some other things I do not care to repeat."

(Including "people" replaced by "monsters".)

Keelin sighs, "I answered as many questions as possible: where I was, — which, I told him the bare minimum and made sure he knew I was not going to linger on those details — if I was… hurt, in anyway–"

Freya looks away at that, with a pained expression. Keelin hates it; she hates that the witch is still lingering on those moments, hating herself for it, unable to move past what happened.

She tugs on her fingers, making her look at her again.

"He asked what you were, and I told him. He was much calmer at that point. Apparently doing magic is more believable than turning hairy on a full moon, or actually drinking someone's blood."

Pausing, Keelin watches for the small quirk of her lips. Then sighs, knowing that this next part is going to be harder.

"And he asked if I was safe, if I could trust you and your family." She tilts her head, trying to catch those stubborn green eyes, because Freya is avoiding eye contact again.

"And you know what I said?"

It was not hard to answer that part of Jared's questions. At this point, she knew Freya was different than the personality she had shown in the barn.

Keelin had witnessed her in the most intimate of settings — at home, with her family — and she knew the stubborn witch was actually a big softie for her niece, and that it was such a terrible idea to leave her alone in the kitchen with Kol.

Keelin found out (quickly) she did not admit to be exhausted easily, nor did she have a history of taking care of herself. But that she would lay with Hope, without hesitation, should the little girl ask to sleep in her aunt's bedroom, and most often, Freya would end up falling asleep along with her. And she slept more soundly with someone lying beside her.

Keelin knew, at the time of Jared's questioning, that Freya Mikaelson had to be the most stubborn person she had ever come across in her entire life.

And she knew, that she was safe. That she felt safe. There no question about it; no harm would come to Keelin while in the company of the Mikaelson family.

"I told him yes." Keelin says. "I told him I was safe. I said it was my decision to stay, and that I would appreciate his support. I told him that I was there because you needed my help."

Keelin observes her (knows she has something to say), hates what comes out instead.

"I gave you a ring that allowed me to hurt you in the worst way possible, at any time, Keelin."

"You gave me a ring, Freya, that allowed me to control my werewolf side, exactly as I have wanted all this time." She counters immediately.

"You shouldn't trust me."

Keelin tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling (gently) when Freya turns into the touch. "Too bad, Sleeping Beauty, because I do." (She considers the dimpled smile a major win.)

She stands, "Come on, lets go make sure they haven't gotten themselves in anymore trouble."

They start the trek back to the park area, both feeling much more relaxed and ready for the rest of the weekend.

*3 hours later*

They make it to Austin in under three hours. It is just before three p.m.

They go to Keelin's apartment first, to give the girls a bit to rest and unwind from being stuck in a vehicle for the majority of the past 48 hours.

Jared lets them know he will pick them up whenever they are ready, and then Keelin can also officially have her own vehicle back, as it has been stored in their garage.

"Alrighty, ladies, here we are."

Keelin swings open the door, and they are hit with a rush of cold air. Thankfully, Luca, Jared's boyfriend, had come over and turned on the A/C before they arrived.

"I will give you two a tour later, but right now, I am going to change into some more comfortable clothes and crash on the couch for a while." She explains before calling to Hope and waiting until the little girl is in front of her before bending down in front of her.

"There is a door down that hallway, that is painted purple and green." She points in that direction, half mindful that Freya has already wandered off somewhere.

"It is the room my nieces and nephews use when they come over. There's bunkbeds, lots of toys, some movies and a TV you can watch, along with every Lego and art supply a child could want. You can go explore, and Auntie Freya and I will be right out here, if you need us."

"Okay. Thank you!"

And with that, Hope is gone from their sight, her voice drifting down the hallway as she exclaims, "Woah! You can paint pictures on the wall!"

Keelin stands up and turns in a circle. Freya is nowhere to be found. She takes a moment to listen for her heartbeat, and locates her behind the half-wall separating the kitchen from the living room.

"Hey. What are you doing?"

She walks closer to see what Freya is looking at and comes upon several crayon-drawings and pictures stuck to the refrigerator with magnet letters and numbers.

"Ah, yes. Hope is not the only little artist I know." She had forgotten just how much she missed looking at these drawings each morning and afternoon.

"You'll meet these two," Keelin points to a picture, of Jared with another man, and two toddler boys. "Luca, J's boyfriend, and their oldest, Sanders, and youngest, Benny, this evening."

