September was a hell of a month, back to school, granny is dead and my ideas were shattered. But it's thanks to you that I managed to pull myself together in order to finish this chapter. Enjoy reading and sorry again for being late. Won't happen again. :*

Previously

"You whore De Martel, I will tear you apart" Hair began to grow on his cheeks, covering his neck and the majority of his hands. His ears became furry and his claws extended to the top of his head. She could hear his cracking bones and she shrunk with horror at the feral beast before her. Should he become a wolf, she couldn't predict what will happen. So she pulled the trigger before he could complete his wolf transition . The building reverberated with the sound of the gun. The bullet flew in the empty space and lodged in Klaus chest, break through his flesh to perforate his heart like a piercing machine.

The room didn't change at all as if time stood still. His eyes skimmed every corner of the place which revived long memories from the past that he was desperate to recall and he remembered almost everything. How he would settle himself in the rocking chair and savor his favorite scotch while watching the breath-taking night view of The Big Easy. How he would sleep at the sound of his siblings squabbling every night. When the suns set, he would lock himself alone with his unfinished sketches and give rein to the artist within, losing track of time in his paintings.

As It was already getting dark, it occurred to him to relive another day of his old life, seeing what it felt like to be there once again. With quick steps, he made his way to his room, searching for his long-missed rocking chair that was, as expected, placed near the window. He spotted a bottle of scotch on the desk and wondered if there was someone else in the house besides him because he would always keep his liquor in the dining room or what Rebekah used to refer as the "booze room". He grabbed the lonely old bottle before he positioned himself in the comfortable chair and began to daydream about her.

She promised to show up at 8 p.m and it she was already 20 minutes late. He shifted in his seat, taking another gulp from his drink to quench his impatience that was rising inside of of him with every passing minute. He stood up on his feet and strolled to the balcony, seeing if she was hiding in the backyard.

He remembered her as a playful woman, pretty to see and hard to catch, just like a butterfly, but she was never late.

"Hey" she spoke and he turned around to see the owner of the lovely voice that startled him from his reveries.

Everything about her was beautiful and it wasn't something he learnt yesterday. She had always been beautiful but that time she was impossibly beautiful and he wondered if she had changed something about herself to look this singularly gorgeous.

"did you dye your hair? you look different" he asked and she smiled, bowing a little bit to hide her blush.

"You always ask me the same question, why are you so obsessed with my hair" in a teasing tone she replied, taking a few steps forwards until she was face to face with him.

"it used to be one shade lighter but now it changed completely" he let his fingers brush her blond hair that framed her delicate face in most flattering way.

"I colored it blond, I can change it if you want"

"No keep it, who am I to decide what color your hair has to be?" She pressed her lips in a straight line that broke the shy smile she was displaying, Klaus raised a brow at the abrupt change of demaneour.

"I was going to tell you something but I don't want you to freak out" she said, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"tell me" he grabbed her chin to meet her green eyes.

"I met someone. He's nice and cute" she stuttered, fearing the reaction he would make. He nodded in approval, beckoned her to continue and she resumed "And I think that I like him...no I actually like him. A lot"

"a werewolf? don't tell me he's a vampire" he questioned with an inquisitive tone, faking a smile.

"No I'm more into homo sapiens and now you can roll your eyes. I just want to have a normal love life" With a little simper at first, then positively beaming, he responded to her sardonic answer then asked her with a shade of concern "Should he learn what you are, what would happen?"

"Dad he won't know it" she threw her hair behind her back as she puffed.

"I think you made a good decision, maybe you're smarter than her after all, what did your mother gain from getting herself into the supernatural world. How is she by the way?" he asked in a leveled tone but Hope could detect behind those apathetic eyes a tad of sadness.

"Still pissed off that I spend more time with you than her. Now I guess I have to go" she checked her wrist watch and shrugged "the time is almost out"

Klaus felt the air sucked from his lungs and his world turned dark, like all the lights were turned off and the only remaining glow was the angelic face of his precious daughter that shone like a lantern at the bottom of a well. He would never get used to it because no matter how many times she said goodbye he would always feel that mini death hugging his whole body every time her visit came to an end. His hand reached for hers and he pulled her to him.

"I love you" he said, her tears welled in her eyes as though it was a revelation and she replied "I know"

He tightened his embrace, already grieving the next twenty four hours he had to live without her. Had he been alive he would have traded his eternity to spend a one peaceful day with her, he would have renounced every egoistic impulse to remain by her side. That would be his sole dream. Alas, he was nothing now but a specter, a mere powerless ghost trapped in the past.

