AN: Hello there readers! Thank you for all your kind reviews and the follows and favs! So just a heads up, this chapter has very little Caroline and kind of features Hayley more. But I promise there is purpose to it! Also, there will only be one or two more chapters left of this story. Thank you all for reading and I hope you find some enjoyment in this chapter! :)
Hayley can hear Lizzie's voice travelling through the house the minute she enters. She follows the sweet sound of her daughter to the kitchen. Hayley stands in the door way, observing Lizzie as she grabs an orange and begins to peel it.
"And Maddy got a haircut yesterday. It's not very pretty." Lizzie pauses and pops an orange segment into her mouth. She has a cell phone caught between her ear and her shoulder and is still wearing her school uniform. "Well, of course I didn't tell her she looks like a boy. You taught me better than that."
Hayley clears her throat to grab her daughter's attention. Lizzie looks up at Hayley and smiles.
"Hang on a second, ok mom?" Lizzie speaks into the phone and then she turns to face Hayley. "Hi Hayley, what's up?"
Hayley sighs. "Is your homework completed?" Lizzie nods and points to the papers spread across the kitchen table.
She continues to eat her orange and watch Hayley impatiently. "Can I go back to talking to my mom?" Lizzie mumbles, her mouth full of the last two pieces of the orange.
"How about you say good bye to your mom and we can go do something today? Maybe grab a quick dinner and do some shopping or go see that new movie?" Hayley offers.
"I'm still talking to my mom. We can hang out tomorrow." Lizzie offers and turns back to Klaus' phone. "Mom? Oh and guess what I did in gym class today?"
Hayley leaves the kitchen, completely dejected. It has been this way since Caroline left a week ago. Lizzie spends almost all of her entire free time stealing Klaus' phone and talking to Caroline. Hayley has been offering to spend time with Lizzie and it keeps getting pushed back. Mostly because something will happen and Lizzie will exclaim "I need to tell mom about this!" The young girl would then immediately seek out her dad and pester him until he caves in and calls Caroline for her. Hayley flops unceremoniously onto the couch.
"Why don't you just ask Klaus to not give her his phone for a day?" A voice startles Hayley. Rebekah takes a seat next to Hayley, giving her a pitying look.
"He did once. Because the three of us were having dinner and he didn't think it was appropriate for her to be on the phone during meal time." Hayley crosses her arms in front of her. She listens to hear Lizzie animatedly chatting away to Caroline.
"And?" Rebekah asks. Rebekah looks at Hayley and completely understands how she is feeling. They have all been feeling slighted by Lizzie's complete obsession with informing Caroline of every little thing that happens to her every day.
"And Lizzie started crying." Hayley explains.
Rebekah shakes her head. "You guys have got to toughen up. Lizzie is going to learn all she has to do is cry and you two will give in."
"It wasn't like that." Hayley defends herself and Klaus. "She didn't cry like she does when she can't get her way. She cried like she does most nights when she misses Caroline. She said something along the lines of 'I just want to talk to my mom. I miss her. She's missing me, too.' It was heartbreaking. Klaus gave in and I don't think he will deny letting her talk to her mom again."
"Maybe you can work something out. How often does she talk to Caroline?" Rebekah asks.
"Lizzie calls her in the morning before school, after she gets her homework done in the afternoon and before she goes to bed." Hayley looks frustrated. "Sometimes more, if something happens that she needs to tell Caroline immediately." Hayley waves her hands around dramatically.
"Doesn't Klaus have a problem with this?" Rebekah is curious because it means Klaus is also missing out on spending that time with Lizzie. And she knows that Klaus was looking forward to having Lizzie home with them as much as Hayley.
"I don't know. Every time Lizzie calls Caroline, Klaus gets to speak with her for a few minutes, so I don't think he has a problem there. Plus he takes Lizzie to and from school, so he still gets to see her and talk to her." Hayley lets her head fall into her hands. "I'm never going to replace Caroline. Lizzie won't let me. She won't even let me be close to a mom." Hayley looks up towards the kitchen where Lizzie is still gabbing on the phone. "Maybe trying to get her back was a mistake." Her voice is quiet and sad, but Rebekah still hears it.
Rebekah moves to sit next to Hayley. "Maybe you were meant to give birth to Lizzie, but you weren't meant to be her mom. Maybe that was meant to be Caroline. It could be better for you." Rebekah offers.
"I'm not sure I follow. How is giving Lizzie back to Caroline going to be better for me?"
A sly smile creeps on Rebekah's face. "If Caroline comes back to stay as Lizzie's mom. You could be Aunt Hayley or just Hayley the friend. You could spoil her, take her places and buy her things. But not have to deal with the hard parts. Like bedtime, school and discipline."