At least, she hopes Freya will be up to meeting them. She would love to share three of the most important persons in her life with (who she also hopes is) her new friend (and who is quickly becoming an important person also).

She leaves Freya to explore the rest of the apartment, after showing her the hall bathroom, before going to her own bedroom to change. She comes back to Freya sitting on the couch, looking shy but brave enough to say,

"You look as exhausted as I feel, and you have taken care of Hope and I for the past two days. You get to be the one to lay down and rest, now."

(Keelin does not object, or maybe she is unable to, who knows. But she does lie down longways on the couch, head on a pillow propped against Freya's upper thigh, her eyes getting heavier each time Freya's fingertips brush against her forhead as the witch plays with her curls.

She wonders if Freya realizes her actions could be considered tactile; and also, wonders if she has ever had anyone to just sit with her like this and allow her to play with their hair. Keelin vows right there, to never be the one to turn Freya away from the comforting gestures.

Keelin awakens later, alone on the couch. It is eerily quiet around her, no sounds coming from the kitchen or other rooms or the TV. In her sleepy haze, her heartbeat quickens, and she sits bolt upright.

The TV is switched off, curtains still open from earlier but outside it has darkened considerably, leaving it to be early evening, at least.

Keelin stomach swoops, and she tells herself don't panic, just listen, forcing herself to hone in on any minute sounds.

There are cartons playing in the guest/kids' bedroom, so she heads that way. Pushing the door open, Keelin breathes out, slowly, (finally relaxes), her heart rate gradually slowing down.

She literally has to just take a moment to behold the sight before her.

Hope is on the top bed of the (triple bed) bunkbeds, awake and drawing in her sketchbook, and Freya is across the room, on the single bed, sound asleep.

The sound of the door creaking gets Hope's attention and as she goes to speak, Keelin makes the shh gesture. She helps her down from the bed and asks if she is hungry, to which she gets a yes. So, Keelin sends Hope off to the kitchen while she creeps across the room.

Keelin watches her Sleeping Beauty for a moment before reaching out to pick up the blanket pooled around Freya's waist. As she pulls it up, Freya stirs, blinking tired green eyes up at her.

(Keelin smiles gently and lets her know she is going to try to find Hope something to eat. Freya decides to join them where they search the cabinets and see that Luca was nice enough to leave them the bare necessities.

They choose grilled cheese and tomato soup with milk.)

*1 hour later – Jared & Luca's house*

"Well, here we are…" Jared announces as they pull up into the driveway.

"Woah…" Hope gazes in wonder at the looming house. Two stories, a huge front yard, several trees that look perfect for climbing.

"You three are staying here, yes?" He rechecks, and Keelin nods. "Alright, why don't you go on up and show them the bedrooms, and then come down whenever you are ready."

(Keelin leads them inside, and upstairs to a long hallway. Freya and Hope are going to share a bathroom between their bedrooms, while Keelin's bedroom is across the hall. Though she has doubts she will be sleeping alone tonight.)

"You two ready?" Keelin asks, holding out a hand to Hope.

They venture downstairs. And into the kitchen. Jared is there with a slightly shorter man, and two little boys. Keelin breathes out sharply, and prepares herself.

"Hey, Luc!"

"Aunt Keelin!" – "Auntie Kee!"

"Hey, there she is!"

Keelin sweeps the littlest boy, Benny, up into her arms at the same time Luca pulls her to him. Sanders, the older boy, at 4 years old, clings excitedly to her legs.

"Aunt Keelin, do you wanna play with me?" Sanders shouts, pulling on her hand.

"Yeah, come swimmin'!" This is Benny, wiggling until she lets him down, and then tugging on her other arm.

"We have new toys, come see them!" – "We gotsa shark floatie, too!" – "Yeah, come see our-"

"Okay!" Jared claps his hands loudly, and he scoops Sanders up while Luca does the same with Benny. "Why don't we give Aunt Keelin a moment to breathe, huh? Besides," He motions to Freya and Hope, who are frozen in the doorway, watching the pandemonium unfold.

"We have guests." This gets their attention. "What do we do for guests?" Luca prompts next.

Sanders goes toward with Keelin (who had gone back over to them). He looks up at her, unsure until she nods, and then steps forward with his hand outreached, which Freya shakes with an amused smile.

"Hi! My name is Alessandra Bonheur, but you can call me Sanders! It is vewy nice to meet you."

Keelin picks up Benny and brings him over.

"B, this is my friend, Freya, and her niece, Hope. Can you say hi?"

