Erotomania
Chapter 13
The following morning Hope was jarred awake by a distant pounding on the front door. Glancing at Ryan, he looked just as confused as to what was happening as Hope felt, and after turning to look at the time on her phone, let out a groan and fell back onto the bed. After pulling the covers up to her chin and curling up into Ryan's side, Hope resumed her previous position of using Ryan's chest as a pillow in an attempt to go back to sleep. But the pounding on the front door wasn't stopping and Ryan was slipping out from underneath Hope, tucking the covers around her as he did, to go investigate. Reaching out, Hope grabbed Ryan's hand and pulled him in for a quick, but sleepy, kiss.
"Be careful." Hope mumbled.
"I will." Ryan replied.
By the time that Ryan reached the bedroom door, Hope was asleep once again. Seeing how peaceful she looked when asleep, Ryan couldn't help feeling the overflowing amount of love for Hope that he had yet to fully express to her. Before he could change his mind and just crawl back into bed with her, Ryan slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him and tiptoed to the top of the stairs. He was just about to head down and tell whoever was being annoyingly loud this early in the morning to go away, when Klaus stormed into the foyer and threw the front door open.
"You had better have a good reason for pounding on my front door this bloody early in the morning." Klaus glowered and Ryan was glad that he hadn't gone downstairs himself.
"I here to talk to Hope." Landon said as he folded his arms across his chest.
"That is never happening ever again." Klaus replied with a growl.
"You can't stop us. I know she wants me in her life. And she'll talk to me if you just tell her that I'm here." Landon said with a smirk.
"You really don't my daughter very well, do you? You assaulted her last week. Why would she possibly want you in her life after that little stunt?" Klaus questioned, glaring at the little twerp that was standing in front of him.
"Are you sure you know your daughter? She wanted me to kiss her. I know she did. And again, if you just tell her that I'm here, she'll talk to me, and we can clear all of this up." Landon replied as he took a step forward to try and cross the threshold.
"What do you think you're doing?" Klaus asked as he pushed Landon back.
"You're going to let me in, and then you're going to go tell Hope that I'm here to talk to her."
Klaus' eyes flashed with danger as he grabbed Landon by the collar of his shirt and pulled him away from the house, making sure to close the front door. Once they were halfway down the driveway, Klaus forcefully shoved Landon away from him.
"Let me be very clear about a few things. One, you do NOT show up at my house, uninvited and unwelcome, making demands of me. Two, you do NOT get to presume you know what my daughter wants. Three, if you EVER come anywhere near my daughter again, you will be arrested for harassment. And yes, Hope will back those charges. For now, enjoy being arrested for trespassing." Klaus said, his voice low and even as Marcel pulled up to the curb and got out of his squad car.
"Everything okay here, Klaus?" Marcel asked.
"Perfect timing, Marcellus. I'd like to file trespassing charges against Landon Kirby. In the past week and half, he has shown up twice without invitation, and got aggressive both times." Klaus replied, his hard gaze never leaving Landon's.
"Sure thing." Marcel said while walking over to Landon. "Landon Kirby, you are under arrest for two counts of trespassing on private property. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you." Marcel said while cuffing Landon and leading him to the car.
"Marcellus, please swing by the University this afternoon. There is another matter that we need to discuss that pertains to Landon's recent actions." Klaus requested.
"I'll let you know when I'm on my way." Marcel replied with a nod.
With a nod of his own, Klaus turned around and headed back inside. As soon as the front door was closed behind him, he let out a frustrated sigh and glanced up to the top of the stairs where Ryan was leaning against the railing.
"We need to get Hope to agree to a restraining order." Klaus commented.
"I full heartedly agree with that. But you know it'll tear her up inside to do that. No matter how bad things get for Landon, she won't want to have him kicked out of school by a restraining order." Ryan replied.
"It's for her own safety. This is one time that I need my daughter to be selfish and think of herself over someone else." Klaus said.
"I'll talk to her about it." Ryan offered with a nod.
"I need to fill both of you in on what has happened just now, and what I've been doing for the last week." Klaus said.
"Well, she fell back asleep, but I can wake her up if you would like me to." Ryan commented.
"Please wake her up for breakfast. I'll explain everything while we eat." Klaus said before heading towards the kitchen.