"Father my magic is fading out and we have to say goodbye" she tried to pull out but he was not ready to let go of her, he was never ready, instead he rested his palm on her head, stroking his free hand down her golden hair.

"Klaus !" someone called out his name but none of them did pay attention. Klaus was so absorbed in his fatherly moment and nothing in the world could distract him from it.

"Klaus! " the same voice called again but this time it was louder, angrier.

"Father do you hear it" said Hope before she pulled out to meet her father's impassive face. He remained stoic, not paying a heed to his caller . But then his poker-face broke into a frown, a confused frown at the familiarity of the voice. He span to the opposite direction, his hands still settled protectively on his daughter's shoulders.

"Who are you" he groaned.

"I'm Hayley" She yelled while eyeing the blond woman next to him. Klaus was taken aback by the answer, still unable to process the inaccuracy of the situation "Klaus look at me" She walked towards him but he growled defensively, exposing his hybrid fangs.

"You're an illusion, I've been stuck here for ages and you waited till this day to show up" Hayley raised a brow and vamped in front of him before he could make any move.

"No I'm real, she's the one who's unreal, it's a fictional illusion your own mind created. This is not your daughter Klaus, This is not our daughter, just look at her she's been fooling you into staying here forever and I came here to bring you back to your real family" she reached out for his hand but he yanked it in disapproval.

"You're a liar. You're not Hayley and if you were I'd rather rott here than follow you so don't waste the little time I have with my daughter into proving me the opposite" His words didn't leave her a choice but to resort to his own methods of negotiation.

"Alright you don't wanna go, I will make you go" she grabbed him by his collar and pinned him against the wall until they were face to face.

"Do you wanna taste my fist Klaus? do you want me to rip your heart just to prove you how real I am"

He gasped for breathing for somehow he felt so tired he couldn't lift his hands to counterattack. When he didn't resist, she pulled back angrily and in response he reluctantly raised his head and closed his eyes in surrender to welcome her anticipated punch, simpering at her blatant provocations. Hayley felt worked up by his indifference that was pushing her to the limits. She raised her hand to slap off that smirk but it occurred to her to opt for a more rousing move. In flash, she drove her left hand into his sternum, breaking into his ribs that cracked against her fist. He cringed in pain while clutching her elbow.

"Are you going to spit the same few words every time I come here, how about you acknowledge the delusional soap Oprah you stuck yourself in. Wake the fuck up!" She roared while he stared at her like a transparent wall, not giving away any splinter of emotion or interest in what she said. Hayley screamed at him louder again though he remained unmoved and slowly a derisive chuckle crept on his face "That was a good act, I was this close to believe it. You may sound like her but you're not her"

"I thought I had my signature when It came to punching" she withdraw her hand and he bit his lips to restrain his wince "Does this remind of something?" She punched him in the face and his back landed on the floor, not bothering to dodge the attack as he deliberately let her knock him down. Still lying on the floor, he titled back his head, wiping the drops of blood from his bottom lip before he stood up in a blink to face the opposite side of the room.

"Where is Hope?" he turned around in panic, eyes searching for her in every corner "Where is she?"

"She has never been here, this is bullshit you made up, that woman is not Hope. She's just a cuter female version of you. Your mind simply converted those fantasies you have into this representation, a subjective image of a grown-up Hope portrayed by you and the only reason you think it's true because you're desperate to believe so"

"SHUT up" he bawled as he threw a vase at her and she grabbed it rapidly before it could split her skull.

"You daughter is with me you dumb-ass. She's waiting for you. Actually we are all waiting for you. Me, Elijah, Freya, Marcel, even Kol" As she finished the last part he narrowed his eyes in disbelief then lowered his gaze until it settled on the floor before he looked back at her, "not everyone" he refuted.

"No Klaus they all do"

"When you say all, is Camille one of them" He asked with a tiny suspicion.

"Of course, she's dying to see you like the rest of us" She replied with a genuine nod and his features softened accordingly. To gain more his trust she extended her arms, welcoming him to come closer. And in a matter of seconds, he was walking stagnantly towards her, letting his feet drag him where they wished regardless his doubts. He stopped right before her, watched her with weary eyes and said "You're not lying are you?" his suspicion still overshadowed his trust. She squeezed his hand reassuringly to shake off any remaining doubts.

"I've never been a liar" As she finished her words, he was already in her arms, his chest was heavy but his breathing was yet much heavier. And for a moment, he felt all the worry that had burdened his mind for a long time was offloaded as he rested his head on her warm shoulder. Wild berry, that's how she smelled. That fragrant scent he would recognize among thousand women. Maybe after all she was real. He thought.

