Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay, life and stuff lol. It's a short update but I just thought I'd post it so there's some kind of update before I finish the next chapter. The chapter title comes from Ingrid Michaelson's "Be Ok". Oh and big thanks to red lightning for the bouncing of ideas for this and the next chapter too. :)
Chapter Four: Gallery of Broken Hearts
Three years, six days, ten hours, and forty-five minutes ago NiKlaus Mikaelson watched in awe from the side wall of the church the witches had him pinned to as the greatest, most precious miracle entered his life – his daughter Hope Andrea Mikaelson. Despite the tragedy and trauma surrounding her birth, Hope was everything he never knew he should have wished for.
It had been far too long since he'd laid eyes on his daughter – she had only been six months old and already so beautiful. Rebekah had been right in saying the child looked like her mother – Hope was the spitting image of the wolf who gave birth to her and was so prematurely ripped from the world.
It killed him to be away from his littlest wolf – he honestly didn't think he'd ever loved anyone with this much sincerity that wasn't himself.
He'd once told Elijah (more than once actually) that love was a vampire's greatest weakness. For a thousand years, Klaus truly believed that all he would ever need in this world was himself – that no one could ever be trusted enough to hold close.
All that changed the day he wandered into the Lockwood house in Mystic Falls to taunt his first hybrid some more and instead found the brunette wolf hiding like a guilty mistress. Over time, Hayley had reflected many of the things he found in himself – mistrust, anger, the will to survive, and most of all . . . loneliness. Scotch (and gin, tequila, and vodka) may have fueled their lust that night but Klaus wasn't naïve enough to believe that he hadn't enjoyed the she-wolf's company before that alcohol and the months that followed after as she carried their child in his home. The moment he lay eyes on his daughter and finally held her in his arms, it was clear how much the littlest wolf and her mother truly meant to him.
None of that mattered now, as it was. Hayley was dead and Klaus was tasked with raising their daughter alone. Forever alone . . . a song that was proving particularly old.
Much had changed in the three years as war raged on among the communities of New Orleans. The town had truly seen dark times, none that could ever truly compare to that of days, years, and centuries past.
None darker, however, than the foe the Mikaelson's, the town, and even the world now faced.
All seemed well in the Mikaelson compound, as it had appeared for months now. Elijah and Klaus, for all public appearance, were the best of brothers. No squabbles about manipulations, petty weaknesses, lack of restraint, or unnecessary violence. No struggle for control – a true democracy in the purest of terms. In fact, every night at precisely eight in the evening every occupant in the compound gathered at the large table in the expansive dining hall and ate the meal that was cooked and brought to them by the serving staff.
Precisely every second Saturday they threw some kind of extravaganza in the courtyard of the compound – most often benefitting one charity or cause or another, other times just simply to enjoy the company of the aligned citizens of the quarter. Everyone cheering and laughing and sharing stories – oh and drinking, of course.
Klaus was absolutely miserable.
Sure, everything appeared well on the surface. Sometimes they even pretended that everything was okay when they knew it wasn't. The reality, however, couldn't be any further from the dreaded blissful nightmare they were forced into. Their words and actions may represent this forced truth, but their thoughts were very well aware of what was really going on.
Speaking of manipulations . . .
So when Klaus watched Elijah dig out the secret, secure, mystical phone they only reserved for contacting Rebekah his very insides were screaming at him. His body was relaxed, jovial even as Elijah dialed and started speaking to their sister.
"Rebekah it's done." Elijah spoke into the phone, his lips just barely twitching with his will against his words.
"Elijah?" Klaus could hear the hesitation in Rebekah's voice. His heart pounded – this was not good, not good at all.
"Yes, sister. I'm calling to inform you that it is done – our parents are dead. The witches are no longer a threat." Elijah swallowed – a single drop of sweat dripping from his forehead despite his otherwise relaxed body language.
"No . . . but how?" Rebekah sputtered. In his head, Klaus smirked – his little sister was truly more intelligent than they ever gave her credit for. Now if only she'd just stay away . . .
Elijah let out a very deep breath. "Suffice it to say, it is a very long-winded and complicated story. One I will be more willing to divulge . . . when you and our niece return." At the word "niece," both Klaus and Elijah stiffened even for the shortest fraction of a second.
"Do you really mean . . .?" Rebekah gasped. And there was that naïve, always-hopeful-and-perhaps-too-trusting little sister they all knew, loved, and most often annoyed by.
"Yes, I believe it is long overdue for my sister and our niece to be among family once again." Elijah chuckled. Oh you bitch, Klaus thought. Really, though, he was seething – if only on the inside.
"Are you sure?" Rebekah paused. Yes Rebekah, don't trust us. Just for once, use your bloody head! Klaus internally screamed at her.
"Yes, sister—" Klaus's hands ripped the phone from Elijah's ear and the words escaped his mouth before he could even think about fighting them. "Bring my daughter home, if you would be so kind."
"I-I will," Rebekah answered. "We can be there in about seventy-two hours."
