What I Never Knew I Always Wanted

by Twisted Illusions II

Klaus always knew he was a fuck up; he'd made plenty of mistakes in his life, and he accepted it. But when his casual Tuesday fling winds up pregnant and doesn't want the baby, Klaus can't just abandon it-can he? Klaus's entire view on life changes when that sweet, innocent bundle of joy gets placed into his hands. His entire world now revolved around keeping her safe and loved.

16. We Only Gather For Weddings or Funerals

**AUTHORS NOTE: I never do this, but I feel it may be necessary for this chapter**

**TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions/flashbacks of past physical abuse**

CHAPTER 16: We Only Gather For Weddings or Funerals

The joyful melody of Riley's laughter brought a warm smile to her daddy's face. The angelic sound coming from his rambunctious toddler was exactly what Klaus's reeling mind needed to hear right now after the week from hell he'd just been forced to endure...

An entire year had already come and passed since he first learned about his diagnosis, informing him of the terrifying truth that he was suffering from a very serious heart condition. He was relieved when the slurry of medications he was prescribed to start taking to aid in bringing him some relief did a great job at lessening his symptoms, successfully taking the majority of his pain away. For nearly a whole year Klaus's health seemed to finally be on the up and up. He was sleeping better at night, his chest pains were all but gone; occasionally he would still feel a little uncomfortable flutter in his heart if he pushed himself too far, but overall, he was worlds better than he had been for the longest time before. Klaus was also no longer suffering from his ongoing chronic fatigue which had been a constant boulder that he had been already metaphorically pinned beneath for an entire year prior to his diagnosis. He was feeling amazing, he finally found that he had the strength to devote his attention and energy wholeheartedly to his daughter and his fiancé - and their family. Klaus had truly never been more happy in his entire life.

Dave's injuries healed with no complications; he would forever have a gnarly scar on his shoulder, and a small scar against the flesh of his abdomen just above his waistline, but Klaus always assured Dave that he found his scars to be sexy. Due to Klaus's diagnosis lining up exactly with Dave's own injuries, Dave was able to work with the FBI to figure out a way for him to be able to work from home once he was able to join the workforce again. Dave's employers were understanding of the family's situation; the knowledge that Dave's fiancé had a potentially life threatening illness, and knowing that he would need to be able to free up his availability to be there to help aid him and assist with caring for their daughter made the agency's decision rather simple: they were exceedingly willing to bend the schedule and make it possible for Dave to continue to work with them, but do-so from this moment forward from the comfort of his own home. Finally the little family were able to be happy, they were together, and all of them were healthy and safe.

Unfortunately, a little over a week ago the illusion of their perfect life quickly faded and dissolved away when Klaus's health took a sudden turn for the worst. The little family were taking their usual daily stroll around their neighborhood to take Riley to play at their favorite park nearby, where she loved to be pushed on the swing set and feed the ducks at the pond. They made this trip together every day for as long as they could remember, and Klaus had always made it there just fine. That day, however, everything changed. He'd awoken that morning feeling a little more sluggish than usual, not too unusual or unexpected, however, since the three of them had stayed up the night prior much later than they typically would to allow Riley to finish watching her favorite Disney movie. So it came as no huge surprise to Klaus when he found his energy to be a little more lackluster than usual. The little family had just barely arrived at the park when Klaus found himself to be extremely winded, he could hardly catch his breath and needed to sit down at one of the benches for a moment so that he could focus on regaining his ability to breathe. As he sat, however, he quickly realized that he was lightheaded, and a heavy fatigue had settled itself deep within his bones. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Klaus's chest spasmed and started cramping painfully. He was suddenly in so much pain, and was having great difficulty in catching his breath. At that moment he could sense it deep within his aching heart straight away that something must have been terribly wrong. Panicked, he voiced his concerns to Dave and they left immediately to take him to the hospital, for fear that Klaus may have been having a heart attack, as based on what he was feeling, that was truly what he believed must have been what was happening to him.

Upon their arrival at the hospital and learning what was actually the cause of Klaus's sudden onslaught of pain, the couple didn't know whether they should be relieved or even more horrified. Klaus, thankfully, was not suffering from a heart attack. However, they learned that he was suffering from a complication from his illness called mitral valve regurgitation; which Dr. Kessler explained to them as a condition in which Klaus's heart's mitral valve wasn't closing tightly, which was allowing his blood to flow backward, flooding back into his heart instead of pumping out to fuel the rest of Klaus's organs properly like it was supposed to be doing. Klaus's doctor informed him that this was an extremely serious issue to have, and recommended that they consider having immediate surgery to correct the flow as soon as possible.

Upon further evaluation, and a detailed plan of care discussion with his doctor, they opted to schedule Klaus for a Septal myectomy. The idea of this procedure frightened Klaus; he learned that it would be an open-heart surgery, his surgeon would be removing part of the thickened heart muscle wall that separated his two bottom heart chambers. He was informed that removing part of the heart muscle would improve the blood flow through his heart and reduce his mitral valve regurgitation. They did all of the necessary testing for his preoperative screening while he was in the office; being sure to go over any risk factors, explain the details of what he should expect after his surgery, as well as go over specific information about his incision care, medications, activity and diet guidelines, warning signs to look for after he left the ICU, as well as who he should call in case of emergency after he was to go home.

They scheduled Klaus's surgery for that Wednesday…

Despite the deep seeded worry that both Klaus and Dave were feeling prior to Klaus being admitted into the hospital, they were both overwhelmingly relieved to learn that Klaus's surgery had gone exceptionally well. He had to stay in the intensive care unit for two days to be closely monitored before being transferred to the nursing unit; where he stayed for an additional three day span of time. After a lengthy detailed discussion with his cardiac rehabilitation specialist, who helped by giving him a workout regimen that they recommended Klaus do daily to gradually increase his activity levels to aid in his recovery time, he was finally able to return home. Klaus's entire being flooded with relief the instant he was wheeled through the exit of the hospital and helped into Diego's car (Dave felt that getting into his truck may have been too strenuous for Klaus so fresh out of surgery).

Hospitals were many things to Klaus: a constant reminder of the strife that both he and Dave had suffered over the past years time, a giant building filled with a deplorable amount of germs, but more than anything, they were the one place where Klaus was never able to seek any refuge from the ghosts who continued to haunt him. His entire stay was more anxiety inducing than he liked to admit, but thankfully, it was over now, and Klaus was finally able to go back home.

Klaus first entered the hospital with an enlarged heart that struggled to function, and exited the hospital with an eight inch scar down the center of his chest that spanned the entire length of his sternum. He would forever be scarred with a constant reminder of his terrifying illness, but he had a renewed sense of hope that this would at least be the end of his heart problems. Even still fresh out of surgery with the sutures still embedded within his chest, Klaus already felt a difference. He could not be any happier.

It had only been two days since Klaus was discharged from the hospital after his open heart surgery, but the little family were still taking this opportunity to go for their daily walk per Klaus's doctor's instructions. Klaus had been cleared to start an exercise routine that consisted of some light walking to help him regain some of his strength. Typically, they would walk around their neighborhood, but it had been poor weather the last few days, so today the family decided to take a stroll around a big box store instead. The interior was climate controlled, which would be easier on Klaus's currently weakened and more fragile state of being, and offered them the added bonus of a shopping cart that Dave could strap Riley into and push and have readily available for Klaus to hang onto for added support should he get winded or need to take a break.

Klaus didn't push the cart, however. As it turns out, having your sternum split open much like a cadavers would be during an autopsy before being wired shut made pushing or carrying any objects rather difficult on a person. Klaus didn't mind, though. He was just grateful that despite feeling like he'd quite literally been cracked open like an egg and put back together like Humpty Dumpty, Klaus was just thankful to be alive. His doctor explained to them that had they not caught Klaus's mitral valve issue that it posed the risk of potentially leading to either a cardiac arrest, or even more frightening than that, sudden death. He was so happy they'd caught it and were successful in correcting the problem. Klaus was left pale, sore as hell, tired, and still felt incredibly weak after such a major surgery; plus he had the added bonus of a highly active two year old whom of which certainly didn't aid in his recovery process, but overall, Klaus could already feel an immediate difference. He was alive, and he now had faith that he would continue to stay that way for a very long time to come.

Klaus was currently taking a mini break down the electronics aisle to catch his breath. He was leaning his weight on the cart the best that he could without jostling his wound in his chest, but the cart still certainly had come quite in handy a few times already during this excursion. Klaus may have been exhausted, but he still couldn't help but to smile. Dave was tickling Riley and getting her to laugh; the sound of his daughter's laughter had always been Klaus's favorite sound. Thanks to his recent surgery, he was hopeful that he would now be able to continue to hear that beautifully angelic sound, and watch his daughter's face light up whenever she would smile or laugh for many, many more years to come.

"My goodness, isn't she a cutie," a friendly little elderly woman said as she passed by them on the aisle. Her own smile was warm amidst her pleasantly plump cheeks. "Heavens, which one of you is her father, why, she looks just like the both of you!" Klaus's lips instantly tugged into a mischievous grin at her inquiry.

"Ah, you caught us red handed, ma'am! She's actually genetically modified to have my fair complexion and luscious bouncy curls, and his beautiful blue eyes and perfect dimples! You must work for the CIA, I can't believe you found us out!" He snapped his fingers and pointed at her and the woman bellowed out a hearty laugh.

"What a lovely family," She shook her head while she grinned broadly at them, patting Klaus's arm gently before she passed them to leave the aisle.