"Freya!" Hayley shouted out, causing Klaus to jump out of his skin. His eyes widened with shock at the sight of his older sister, standing in front of him in flesh and bones, . He broke the hug, still unable to process his sister's sudden appearance. Freya dashed towards him, grabbing his arm violently while chanting.

"Take him down now" Hayley bawled again as she watched Klaus struggling to break free.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" His voice was filled with panic and outrage.

"Brother I'm bringing you home" That was the last word he heard before everything went black.

Her used-to-be scarlet hair had turned into dark mahogany that matched the blood stains on her dress. He sorrowfully stroked her hair before he pulled back the white cover over her lifeless face. Every day he would prepare himself to get rid of her body but he found himself unable to do it. He carried her face in his memory throughout the centuries, dreamed of the day she would open her heart for him every single night of his eternal life. But now she was dead and he was alone again.

"Sir do you want me to do this for you" the fit black man behind him suggested.

"I think it's about time we said good bye" Lucien said bitterly, throwing a final glance at her "I lied to her because I wanted to see what she was up to and it didn't surprise me at all that she stabbed me back when she got hold of the white oak. Her vendetta towards the Mikaelsons hastened her downfall"

His bodyguard remained silent for a while then spoke "We have the white oak so what is the next move sir?"

"First thing first we need to burn this. After that I'll tell you about the plan of how to wipe the Mikaelsons off the map of the Earth one and all"

He woke up with a start, eyes fluttered opened at the crying of his baby, coughing and gasping for air like a fish out of water. His sweat poured down his neck. He sat down on his bed, desperately trying to save himself from choking as his coughing turned into gagging and his face became tomato red. Hayley and Freya were already sitting on the bed next to him, supporting his back with both of their hands.

"Klaus breathe" Freya asked him while drawing soothing circles down his scruff. Hayley however was wiping off the sweat from his forehead with the hem of her pullover.

"It's okey we're here" she consoled him.

His erratic breathing gone gradually stagnant and in no time he closed his eyes while rubbing his sore throat, still dizzy from his long slumber. His lids were swollen, marred by dark circles, his lips were dirtied by his saliva and his whole body felt sticky like he jumped out of a swamp. He traveled his hand through his face, and his stubbly chin felt unbearably prickly under his palm, leaving him to wonder how did he grow a light beard overnight as he remembered that he did shave a day ago. He also spotted the blood bag linked to his wrist and he pulled it out abruptly.

"Where am I" he looked at the two women besides him, failing to recognize his own room.

"You're home brother" Freya's voice was shaken and she threw herself in his arm, not believing her own eyes "you scared the hell of us" she sobbed in his ear.

"Elijah! Kol ! He's back!" Hayley called out, her hand still posited behind Klaus' left shoulder.

A minute after, the two Mikaelsons brothers came in in a rush, both staring at their brother in bewilderment mixed with delight. Klaus was repeating his daughter's name incessantly like a broken record, begging for his sister to bring her for him as he was unable to stand up for an inexplicable reason.

"She's sleeping. Don't worry, nothing bad happened to her" Hayley ensured him and a sigh of relief escaped his mouth. Elijah reached out for the chair and positioned near the bed before he seated, taking a closer view of the hybrid's pale face, Kol behind him stood with his arms crossed, wearing a satisfied smile at the sight of his brother speaking again.

"How do you feel, you look faint" Elijah inquired anxiously.

"Tired, dramatically sore and not to mention the vertigo that kicks in my head, like I'm about to pass out at any time" Klaus replied while pressing his fingers against his nose in attempt to stop the dizziness.

"You ought to be" Hayley stated.

"How long did I sleep?" he asked hoarsly after clearing his throat.

"three weeks, we found you semi-dead with a bullet in the heart. For a second we all thought you died but thank god your body didn't burn and it occurred to us that maybe the bullet wasn't made of white oak, which was in the end true. Though that didn't prevent us from freaking out as you didn't wake up regardless our attempts of reaching out to you, using different spells, trying helplessly to get inside your mind" Elijah explained, still eyeing his brother with concern.

"let's say that you weren't willing to wake up" Kol added.

"All I can remember is how Aurora abducted us and.."

"Yes Klaus, she's dead and I killed her with my own hands, I wanted to give you the honor to end her wretched life but given your state, someone had to step in and I was more than willing to fulfill that task. As for the white oak bullet, it was obviously fake, and I bet she herself didn't know that. Someone cheated her and she bought the story like a fool" Hayley explained.

"Typically Aurora" Elijah commented.

"Where is Hope" Klaus asked again, straightening to leave his bed but Freya stopped him "I'll bring her to you when she wakes"

"No I wanna see her now, do not stop me" He insisted.