Hayley breaks out into a smile for the first time that afternoon. "You might be onto something Rebekah. Lizzie will always see Caroline as her mom. That's why she has trouble listening to me, I'm not her mom. But I could be her friend. And if Caroline moves back, Lizzie will actually want to go out and do things. I could still get to be in Lizzie's life. It's not the role I had originally planned, but then again I had never wanted a child before I found out about Lizzie."
"Now that that's settled, how do we get Caroline to come back?" Rebekah pulls out her phone and scrolls through her contacts. "I doubt my brother will argue with the idea of Caroline returning to New Orleans."
"Can you call the Bennett witch or that other vampire she came with?" Hayley was feeling much happier about her relationship with Lizzie.
"No, I don't have their numbers. But Stefan might." Rebekah hops off the couch and leaves in search of Stefan.
"Dad!" Lizzie calls as she wonders the hallway. She stops in front of Klaus' office and can hear him yelling and threatening some vampire. Lizzie weighs her options. She can knock and hope that her dad won't yell at her too. Or she can stand and wait for him to be done. She looks at the phone in her hand and again at the door. She settles down on the floor across from the door and decides to just sing to herself as she waits. She's in the middle of a Taylor Swift song, when the door flies open and a vampire is viciously thrown against the wall a few inches away from her. Lizzie yelps and leaps to her feet. She watches as her father stalks to the vampire cowering on the ground. Klaus' hand is dripping with blood and Lizzie's eyes drift to the floor of the office where a graying body lays.
"Let this be a reminder of what happens when you fail to obey my orders!" Klaus growls at the vampire, who nods frantically before flashing away. Lizzie's scared blue eyes connect with Klaus' ferocious yellow ones. "Elizabeth." Klaus blinks quickly, his eyes changing back to their stormy blue. "What do you need sweetheart?"
Lizzie swallows hard and glances back to her dad's bloody hand. Klaus can tell how uncomfortable his daughter is and he finally notices the blood coating his hand. His immediate reaction would be to lick it off, but he is sure that would just make Lizzie feel worse. "Um." The young girl is about to say something when Klaus jumps in.
"Lizzie, why don't you head into my studio? I will be in there as soon as I get cleaned up." Lizzie darts towards her dad's studio as Klaus moves to wash his hands. He also takes a minute to call one of his minions to get his office cleaned up and body removed.
Klaus walks slowly to his studio, thinking that this was what Caroline had wanted to shield Lizzie from. Eventually she would learn about the side of him that was King and a tyrant. But she was far too young and innocent to see him threating minions and tearing hearts out. "Hello Lizzie." He says as he walks in and takes a seat on the couch.
Lizzie is standing at the window and she smiles seeing her dad all cleaned up and back to the man she knows. "I just wanted to give you your phone back. I'm done talking to mommy for now." She explains, walking over and handing the phone back to Klaus.
Klaus pockets the phone and pats the couch next to him. "Please sit for a minute, Liz." Lizzie chews in her lip and nods. She sits down next to Klaus and looks up at him. "I want to talk to you about what you saw." Klaus begins. He is not sure how to explain to a child about how he rules New Orleans.
"It's ok." Lizzie interrupts. "I know that was just business." She uses air quotes around the words 'just business'. "That's the side of this supernatural stuff that mom didn't want me to see, right?" Klaus nods and wraps his arm around Lizzie's shoulders. Lizzie leans into him and rests her head on his chest. "I won't tell mom, if that's what you are worried about."
Klaus laughs, shaking Lizzie's small body. "It was not my immediate fear, but now that you mention it. It's better that your mother doesn't learn of this."
Lizzie sighs. "You didn't seem as angry when mom was here." Lizzie chews on her thumb nail and looks around the room. "You were different when she was here."
Klaus licks his lips, trying to come up with something to say in response to that. "Your mom brings out a different side of me. She doesn't change me, but she challenges me." Klaus admits.
"In a good way?" Lizzie asks, looking up at her father with wide eyes.
"In a good way." Klaus repeats. "She doesn't excuse my rash behavior, she never has. Your mom has made me want to be better on more than one occasion." Klaus has to catch himself from rambling because he knows he could go on and on about Caroline all day long.
"Can you make her come back? I really miss her." Lizzie says, tucking her face into her father.
"I miss her too." Klaus says before placing a kiss on top of Lizzie's head.
Lizzie's head pops up and she looks at Klaus with curious eyes. "Do you love her?"
Klaus stares back at his daughter, his mouth slightly agape.
"Do you love my mom?" Lizzie asks again, but this time quieter.
Klaus smiles sadly. "Yes, I do love her." He replies quietly.
Lizzie happily claps her hands together. "Great, then we just have to get her to come back."
Klaus looks at his daughter with confusion and concern in his eyes. "Lizzie, why does that make any difference, if I love her or not? She promised she would come back. She just wanted to give you some time to bond with me, Hayley and my family." Klaus tries to explain. He doesn't want to break Lizzie's innocent heart, but he is pretty sure Caroline knows that he loves her. And she still left.
