As she sat, gazing out at the beautiful garden that seemed to sooth her very soul, she thought about her conversation with Mikael. A part of her balked at the very idea of him not seeking her out because he had, in his opinion, time. But more than that, it made her feel totally and completely abandoned and unwanted. Her mind slipped into dark thoughts. What was his time frame? Would he have waited until he had taken care of his other children? Then what? He didn't like what they were and that included himself. Would he have met her only to kill her shortly after by ending his own life?

That thought gave her pause. Would that really have been what he'd have done? To her, it seemed like the only option. He wouldn't have sought her out while he was pursuing the rest of his children. So, the only logical conclusion would be that he would've looked for her after the fact. And that thought alone nearly destroyed any desire she had to know the man. She would have sacrificed so much; time, love, history, all of it and for what? A man that had no real wish to know his daughter, one that wanted to end the life of the "monsters" he created that happened to be his very own children?

It was a sickening realization, but she also had to remember that he was attempting to make amends and that had to account for something. Even if it went against every fiber of her being to forgive him, she knew that she would have to start down the path of forgiveness least she gets snared by the trap that being angry and jaded provided.

Her mother had always told her that forgiveness was not some passive thing that let other get away with their transgressions but rather it was taking control of her own life and not letting others dictate the way she felt. Being angry with Mikael was giving him the power, that of which he did not deserve. But in no way was she going to forget what he had done, where he had placed her as a priority in the scheme of things, because that would be plain foolish.

Taking a deep cleansing breath, she exhaled slowly, staring at the setting sun and the lovely glow it cast on the foliage of the garden.

"I can get through this." She whispered to herself, not realizing that there was another in the garden.

Klaus slunk back into the shadows of the trees, not allowing Astrid to know that he had ever been there. Initially, he had followed her to assure himself that she was alright after the talk she had with Mikael, but the intention soon morphed into seeing again her for the first time in days. Lately, he had been skipping the "family" dinner to save himself from the glaring looks of his siblings and the awaiting looks of Astrid.

In all honesty, Klaus really did have his own reasons for withdrawing from the family so soon after they had rejoined and even more reason to shove his feelings for Astrid into a tiny little box and packing it far in the depths of his soul. The Salvatore's and their merry little gang were plotting, of that he had on good authority. One of his hybrids had caught wind of scheming and immediately informed him which was why he had decided to pick up and return to Mystic Falls. His life had consisted of nothing but running and Klaus was tired of it. It was also the reason why he was keeping his family at a distance, pretending like they didn't matter; he didn't want them used as leverage and get caught up in the mess he had created. Though he was beginning to wonder if they would ever forgive him for all the strife he had caused them.

It wasn't just picking up and moving that he would have to face the consequences for after the Salvatore ordeal was handled, there were so many things, so many wrongs that needed righted and Klaus was left unsure of where to even begin.

Later, he thought to himself. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

Xxxxx

Now Kol could be taken for many things, a fool-maybe, a glutton-sure, but he was not as big of an idiot as he let on. He had an inkling that Klaus' behavior was all an act, if his speedy retreats from Astrid and the rest of the family were any indication.

No, Kol had a feeling that something else was afoot and he aimed to figure out what it was and fix it. With that in mind, he went to find the most reasonable brother of the lot, even though said brother was reuniting with his love. Kol dismissed the thought before it fully came to fruition. Finn would help, if only to get things back to the way they were before Mikael had intruded on their newly awakened lives.

With that in mind he set off to where he could hear Finn and Sage cooing words of love to one another. Kol gagged a little before knocking on the door, though they had most likely already knew of his arrival.

"Yes, Kol what do you want?" Finn grouched. Maybe he isn't currently the most reasonable brother at the moment. Kol mentally pondered.

Leaving his blasé nature out of his tone Kol got to the heart of the matter after making sure no one was in the vicinity. "I think Nik is hiding something, something that doesn't bode well if his withdrawn nature is anything to go by."

Finn's sour face dissipated as he released a sigh, "So you've noticed as well." Kol merely nodded.

"I wonder…" Sage's voice broke through Kol's train of thought. Both men turned eyes on the redheaded woman.

"You wonder what?" Kol queried.

"When I was…fraternizing with Damon, I heard the little doppelgänger's words of disgust towards Niklaus, and she'd repeatedly asked her emotionally constipated vampire to help her deal with it. I just wonder if she has finally come up with a plan of sustenance and perhaps your dear brother has caught wind of it." She gestured around as if she was indicating that it was all speculation.

"Sage, enough with the games. You know more than you are letting on." Finn growled at his love.

She waved her hand towards him dismissively. "Fine, fine. I heard Klaus speaking with one of his hybrids and said hybrid seem convinced that the Salvatore's were plotting the demise of our dear Klaus. Perhaps he is, well I never thought I would say this, but maybe he's trying to protect everyone while he deals with the merry band of misfits all on his lonesome?"

Kol would have laughed if it were years prior to this moment that Klaus would do something for someone other than himself but since Astrid had come into the picture, all bets were off when it came to the hybrid.

"Well does anyone from the class have any suggestions?" Kol asked, his crooked smile and snarky attitude returned.

Finn sighed at his brothers' tone, "Perhaps there is still room to reason with the doppelgänger?" It was Sage that answered. "My dearest, you really have no clue what Klaus has put that girl through do you?"

Finn physically deflated, he wanted nothing more than a happy ending for all his family members, especially for his newly acquired sister.

Kol spoke, his tone eerily subdued but malicious at the same time. "Who said that it was Nik that had to deal with the little buggers? I'm sure our dearest father could start making amends by aiding in the planning, since that man always seemed to be one step ahead of us." As an afterthought he added, "Not to mention, the doppelgänger was the one that set Mikael on us, it's only fair to return the favor." His last words slipped from his mouth like a purr, and it was the first time Finn had seen his brother this particularly feral when it came to protecting his family. But he couldn't help but to agree with the sentiment.

"Indeed, it would, little brother."