(Benny is infinitely shyer than his big brother. They get a small smile from him but he remains with his face hidden in Keelin's neck.)

Later, after introductions, and Freya breathing a sigh of relief at their warm welcoming, the six change into their swimsuits.

Hope has a blast on their slides and diving board, and enjoys playing with Sanders and Benny. They grill hotdogs for dinner, with homemade Kool-Aid, and roast marshmallows on a campfire once it becomes dark.

By the time 11 rolls around, all three kids are worn out and go straight to bed after changing into pajamas while the adults retire downstairs to watch TV.

As they are refilling drinks in the kitchen, Luca nudges his boyfriend and gestures to where Keelin can be seen sitting (quite closely) with Freya on the couch.

"Ok, what is the deal with them? Keelin disappears for three months, and comes here with a little girl and woman who she acts like that with? Who the hell is this woman, Jared?"

Jared cuts his eyes in Luca's direction and debates whether to talk to him about Keelin and Freya's behavior in the last couple of days, before he ultimately decides it is not his right to tell.

"All I can say is, Freya and Hope are Keelin's friends, and whatever happened in the three months she has been in New Orleans, that is not my place to say. Keelin should be the one to decide how much to or not to tell you."

(Luca somehow knew he was going to say that. And while he agrees, and understands, he wonders what exactly could have happened that makes it so secretive.)

"However," Jared continues. "I will warn you, whatever she tells you, you need to think twice before commenting. Keelin is so immensely protective of those two, and something tells me, she will not hesitate to bite your head off for a rude remark."

(This, he has no doubt about but he cannot tell Luca that without outing Freya and Keelin's true supernatural beings. Or Hope's, for that matter.)

Luca and Jared carry their wine glasses back to the living room, and as he hands Keelin hers and Freya's, he takes note of how close they are sitting (Freya on the end, her legs tucked under her as she is turned towards Keelin — sitting on the middle cushion — her own legs outstretched to the coffee table).

(And yep, Freya is playing with her ring. Jared nudges Luca and motions to it as he distracts them by asking them which movie they prefer.)

"Horror." Freya responds immediately, and Keelin rolls her eyes when Luca whoops in excitement.

They decide in the Final Destination series. And Jared insists on them assuming "proper" moving-watching positions. Which just means Keelin switches places with Freya so she can lay with her head in Keelin's lap.

(And maybe Jared just wants to see how much they protest before doing it.)

(He is not disappointed at all.)

"Have you seen it?"

Of course Freya hasn't, but she can't exactly say movies didn't even exit during her childhood, so Keelin comes up with a partial lie,

"Her parents weren't big on letting them watch TV."

"You've been so deprived!" Luca gasps out as he goes straight to the movie cabinet to pull out all five of the series.

(Keelin knows how close to home that hits and, as she gently runs her knuckle across Freya's forehead, she calls out to Luca to begin with the movie 5 instead of the first one in chronological order.)

"Why?"

"Because I said so, though, I guess we could watch in chronological order, and then you can find out what happened the way we did."

Freya flits her gaze to Jared who conveniently takes a sip of wine so he does not have to say anything. After a moment's consideration, she decides to watch the last one first, and Luca can barely contain his excitement.

"You have no idea what you have agreed to." Keelin comments as Jared comes back with bowls of popcorn and, of course, soda because "you can't have movie night with popcorn and no soda."

"Is it going to be bad?" Freya whispers causing her to laugh.

"Oh, you have no idea. But don't worry; I'll tell you when to cover your eyes so you're not scarred for life. Trust me-"She adds when she sees Freya about to speak. "You'll need to cover your eyes at least three times in just this one alone."

And with that…

They begin the movie.

By 20 minutes in, Freya has seen so much blood and gore and brains; despite that, she cannot just stop… She has to continue. But yeah.

She covers her eyes at the majorly gory parts no less than four times in the first movie alone.

Ah, well, there it is. They are officially in Austin! And Freya has met Luca and his and Jared's sons. I didn't know how exactly to end it so I decided to throw in them watching a movie. I just wanted to have a little of Luca interacting with them.

I don't know if any of y'all have watched the Final Destination movies? I have seen all five, and have them all on DVD. There really are no words to describe just how gory and bloody they are.

Anyway, the next up will be morning, and them out and about. Also a day at the zoo for Freya, Keelin, and Hope.

Please comment and let me know what you thought! I would love to know how I am doing, if I should change anything, or add something in particular. :)