The blue eyes were wide as they darted nervously around the compound. Klaus, for once was quiet as he led his daughter through the house. On his left, Elijah and Marcel followed whispering in undertones that only vampires could hear and on Hope's right, Sister Erika walked silently watching Hope with cautious eyes.

"You live here?" The little girl asked, squeezing Klaus' hands softly. He smiled down at her briefly and nodded. "It's huge."

"I know."

"It doesn't have enough color." Hope pointed out sensibly letting go of her father's hand to walk to the drink's trolley where a vase stood with dead flowers. Rebekah had received them from the mayor and like many of the flowers in the hanging vases all over the courtyard, none of the vampires that lived in the house ever remembered to water them. Klaus followed her, leaving Erika shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot and Elijah and Marcel who vamped up to the room they used as their joint office. Hope picked the flowers out of the vase and grinned up at Klaus. Almost immediately, the flowers sprung back to life, much like watching a fast forwarded video of a flower blooming. Hope let out a laugh of pure childish glee as she spun around. As she moved, Klaus saw every single flower in all the vases begin to revive much like the ones the little girl still held in her hands. The courtyard wasn't magically transformed into a mini garden bursting with color and light, but it was a step up from Dracula's Manor. Klaus smiled at the thought.

"Better, isn't it?"

"Much, thank you." He led her, unceremoniously to the small sitting area in the middle of the huge space. They sat down together with Sister Erika opposite them. "Do you like natural magic?"

"I prefer it." Hope grinned. "It's a lot easier because it's like a part of me." Klaus nodded. "I don't really have to focus when I do it."

"You must be very powerful then." Hope shrugged prettily and eyed Sister Erika, biting her top lip before glancing back at Klaus.

It was as though the little girl had whispered in his mind because he stood up and held a hand out to Erika.

"Sister, my friend Diego…" He said the name slightly louder so that Diego came vamping in. "Will show you around the abattoir. It has some rich history and of course I want to know if you think it's appropriate for a child as young as Hope to live here." He commanded and Diego threw him a baleful stare.

"I've been demoted to tour guide now?" He whispered harshly and Klaus glared at him. "I don't take orders from you Klaus." The hybrid would have said something snarky or sarcastic but he remembered Hope who was watching them with interested eyes. Klaus sighed.

"I'm not giving you an order, I'm asking nicely." He stepped closer to the much younger vampire so he could speak without being overheard. "If I have to ask again, I will use your innards as Christmas decorations." Diego's expression did not change, but he offered the blonde haired nun his elbow. She took it hesitantly before turning back to Klaus who was sitting again.

"Please don't hurt her." Klaus nodded.

"You have my word." He responded immediately and he heard Diego mutter something under his breath that sounded like:

"Fuck all that's worth." Klaus ignored him and turned back to Hope who was staring at the pair who was climbing the staircase to the second floor.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Klaus replied. "Why did you want her to leave in the first place?" He wanted to know and Hope wrung her hands in her lap.

"I told all of the nuns not to lie to me, but I've been lying to them all this time." Klaus was intrigued. He put his elbows on his thighs leaning forward so the little girl could whisper in his ear. "I'm more powerful than anyone else knows."

"What makes you say that?" She opted to show because she stood up and put her arms out. There was a slight lull and Klaus felt a rush of warmth wash over him. He closed his eyes, basking in it and when he opened them, the courtyard that had been dark at first was bathed in light. Light and color and flowers. He swallowed as he stared. The source of the light smiled again, making the amount of flowers multiply until it looked like a field. They were growing through the concrete floor if that was even possible and blossoming vines lined the walls.

Being able to conjure items from thin air was a type of magic he didn't think existed outside of fantasy books but here Hope was, just doing it for fun. When she'd grown either tired or bored, the flowers trailed their ways back through the concrete, though the blossoming vines stayed, still boasting pretty red and pink flowers.

"Impressive." Hope flushed. Getting praise from Sister Erika was one thing, but from this man she really wanted to be her father, it was something completely different. "So no one knows you can do this?"

"No one, because it's not just flowers." Klaus paled and he hoped she couldn't see it. Flowers meant it could be explained. Any witch could probably grow flowers from anywhere if they put their mind to it. But anything other than naturally occurring objects could be terrifyingly amazing. Power even he wouldn't be able to rationalize or control for that matter.

Hope sat back down and cupped her hands, closing her eyes. Klaus kept his gaze trained on her hands and slowly but surely a shape began to form. It started out as small dot of gold but it grew gradually until it formed a ring. She played around with it in her hands for a while changing it's size before handing it to Klaus. He put it on the only finger it fit, his pinky and she smiled.

"So flowers and fashionable jewelry." Hope laughed again and it made Klaus smile this time, because he loved the sound of it.

"Well they are my two most favorite things in the whole wide world." She tucked her legs underneath her like she'd been living there for ages. "And it's anything really, as long as I can visualize it in my mind, everything about it, I can create it." She blushed again, looking down at her hands. It's a bit weird I know."

"Not weird, unique." He replied immediately. "It means you are special." Klaus was one hundred percent sure he would always remember the look on Hope's face when he muttered those words. As though on cue, Sister Erika and Diego began their descent down the staircase and Hope stood up too.

"Do you want her to stay here with you?" Sister Erika asked as they got closer, but by her tone of voice, Klaus could tell she probably wanted him to say no. Instead, he turned to the now standing child.

"It's up to her, really. If she wants to stay here, they she stays here. If she wants to go, she can go. But…" He pulled the little girl into a hug that she returned eagerly. "You'll always have a home with me, no matter what you decide to do." Hope smiled shyly as she pulled away from the hug.

"Well in that case." Her voice became solemn as she considered her options. "I choose to…"