Hey guys! I;m so sorry for the delay and slightly shorter chapter! It's fought with me every step of the way and I'm still not really happy with it, but it's the best I'm gonna be able to crank out right now.

Also, Klaus and Hayley are an old married couple and I can't stop writing them like one. This is a problem. You also didn't hear any of that from me.

I really hope y'all like this though. Read, review and enjoy!

Fireworks. Call her old fashioned, but that was what it felt like to kiss Klaus. They had been through so much the past fifteen years, facing it together or staring at each other from opposite ends of the battlefield that was New Orleans. So much and it felt like somehow, it all led up to this one moment of connection, her hand cupping his face and his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her impossibly close and just - fireworks and this feeling of finally knowing she was exactly where she belonged. A torrent of butterflies fluttered in her stomach as Klaus deepened the kiss, maneuvering them so Hayley's back was pressed against the nearest tree and something in her delighted at the thought that he wanted this as badly as she did.

And even when they finally broke apart, it was impossible to move away, Klaus resting his forehead against her own and something warm curled around her heart at the way his fingers intertwined with hers, his hold gentle but firm. "What is this?" The question was whispered against her lips, soft and unsure and Hayley hesitated as all her responsibilities came crashing back down onto her shoulders. She hadn't the slightest clue where Klaus fit into any of them; she didn't know where he fit into her world, if he even did anymore.

Her hesitation was enough for Klaus to pull away, fingers loosening their grip immediately. She found herself chasing his touch, missing it already as her own grip tightened. "I don't know where this is going, but I know that I'm willing to see what it becomes," she told the other hybrid truthfully. A grin touched her lips when he nodded, the shutters that had come down over his emotions lifting long enough for Hayley to catch a glimpse of his own euphoria and something like hope rose in her chest. Maybe this time they'd be able to make it work.

There's a special kind of beauty that accompanies the merging of history and nature, an irony that presents itself when pairing humanity's hubris and the unending flow of time, here in the form of the Ponte Vecchio. The city's lights shone on the surface of the river Arno, their reflections breaking apart at the smallest disturbance, yet somehow shining bright as ever. And in spite of how crowded the old bridge was, the view from the Ponte Vecchio remained breathtaking.

"Is this what you meant?" Hayley couldn't keep the awe out of her voice. She clarified at Klaus's questioning look, "when you said you wanted to bring Hope and myself to Italy."

"In part." And it felt like a promise as he leaned in to kiss her, smiling against her lips.

"So a little birdy told me you were ready to tear down New Orleans looking for me." Klaus hummed thoughtfully as he kissed down the pane of her stomach, pressing small smiles into the soft skin before answering even as he tightened his hold upon Hayley's hips.

"Please, the only reason I didn't burn the entire city to the ground was because I assumed you'd want to live in it once I found you." He punctuated his response with a bite, grinning at the soft gasp that escaped her lips.

"Well, you got that right at least." she tangled her her fingers in his hair, pulling him up for a proper kiss. A moment's delay and then - "Are you planning to tell Rebekah and Kol about what happened?"

"They should know."

"And… Elijah?" At his brother's name Klaus drew back, his response short and curt.

"He made his choice and it wasn't this family."

"Klaus… you can't mean that. It's Elijah." Hayley sat up, surprised at the vehemence behind his words, Klaus meeting her eyes steadily. "I mean, I think we can both agree he did what he did under some pretty extenuating circumstances."

"He chose to forget all of us! That choice," the hybrid spat out, "could have led to your death. If I hadn't gotten there in time, that bigot would have killed you, killed Hope given half the chance and that blood - it would have been on Elijah's hands. I can't forgive him for that. If I lost either of you -" he broke off, nails digging crescent moons into his palms, unable to meet her eyes.

"But you didn't," Hayley reminded him softly, her hands going to his. "I'm right here."

"But he isn't. There is nothing left of my brother but a shade who wears his face," he breathed out, voice shaky. "And if he regained his memory, Elijah wouldn't be able to forgive himself either." His eyes met hers again, "my brother's suffered far too much already for me to take away his chance at a new life because I was too selfish to let him be happy."

Hayley surged forward, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. "You are not not selfish, Klaus Mikaelson," she impressed on him once they parted, enunciating each word carefully and loudly. "You aren't the same guy I met in Mystic Falls and you are a hell of a lot better than you think you are." His eyes as they met hers were a mix of wonder and disbelief, looking at her as if she was the only one in the world who mattered before pulling her in for another kiss. She wasn't naive enough to think he believed her, but that was ok. She had all the time in the world to convince him.

"I don't think we should tell Hope yet." Perhaps the flight back home wasn't the best time to bring this up, but hey, Hayley never claimed to be perfect.

"Tell Hope what?" Klaus asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"You know," the she wolf hesitated, running her fingers through her hair as she gestured between them with her other hand. "About us - whatever this is. It's the last thing she needs right now." She bit her lip, looking anywhere but him until Klaus's fingers wrapped around her jaw, gently tilting her head up until their eyes met.

"Alright."

"Really?" Hayley started at the simple reply. She hadn't been expecting him to give in so easily, but he shrugged, his hand dropping to entwine with hers, squeezing lightly.

