Hello All! I am so sorry this chapter took so long to make/post. I've had a lot of loss recently in my life and it took a lot for me to be able to write so I had to put it away for a while. But I am back and I am excited to hear what yall think of this chapter. The next chapter will be the last in this series and I am really excited for it!

That being said I can't wait for your reviews!

Enjoy!

Once finally away from the darker flashes of their past, Rebekah walks with her brother through a couple of other paintings. Some she had not remembered him doing, though she speculated they were painted during the time she was daggered for the entirety of the 20th century. They walk easily through the bustling street as they seem to both simply enjoy the relative peace their city now lives in.

"Auntie Bex!"

Rebekah and Klaus both turn their heads sharply to the all too familiar sound of the four-year-old's voice. Hope was a very independent four-year-old and very much like her mother and father in that way. Though her hair had grown to be a black like her mother's, her face was entirely her father, piercing blue orbs included. Rebekah grinned as she four-year-old came running up to her from the side of the street and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Hello love," Rebekah replied picking up the small girl and looking up to meet Hayley's tired eyes.

"I'm sorry, she just got really excited," Hayley tried to explain, "I can take her back inside if you want?" Hayley states approaching them.

"No, it is quite alright Hayley. I believe I can manage to watch over my own daughter for an hour or so," Klaus insists with a smug grin to which both Hayley and Rebekah roll their eyes.

"Okay, well her N-A-P T-I-M-E is coming up soon so don't go too crazy," she jokes having to spell out the action so Hope did not catch on.

Rebekah nods confidently, "No worries," she replies and bounces the small girl on her hip comfortably. Rebekah smiles a friendly goodbye to Hayley and begins to walk down the street once again. Klaus easily joins her side and begins to point out paintings to Hope as they walk and talk briefly about them with her. It was mostly generic information that he was giving her but it was more than interesting to Hope. She was fascinated by their long life and always wanted to hear more stories from their past and about how things used to be. Of course much if the fighting and wars as glossed over and made a bit more fairytale in their retellings to her, but she has always been interested in them and hangs on every word.

"So Hope," Rebekah asks as they begin to come towards the end of the street, "Do you have a favorite painting?"

Hope is quiet for a moment as she rests her head on Rebekah's shoulder and seems to take the time to think. "I do, but you already past it 'cause Daddy didn't point it out,"

Rebekah looks to Klaus curiously before looking to Hope, "Why don't you show Aunt Bex?" she offers as she slowly puts the small girl down.

Hope shrugs easily and takes Rebekah's hand and begins to lead her back up the street. Klaus follows the pair and easily takes Rebekah's hand as well, enjoying the ability to take advantage of this situation. It was not often that days like today happened in which Klaus could get away with so much public affection towards his sister. They moved through the streets relatively quickly and seemed to be almost at the beginning of the street gallery where Rebekah had missed a few paintings before being mesmerized by the painting of their childhood. "That one!" Hope says pointing up to a moderately young painting of herself.

Rebekah looks up to observe the image closer and notices what time the image was made. It was the day Klaus and Hayley first got to spend real time with Hope. Granted it was again not one of the best times for their family considering they were on the run for their savage mother and unknowingly their Aunt Dahlia. However, the painting portrayed such pure innocence and harmony. It showed Hope as a baby dressed in her over-sized pink jacket and white flowered dress with one pink sock fully on and the other half dangling off her foot. The small baby Hope was asleep and bathed in sunlight as she clutched Rebekah's small wooden chess piece in her tiny hand.

Rebekah stood in awe of the painting as a flow of memories of her that small were brought back to her, particularly that day. She feels Klaus' hand still holding her own and squeezes as she looks over to him. He is already gazing at her with power in his eyes. Not the power of needing to gain authority over something, but the power that they derived from one another. The power they gave to each other simply by being there for the other. Though they are both individually strong, when they are together they are a threatening unit.

Hope lightly pulls on Rebekah's shirt and raises her hands, "Up? Up?" she asks with arched brows and Rebekah can hardly ever say no to her. Lifting the child to her chest, Rebekah holds her close and Hope's petite arms wrap around her Aunt's neck and yawns slightly as the small girl rests her head on her shoulder.

Klaus moves behind Rebekah and leans the side of his head against hers on the opposite side of Hope, lightly kissing her temple. "That was what I was sketching," he whispers to her as memories begin to come back to her.

~ 4 years ago

She slowly approached the room with a cat-like silence to her movements. Hayley stood against the crib that Hope lay in peacefully sleeping. Looking at her daughter, Hayley has a beautiful and protective wonder that Rebekah knew all too well. Late at night during the first weeks with Hope, she did the same thing. Watching Hope do something as natural as sleep peacefully seemed like a miracle to observe.