Dave laughed while he smirked at his fiancé, gently tapping his hand playfully to garner his attention, "Our daughter is not a GMO!"

Klaus's laughter reverberated deep within his chest, he winced at the sensation and took a moment to calm himself down. He was still far too fresh from surgery to be winding himself up like that, but he didn't even mind, painful or not, it felt good to laugh and just be happy. He smiled, gripping the shopping card while he inched himself closer to Dave and his daughter and pecked his fiancé's jaw just below his ear before wrapping his arms around Riley the best that he could and pressing his lips to her broadly smiling dimpled cheeks.

"Daddy can't wait until he can hold you again, princess. My arms are so lonely without you in them!" Riley's laughter lit up the room and Klaus's cheeks filled with warmth at the sheer sound of his daughter's joy. He would never be able to get over just how much he loved his little girl.

The family were smiling, and laughing and enjoying a lovely relaxing day of just calmly walking around the store to allow Klaus his exercise to help rehabilitate his heart when they passed by an aisle lined floor to ceilings with television screens. A familiar face on the screens caught Klaus's attention and he immediately stopped dead in his tracks at the announcement that was displayed broadly like a banner across each and every monitor.

'BREAKING NEWS: ECCENTRIC BILLIONAIRE SIR. REGINALD HARGREEVES HAS DIED.'

Dave stopped pushing the cart as soon as he realized that Klaus's steps had come to an abrupt and sudden halt. He looked at his love with concerned eyes before his attention also met the announcement plastered across each of the screens.

"Klaus," Dave was well aware of Klaus's family, as well as the poor relationship he shared with his father. With his immediate concern for his love filling his own chest and fueling his stride, he rolled the cart closer to his fiancé and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Baby, look at me, are you okay?"

Klaus's eyes blinked rapidly a few times before he turned his attention onto Dave. "That's my...dad. He-he's dead. I can't believe the old bastard is actually dead."

"I know. Would you even want to go to the funeral? I know you two didn't exactly get along," Dave questioned thoughtfully while he gently ran his palm up and down Klaus's back to soothe him, he could already see the tension building within his love.

"I don't...I don't even know. God, I hated that man," Klaus's heart fluttered painfully with anxiety at just the thought. The idea of stepping foot anywhere near his childhood home, or seeing his siblings again after escaping from that hell so long ago, the idea made him feel sick. "Ugh, my stomach's all queasy just thinking about going back there." Klaus groaned while he closed his eyes and draped his hand over his ailing belly. He swayed briefly when he felt a little bit dizzy. Dave tightened his grip on his fiancé and helped usher him to take a seat for a moment to be able to calm his racing heart down; he absolutely did not need any of this added stress right now.

"Here, sit down for a second, just take it easy, okay?" Klaus nodded while Dave helped ease his weary and sore body down onto the little bench. "You're going to be fine, you don't have to go anywhere you don't want to, he can't hurt you anymore—"

"I really don't want to...but I need to go to the funeral, Dave. I've got to go," Klaus stated through clenched teeth, the last thing he wanted to do was step foot anywhere within that 'home' ever again, but he felt deep within his heart that he should.

"Shh, it's okay. Darlin, I really don't think that you should go, not like this, not when you're so fresh out of surgery...but if you wanted to go, you can. I won't stop you," Dave began as he squatted before Klaus, pressing his palms to each of his cheeks while he peered deep into his now tear filled emerald eyes. "But I won't let you go back there alone, I'd be going with you."

"Baby, are you sure?" Klaus asked. He wouldn't dare expect Dave to do that for him.

"Absolutely, besides, there's no way in hell I'd let you go there alone. Especially not right now. You're supposed to be taking it easy, not stressing yourself out more," Dave ran the pads of his thumbs beneath each of Klaus's eyes when a tear seeped it's way down his cheek. Klaus weakly wrapped his hands around Dave's wrists and flashed him a subtle smile.

"Thank you, baby," he exhaled a sigh and signaled Dave to help him stand back up. Klaus's face screwed up in discomfort at the change in position once back on his feet before settling into a calm expression, "I guess we're going to a funeral, then."

—-

Time had always been held sacred to Sir Reginald Hargreeves, he had always been a punctual chap who found others who 'wasted his time' to be the absolute bane of his existence, which is why it came as no surprise to Klaus, Diego, nor Ben when they learned that the funeral had been set to be held the very next day, and that a vigil for Reginald would be performed in the courtyard of the academy. The family prepared themselves for this momentous occasion the best that they could before piling into Diego's car and hitting the road. The car rolled to a stop outside of the gates to their old childhood home. Diego shifted the vehicle into park before turning his attention to his brother. They'd made Klaus sit in the front passenger seat for the thirty minute trip so that he could lean the seat back to help relieve a little pressure from his chest. The weather was dreary outside, surely they would soon be expecting rain, and the undeniable change in the barometric pressure within the atmosphere was making the still fresh surgical wound within Klaus's chest ache. Dave sat behind his love in the backseat with Riley. He certainly didn't mind, it allowed him to be able to comfort Klaus and help curb his anxiety and obvious discomfort on the car ride over. Dave ran his fingers through Klaus's curls, peppering his hairline with delicate kiss after kiss, before his fingers worked at massaging the tight muscles in Klaus's neck and shoulders. His actions must have helped him feel at least a little more at ease, as Klaus had fallen asleep rather quickly upon leaving their house.

Dave peered out of the car window and up at the massive structure of the academy; the dark clouds framing the architecture only helped deepen the ominous and downright haunting appearance of the looming building. Seeing it as it sat now, he could understand why just the thought of this place struck such fear into his love's heart. Dave shifted his attention back to his slumbering fiancé. He adjusted himself so that he could lean through the opening between the two front seats and cupped Klaus's cheek, running his thumb across his cheek bone.

"Klaus, baby, we're here. It's time to wake up, okay?" he spoke softly to help coax him awake. Klaus's eyelashes fluttered and he tilted his head deeper into Dave's touch. Dave smiled and with great care to ensure he wouldn't cause Klaus any added discomfort, he leaned closer to steal a chaste kiss from his love. Klaus's lips tugged into a soft grin, but even that couldn't hide just how tired he truly looked. "How are you feeling?"

"Mm, a little tired and sore, but M'fine."

"Are you sure that you want to do this? It's not too late, we could leave right now—" Dave asked, he didn't want Klaus rushing into a situation that he didn't want to be in, especially not in his current weakened state.

"I'm sure, baby. I promise, I'm okay." Klaus assured Dave with a delicate grin.

"Dave, why don't you grab Riley while I help Klaus get out of the car," Diego instructed as he unlatched his own seatbelt before opening his car door; the metal groaned in protest as it swung open. Dave nodded, kissing Klaus's temple quickly one more time before doing exactly as he was told.

"Come here, princess, come to daddy Davey," Dave cooed with a warm smile while he unhooked Riley from her car seat, the toddler smiled while she wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her cheek, earning a squeal of laughter from the little girl before the two of them climbed out of the vehicle together.

Diego had already come around to the other side of the car and helped Klaus to his feet. It took a few minutes for them to do-so; as any drastic shift in his positioning would cause Klaus's chest quite a bit of discomfort, so they were always careful to take things very slow and move with great caution. Once up, Klaus closed his eyes to take a moment to compose himself. Truth be told, he was well aware that he was probably going to be doing much more physical activity than he was cleared to be doing as of yet, but he knew that he needed to do this. Not for Reginald, mind you, but for himself.

Klaus opened his eyes and stared up at the academy; this had been his place of nightmares for the first just shy of eighteen years of his life. It was almost surreal coming back to this place after so much time had passed since the last time he'd been there. He inhaled as much oxygen as his battered rib cage would allow before expelling the air from his lungs.

"Guys," Klaus quickly tried to reel in his fiancés and brother's attention before they were to enter the building. He had something very important that had been on his mind since he first learned of his father's death, and he knew that he needed to make himself clear. "It's none of their business what's going on with me, or my heart condition, I don't want either of you telling them, got it? I don't want them to know."

"Klaus—" Diego started to protest, but Klaus quickly cut him off before he got the chance.

"I don't want them to know, Diego. This," he repeated before gently resting his fingertips against the fabric of his slouchy turtleneck just above where the hidden scar was etched within his skin, "is hard enough to deal with on its own, I don't need them judging me even more for my past life choices over it. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Don't tell them about it…please."

Diego nodded solemnly in understanding. He wouldn't dare do anything against his brother's wishes. If he didn't want them to know, then they wouldn't find out. He would honor his brother's request and by not telling them. "Alright, okay, we won't let them know."

"Thank you," said Klaus before the three men and Riley approached the front entrance to the academy. Klaus tightened his death-like grip on Diego's hand while his brother draped his free arm across his lower back to help support him while they ascended the small staircase that led to the front door. The small added exertion of energy left Klaus feeling a little winded. He took a brief moment to catch his breath before he exhaled one more sigh when Diego wrapped his fingers around the door knob. "Let's just get this over with."

—-

Klaus pulled on the familiar mask of the façade he was forced to wear his entire upbringing within these walls as they passed through the front entryway that led them into the academy. Instantly, so many emotions flooded into Klaus's heart. Each wall, picture, trinket, statue or even smell held so many different memories for him, it was hard not to find himself feeling as though he was right back where he had first started, stuck within a ripple in time. Everything was exactly as he remembered it from all those years ago; even the familiar smell of Grace's cookies baking in the oven wafted through the air. Klaus always found the smell to be almost off putting, like a potpourri of a false familial sense of 'home'; a cover for the truly evil happening within the building. As they passed through the hallway lined with their family portraits—no, Klaus wouldn't dare describe them as such, this would definitely be more aptly put as a wall of memorabilia to immortalize the fame of their academy days, he found himself re-living specific moments that he'd nearly forgotten from so long ago.