Legacies – Erotomania – Legacies
Hope kept the covers wrapped tightly around her body as she laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, listening to the muffled sounds of her dad and Ryan talking about Landon. From the frustrated tone of her father's voice, Hope knew that she couldn't put off her decision, one way or another, about getting a restraining order against Landon. He was taking things too far now. And there was only so much Ryan and her father and Marcel could do to keep her feeling safe. Hope knew that agreeing to the restraining order would basically be getting Landon kicked out of school, and that it could lead to fully losing Rafael as a friend, but she couldn't let herself feel bad about that. Rafael had made his choice in being so loyal to Landon, and there was no way that he would be able to be friends with her and Landon if she had a restraining order against Landon.
"Hope?" Ryan called softly as he slipped back into the room.
"I'll do it." Hope replied with a sigh as she turned her head to face him. "I'll get the restraining order against Landon." She clarified.
"Are you sure you're okay with that?" Ryan asked.
"Not entirely, but it needs to be done, doesn't it?"
"Hope, your father and I just want you to be safe. And at this point, Landon being anywhere near you is threatening your safety. So yes, the restraining order is needed." Ryan said with a sigh. "And your father said that he needs to fill us in on what he's been doing for the last week."
With a nod, Hope sat up and let her hands land in her lap as she looked down. In a second, Ryan was sitting down behind her and pulling Hope back against his chest while wrapping his arms around her. Neither of them said anything as they sat there, just being content in each other's embrace. As Ryan's hands settled over Hope's, he linked their fingers together and lifted them up to press a kiss to the knuckles on both of her hands before letting them rest on her lap.
"Ryan... I don't just want the restraining order to protect me... I want it to protect everyone I care about... you, Josie, Lizzie, Kaleb, MG, my family... Josh and Aiden... everyone. Is that something that can be done?" Hope asked softly.
"I'm not sure. That would have to be something that we ask your father about." Ryan whispered. He desperately wished that he could do everything necessary to keep Hope safe, including making sure their friends were safe too, but that wasn't realistic. "We should head downstairs and eat something." He added while pressing a kiss to Hope's temple.
"I don't feel up to getting out of bed today." Hope mumbled.
"At least come down and eat. Then I'll bring you right back upstairs and tuck you back into bed." Ryan offered.
"Would you be staying with me?"
"Hope..."
"That's a no."
"As much as I love the idea of spending the day in bed with you, I can't keep asking your father to clear my absences with my professors. I don't want people to start accusing me of getting special treatment from the Dean because I'm dating his daughter. It's not fair to me, or you. And if those rumors start spreading, it could get really bad for your father, and after everything that's happened, I don't want that for any of us." Ryan explained. "So if I could, I would never leave your side; but when leaving your side means protecting yours and your father's reputations, then that's something that I have to do." He added as he held Hope just a little bit tighter.
"But you'd come straight home after your last class?" Hope asked.
"I have work tonight, Hope." Ryan replied with a sigh.
"So you would be leaving me all day?"
"Your dad said he wanted you to be selfish... but this is not what he meant. Hope, I need to work. I want to be able to give you a good life in the long run. I can't do that if I don't work, because if I don't work, I can't save money."
Hope let out a huff as she pulled away from Ryan's embrace and moved to lay down next to him; curling into ball with her back to him. With a sigh, Ryan ran his hands over his face before placing a hand on Hope's shoulder and leaning down to press a light kiss to her cheek.
"Please don't be upset, Princess. Everything I'm doing, and subsequently not being able to do, is for you. For us."
Legacies – Erotomania – Legacies
When Ryan walked into the kitchen alone, Klaus gave him a confused look.
"Where's Hope?" Klaus asked.
"She didn't feel like getting out of bed today." Ryan replied with a sigh. "But she's willing to get the restraining order against Landon. She does, however, want it protect everyone she cares about. Me, our friends, you and the rest of you family, as well as Josh and Aiden." He explained.
"We would need to get 5 different restraining orders, for everyone she wants protected to be protected." Klaus responded.
"Why 5?"
"The family and the two of us would be covered by being related to, and living in the same household, as Hope. Lizzie and Josie, along with Caroline and Alaric, would be covered with one; Kaleb and his family with one; MG and his family with another; and then Josh and Aiden." Klaus explained. "But they would all have to agree to it, and have a valid reason to request one, since Landon has not done anything towards them to get to Hope." He added.
"Would saying they are her family as well work?" Ryan asked.
"Marcellus could make a case for it, but it's a long shot. And there's no telling what Elijah would say on the matter. Knowing my brother, he would be happy with just those of blood relation to Hope being protected." Klaus said with a frown. "Cutting out Freya's wife, Marcellus, you. As well as your friends."
"Hope wouldn't like that."