Rebekah saunters into the room and stands next to Hayley with her hand on the wolf's shoulder. Hayley gazed to Rebekah with a look of gratitude and slightly shimmering eyes. With a wide smile, Rebekah squeezes Hayley's shoulder in understanding and they both look back down to the sleeping angel.

Looking up from Hope, Rebekah notices her brother sitting in a rocking-chair on the other side of the crib with a sketchbook in hand. He seemed so focused on both Hope as well as the book. A wave of emotion and longing came over Rebekah and she slowly moved from Hayley's side to her brother. Without looking to the book, she takes it from his hands slowly and places it on the changing table against the wall.

"Hey, I was-" Klaus speaks at a normal volume only to be simultaneously shushed by Rebekah and Hayley. He goes quiet in the chair watching Rebekah closely. Slowly, she approaches him and places her hand over his in the chair and takes a gentle grip of it. Pulling him to his feet, Rebekah walks him out of the room smoothly and without another word. He follows her and closes Hope's door behind him as they leave and descend the stairs. Rebekah glances out the front door to see Elijah stood on the front porch seemingly lost in his own mind once again.

The blonde siblings walk to the back door and stand on the back porch looking out to the wide open grasslands of the Arkansas plains. In the matter of a few moments, Rebekah moves in front of Klaus and wraps her arms around him in a deep hug. Her arms capture his neck and her temple is held to his. Klaus takes a second to realize what is happening, but once it registers with him he hugs her back by wrapping his arms around her waist and spreading his large hands along her back as to hold as much of her as he can. His head naturally moves into the crook of her neck at the joint between her neck and shoulder. Having missed this intimacy he inhales sharply to take in a familiar and yearned for scent.

Being away from his sister, not knowing where she was and if she was safe with his baby daughter, ate away at what little a soul he had left. Though Rebekah would deny it if asked, she did miss Klaus when she was away. She lived 1000 years with him at her side for better or worse, so when she did not have him to share things with it made the bad times worse and the good times seem almost insignificant. What is a life to have if you have no one to share it with?

Klaus slowly begins to move his feet and Rebekah gingerly moves hers as well until Klaus simply uses his small height advantage over her and lifts her just enough off the ground to walk to the steps of the porch. He moves down a few and then slowly sits down and leans his back against the porch railing. Rebekah naturally follows his lead down to straddle his lap and the space that was once between them is now eliminated entirely. Rebekah unravels her arms from his neck and rests her hands on his chest and lays her forehead against his. Klaus glides his hands down from her back to her hips and slowly runs them up and down her sides cautiously. They sit in silence, simply taking in the others presence for a time.

Klaus leans up and presses his lips to hers delicately, and it is so soft that it ever surprises Rebekah. He was not commonly the gentle sort when it came to his affection. She kisses him back and moans softly as his hands move down to the tops of her thighs. Rebekah's hands glide down from his chest to his own hands on her thighs and tenderly takes both of his hands in her hold and interlace their fingers laying the backs of his hands against her chest lovingly. Their intimate times alone together had been few and very far between and it was why both of them cherished times such as these.

Their kiss slowly ended and her forehead resumed relaxing against his and their breathing seemingly intermingled. Her hands still held his to her chest as she opened her mouth in an attempt to find the words in her mind to convey the feelings in her heart. "Nik… I…"

"Hush, I know... Me too"

It was a simple reply and a short statement, but it was all so encompassing to them that it was all Rebekah needed. He knows she missed him, and he missed her as well. He knows she is afraid of the danger they face, and so is he. He knows she is willing to help however she can, and he will fight to the death to protect his family. He knows she is scared but would never admit it out loud just as he never will. He knows that she loves him even when she hates him, just as he loves her so deeply he hates how weak she makes him feel.

Time passes without either of them moving or wanting to break from their intimate time together. It is not till they hear the clearing of a throat that Rebekah turns to see who it was that had caught them and Klaus turns to look away. Rebekah and Klaus simultaneously release the others hands, afraid of the judgment of the onlooker. Elijah watches over their intimate actions and forgoes questioning them to ask, "Are we going to abandon the bonfire than?"

This question catches Klaus' attention and he looks up to Rebekah who is still sitting on his lap, "Bonfire? What the bloody hell is he talking about?"

Rebekah smirks and stands up from his lap, "It's bonfire season," she says cheerily.

Klaus rolls his eyes, "Are we really going to partake in this ridiculous act?" Klaus asks slowly standing to his feet as well.

"Yes, I am reviving the family tradition," Rebekah says purposefully and begins to walk back around to the front of the house with her brothers close behind.

~ Present Day

Rebekah enjoys her memories as time seems to pass them by again without them noticing. Klaus' hands now hold her hips as they stand close together once again and Rebekah makes no move to break his hold. Hope's soft snoring brings Rebekah out of her memories and smirks, "I think it is time we get back inside," She whispers to Klaus at her side. He chuckles lightly and they walk together toward the compound.