As they approached the staircase he could almost still see himself as a young boy throttling himself up the stairs, trying to beat his siblings in a foot race to the top in a dire attempt to appease his father - for once. However, of course, he had never been successful in doing so, and now he would never get the chance to. Not that he ever would be able to, anyways. Klaus would be lying to himself if he said he hadn't tried time and time again to impress his father, crave his affection and praise, only to constantly be reminded just how much the man truly didn't care about him at all. No, that was putting it lightly, how much he outright hated, and detested him all the way from the time that he was a small boy; a deep hatred Klaus was certain his father had carried with him all the way to his grave.

Klaus's heart had been aching for a long time prior to him ever even knowing that he had a heart condition…

Dave didn't want Klaus going upstairs at all, climbing stairs was not listed on his approved list of home workouts, he didn't want Klaus to over exert himself, and he certainly didn't want him doing anything that could potentially pose a risk to his health or his heart, but Klaus was adamant that he go up there. And so, begrudgingly, Dave helped slowly guide Klaus up the stairwell. It took them a long time, as Klaus could only climb a small handful of steps before losing his breath and needing to take a break, but with patience and perseverance they eventually made it to the top. On the final step Klaus's hand instinctively clutched onto the bannister with white knuckles as another painful memory flashed before his eyes.

"What is it, are you alright?" Dave asked when he noticed that Klaus's entire body went rigid.

"Y-yeah...just, had a flashback is all,"

"Flashback?" That's when Dave's own memories of conversations he'd held with Klaus over their past two years of being in each other's lives popped into his mind. "Oh...was it from when you fell?" He was of course, referencing the time that Klaus broke his jaw after a good tumble down the stairs. He remembered him telling him about that once before, and how tense Klaus had been, how he avoided eye contact as he spoke. It was a terrible, awful memory that clearly left a lasting negative effect on his love.

"I didn't fall," Klaus admitted dryly before taking the final step and slowly starting down the hallway of the second story. He didn't finish his statement, but he didn't need to. Dave slowly began to recognize what he meant. Klaus had been playing in his mother's heels when his father found him. If he didn't fall, then...Dave's jaw clenched when the realization of what his love was implying finally hit him. If he hadn't fallen, then did that mean that he'd been pushed?

Dave climbed the final step and quickly caught up to Klaus as he meandered slowly down the hall. His eyebrows furrowed when he spotted the curious art that lined the walls: Impale, gouge, choke, disarm, and that was only the beginning of the instructional photos made to appear like simple children's artwork...it pained him to witness the reality of what exactly Klaus had been forced to grow up with, what kind of a monster he'd been 'raised' under. Klaus paused before one of the doorways that was the entrance into an office space. He leaned his body heavily against the doorframe while he peered inside.

"This was my darling father's office," he started before his eyes met Dave's. "We were never allowed to step foot inside of this room, but I did…once," he smirked before his features relaxed to a somber expression. "Luther dared me to. He said 'I bet you can't make it to his desk and back to the door without him finding out somehow.' Well, I'm always up for a good challenge, and the old man wasn't even home, he was away on some official 'academy business', so I did it. Ducked in, ran to the desk and tapped the corner before running back out. I couldn't have been in there for more than, oh, I don't know, maybe thirty seconds?"

"Did he find out?" Dave questioned. Klaus laughed dryly while his head bobbed in a quick nod.

"Boy, did he. That was the day that I learned he had cameras set up in his office, pfft, but, apparently Luther knew. Well, needless to say, daddy dearest was not too entirely thrilled with me,"

"What happened?"

"Honestly?" Klaus questioned as he ran his palm down his face. "I barely remember what happened. I remember him starting to yell at me, you know, his usual threats; 'Number Four, I am tired of your insolence! Rules are made to be followed, not broken!' Then the next thing I knew I was waking up in the infirmary with my hand in a cast; yeah, apparently hands that constantly break rules wind up with broken fingers."

"Holy shit," Dave's eyes were blown wide in shock. He was aware Reginald was bad, but he hadn't realized just how much of a monster he truly had been. Klaus's lips quirked into a crooked grin as he shimmied himself off of the doorway before taking a large intentional step inside of the office. He scuffed the soles of his shoes harshly against the floorboards, firmly planting his feet into place. Klaus then held his hand in the air, wincing at the pain it brought him before aiming his attention pointedly at a portrait of his father behind the desk. Klaus held his middle finger to the sky in a final farewell salute to the bastard, a fitting goodbye in his eyes, before allowing his arm to go limp and rest against his side. He exhaled a sigh before returning his full attention back to his fiancé.

"Let's keep moving,"

Each room held a different memory for Klaus, some were pleasant; the memories of him sneaking into Ben or Diego's bedrooms after a nightmare, or a particularly bad day of training allowed a small semblance of a smile to tug across his pale features. But as he entered into his old bedroom Klaus's heart clenched at each and every awful memory that assaulted his brain: each night when he would wake up screaming, terrified of his nightmares, or the ghosts that haunted him; he never had been good at differentiating between what had been real, and what had been reverie. As he walked around the space, his fingers tracing over his dresser, candles, old drug paraphernalia, and long since forgotten empty bottles of alcohol, Klaus found himself suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed and needed to take a seat on his bed. Once seated, his vision instantly zeroed in on something splattered against his floorboards in the center of his bedroom. His eyes widened, and his heart rate quickened when he realized what it was.

Blood…

His blood, a permanent stain and bookmark in time from the fateful night that was the final nail in the coffin for him, the driving force that finally aided in his decision that he could no longer stay even a single moment longer trapped within these walls.

Klaus would never be able to forget that horrible night...

—-

Klaus tried desperately to stay quiet as he slid his lanky body back into his bedroom from his fire escape window, but he was far too drunk and high to realize that the harder he tried to stay quiet, the louder he was actually becoming. It was exceptionally late, or rather, extremely early in the morning when he finally closed his window and tumbled rather unceremoniously onto his bed with a thump. He was thankful, for once, that his room was sound proofed as his loud giggling surely would have awoken not only his slumbering siblings, but his father, who certainly would have been displeased in finding him while being in such a disorderly state. His joy at truly believing he'd outwitted his old man and been able to have this wild night and come out of it entirely unscathed from punishment from his father was quickly pulled away like a rug from beneath his feet when his bedroom light suddenly was flicked on.

"Late night again, Number Four?"

"Dad, I-I'm sorry, I just.. I must have lost track of time—"

"Do not lie to me, Number Four. You know how I feel about liars and cheats. Curfew is promptly attained at 6:30PM, I expect you to be in bed and asleep at that time, as I have always expected. Nothing has changed, and yet here we are. Tell me, what time is it now?"

"I...I don't know," Klaus mumbled sheepishly. He could almost feel his anxiety making the effects of his high wear off as his heart hammered wildly within his chest.

He knew what was to come for him...

"Speak up! Mumbling is for pitiful uneducated fools, or imbeciles with no control over their own tongues. Are you either of those?"

"No sir—"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't know it based off of your actions or incoherent babbling," Reginald yelled before he quickly closed the gap between himself and Klaus, his actions caused the young man just shy of eighteen to cower back from his approach. Reginald laughed at his fear. "Are you frightened? You always were a spineless coward, Number Four. Stand up, address me like I have trained you to. Stand before me and show me some respect, look me in my eyes."

Klaus barely even made it onto his own feet when he found himself face down against his floorboards, his cheek burning from a painful sting.

"I've changed my mind, stay down there amongst the rodents where you belong. You have always been great at one thing, and one thing only Number Four," he said as he knelt down before Klaus. Twisting his short brown curls roughly between his fingers and yanking his face in his direction to look Klaus in his eyes. "Can you tell me what that is?"

"Um—" Klaus's words abruptly stopped when his head was slammed with such a force against his hardwood floors that it caused his vision to instantly blur.

"You're great at disappointing me! You have always been a disgrace, a loathsome little swine. Your very presence is abhorrent to me, Number Four." Reginald shoved at Klaus, earning a pitiful cry from the scared teen who felt like no more than a little boy under the intimidating presence of his father, before rising back onto his feet. "You disgust me!" Reginald's boots slammed into Klaus's body after each insulting word, "You are repugnant," a kick to his gut, "revolting," his ribs, "despicable," a kick to his head. "You have always been obnoxious, the idea of you speaking is repellent enough!" Reginald continued his tirade long after the brunt force trauma to Klaus's battered body left him barely clinging onto consciousness. "You will never amount to anything, Number Four. I have tried to mold you, shape you to be anything even slightly similar to any one of your siblings. I have given you constant guidance to help you, but you have always done only as you have wished - turning to drugs and alcohol to conceal your fears of the dead. You are damnable, a disgrace!"

Klaus could hardly breathe, he was sure he had at least a few broken ribs, and probably many more injuries. His entire body felt like it was on fire and he could barely see out of either of his eyes. He could hardly keep his eyes open as he stared up at the looming dark figure of his father who stood over his downright broken and battered body.

"You have always been my greatest disappointment, Number Four. Unfortunately, I can see now that simply will never change," those were his father's final parting words to him before a final kick to his head sent him plummeting into the world of darkness.

—-

"Klaus? Klaus, baby, breathe, are you alright?" Dave's urgent tone pulled Klaus out of his hellish nightmare of a memory. His chest spasmed painfully when he finally gasped for air, he had not even realized he must have been holding his breath.

