Part 3

"Cream or sugar?" Winnie asked as she placed a cup of coffee in front of her guest.

"No, thank you," he replied smiling. "And may I just say that these cupcakes are delicious."

"Thank you."

Winnie realized that she couldn't avoid sitting down for much longer, that would have been rude. This man was after all her brother-in-law. That sounded very strange. She had tried to gather her thoughts while making coffee, but she had no idea what to think. Finally she managed to take a seat opposite him, trying her best to look polite.

"I apologize for showing up like this, but I wanted to surprise my brother," he said cheerfully.

"Yes, I…Of course you are welcome here, it's nice to meet Elijah's family. He hasn't mentioned that he has a brother."

Klaus' lips curved into a smirk.

"Yes, that's our Elijah, always so mysterious. And he doesn't have just one brother, there were seven of us."

Winnie's eyes widened.

"Seven? He has six siblings?"

Klaus shook his head.

"No, not anymore, I'm afraid. He has me, our younger brother and our little sister. The rest of our siblings are sadly deceased."

"Oh… I'm very sorry for your loss," Winnie managed to say.

She tried to understand what she had just heard. Elijah had a family he had never mentioned. He had lost three of his siblings. Poor Elijah, that must have been terrible. But why hadn't he told her? She tried to think of something to say, but she was too confused to speak. Klaus on the other hand seemed perfectly relaxed.

"Good coffee," he said after taking a sip out of his cup. "So tell me, love, how long have you and my brother been married?"

"Almost a year," she replied

"Really? That's fascinating. And I must say that you have a lovely home. I especially like those cute embroideries. "Home is where the heart is". That's just…adorable."

For some reason he seemed very amused. Winnie couldn't help but startle when he suddenly leaned towards her.

"But I must ask, what is a sweet little thing such as you doing with a man like my brother?"

Winnie wasn't sure what to say, something about this man really made her uncomfortable. He looked at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"I was kidding!"

"Oh. That's…funny."

He smiled and softly touched her hand.

"Am I making you nervous, love?"

"No, no," Winnie assured quickly. "I'm just a little surprised. That's all."

"Hmm, I can believe that. Elijah sure likes to keep his little secrets, doesn't he?"

Winnie bit her bottom lip.

"I think everyone has the right to keep their own secrets."

Klaus raised an eyebrow.

"Really? So tell me, what secrets are you keeping then sweetheart?"

"If I would tell you, they wouldn't be secrets," she replied, trying her best to keep her tone light. There really was something about this man that made her nervous; she just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Oh, that's very true," he chuckled. "I mean, if anyone would know my secrets, I would be forced to kill them." He paused and smiled. "That was a joke."

"Uh huh."

His cup seemed to be empty so Winnie tried to remember her manners. She should be a polite hostess to her husband's brother.

"More coffee?"

He shook his head.

"No, thank you, sweetheart."

He seemed to be very fond of pet names. She wasn't sure if she liked that, especially when they barely knew each other. Maybe it was just his way. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and bit her bottom lip. It took a moment before she noticed that he was staring at her. For some reason it seemed that he kept looking at her neck. That was a little strange, unless she wasn't imagining the whole thing.

"So, Klaus," she continued after clearing her throat. "May I ask what you do…?"

"Brother!" he interrupted her cheerily. "How nice to see you."

Winnie turned and saw Elijah standing in the doorway. She could tell that he was tense, although his face was blank.

"Now where have you hiding this lovely lady?" Klaus hummed smiling. "We just had a great chat."

"I would like to have a word with you, Niklaus," Elijah stated coldly. "Outside."

"Of course!" Klaus replied and stood up. Winnie followed his example; she wasn't sure what her husband's reaction meant. Klaus was smiling charmingly as he took her hand and touched it with his lips. "Thank you so much for the coffee, love. I truly enjoyed your company."

"That's…nice," Winnie managed to reply. "And you're welcome." She paused and looked at her husband who gave her a tense smile.

"I'll be right back."

She nodded; she could see that something was wrong. Maybe Elijah didn't get along with his brother and he hadn't told her about Klaus because of that. Clearly he wasn't happy to see Klaus. What about his other siblings then? Why hadn't he told her that he had a family? She had trusted him enough to tell him things she had never told to anyone and she had thought that he trusted her too.

Apparently he didn't. Sure there was something strange about his brother, but he could have still told her. He should have told her. Of course he was entitled to his secrets, but this… She couldn't deny that she was hurt. Apparently she and her husband weren't as close as she had thought.