"No, she wouldn't. Which is why she would have to be the one that talks to Elijah. She would insist on seeing the restraining order being written up and being there every step of the way to ensure that Elijah doesn't try to change it after the fact."
"Does your brother not see those that have married into the family as being part of the family?"
"He has been known to say that anyone who is not of Mikaelson blood has to prove themselves as being good enough to be considered family. But I reckon that if he were to be in a relationship, that woman would be immediately accepted as family."
"So Elijah is a hypocrite, got it."
"Ryan, we need to sit Hope down and let her know that we will do what we can to make sure your friends, Josh and Aiden are all protected, but that it might not work, given that Landon hasn't gone after them." Klaus said as he turned his gaze in the direction of Hope's room.
"Well, she's a bit upset with me right now." Ryan admitted.
"What did you do?" Klaus asked.
"I tried to get her to at least come down and eat something, and told her that as soon as she did, I would bring her back upstairs to tuck her back into bed. She wanted me to stay with her, but I explained how bad things would be for all of us if you continued to clear my absences with my professors. And then when she asked if I would be coming straight home after class, I reminded her that I have work tonight. She doesn't want to get out of bed, but if I want any chance of giving her a good life down the road, I need to leave her side from time to time so that I can finish school and save money." Ryan explained.
"For what it's worth, Ryan, I appreciate the sentiment of you wanting to give my daughter a good life." Klaus commented with a nod.
"What should I do? I want her to be happy, but what do I do when making her happy in the present could cause her pain or harm in the future?"
"You need to find a balance. Figure out which decisions are better for an outcome now, versus which are better for an outcome later. Don't just always choose the short term solution, and don't always choose the long term solution. That's something that both you and Hope need to work on if your relationship is to work out, which I have faith that it will."
"Thank you Klaus. You're support and acceptance of mine and Hope's relationship means a great deal to me."
"Ever since you came into her life the second time, you've been nothing but good to her. Treated her with respect, and like a person. Even when there were others around, you looked out for her, without being pushy about it. She had a couple crushes growing up, but none of them made her eyes light up the way they do when you're around. Hope's feelings for you run very deep, Ryan. And gauging from you trying to plan ahead to be able to provide her with a good life, I'd say that your feelings for her run just as deep."
Ryan nodded. He hadn't expressed to Hope just how deeply his feelings for her ran, so he wasn't about to voice them out loud to Klaus, but the older male was right in saying that Ryan's feelings ran extremely deep. And in the entire time that Ryan had known the other man, Ryan never knew Klaus to misjudge a person's character. So he wasn't surprised at how easily Klaus had read his feelings for Hope. As they went about eating in silence, Ryan thought about what he needed to say or do to get Hope to see that him going to school and to work was a decision that was better for both of them in the long run. Before he could figure something out, however, he felt a petite hand run through his hair.
"You got out of bed." Ryan commented with a sigh as he lightly pulled Hope into his lap.
"I didn't know if I would be seeing you again before you got off of work tonight, and I didn't want to miss apologizing to you before you left." Hope replied. "I'm sorry for acting like a selfish, spoiled brat. I just don't like the idea of us being away from each other before the restraining order is in place." She added with a sigh.
"You know that we won't let anything happen to you again, right Sweetheart? You've agreed to get one, so we'll contact Elijah before I head to work. You will need to do the talking though. You know that he won't hesitate to leave out non-blood related family members." Klaus inquired.
"I know." Hope replied with a sigh as she wrapped an arm around Ryan's shoulders and he pressed a kiss to her neck.
Klaus watched Hope and Ryan in silence. Hope still seemed deflated from the night before, but she had at least gotten out of bed to make sure she caught Ryan before he left so that she could apologize for her behavior. And while he didn't want to force Hope to go to school, he liked the idea of letting her stay home alone even less.
"Hope, I want you to go get dressed. I'll talk to your professors about bringing your classwork to my office, and you'll spend the day with me." Klaus said.
"But I..." Hope started.
"No, Hope. No buts on this. I don't believe that Marcellus will be able to hold Landon long, and I don't want you home alone if he comes back. At least if you stay with me today, you'll be at school, and I'll know you're safe. Not to mention that it will allow Ryan to go to his classes without worrying about you."
"Okay. Fine." Hope replied with a huff.
As Hope stood up, Ryan caught her by the wrist and kissed the back of her hand. With a small smile, Hope gave Ryan's hand a squeeze and headed upstairs to change. Turning his attention back to Klaus once Hope was out of the kitchen, Ryan gave him a nod of thanks, which Klaus returned as they both finished eating.