"Daddy, you okay?" Riley asked, she reached her tiny hand out to stroke a stray tear away from his pale cheek. Klaus smiled softly at his little girl, pulling her hand into his own unsteady fingers to kiss the delicate skin on the back of her hand.

"I'm okay.. I'm sorry about that," he assured quickly before leaning against Dave's shoulder who was sitting beside him with an arm wrapped around his back. Klaus closed his eyes while he ran his palm up and down Riley's back before taking her hand back within his own and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Just, bad memories, is all."

"God, you shouldn't have even come up here Klaus, especially not in here, this room has way too much negative energy, you shouldn't subject yourself to that," Ben said as he entered the bedroom. This room harbored awful memories for him as well, and seeing Klaus inside of these four walls again sent a chill of goosebumps down his spine. The last time Ben stepped foot inside of this room had been the night he found his brother unconscious two days after their father beat him nearly to death. Ben hated returning to the scene of the crime, he couldn't even begin to imagine how hard being back in this place again after so long must be for Klaus. Ben's relationship with their father was a train wreck on its own, but the man had never laid a hand on him, or any one of their other siblings as far as he had ever been aware. But Klaus? He'd been mistreated in many ways; emotionally, mentally, but he was also the only known Hargreeves child who was forced to withstand the physical abuse from their father's oppressive hands. Ben had just arrived at the academy from school and this was his first time laying his eyes on Klaus in person since his surgery, this place was always his brother's greatest nightmare, he couldn't even believe that Klaus was here right now. He shouldn't be. Surely, just being here alone was far too much strain on his heart. Ben took in his siblings sweaty and pale appearance and frowned. "Hey, are you doing okay?"

Klaus smiled broadly at his brother, "Benny, hey, I wasn't sure if you would come. Who, me? Y-yeah, I'm fiiine, really," Klaus straightened his posture and ran his palms down his thighs while he took a moment to catch his breath. "We should probably head downstairs now, or everyone will wonder where we are," he went to stand up but faltered when the motion tugged uncomfortably at his chest, he groaned at the pain it caused him. Ben and Dave were instantly at his side to assist him.

"Woah, take it easy, Klaus," Ben cooed while he gently eased him back down onto the mattress. Klaus's complexion was dewy with sweat, and deathly pale. Even fresh out of surgery, Ben couldn't believe how terrible his brother looked. "Jesus, have you been walking all over the academy? Klaus, you need to follow your exercise regimen, you don't want to put too much strain on your heart. The doctor said, 'light walking', you need to sit down for a little while and take a break." Klaus smiled at Ben and patted his leg when his brother took a seat beside him.

"Ben, I'm fine. Sheesh, you're such a mother hen," Klaus smirked at his brother before he closed his eyes briefly while Ben rubbed his back to comfort him.

"Apparently I need to be, someone has to, that responsibility can't solely rest on Dave, Diego or Riley. Klaus, it's bad enough that you're here at all when you shouldn't be. You look exhausted, man, please, take a break for a minute, you need it." Klaus opened his eyes to peer at his brother with a warm appreciative grin before he squeezed his knee reassuringly.

"Ben, I appreciate you, I do, really. Thank you, but I swear, I'm okay. I can do this," he shifted his attention to Dave and took his hand within his own before looking between him and his daughter. "It's about time that you two met the rest of the ole fam."

With great care, Ben and Dave helped Klaus rise onto his feet. He was winded, and a little unsteady; his energy levels having been already severely depleted from all of the perusing they'd already been doing around the academy so far that day, but he knew that he was fine. Coming back to this place, Klaus already knew that he would be pushing the limits of his physical abilities. He was only three days out of the hospital, barely a week out of surgery, and so far his days consisted of a lot of bed rest, napping, cuddling with Dave and Riley and getting up for a short slow paced walk, typically a single lap around their block. But this? Even Klaus had to admit that this was...a lot. He was already feeling the severity of the physical, emotional, and mental toll all of this activity was having on his body. Truthfully, he was ready to just leave; to go home and curl up in bed with his fiancé and his daughter and remind himself that he would never be subjected to enduring such an insufferable life ever again. He had a family now who finally loved him, and treated him properly - and he did the same to them. He was so happy that his daughter would never have to live with fear in her heart about her father the same way that he had been forced to throughout his entire life. Klaus would never, ever hurt Riley. He loved his little girl, and was proud of the fact that he may have been many things, but cruel was not one of them. His daughter would never experience the pain that he had to endure, she would only ever know love. Riley was the one thing in Klaus's life that he'd done right, and he fully intended to keep it that way by never doing her wrong.

With Dave to his right, and Ben to his left they slowly began their descent down the staircase. Ben informed them that not everyone had arrived yet, they were waiting on Pogo, so they were to all meet in the living room prior to when the funeral would begin. With each step down the flight of stairs, Klaus felt his strength dwindle right along with it. They'd made it nearly halfway down the first flight when he felt his heart rate pick up, his chest ached as his heart raced and he found himself really struggling to catch his breath. He went to take another step down, but as he bore his weight down on the next step his knees disappeared from beneath him, his stance faltered and his body dipped dangerously, threatening to fall. Ben and Dave were quick to correct him, ensuring he wouldn't collapse as the two men worked together to hold Klaus's severely weakened body upright.

"Fuck, Klaus! Are you sure that you're alright?" Ben questioned anxiously, his eyebrows were pinched, and his jaw was clenched tightly with a worried expression.

"Darlin, I think it's a good idea that you sit down and rest for a little while like Ben suggested. You almost just collapsed—" Dave tried to reason with him, but Klaus just shook his head to focus. They were almost there, this was almost done. He just wanted to get this all over with.

"Guys, I'm fine—"

"Klaus—"

"I'm fine."

They finally made it downstairs together. Klaus did take a second to catch his breath at the foot of the staircase; mostly so that he could shrug off his brother and fiancé and at least attempt to pull off the look he was going for: that he wasn't suffering from a heart condition, or fresh out of surgery—that he was fine. They entered the living room and were pleased to find that they were the first ones to arrive there. Dave and Ben suggested to Klaus that he please, go ahead and take this opportunity to have a seat on the couch, and he decided that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to do-so after all. He had just made it to the sofa and was just about to sit when a sudden new voice stopped him before he ever got the chance to.

"Ben, it's so good to see you, I'm so glad that you could make it—oh wow, Klaus, is that you?" Allison's voice questioned with a slight air of surprise to her tone. Klaus stood up straight and plastered on his best fake Cheshire grin he was so accustomed to wearing before turning to face his sister.

"Ally, woah, fame sure looks good on you," he stated as he eyed her up and down. He'd seen her in movies and on tv over the years, but not in person in well over a decade. Klaus was happy to see that his sister looked well. "Remind me to get your autograph, so that I can add it to my collection!" he trilled with a joyous sing-song tone, folding his hands across each other and holding them beneath his chin.

"It's been a long time, too long," she began as she smiled at Klaus with a warm expression. Klaus's own smile beamed as he bobbed his head in a nod.

"Yeah, well, you know how it is. Life tends to get away from you. Days pass by, people grow and change," he waved his hand airily before he snapped his fingers and pointed at his sister, ducking to look behind her to either side. "Speaking of which, Ally dear, where is Claire?"

"How did you know about her?" Allison asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She hadn't held any contact with Klaus in over a decade, she certainly never informed him about the existence of her daughter.

"Oh, Ally. I know we may not talk much, but believe it or not dear, I can read. I've seen her in the tabloids," he admitted. What he didn't admit was how much it hurt him to learn of his niece's existence that way, but he really wouldn't complain. His smile dimmed slightly when he saw a look of what he would almost describe as shame across his sister's beautiful features. Perhaps she hadn't meant for him to learn about her daughter in such a way, either. "She's beautiful, Ally. Congratulations, she looks just like her mother." His smile lit back up when he saw how happy his comment seemed to make Allison.

"Daddy! Who is she?" Riley called from Dave's grasp. Allison and Klaus both turned to face the little girl; Klaus's face smiled fondly, while Allison's features shifted to one of confusion. Dave approached the two and Riley instantly reached for Klaus. "Daddy!" she giggled as she wrapped her tiny hands against Klaus's jacket, he cooed to her and took her hands within his own before nuzzling against her cheek and kissing her dimples. Riley giggled wildly at her daddy's touch.

"Daddy?" Allison questioned, eyes wide in shock. Klaus looked between Riley and Dave before turning to face his sister.

"Oh yeah, you're not the only one who is good at keeping secrets, sister dearest," he ran his fingers through Riley's curls before wrapping his arm around a sheepishly smiling Dave. "Allow me to introduce you to my fiancé, Dave, and our daughter, Riley."

"Fiancé? Daughter?" Allison's smile broadened with joy before her eyebrows furrowed and her lips quirked into a crooked grin. "But wait, which one of you is actually her father?"

"Ah," Klaus began, "you see, she's actually genetically—"

"Would you quit telling people that our daughter is a GMO," Dave quickly interrupted, earning laughter from both Ben and Klaus, while Allison just continued to look rather confused. Klaus giggled and rolled his eyes before exhaling an exaggerated huff.

"Fiiine, it was my promiscuity that led to creating this little angel, but that doesn't even matter, it's besides the point. Oh! Here's another shocker for you, by the way, get ready for this one; I'm sober! Yaaay! But anyways, back to the important portion of this little convo...like I said before, she is our daughter. Both of us are her daddys."