"You will see her when you're ready to get up. Your body is still weak" Hayley confirmed Freya's point. He was to lean back to lay down when the specter of a green-eyed blond popped in his head and he stiffened in his place.

"Where is Cami !" he asked in a high pitched voice, dread washed all over his face. They all exchanged commiserative look, each one urging the other to give the best answer to the troubled hybrid. Elijah's clear-throat broke the silence that prevailed for almost a minute and he finally spoke "We couldn't leave her body to rot, the best thing we had to do is to give her the proper funeral she deserves and since you were away.."

"She died because of me" he scolded himself, looking into the empty space with lackluster eyes. And suddenly he felt his whole body blazing with ire "She killed her out of spite because of me"

"She didn't give you much of a choice Nicklaus. Though it all pains us to lose Cami, the loss would certainly have been far more tragic if Hayley had died. You are a good father and you did well when you chose the mother of your child over your beloved friend. Hope would never forgive you if things went otherwise" Elijah stated, hoping his words would lessen his brother's sorrow.

"She was more than a friend Elijah" Klaus gnarled with agony. Seeing him all pained brought to Hayley an strong feeling of culpability. Because no matter how many times she told herself that Cami's death was a collateral damage that neither her no Klaus had a hand on it, she still believed that her life was spared at the expense of someone else's, that her friend died at some point because of her.

"I wanna see my daughter" he blinked away the welling tears in his eyes. Hayley nodded before she exited the room without saying a word.

"After the explosion you lost the cure and it took us another fortnight to find the ingredients. Maybe that's the reason why you feel so weak" Kol explained, trying to change the subject.

"Yet I can smell it on me" Klaus said while bending his knees to lean back.

"Of course, Hayley made sure that you took the cure for the past couple of days. She would check up on you every night, trying her best to get inside of your mind until she exhausts herself" Freya related "There was a time we all lost hope but she didn't. She gave herself a mission to bring you back and she finally made it".

Klaus unbuttoned his black sweatshirt and felt a weird sensation when his digits touched the smooth skin of his own chest. There was no trace of the scar, like it never existed.

"It disappeared" he commented while eyeing his unmarred torso, and somehow he felt better.

"You healed" Elijah spoke.

"So why am I this frail? " he was about to stand up when he saw Hayley walking towards him with their daughter. Hope extended her arms in anticipation to welcome her father's hug. Klaus couldn't help but grin at the sight of his dear princess, he wrapped his hands around her tiny waist, hugging her so tight until her whole face was buried into his chest. At the beginning she responded with a joyful squeal but sooner her head began to wriggle when his embrace became smothering and he pulled back. Everyone watched the scene with an affectionate smile.

"I missed you so much" he pinched her chubby cheek and she pinched his back with a teasing giggle.

Freya beckoned to her two brothers to leave with a one-eye blink and they followed suit immediately. A moment late, she made her way out of the room as well to give the hybrid family the privacy they need.

"You'll find us in the guest room" Freya said before exiting the room.

Klaus was so busy celebrating those joyful moments with his beloved daughter that he didn't even pay attention to Freya's words. It was in those moments that Klaus' human side came out unabashedly, contrary to when he interacted with people or even with his siblings, that part would shy away, and with a lot of efforts it might show up in a few glimpses exclusively to Rebekah or Camille, but his affection was nothing compared to the one he displayed with Hope. With her, he would embrace his humanity openly, with no restrain whatsoever.

Hayley watched him exchanging pokes with his daughter and she wished for nothing more in the world than to see the three of them being united forever. Unintentionally, she leaned in to join their poking fight but Klaus decided to surrender when his daughter proved to be more resilient.

"Don't cut her hair. She looks cuter this way" he ran his fingers through her messy locks.

"No scissors will come near my baby's hair from now on. I give you my words" she promised.

Shortly, he put Hope next to him and slipped effortfully out of the bed, staggering to his closet to fetch new clothes. He removed with shaky hands his sweaty sweater whose last button tangled clumsily in a strand of his hair and he cursed his weakness for leaving him unable to free himself from the offending button. Hayley watched the struggle from the corner of her eyes amusedly, laughing deep down at his plight.

"Damn it" he cursed and she rushed to him "I think we need a pair of scissors" Hayley commented sardonically while disentangling his hair from the vile button. Klaus bowed his head accordingly to help her with the task. The close proximity was unnerving just like before but he was handling it very well and he secretly congratulated himself for regaining his renowned self-control. Maybe it's due to his recovery from the curse and that he had no more a scar to be controlled by.