"The last time I checked, you saw fit to send her to school in Mystic Falls. I'd be surprised if she didn't already have far too much on her plate with that town's history." He laughed when she smacked his arm in indignation with her free hand.

"I mean, if you wanted her to blow up New Orleans with the sheer unbridled force of her untrained magic, you could have said!" But she was laughing too, tension flowing from her body, allowing her to relax in her seat.

Klaus smiled as she lightly squeezed his hand back, winking as he kissed her cheek. "Where would be the fun in that?"

Hope burst into Caroline's office, tie askew and strands of hair messily falling across her face, having been freed from her ponytail in her rush to the office. "What happened?" She demanded, attention focused solely on her headmistress. "All Ms. W would tell me was that it had to do with my parents…" she trailed off as she realised who else was in the room with them, her backpack slipping from suddenly shaking fingers and falling to the ground with a loud thud. "Mom? Dad? You - you're back? Is it - is it even safe for you to be around me?"

Hayley nodded, her smile more than a little watery as she held out her arms, the fifteen year old rushing into them without hesitation as she allowed herself to be pulled into a bone crushing hug before turning to her father. The teenager's arms came up to encircle his waist, something within her lighting up when he returned the gesture, holding her as if he never meant to let go. "Thank you for fighting for us." The words were choked out, her voice hoarse with emotion as she clutched even tighter to the soft material of his shirt, so afraid this was a dream that she could be ripped away from at any moment.

"I will always fight for you, my littlest wolf," he told her, his own voice cracking on the words as he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"What - what does this mean for me now?" Hope asked once they could bear to finally separate, Klaus inclining his head towards Caroline with a small smile. The blonde replied with a smile of her own, her expression gentle as she turned to Hope.

"Well," she began, "now I'm putting you on leave for this week and the next effective immediately. You're going home with your parents, sweetheart," she clarified, her smile widening at the sudden exuberance that filled the teen's face, nodding at the whispered 'really?' "I'll speak to the teachers about keeping you up to date with your lessons, so you won't have to worry about falling behind…"

But Hope wasn't listening to anything more that the headmistress had to say, her mind focusing on the enormity of the situation she had found herself in. She was going home! To spend a week - a whole week - with her parents! Both of them! Her mother and her father! And she hardly dared to hope, what with their family's propensity to find themselves in dangerous situations - but maybe, just maybe, this time they'd get to stay together.

Before she knew what was happening, she was being dismissed - Caroline obviously realising she wasn't able to pay attention to another word and taking pity on her - and the next hour was spent packing what she thought she might need for the following week as well as giving her friends the basic rundown of what had transpired so they wouldn't worry. But it was only when she was standing by the car, about to get in, that Hope was able to make herself voice the question the question eating away at her insides. "This isn't… this isn't temporary, right?" She swallowed harshly, fingers tightening their hold on the car door. "You can stay, right Dad? You don't have to go away again?" And God, she hated how childlike she sounded, hated the way her eyes filled with tears that were ready to spill at a moment's notice. Hated the way it felt like she had no control whatsoever over any part of her own life.

And as her father smiled warmly down at her, it almost seemed as if he could read every fear and insecurity running through her mind as he shook his head. "Not if I can help it, my littlest wolf. I'm never leaving again, no matter what fate has in store for us." Hope nodded stiffly at his reply, choking back tears as she sat in the car.

"I'm holding you to that," she informed him, biting back emotion.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Hey, I hope y'all enjoyed that and leave a review on your way out! Also, for those wondering why Klaus may appear to be slightly ooc, that's because 1)I feel like he'd be slightly hesitant when entering into a relationship with Hayley given their history and 2)he's more used to making compromises. For this, I refer to how he, especially while Hayley was pregnant with Hope, did do his best to make her comfortable - most of the issues that arose between them was cos of the way she flip flopped between family loyalties. He in general is definitely emotionally healthier - 1)literally one of the first things he did when coming to New Orleans in season 1 was get a therapist - I love Cami but that's what she basically was - and 2)has always seemed more emotionally prepared for raising a child and the sacrifices that entailed. For this I refer to how he raised Hope in the time between seasons 2 and 3. He made sure she wasn't isolated from her family, ensured she had meaningful interactions with her aunt and uncle and even gave Hayley visitation rights which is technically more than what she gave him. (Hate on me if you will but i always despised the way the show vilified Klaus for taking Hope and then turned around and romanticized Hayley for doing the same thing. I mean, she was gonna run away with the kid and raise him as Jackson's for god's sake!) So yeah, Klaus to me has always come off as the one willing and likely to do what's necessary whether it's in the form of ripping someone apart or making compromises. (aka why I loved the first 3 seasons so much)

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this, especially their reunion with Hope. I've been wanting to write this for a long time and it's my favourite part of the chapter. I hope you have an amazing week! Until next time!

(Also, if you have time and are a BTS fan, please check out my fic Bruised Flowers on AO3, it'd mean the world to me cos I don't really get reviews or many readers and that really brings me down. Here's a link, just remove the spaces:

archiveofourown works /15303093 /chapters/ 35502906