"Wow, Klaus, that's amazing, I'm so happy for you, congrats...and god, she's adorable," Allison cooed before running her fingers down Riley's back. Riley beamed at Allison, her dimpled cheeks spread wide with her precious toothy grin. "Hello sweetie, I'm your auntie Ally, it's so lovely to meet you!"

"Hi auntie!" Riley said in her adorable toddler tone. Klaus continued to smile when the rest of the family piled into the room.

"Who's kid is that?" Luther asked as he approached.

"Wow, definitely didn't expect to see you here, Klaus. Or ever again, for that matter," Five noted smugly as he looked his brother up and down, undoubtedly scrutinizing his appearance. Five always had a certain arrogant way about him, in Klaus's opinion. He tried not to judge him for his actions, though. Apart from himself, Klaus had always been under the assumption that their father was the toughest on Five when it came to pushing the limits of their abilities. Jumping through time using a portal he formed himself, using calculations that their father forced Five to sharpen his skills on almost every second of the day, left Five constantly overworked and drained. So much so that it left him seemingly permanently trapped within his thirteen year old body. Klaus always wondered if he would ever continue to progress in age again, but considering he still appeared the way that he does now so many years later, he supposed probably not.

"This is Riley," Allison sang proudly as she took the two year old into her own arms. She bounced her on her hip as she introduced the toddler to the rest of Klaus's siblings, "She's Klaus's daughter, our niece! Can you believe that? Isn't she beautiful?"

"Klaus, really?" Vanya asked as a wide smile spread across her cheeks. She was at Allison's side in an instant, running her palm down Riley's back and cooing to her, earning squeals of laughter from the little girl. "Oh my god, she's so cute! She looks just like you!"

"I look like both my daddys!" Riley exclaimed proudly, although it was more baby talk; but Allison, Klaus and Dave understood what she meant, anyways.

"Yes, sweetie, you're absolutely right, you do look like both of your daddys!" Allison agreed, earning a smile from Riley and confused expressions from everyone else in the family. Allison shook her head as she addressed the elephant in the room. "Guys, that's Dave—Klaus's fiancé. This is their daughter."

"It's nice to meet you, Dave. I'm Vanya," Dave shook Vanya's hand and sent her a warm friendly grin. The room broke out into soft banter that consisted of Dave and Riley saying hello to Vanya, and Allison as the two girls fought over who got to hold her next. However, in the end Ben won, saying it was his turn and that they could gush over her, but he'd been waiting on his cuddle time with her for far too long. The family talked about the actual origin story of Riley, Klaus's sobriety, which everyone was proud of him for and congratulated him on, even thanking Dave for helping to guide him through his journey to better health. Dave took no credit, however, and told them all to thank Riley, as she was who saved her father, not him. A circle broke out around Ben and the baby as Vanya, Allison, Diego and Dave watched while her uncle Benny tickled her, their attention fully grasped by the angelic laughter coming from the happy little girl. Luther and Five, on the other hand, were more hesitant. Klaus was standing to the side away from the mini crowd. He had a soft smile tugged across his features, but as Luther and Five examined him, they both found something about their estranged brother to be a little…off.

Five was the first to approach his brother, who was standing a little hunched with his arms folded across his chest. Five eyed him wearily; he noted that Klaus was pale, and sweaty. He was wearing a slouchy black oversized turtleneck sweater and a patchwork jacket with fur cuffs. It was as he examined the jacket that something else Klaus was wearing caught Five's eye: a wristband, one that there was no denying was from some form of a medical facility. Without so much as a hello, Five's fingers ghosted over the band on Klaus's wrist, but he flinched at the sudden unexpected contact and jerked away, quickly pulling his sleeve down to hide the wristband from his sibling's view.

"Christ on a cracker, Five, you can't just sneak up and start grabbing people," Klaus huffed. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't startled by the gesture. More than anything, however, he was mad that he'd forgotten to remove his wristband from his stay in the hospital. He was told to leave it on in case of emergency, but he didn't want his family to know about his predicament. How stupid was he to wear the proof of it like a shiny red beacon across his wrist.

Luther and Five exchanged a look; a hospital stay for a heart condition was not where either of their minds had gone. Five rolled his eyes and glared at Klaus, his jaw tight as his small body was fueled with a sudden rage towards his brother.

"Some things never change," he spat while he shook his head, rolling his eyes as he went to stand by Luther. Klaus knew what they must have assumed; of course, in their eyes this was just another rehab bracelet, surely they assumed that what 'never changed' was his drug habit. Klaus wanted to protest and defend his honor, but he really didn't have the energy to right now. His chest was beginning to throb in a steady ache, he knew that he really needed to sit down and let his heart rest, at least for a few minutes. He turned to head to the couch to do just that, but unfortunately, he never got that chance.

"Good evening, children," Pogo greeted solemnly when he entered into the large living room, "I wish that we were coming together again under different circumstances, it is so good to see all of you. However, it is time that we gather in the courtyard for Master Hargreeves' ceremony."

—-

The entire Hargreeves family gathered outside in the courtyard for the ceremony. The weather had shifted since their arrival; heavy droplets of rain pelted into the loose soil that coated the earth beneath their feet much like when a volley of bullets would slam into their targets. The occasional flash of lightning would illuminate the sky, and the ground beneath their feet would quiver with each pulsation of thunder. The air around them matched the atmosphere inside of the academy; frigidly cold and unforgiving. What with the added bodies of the unexpected arrival of Dave, there weren't enough umbrellas to go around, so Ben held Riley beneath the pink umbrella with the clear vinyl canopy while Klaus and Dave huddled together beneath a single black umbrella.

Klaus would never voice it out loud, but he was grateful that he and Dave were forced to stand so close together. His fiancé's arm wrapped around his waist was helping him feel more grounded. Klaus couldn't help but to realize just how badly he really could have used a break to get off of his feet, and just sit for a little while before this ceremony would have begun. He could really feel his exhaustion starting to weigh him down. Truthfully, Klaus could hardly wait for this entire evening to be over, he desperately wanted to lie down and take a nap. His chest was steadily getting more and more uncomfortable as more time went on, and if he was entirely honest with himself, his pain was beginning to become nearly unbearable. If he didn't get a chance to rest soon he knew that he would have to cave and accept some of the pain medication he'd been prescribed after his surgery. He hated to take it at all. Major surgery or not, Klaus was adamant about staying sober, he needed to do this for his daughter. It was bad enough he needed such major pain medication directly after his surgery, but he begged as soon as he was able to be switched to something a little more 'ex-addict friendly' and was happy when his surgeons obliged his dire request. His medication provided very little more relief than naproxen would, but it would do. It would have to, he refused to accept anything more.

Riley was the only reason Klaus was able to stand there without complaints throughout the duration of his late father's funeral service. He couldn't help but to watch her in wonder as he observed his daughter's beautiful features explore and investigate her shelter from the rain. Riley was entirely enamored by her umbrella; she would wrap her hands around the pink plastic rod and stare through the clear shade while she watched the sky release it's rain in total awe. Each flare of lightning would light up her features as they danced across the dark ominous clouds, and she would smile and laugh at the light show happening in the sky. Occasionally a clap of thunder would startle her, but Ben and Klaus were both quick to soothe her until her dimpled cheeks would be lined with a broad smile once again. No one seemed to mind the added distraction of Riley's incessant babbling and talking throughout the vigil - after all, a child's laughter and joy should take precedence over the bitter old man they were gathered there to 'celebrate the life of', anyways.

Thankfully, the entire funeral service seemed to carry on with minimal drama, which Klaus was eternally thankful for. The less drama, the sooner they could get this over with, which meant the sooner he could get as far away from this hell hole as possible and finally go home. As it neared the very end he could feel his chest beginning to spasm painfully, whether because he was anxiously awaiting the end of this event, or because his body was protesting all of the strenuous physical (and emotional) activity he had done already he was unsure, but when Pogo asked if anyone had anything they would like to say as a final farewell to their father, he was upset when of course, Diego and Luther had to choose that moment to start budding heads. Not that he would say he was surprised, because he absolutely was not, if anything, Klaus was more shocked that it had taken this long for them to start an argument in the first place. It started small, just the two bickering over the fact that Diego said Reginald was a shitty father, while Luther had always tended to disagree. It wasn't until their quarrel escalated to a physical altercation and shouted accusations that Klaus found that he needed to intervene, he didn't want his daughter to be exposed to such negative energy, plus, it was making his anxiety flare. Klaus needed to make them stop, right now.

"Guys," he started, raising his voice enough to be heard over the rain, "please stop, not in front of Riley!"

"Master Luther, Master Diego, please stop this at once!" Pogo insisted alongside Klaus.

But Diego and Luther were persistent in their argument. Both brothers continued their assault on one another, Klaus's other siblings had joined in chorusing together to shut this argument down, but neither man showed any sign of letting up or quitting.

"Boys, boys please, stop!" Pogo continued before throwing his hands in the air and leaving, he couldn't believe those two could be so disrespectful to his master. His departure had no effect on their arguing, however, and they continued their auditory and physical assault against each other. Klaus couldn't take it any longer.

"Hey, cut it out! Seriously, please stop fighting in front of my daughter—" Klaus bellowed before his voice choked to a halt. He didn't know if it was because of the hostility in the air mixing distastefully with the fact that he was already feeling so weak; especially now that he'd already been pushing himself well beyond his physical limits of what he should have been doing after a highly invasive open heart surgery, but Klaus's heart had finally reached its maximum level of pain. He gasped, his hand reaching towards his chest when his heart clenched painfully tight, he couldn't tolerate this pain any longer, he was beginning to feel faint. He wrenched his eyes shut, as a muffled agonized whimper burst past his clenched teeth. He was so dizzy all of a sudden, a white hot pain flooded his chest, he was desperately trying to gasp for air and struggling to breathe.