"Then you best be going, then." Klaus hung up the phone and threw it against the cement wall. Well, there went their only way of contacting Rebekah until she arrived.
The two brothers stared at each other, only their eyes expressing the rage, panic, fear, and uselessness they both could feel from only within.
This was wrong. Disaster was in the air and the tragedy of what was about to transpire was tangibly unbearable.
Klaus and Elijah were well too aware of who else was in the room with them – both physically and mystically – when that call took place. The severity of the situation, however, was well past the fact that the secret the two of them with Rebekah had been fighting tooth and nail for three years to keep from the rest of the world was now very out in the open.
Oh no, it was much worse than that.
A week and a half later when Rebekah had still not arrived with Hope (even though she'd said it would only be three days) the current shit-storm they were already in was about to get worse.
OGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOG
As it turned out, finding Jackson or any of her pack was proving to be a lot more difficult than Hayley thought it would be. Also, traveling on foot in the bayou with a three-year-old wasn't the greatest idea either.
Although the thousand-year-old Original vampire seemed to have more outbursts than her niece.
In the many moments when Rebekah complained about her shoes being ruined, her hair frizzing out, or the sun not being good for her complexion Hayley understood why it was that werewolves were better suited for the outdoors than vampires.
"Is there somewhere else you think Jackson could be hiding out?" Rebekah swatted at a mosquito and hefted the large backpack she had strapped on her back.
"I'm just not too sure. It's been a while since I've been out here and the last time I was here I didn't exactly go exploring too much. With the large stomach, sore back and feet, and occasional habit of falling asleep in strange places, I just never really got around to it." Hayley drawled, rubbing soft, gentle circles on Hope's back as the toddler slept in her arms as they trudged through the woods.
"Fair enough." Rebekah rolled her eyes, letting out a breath. "We should probably find somewhere to stop and rest for a bit soon. Usually when Hope wakes from a nap she's hungry."
"I think we're almost out of food," Hayley told her. In the past few days, they'd stopped at several small towns and stores along the way to find food, clothing and other essentials for Hope. The two of them didn't need to eat food, but they did have to find a good blood supply to pack with them.
"We'll give her what's left when she wakes and stop at the next rest stop." Rebekah suggested. Hayley nodded. "You really think my brothers intended to lead me into a trap?"
"I never said that." Hayley shook her head. "I only think that the danger to Hope isn't gone – that they may not even know about it yet."
"It's hard to imagine someone getting the upper hand on an Original, let alone two." Rebekah let out a breath. "After all, who could be worse than our parents?"
"Touché." Hayley agreed. "All I know is that Keara's visions have never been wrong and I trust her if she says there's someone after my daughter. If we could just find Jack, I know he'd be able to rally what's left of the pack to help and defend us."
"Okay, question and don't hate me for saying it," Rebekah held up her free hand in surrender. "How do we know it's not the werewolves that are after Hope in the first place? She is the daughter of an Original vampire, a hybrid no less."
"No," Hayley said without hesitation. "She may be Klaus's daughter, but she's also mine. She's a Crescent wolf – one of their own. Wolves don't attack one of their own, especially a child – the last of the bloodline – of an Alpha they believe is dead. That makes Hope royalty to them, even with the vampire and witch sides of her."
"I just had to say it." Rebekah shrugged. "We have no idea what we're dealing with – neither of us has even stepped foot in New Orleans in three years."
"Don't remind me." Hayley mumbled, well aware that Rebekah could hear her.
The two were quiet for a while as they walked, the only sounds other than the forest were the occasional snore or cough from the little girl in her arms. It still marveled Hayley that she was actually holding her daughter. It was like a dream come true, even with all the danger that still surrounded them. Now that she'd found Hope, she never wanted to let her go.
Hope truly was the perfect name for her little girl.
"Hope told me that her dad named her," Hayley spoke up. "Is that true?"
"It sure is," Rebekah nodded. "The day that Hope was born and the day that you . . ." The Original trailed off. "Klaus himself called me and told me what happened – that the baby had been born but she was in great danger from the witches and some of the werewolves. That it would be safer if the world believed his child was as gone from it as her mother. We met out here in the bayou, not far from where we found you that day Agnes's witches attacked you." Rebekah reached over to push a stray strand of hair from Hope's face. "I pulled up just after dark and Klaus was standing by the car, a white bundle in his arms. I could see just in those few moments just how much he loved her. And . . . he forgave me for everything that happened in the past, telling me that there wasn't anyone he trusted with her more than me."
"I'm glad that you two could share that," Hayley nodded. "And I may not agree with your brother on much, but you were the perfect person to care for and protect our daughter."
The two locked eyes and both of them tensed. They could both feel it – there was someone watching them. Someone supernatural.
"Take the baby." Hayley pushed Hope into Rebekah's arms and took off in a blur. Rebekah let the bags in her hands drop as she grabbed hold of her niece.
Hayley sped through the bayou woods, allowing her senses to take over and chase whoever was following them. She wasn't just protecting herself anymore, she had to protect her daughter now too.
To Be Continued . . .