Yet, the wild-berry scent of hers wasn't something he could easily resist. And at that very moment, he came to realize that he had been lying to himself when he thought for one second that he could overcome those inexplicable sensations whenever she came near. And it bugged him so much to acknowledge how deeply her mere presence affected him. Because the only thing he longed to do right now was to hug her so tight until her bones cracks.

"just rip it off" he gnarled while writhing in discomfort and she did as he said.

"My mother used to tell me it's bad luck to rip off clothes" she collected the shreds of the sweater from the floor. Klaus opened the drawer, paused for a moment then replied "I don't believe in mischance but what you have said quite tallies with what happened two weeks ago. Now I can allow myself to say that it is indeed bad-luck" and he grabbed a clean black sweater. His words fell like an ice bucket on Hayley's head when he evoked their recent sexual intercourse in the lake house. She wasn't sure whether she felt pestered because he referred to it as bad-luck or because he brought up that night in the very day he woke up from his slumber. The hybrid saw her startled reflection in the mirror and pretended to wave at her daughter who wasn't even looking at her.

"Where did you bury her" his asked plainly.

"in the French quarter cemetery, next to her brother and uncle Kareen's grave" Hayley turned around to face him and slowly lowered her eyes to his chest so as to avoid eye-contact but she caught herself staring shamelessly at his bare torso, unintentionally recalling their night. She flushed, faked a cough to shatter his attention then announced quickly "I'm going downstairs" she turned on her heels and walked to the direction of the door.

"It is hypocrite to kill someone then go kneeling at his grave stone, weeping for forgiveness" his words stopped her in her tracks.

"I know that she had a big heart and she would probably forgive me if she were alive because she was blessed with an incredible sense of empathy that brings her to pardon people no matter how dreadful their deeds could be. Nevertheless, I will never forgive myself for what I did to her" his tone was acerbic and angry but Hayley chose to remain silent and listen.

"She looked at me in the eyes and begged for life and I turned my back on her" he resumed bitterly, causing Hayley to break out from her silence. She turned around all of a sudden and bawled indignantly at his whining "I mourned her when you were M.I.A because she was my friend too. And even though I'm happy to be reunited again with my daughter I still can't forget that her life was cruelly traded for mine, knowing that if she's ten feet under the ground right now that's because of me. I'm grateful for what you did even though you're quite regretting it and I get it. I'm OK with it Klaus because I know that I've never been your first choice and that's how things had always been between us since ever. It's not something I learnt yesterday and it doesn't bother me at all, but please don't make it this hard for me" her words erupted from her mouth like pyroclastic flows and she glared at him angrily, cursing the slight vibration in her voice for exposing her hurt and frustration. Klaus was completely taken aback by her abrupt outburst. He reached for he elbow but she back off.

"No Klaus don't" her tone was cold "You made it clear and I've already got over it" she lied. But Klaus wasn't willing to let her go, he tightened his hand around her elbow so that she wouldn't slip it out his grip.

"I don't regret it you bloody fool. The only thing I regret is that I didn't force her to leave New Orleans before she got involved in our family drama. If she's ten feet under the ground like you said is solely because of ME. I should have killed Aurora ages ago , I should have listened to Freya when she blamed me for letting her go after shanghaiing Rebekah's body, I should have listened to Cami when she begged me to end her life when she compelled her to slit her throat . I should have listened to you when you told me to stay in the lake house, I should have listened to a lot of bloody people but I didn't. I am the architect of this mess. I alone. Not you, not anyone else" his breathing was erratic from speaking so fast, still holding firmly her elbow. And by the way he looked at her she could tell that he meant every word he said.

"I don't regret at all. I'm devastated because Cami's gone but I would have gone crazy if it was you who died" he declared with a low pitched-voice and she could feel his heart racing under his palm. Shortly, Klaus realized his unanticipated bluntness when he reviewed his own sentence. His eyes turned ice blue by the moment and he withdrew slowly his hand. Hayley refrained from showing any emotion although his words sent waves of positive energy to her whole body.

"You can leave Hope with me. I'd love to take a bath with her"

"Of course. She's yours" she said with a faint smile before she paced out of the room with her eyes still down. Her quick footsteps echoed the corridor, walking so fast until she felt a stiff body colliding with her forehead.

"Ouch!" she yelped.

"Why so hasty" Elijah questioned, inspecting the hybrid's face with a skeptical look.

"urm I was coming to you actually" she replied as she tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

"How is he?"

"Doing well. So far" she replied lazily, trying to shorten the conversation as possible.

"Hayley does he know that he has been taking your blood over the past two weeks to not desiccate?" Elijah's tone was serious but Hayley responded with an unworried smile "He's just woke up, I will tell him when he comes".

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