3rd POV

Long doesn't even begin to describe it. Here they were, father and daughter after over thirty years of separation, sitting in Sheila's living sipping tea, a habit she gets from Harry.

'Shelley, you have a lovely home.' Lexi breaks the silence first, trying to distact from the look of confusion coming from the two.

Sheila barely registers her ice breaker, 'Sorry? Oh thanks you aunt Lexi. Youre looking wonderful, as usual.'

Lexi smiles warmly at her honourary niece. 'So do you sweetie. Its great to see you.'

'Im sorry.' Bonnie speaks up, lost at the familiarity between the two older ladies. 'I am so confused. What the hell is happening? 'Grams who are these people, why are you calling her "aunt' Lexi when she looks so much younger than you? Why did you call Harry Dad? What the hell!?' Bonnie questions, close to a panic attack.

'Bonnie, there is much I haven't told you about my past. Things i'm sad to say i wish you would have never had to find out.' Harry closed his eyes at that, he looked to be close to tears, but he didnt say anything. Lexi stroked his shoulder lovingly trying to calm him down. 'The truth is, this...' She points to Harry, who still had his eyes closed. 'is my father, Harald Mikaelson, as you've gathered. He adopted me when I was very young, took me in, raised me, cared for me... loved me. He taught me everything I know about magic. I was very happy for a long time, with him and aunt Lexi and the rest of our family.'

'And then you left.' Harry finally said.

'And then I left' Sheila agreed solemnly.

'Why?' Bonnie asked taking the words out of every ones mouth. The group looked to the elder witch.

'Because, child. Thats what kids do when they turn 23. They make rash and stupid decisions that impact their life forever. I left because I felt that was what I wanted. I stayed away because I felt that was what I needed.' She looked to her father again who couldn't meet her eyes out of shame. Noticing this she realised what she had said might be misconstrued. 'Dad, I know what I did hurt you, and I can never apologize enough for that, but I needed to stay away, for my family.' She looks at Bonnie.

'I thought you were dead.' He admits, shocking her. 'You will not believe how many witches I worked to the bone using locator spells trying to find you. How many death certificates I combed through, praying to god that you weren't one of them. 35 years of crying myself to sleep, of blaming myself, of hating myself for pushing you away. My own daughter hated me so much that she'd rather hide in disgust of me than tell me she was happy and healthy, with a daughter and granddaughter.' Harry then asks tears rolling down his eyes. 'What did I do to make you hate me, whatever it was, I am so truly sorry for hurting you. I'll leave you alone... forever. Goodbye sweetheart.' He sped out of the room before anymore could be said, shocking both Bonnie and Elena who hadn't said anything since they had arrived.

'Aunt Lexi, I-'

'Leave it Shelley. He's had a rough couple of years when you left. We all did.' Lexi finished her tea, before going after the elder vampire. 'Ill talk him down and we can come back when Rebekah arrives.'

'Rebekah is coming?' Traces of excitement and nervous running through her voice.

'Of course she is, Shelley. She the first one your father told. She has missed you just as much as Harry has if not more.' Lexi reasons. 'Shes your mother, nothing in this world would keep her from you.' Sheila looks down in shame.

'I know.'

Harry raced through the town of Mystic Falls, never stopping in fear that he might break down in a heap. Minutes later he reached his destination, The Grill. His bar. Rushing through the doors making a beeline for the alcohol. He was going to need it. Not noticing he had company.

'Am I interrupting anything?' A perky voice chimed in awkwardly.

Without turning, Harry knew exactly who it was, 'hello Caroline.' Taking a large sip of his strongest drink. Reveling in the burn it made in his throat. 'What can I do to help you this fine evening?' He turns and sees her as a vision of loveliness as usual a comfortable cyan sweater, her hair in curls that frame her beautiful face perfectly. He gives an obviously fake and half baked knowing that she knew he was miserable. 'You want anything to drink, eat?' She asks for a diet coke. The best one

'Anything you want to talk about?' He shakes his head, smiling charmingly still.

'Just some family issues, nothing you need to worry about.'

'Uh uh, you helped me with my issues now I do the same. I know from experience that It does help. Sit down.' She motions to the empty space in front of her. 'The doctor is in.'

He concedes, having the feeling that sooner or later, the young blond would always get her way. 'Okay, doc. Therapise me.'

'So, what seems to be the issue, vampire stuff?' He chokes on his drink at that.

'You know?'

'Well, yeah. Damon told me he was one and how compulsion works. I assumed that's what you did to me to get me away from Damon.' She was far smarter than people gave her credit for apparently.

'Yeah, sorry for that, but trust me your better off without him. In fact.' He begins the compulsion. 'From now on, no vampire can ever compell you into doing something you don't want to, not even me.'

'Thank you, Harry.' She smiles prettily.

'No problem Ms Forbes, and to answer your earlier question, no not exactly a vampire issue. More of a me issue. I just found out my daughter is still alive. She ran away when she was 23 and I haven't seen her since, turns out she was here in Mystic Falls, alive and well and she never told me.' He takes another sip of his drink, she does the same. 'I haven't seen her in 35 years and it turns out she had a daughter and granddaughter.'

'Wait, wait, wait a minute.' She interups with a confused look. 'How old are you? To have a great granddaughter?'

'1030, but I don't see how thats relevant.'

'Not relevant? You've lived for a thousand years and thats not relevant.'

'To my story? No. Can I continue with my deeply depressing story where my daughter ran away from me or...?' He trailed off not really asking.

'Sorry.' Caroline says in fear.

Harry sighs, feeling guilty from his poor temper. 'No, I'm sorry Ms Forbes. It's been a really long day and I was taking it out on you, that's not fair. It's not your fault for my bad manners. I understand if you want to leave.'