"Klaus," Dave's grip tightened against his waist and he pulled him tighter against himself. "Baby, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Klaus, try to slow down your breathing, oh my god—Dave, is he okay?" Ben's hand that wasn't holding Riley or the umbrella wound around his brother's wrist. Thankfully, due to the showdown going on between Luther and Diego, no one else seemed to realize Klaus's sudden discomfort.

"Dave I—" he groaned again, his grip tightening against his chest. "I n-need my meds...please." Dave knew something must have been horribly wrong if Klaus was willingly requesting—no, down right begging for his pain medication. He could see the pain etched clearly across his love's face. Dave always carried Klaus's medication in case of emergency, he never wanted him to have to suffer.

"I've got it, baby, just try to breathe, okay," he hurriedly dug through his pockets for the orange bottle of pills before he popped off the childproof cap and tilted the bottle into his palm. Dave tried to be as inconspicuous as he could be, knowing how poorly his family viewed Klaus when it came to pills, but even with his stealthy motions the bottle still rattled, depositing a single pill into his grasp before he closed the bottle and handed the pill to Klaus. Klaus groaned when his pain made his heart clench again before he finally accepted the pill into his shaky hands. Klaus held the pill up to his mouth and pressed it against his tongue before swallowing it dry.

"I knew it," Luther exclaimed when the sound of rattling caught his attention and his eyes landed on Klaus from across the courtyard. "You're still on drugs!"

Suddenly the ruckus of their surroundings went entirely still when all attention landed on Klaus. He felt outed, even though he knew in his heart that what his brother said was not in fact truth, he still couldn't help but to feel that it may as well have been. Klaus' expression fell as a heavy guilt settled deep within his belly; he felt bad enough as it was that he needed to rely on his pain meds at all, he certainly didn't need or want his brother pulling everyone's attention onto him, caving into his weakness. Dave's own face twisted into anger, he was enraged by his accusations of his fiancé. How dare Luther accuse such a thing, couldn't he see how much Klaus had changed, how hard he was trying? Why was it so hard for this family to show his love the respect he so deserved?

"For fucks sake, Luther," Diego spat, his tone was dripping with venom, "pull your head out of dad's ass for one minute and try to see the bigger picture, Klaus isn't on drugs!"

"How could you even deny it, Diego? I mean just look at him," Luther pointed at Klaus accusingly, "and tell me he doesn't look like he's strung out right now to you!"

"Honestly, Luther," Ben pulled Riley against his chest and covered her ears, he didn't want Klaus's little girl to witness his family's slanderous accusations against her father, "is that all you ever think about, all of the different ways that you can drag on Klaus? Diego's right, He isn't on drugs anymore, he got clean two years ago for her!" Ben gestured towards his brother's daughter curled against his chest. "So grow up and leave him the hell alone!"

"I can't believe either of you right now," Luther scoffed. His agitation at the spiraling situation was growing in intensity, he always knew those three were close, but to defend his addiction like this, and potentially put his daughter at risk? He was appalled. "You two are always so quick to have Klaus's back, you always have been, but you can't even deny the truth, I just watched him popping pills—"

"Yeah, they're prescription, Luther!" Klaus shouted over his brother's voice, he was tired of this argument over him, it was making his already reeling head feel even worse. He needed to put an end to this, right now. "Believe it or not, not every pill is for pleasure."

Once again everyone fell into an eerie silence. Dave ran his palm in soothing circles on the small of Klaus's back, he could tell he wasn't doing well, he could see his love's anxiety building under his pale skin. Ben laid a hand on his shoulder to impart some form of comfort; he knew that Klaus had undoubtedly opened a can of worms with his statement, he only hoped that it wouldn't come back to bite his brother in the ass.

"Prescription?" Allison's eyebrows furrowed in question.

"Klaus, are you sick?" Vanya asked while she took a couple of steps closer to get a better view of her sibling. She'd thought he looked a little pale and gaunt, but he'd always been like that, so what could possibly be wrong?

"I've been feeling a little…under the weather lately, that's all. I'm fine, though. Really—"

"Bullshit!" Five exclaimed over Klaus, he knew that he was lying.

Diego held up a knife and pointed it at their smallest and fiercest brother, "Watch it, Five!"

"He's lying, Diego—"

"I'm not lying—"

"Five saw your rehab bracelet!" Luther shouted. They had proof, he couldn't lie anymore, the truth would finally come out. "Why won't you just admit it, you're still on drugs—"

"Dammit, Luther, just this once would you give it a rest! I'm not on drugs—I have a heart condition!" Klaus finally blurted, the words spread like vomit off of his tongue so loudly that his voice echoed through the courtyard. Everyone stared at Klaus with wide eyes, clearly in shock by this unexpected news. Klaus took a few breaths to steady his ragged breathing before he finally continued to fill his family in on the truth, the actual truth. He lifted his wrist and showed off the band wrapped against his skin, "I have a heart condition; this isn't a rehab bracelet, I was in the hospital, okay? I'm on medication for it. These?" Klaus took the bottle of pills from Dave and shook the bottle in his hand, "Yeah, not the same kind of drugs that got me into this predicament, I'm so very sorry to disappoint you, Number One." Suddenly the silence was gone as everyone began to demand Klaus's attention.

"What? Oh my god," Vanya cupped her hands over her gaping mouth, she couldn't believe what she'd just learned.

"Klaus, are you serious? What do you mean you have a heart condition—" Allison went to approach his side but Klaus just held up his hand to stop her; he didn't want anyone to know the truth, and now his secret was out. All of the attention on him was making him feel lightheaded, he really needed to sit down.

"Gimme daddy, I want my daddy!" Riley wailed, she was fighting against Ben and reaching for Klaus, her tiny fingers pinching the air begging for him to hold her. Klaus's features morphed into an expression of anguish when he took his daughters hands into his own and looked her in her big ocean blue eyes.

"I'm sorry princess, daddy can't hold you right now, remember?" Riley started to cry and Klaus felt his heart break even further. He wanted nothing more than to pull his little angel into his arms and hold her, he needed her just as badly as she needed him. Klaus wrapped his arms around Riley in his best attempt at a hug given his current predicament, it tugged at his surgical site painfully, but he couldn't be bothered to care. He just needed to hold his daughter. Klaus nuzzled his nose against her curls and kissed her temple, a tear slid down his cheek as he hugged her close to his heart, cherishing the sensation of her against him again. "I'm so sorry, baby girl. I wish I could hold you, I hope you know how much daddy loves you, I miss you so much."

"I know daddy, don't cry, Riley loves you, too!"

"Klaus," Luther approached his brother, he wore a solemn expression on his features. Klaus sniffled and pulled away from Riley, rubbing his tears from his eyes before they met his brother's. "Please, don't lie to me, I need you to be honest. What you just said...is it true?"

Klaus went to speak but his heart spasmed painfully and his features screwed up in pain. Dave grabbed ahold of his arm but Klaus just squeezed his hand to reassure him that he was okay. Klaus's chest was heaving for air, he needed a moment to catch his breath before he could talk. Klaus's eyebrows furrowed as he looked to Dave before turning his attention back to his family who were patiently awaiting his answer. With shaky hands, Klaus wrapped his fingers around the collar of his turtleneck, and he tugged. Klaus pulled the loose material down as far as the give in the fabric would allow, exposing the truth in plain view: revealing his fresh eight inch surgical scar from the incision site of his open heart surgery from just barely over a week ago. This was it, there was no faking or denying that anything that he said was factual anymore, no more hiding, or lying.

This was his devastating truth…

Luther's eyes widened in shock, he couldn't believe what he'd just seen. After all of his accusations, all of his cruel words and backhanded comments, his mistrust in his brother, and all along he could not have been any further from the truth. Klaus hadn't lied, he was sick, he'd not been in rehab, he'd been in the hospital recovering from open heart surgery for a heart condition that he truly does have. He'd been wrong, and wrongfully accused his brother. Luther couldn't believe it...

"Oh, Klaus...I'm so sorry, god, are you okay—" Allison's own jaw was dropped, she couldn't believe it either. No one could, this news was a major shock to each and every one of them.

"Ally, I'm fine. The medication helps," Klaus released his shirt and pressed his palm against his chest softly when it fluttered, it was throbbing in pain, he was getting increasingly dizzy now. Klaus knew that he desperately needed to sit down, he could feel how badly his heart needed to rest. Klaus pulled Riley's hands into his own again and plastered on a smile for his precious baby girl. "Riles, why don't you and uncle Diego go inside and have some of grandma Grace's cookies, yeah? How does that sound?"

"Okay daddy!" Riley smiled and giggled, holding firmly onto Klaus's hands. Klaus's own smile widened before he kissed his little girl's dimpled cheek, tucking a strand of her curls behind her ear before Diego came to take her from Ben. "Cookies uncle Didi!"

"Let's go get those cookies, pipsqueak," Diego took Riley inside and out of the rain. She smiled and waved to her daddy the entire way to the door; Klaus smiled and waved back, blowing his favorite little princess a kiss.

As soon as Riley was out of view and the academy door was closed behind her Klaus's heart deemed it time to make its unbearable presence known. He gasped, pressing the heel of his palm against his chest. Everything was spinning, he could hardly catch his breath.