'No, it's okay, I understand. Actually I don't but I get why you're a bit cranky. No offense.'

Harry smiles a charming smile and Caroline blushes ever so slightly. 'None taken, Ms Forbes.'

'I told you to call me Caroline.'

'I know. Force of habit. Anyway, my daughter leaves for 35 years without a word and just today I find out not only is she alive but she has been hiding from me and her mother, not to mention her uncles.'

'Mother? You're married?' She says with no small amount of jealousy and disappointment in her voice.

'Huh? No, my sister, Rebekah and I raised her together since neither of us can have children and we both have always wanted them. When we found Sheila after her birth parents died we raised her with the help of the rest of our siblings to a lesser extent. Taught her everything we knew about witchcraft, which let me tell you, a thousand years of experience and knowledge is no small amount. As well as her birth families history so that the Bennett witches would survive. I showed her the world, I gave her everything I had and then... she left.'

'Sheila Bennett? As in Bonnie's grandmother? You're her father?' He nods. 'Wow, small world huh. Miss Sheila would take care of me when I was a baby and my Mom and Dad had to work. You know, she would sing to me sometimes, when I had nightmares when she was taking care of me. A song she said her father would sing to her when she couldn't sleep. A dream is a wish your heart makes, from Cinderella.'

Harry smiled fondly. 'That was her favourite movie when she was a child. I don't think there was a single night until she was fourteen that I didn't have to sing that for her to go to sleep. Her mother would always pretend to be jealous that I was the one to have to sing it for her. Rebekah always had a terrible voice, Shelley knew it, we all did, even Rebekah. So, everynight I would sing that song and promise her that the next day would be the best of her life. God, the amount of times I caught her using magic to control birds to sing that song.'

They both laughed. 'I died when I thought I lost her. There were days that I waited for the earth to implode just so I could join her. That's what it means to be an Original, infinite aloneness.'

'Maybe, you're only seeing it for the burdens, not for the gifts. Sure, you will live forever. But not necessarily alone, if you choose not to.' The blond placed her hand on his comfortingly. 'Time heals all wounds, Harry Mikaelson. And that is something you have in droves.' She goes to leave, just to be stopped by Harry.

'Thank you, Caroline.' She smiles kindly at him. 'I'm sorry I forgot you were waiting here for me when I arrived. What for?'

'Truthfully, I came to ask you out, but it appears that you have some issues to work out.' She opens the door.

'Hows Saturday? At 6?' Surprising the human. Who pauses then smiles.

'Its a date, Mr Mikaelson.' She finally leaves without interruption.

'I need to talk to my daughter.'

That night

'Hello sweetheart.' A voice spoke out from the darkness of Sheila Bennett's living room.

'Dad.' She says back not really surprised, Mikaelsons love to make things as dramatic as possible.

'We need to talk, properly this time. Just the two of us.' Sheila turns on the light, to find two cups of her favourite tea made. Still ripping hot somehow.

'Yes, we do.' Sitting down in her arm chair. The awkward tension in the air was prevelent.

'Im sorry, for how I was acting earlier, I said some things that hurt us both and I apologise. I wasn't thinking clearly and was being emotional.'

'I understand, I have a lot to apologise for as well, dad. I get how you're feeling, the truth is that I left because I was scared, terrified even.' Harry nods and looks down in shame. 'But not of you, or mom or anyone else. Truthfully, I was scared of myself. All that you had taught me. My entire life was that the ancestors were incredibly powerful. That my magic was that of the Bennett's, the oldest and most powerful witch family in existence. That terrified me. When I left, I had just found out I was pregnant with Abbey. Another person to be left to the whims of the ancestors. Another pawn. I saw what the ancestors do to the living, the people they hurt and use against their enemies. Against vampires. Against you. I was afraid that one day they would decide that you're more trouble than your worth and use me to hurt you. Knowing that you would never do the same to me.' She cried only for her dear father to hug her tightly.

'Sweetheart, there is not a thing in this world that would stop me from making you happy, I would tear down the spirit world inch by inch if they ever even thought of hurting you. You may be a Bennett witch. But first and foremost, You are a Mikaelson, always and forever, remember?'

'Yeah, always and forever.'

'Im not saying I forgive you yet, if ever. You really hurt me and your mother when you left, but I understand the crazy things people do if it means protecting your family, Mikaelsons especially. So, if you're willing, I would like to try and be a family again. If you're willing.'

'Thank you, dad. For everything. I would love for you to be in my life again.'

'Of course sweetheart. And I would love to be able to get to know my great-granddaughter. If she wants, that is.'

'I will talk to her in the morning. Thank you dad, for everything.'

Harry looked almost nervous, 'I wouldn't thank me yet sweetheart. You still have to convince your mother to forgive you.'

A look of pure terror crossed her face. 'Oh shit.'

Oh shit indeed.

At Harry's hotel, he noticed that things were different than when he left it this morning. The place was trashed, music blasting, kitchen was pilfered, bottles of different varieties were scattered 'Someones been eating my porridge.' The bed also appears to have been slept in. 'And sleeping in my bed.'

'

Really? Well, you care to join me?' Came the voice of a supposed dead woman. A voice that has haunted my dreams for over 500 years. The baddest bitch in town.

'Katherine.'

'Hi honey, im home.'

Duh Duh daaahhhhh. Katherine! I know, been wanting to bring her into the fold early since the beginning. Couldn't wait till the end of the season. Hopefully I surprised a few of you. What do you think? Im so excited for the next chapter. Yes, Caroline is probably going to be with Harry, as well as a few more, like two or three if im feeling like it, still haven't decided yet. Remember to comment and ill see you next time.

POTW