"Baby, I—I think that you and Ben were—were right, I need to sit down for a minute to rest, please, just, help me," Klaus pleaded before another groan spilled from his teeth. Instantly, Dave and Ben had their arms wrapped around Klaus, keeping their umbrellas over him as they led him to the nearest cement bench just a few feet behind where they were standing. It was wet from the rain, but none of them could bring themselves to care, Klaus desperately needed to sit. Dave sat beside Klaus and wrapped him within his arms, he needed to calm him down. The medicine should kick in shortly, but he needed to take it easy until then.

"Breathe, baby, just focus on your breathing. You're okay," Dave cooed to Klaus while he ran his palm soothingly up and down his back. Klaus closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart, and aid his lungs in catching their breath. The siblings took this as their cue to finally approach their brother as they circled around where he sat on the bench.

"That scar is from an open heart surgery. You still have sutures in your chest, Klaus...that surgery is fresh," Five noted with pinched brows, he couldn't understand why Klaus would even come to the funeral at all so soon after having such a major procedure performed.

"Klaus, should you even be out and about right now? How long ago was your surgery?" Allison asked, she had a deep concern lacing her tone.

Klaus took a few more breaths before peeling open his eyes. God, he was so tired, so completely and utterly drained from this day. "About a week ago...and honestly, no, probably not, but I'm fine. Besides, I needed to come—"

"Klaus, you should have called and told us, none of us would have ever expected you to attend so fresh out of surgery," Vanya's expression was contorted with worry, she just wanted her sibling to be okay. "A week, Klaus? God, you should be resting—"

"I wanted to come—"

"Klaus—" Five went to protest, but Klaus wouldn't allow it.

"I needed the closure!" he shouted, which only caused his chest to tighten painfully. Klaus screwed his eyes shut and gripped Dave's hand. "I needed to come back here one last time, I couldn't let the fear of this place devour me—the fear of him. I needed a proper goodbye for the trauma that has haunted me every day of my entire life...I needed the closure, and I finally was able to get it." Klaus groaned again while he heaved for each breath.

The wind was whipping around the family, and the rain was soaking through all of their clothes as it seeped past their umbrellas and clung heavily onto their skin. Klaus was shivering, his already weakened state of being was wrecked enough as it was, he'd pushed himself well beyond his physical limits. Klaus was still incredibly frail from surgery and far too weak to stay out in this weather any longer. Dave could feel the chill on his love's skin, he could see how pale he appeared, how exhausted he was; how desperately he needed to warm up and rest.

"You're doing too much too fast, darlin." Dave started as he cupped Klaus's cheek. Klaus opened his eyes to peer into Dave's worried ocean blues, "Come on, let's get you inside. It's freezing out here, you're still weak from your surgery, you don't need to wind up sick, too."

Klaus groaned when his pain flared again from his surgical site. He nodded in agreement, though. He was incredibly tired, and the chill was beginning to get to him. Dave and Ben each hooked their arms around Klaus and helped him onto his feet. Klaus was unsteady, he couldn't believe how weak he felt. His fiancé and brother held onto him tightly; they needed to support the vast majority of his weight while they guided him inside. Klaus was barely moving and Ben and Dave kept exchanging worried glances between one another. They warned him that all of this activity and excitement would be too much for him far too fast, they hated that they were right. They only hoped that all of the strain that this day would undoubtedly have had on his heart wouldn't cause him any additional harm.

The thermal difference upon entering the academy was a stark contrast from the atmosphere that it always presented within it; what had always been cold, and unwelcoming in spirit was at least warm and inviting in temperature, which Dave was grateful for. Klaus's body was left incredibly weak from his surgery, his heart was already struggling to pump blood through his body, now it was really working hard to warm his extremities. His limbs were shaking and freezing to the touch, he needed to warm him up, and fast. His heart was working hard enough as it was, the last thing he needed was it going into overdrive and potentially causing him harm. Dave and Ben led him to one of the couches in the living room, the one closest to the fireplace that one of the siblings had thankfully lit. With great lengths to be as careful as possible, both men helped Klaus take a seat on the cushions. Klaus was shivering even harder now that he was inside and able to feel just how cold he'd truly become. He groaned, the harsh vibrations of his body tugging painfully at his incision, not to mention, his still mending sternum.

"Here, this should help," Vanya handed Dave a thick quilt which he accepted with a nod and a thanks before he wrapped the thick, warm fabric around Klaus's trembling frame. Dave sat beside Klaus, pushing his curls out of his face to check his temperature, he hated how cold and clammy he felt. He pulled Klaus's hand into his own and rubbed his palms over his flesh in an attempt to warm him. Klaus's chest was heaving with each rushed breath that he took, Dave knew that he must be in so much pain, but he also knew that his medication should start kicking in soon, but he needed to help him calm down. With great care, Dave gently rested his fingertips just above Klaus's heart, away from his surgical site to feel his heartbeat. Klaus still winced at the touch, but upon feeling just how hard his heart was pounding against his rib cage, Dave couldn't focus on anything else other than helping to calm his love's breathing down.

"Easy, baby, try to match my breathing, okay? We need to slow your breaths to calm down your heart rate. Remember the exercises they showed us before we left the hospital, yeah? Good, darlin, follow my lead," Slowly Klaus mimicked Dave's actions; taking in a breath when he would, and blowing it out just as he instructed. It was the method Klaus's cardiac rehabilitation specialist taught them for occasions just like these, when he needed to calm down his racing heart. Slowly but surely after a few agonizing minutes, Klaus's breathing finally calmed down, along with his heartbeat. Thankfully it all happened just in time, as his medication was finally starting to take effect, as well. Klaus was finally able to relax. He rested his weary head against Dave's broad shoulder and Dave pressed his lips to his temple before nuzzling his cheek against his curls. Dave pulled his fiancé's hand into his lap and rubbed circles into the delicate skin, just furthering his love's comfort.

"Good, darlin, you're doing great. How's that feel, any better?" Dave cooed softly before kissing Klaus's curls once again.

"Mm, much. Th'nk you, baby," Klaus spoke softly, his fatigue had finally caught up to him, he was really feeling how tired he was now. He was so grateful for Dave. He always knew just what to do to help him calm down, and always put his heart at ease, and make him feel better, and safe. He would never get over how lucky he was to have found this man.

The siblings were enamored as they watched Dave with their brother; it was refreshing to know that Klaus not only had finally found someone, but that he'd met someone who not only treated him with respect, but was good to him and for him. They could see how much Dave loved Klaus, and how much Klaus loved Dave. And the love that they both shared for their daughter, Riley? Even the coldest of hearts within the room melted and warmed at seeing the love that the little family held within their hearts for one another.

"Klaus, I'm...I'm sorry about how I've treated you over the years," Luther stepped forward towards his brother. Where could he even begin to apologize for his behavior? He honestly hadn't the faintest idea, but he knew in his heart that he had to at least try. "I've never taken the time to listen to you, I never even once reached out after you left. Ben even told us what happened, but I chose not to believe him. You were just gone, and knowing your history, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't often wonder if you had even died. I may have never found out, either, because I was too stubborn to try to. I don't know what to believe anymore, though. I can see now...how far you've come, brother. How much you've changed, for the better. Not even for yourself, but for your daughter. I'm so sorry, I should've been there for you, and for Riley—"

"Luther, please, stop, it's okay," Klaus interrupted his brother's apology. He took in a breath and released a sigh before he continued, "It's hard to be there for someone when you assume that one of them is dead, and are unaware that the other even exists."

"Well, that's not an excuse! I was terrible to you, even today. You tried to tell me you weren't on drugs, and I wouldn't listen, that was wrong of me, I was wrong, I'm so sorry—"

"We are all sorry, Klaus," Allison spoke up next. "Actions speak louder than words, we could each apologize until we are blue in the face, and don't think that we won't, because we absolutely will, because you deserve it. But, please, let us show you that we mean every word. Let us be there for you, and for Dave, and Riley. You…you're sick, Klaus..let us help you, please."

"You're going to need help," Vanya agreed. "Dave is only one person, he's going to need help, too. Taking care of Riley, and you.. you're going to need time to recover and heal from this. Will this surgery cure you from what was ailing you? You said that you have a heart condition, what do you mean, does that mean that you're still sick? Klaus, please, tell us what's wrong?"

Klaus and Dave exchanged a glance, Dave knew that Klaus hadn't wanted his family to know the truth, but the cat was already out of the bag now, should they reveal the rest of his secret? Klaus squeezed Dave's hand, his lips quirked into the subtlest of smiles while he bobbed his head in a single nod before resting it back against Dave's shoulder. Klaus was simply too tired right now to talk about his illness with his family, it was too draining and far too much for him to explain, but now with his permission, Dave knew that he could.

"He has cardiomyopathy, his heart is enlarged from scar tissue that he acquired over the years from his past drug and alcohol abuse. It's a disease of the heart muscle, it makes it hard for his heart to deliver blood to his body, and can lead to heart failure. He was having a lot of health issues for over a year; dizziness, chronic fatigue, passing out...then he started getting chest pains and his primary care doctor told him it was nothing. Well, it wasn't nothing," Dave poured all of the venom that he possessed behind that final statement, he still was beyond livid that a medical professional had wronged his love so badly. "But, Klaus has new doctors now, and they are the ones who caught it, they believe we found it early and can prevent that from happening. We've known about it for about a year now, and he was doing so well, his medication helped him so much. Then last week he got so sick, and it just happened so fast, and that's when we found out he had a complication called mitral valve regurgitation. I'll spare you every detail, but basically his blood wasn't flowing out of his heart properly, it was flooding back into it, instead. He had to have emergency surgery to correct the flow, and we just hope to god that this will help him so that he can finally be okay." Dave squeezed Klaus's hand and kissed his curls, every time he thought about all of the pain, and suffering his love has had to suffer through, his entire life, really, and now all of this? It broke his own heart, he just wanted Klaus to be happy, and healthy, it's what he deserved.

"Daddy!" Riley came barreling out of the kitchen, clearly she was on a bit of a sugar high as she ran at full speed towards her father. She extended her arms and got ready to launch herself into Klaus's lap when Ben's urgent tone stopped her.

"Careful honey bee, remember, your daddy is a little sore, you need to be gentle with him!"

Riley stopped running and looked at her uncle Benny with a sad expression before looking back to Klaus. She nodded her head and carefully crawled onto the couch, positioning herself between her daddy and Dave, being extra cautious not to hurt Klaus any further. "I sorry, daddy. I forgot."

"It's okay, princess, you didn't hurt me, I'm okay." Klaus's tired features tugged into a warm smile for his daughter, earning a broad smile from his little girl in return. Klaus pressed his lips to her curls, causing Riley to giggle.

"Daddy, want cookie, I bringed you one!" she asked excitedly while she held the cookie in the air towards Klaus. Klaus exhaled with a faint smile on his features.

"Aw, no thank you princess, daddy can't really have a cookie right now. Thank you, though, I'm sure it's almost as sweet as you," Klaus said tiredly while he booped the tip of Riley's nose, earning a squeal of laughter from his little girl. He was on strict dietary restrictions due to his heart condition, while he would love a cookie, he couldn't have one. Instead, he draped his hand over her arm and massaged circles into her skin and nuzzled himself closer to her, the best that he could. The clicking of heels followed by heavy soled boots sounded from down the hall, depositing Grace and Diego into the living room.

"Heavens, fill that little angel up with a few sweet treats and she certainly can run fast! She has quite the lively spirit, just like her father," Grace cooed while she straightened her skirt. Her perfectly painted red lips dipped into a frown as she took in Riley's father's appearance. "Klaus, are you feeling quite alright? You don't look well, dear..."

"M'okay, mom. Don't worry about me, thank you for spoiling my little girl. Your cookies always were the best," he smiled warmly at his android mother, earning a beaming perfect smile in return. He didn't have the energy to fill her in on his illness, he would save that laborious task for one of his siblings at a later time.

"Of course, dear. She is welcome to my baking any time! She is simply wonderful!"

"Thanks, mom," he smiled as his sights trailed to his little girl. "She really is."

The family watched Klaus's interaction with his daughter, they were amazed by how sweet he was to her, and how good he was with her. They were proud to find that Klaus not only was a father, but that he was a warm, and loving, amazing one, too. And Riley was such a sweet, well behaved and well loved little girl. They were proud to find that fatherhood suited him well.

Five took a sip of his coffee, the motion caught Riley's attention and she stared wide eyed at her 'little' uncle. She was amazed at finding someone in that room who was, in her eyes, closer to her own age. To Riley, Five was just a child himself, and she desperately wanted to be his friend.

"Wanna share with me?" she asked, as she extended her cookie towards her older little uncle. "It's yummy!"

Five's eyes widened at her sudden interest in him, the soft giggling of his siblings, including Klaus made him roll his eyes and his cheeks flush with embarrassment, but the way that she looked at him; so sweet, so innocent and so pure, even Five's hardened heart softened for her as a delicate smile tugged at his sharpened features.

"Well," he began as he approached his little niece and squatted before her, "I suppose it would be a nice accompaniment for my coffee...sure, why not. Thank you, little one."

Riley's giggles filled the air as Five sat on the floor to share the cookie with her, she was so happy and her laughter was contagious earning everyone to join her. Klaus's chest clenched painfully from his laughter, his expression twisted into one of pain and he exhaled a groan. His discomfort passed quickly, but he was feeling unbelievably tired, now. He closed his eyes and nuzzled his cheek against Riley's wild and unruly curls. Dave's eyebrows furrowed with worry, he could see how exhausted Klaus was, he knew that he desperately needed to lie down and rest.

"This has been such a big day for you, you've done more than enough, I think it's about time that you rest, darlin, you need it. Are you ready to go home?" he asked Klaus softly while he reached across to run his fingers through his curls. Klaus's eyelashes fluttered open and he looked at Dave with exhausted green eyes.

"I agree, you need to take it easy, get some rest," Ben stated reassuringly.

"You earned it," agreed Five with a smile. He patted Klaus's knee before rising back onto his own feet.

His siblings all voiced their agreement, letting Klaus know that he should go home and get some rest, and he absolutely agreed. Klaus could hardly keep his eyes open any longer, he was so tired, so he simply nodded his head in agreement. Diego came to get Riley, pulling her into his arms and bringing her around to say goodbye to her grandma Grace and all of her aunties and uncles while Dave tried to help Klaus up, but, as soon as he tried, Klaus's knees gave way from beneath him, he simply didn't have the strength anymore, he'd used all of his energy up. Thankfully, another strong set of arms wrapped around his waist helping Dave catch him before he got the change to fall.

"Let's start over with this whole family thing," Luther's smile was warm and sincere as he helped Dave guide Klaus out to their car. "We are all here for you now, okay, Klaus? I promise, we won't let you down ever again."

Luther took over for Dave and helped situate Klaus in the front passenger seat of the car. Klaus was tired, barely holding onto coherency any longer, but he heard his brother loud and clear. Klaus took Luther's hand into his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze while he flashed his brother a bright smile.

"I'd like that, Luther, thank you."

Luther squeezed his hand back, "Of course, I mean it. Now, go home and get some rest, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan." Klaus's eyes drifted closed and he quickly succumbed to sleep. Dave, Diego and Riley said their final farewells, before joining Klaus in the car and finally heading home. Ben wasn't far behind them, and would meet up back at home soon enough, as well.

Klaus was utterly spent and still fast asleep in the passenger seat of the car upon their arrival back at the house. Dave and Diego agreed that they shouldn't wake him, he needed the rest. Diego carried Riley who, like father like daughter, had also fallen asleep on the ride over, while Dave carefully pulled Klaus into his loving arms to bring him inside. Klaus hummed and his eyes fluttered, but never opened, thankfully. Dave was glad, he just wanted Klaus to sleep—he certainly earned it after the day he'd just had.

Dave wasted no time in laying Klaus down on their bed, being sure to properly tuck him in and ensure that his love was as comfortable as possible. Diego laid Riley down on the bed next to her father and she curled up beside him, sucking her thumb as she slept peacefully.

"Thank you, Diego," Dave whispered while he patted him on the shoulder.

"Anytime. I'll get out of your hair, keep me updated okay, I'm leaving you in charge, make sure he takes it easy."

"He's not allowed to leave that spot for the rest of the night."

"I'll hold you to it," Diego smiled and patted Dave's shoulder. Quietly and as gently as can be as to not wake either of the sleeping beauties on the bed, he leant over and Kissed Riley's cheek, before ruffling Klaus's curls and kissing his temple "goodnight, you two. Sleep well, I love you." Diego said, he waved goodbye to Dave before leaving the family to finally get some well deserved rest.

Dave kicked off his shoes and crawled carefully into bed himself; his heart flooded with warmth and he smiled as he joined his beautiful little slumbering family. The door quietly swung open and Ben peered inside the bedroom; Dave held his index finger to his pursed lips with a gentle 'Shh' to ensure he didn't wake Klaus or Riley up. Ben smiled softly and nodded at Dave before whispering a delicate "Goodnight, love you both, sweet dreams," before telling Dave goodnight as well and softly closing the door behind him, allowing them to finally sleep.

Dave curled himself up beside his little family, draping his arm around Riley to hug her close while pulling Klaus's hand into his own and holding it tight.

Finally, he thought, Klaus would never have to go through any obstacles life had to throw at him alone ever again. He finally had all of the love and support that he had always deserved. Klaus had a beautiful daughter who loved him more than anything, a loving fiancé who would give his own life to protect him and keep him safe from the cruelty in the world. He had Dave's family, and now, Klaus finally had the support of the entirety of his own family by his side. Dave smiled while he closed his eyes knowing that Klaus would never be forced to spend a moment in this world feeling alone or without knowing what it meant to be loved ever again.

AUTHORS NOTE:

The entire family is finally together again! I know it took long enough, but we made it! Lol

**A quick note: I took some creative liberties in this story! Allison didn't see Klaus's wrist band, Five did. Vanya will NOT have powers in this story, she also did not write the book. She grew up the ordinary one but was actually thankful because of it, because she didn't have to endure the abuse that she witnessed her siblings suffer from. Luther still has his large ape-like body, but everyone was already aware of it because everyone was still home when the incident that caused it occurred. That's all that I can think of for now. Any further questions, feel free to ask me in the comments below! :)

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As always, if you did I would absolutely love to hear from you in the comments! I crave validation, okay?! It's perfectly normal, I swear! LOL

Thank you everyone who has followed along with this story so far, commented or favorited, I appreciate you! I'll see you all again next week for the final chapter for "Baby Story Part One" Lol and again, absolutely don't forget to favorite me to be notified when I start posting Part Two!

KlausNeedsLove: I wanted to thank you so much for your constant support on this story, I have looked forward to your comments each week! I just wanted to make sure you knew how much they mean to me and how much I appreciate you! Thank you so so so much! I hope you liked this chapter (it was a doozy!) next weeks should make up for all the angst! :)

Thank you all again, please, take care! :)