Lizzie's face falls. "But, but. Maybe." She sputters, sad that she can't seem to find a way to get her mom back, yet.
"Come, let's go have dinner." Klaus gently leads Lizzie down to the dining room.
Dinner goes smoothly, aside from Lizzie's less than perky demeanor. She chats quietly on the phone to Caroline, while laying on her bed. Hayley watches from the doorway, her mind wondering back to the conversation she had with Rebekah. Out of the corner of her eye, Hayley catches Klaus leaving his studio. "Hey, Klaus. Can we talk?"
Klaus turns abruptly. "What is on your mind, Hayley?"
"Can we go somewhere private?" Hayley motions to the Lizzie's open bedroom door.
Klaus raises an eyebrow but leads Hayley to his office. "I will ask again. What is on your mind, Hayley?" Klaus busies himself with shuffling papers on his desk, not fully invested in a private conversation with his daughter's birth mother.
"Do you know why Lizzie seemed a little sad during dinner?" Hayley asks, as she runs her hand along the bindings of some books lining a shelf.
"Lizzie and I had a little talk and she was hopeful that I could help her to get Caroline to come back sooner." Klaus admits.
"Hmm." Hayley hums. She pulls out an old looking book and rifles through some of the pages, dust wafting into the air. "I had an eye opening talk with your sister this afternoon." Hayley begins. She glances up to see Klaus still his movements. He doesn't look at her, but he does listen. "I think Lizzie is on to something. It would be better for all of us involved if I stepped down as Lizzie's mom and let Caroline back into the role." Hayley watches as Klaus lifts his head and makes eye contact.
"You are saying that you no longer intend to fight for Lizzie's affections as her mother?" Klaus clarifies. If this is true, it changes everything.
"Rebekah pointed out that I might not be cut out for this mom thing. But I could be more like an Aunt or friend to Lizzie. Someone she can hang out and have fun with. I would like to be in her life, but I wouldn't be the one raising her. That would be you and Caroline." Hayley explains, as she takes a seat in a chair opposite Klaus' desk.
Klaus folds his hands and places them behind his head. He leans back and feigns a casual countenance. "You would be willing to give up all rights as Lizzie's mom to Caroline?" Klaus watches Hayley, looking for any sign of dishonesty or deception. Hayley nods slowly, well aware that Klaus is watching her carefully. "You realize that this isn't something you can go back on. If you give up Lizzie to Caroline, there is no going back." Klaus reminds Hayley. Not that Klaus wants her to go back on her word, but more so she understands that Klaus will side with Caroline this time.
"I get it Klaus." Hayley bites out, standing back up and pacing the office. "I know exactly what I am giving up. But Lizzie only knows Caroline as her mom and that's the only woman she will accept as her mom. I gave up my right to be her mom when we left her at that children's home. They are so attached. Lizzie doesn't want to do anything, except talk to Caroline on the phone. And I am assuming Caroline doesn't mind, because she only seems to cut the conversation short because of Lizzie having school or her bedtime. Lizzie won't even give me a chance. But she might give me a chance to be a presence in her life, if I am not competing with Caroline. I know what I am giving up, and it breaks my heart. But I think it will be the best situation for everyone involved." Hayley turns away from Klaus and whispers "Even you."
Klaus nods his approval as he rises to his feet. "If you are sure, then I will give Lizzie the good news that I will be going to fetch her mother this weekend."
"I'm sure." Hayley replies, before walking out of the room.
Klaus finds Lizzie in her bed, playing a game on his phone. She looks up and smiles at him. "You weren't here when we were done talking, so mom just said to tell you goodbye." Lizzie closes the game and hands the phone back to Klaus. She snuggles down in her bed, scooting over so Klaus can sit down next to her.
Klaus slips his phone into his pocket and lounges on the bed next to Lizzie. "I had a talk with Hayley while you were talking to your mom." He looks over at Lizzie and despite her looking tired, her eyes are wide and focused on him. "Hayley also seems to be thinking that having your mom come back to live with us would be a good idea." Lizzie looks confused, as she forces her eyelids to stay open. "Hayley has decided that it is obvious that Caroline is your mom, regardless of who gave birth to you. She thinks that it should be Caroline here, being your mom, raising you."
Lizzie sits up, all her tiredness wearing away instantly. "You mean, like mom could come live with us and be my mom and you would be my dad? And we could be a little family?" Lizzie asks, a gleam in her eyes.
Klaus laughs at her enthusiasm. "Yes."
"But what about Hayley? She is still family, right?" Lizzie's voice is a little quieter.
"She is still family and she will still be around. But not all the time. She will be more like Aunt Rebekah. A friend. But your mom and I will be the ones who will be raising you and taking care of you. Do you understand?"
Lizzie leans over and hugs Klaus. "So when are you going to tell mom?"
Klaus returns the embrace and kisses the top of Lizzie's head. "I am going to take a plane to Boston this weekend and tell her in person."
Lizzie bites her lower lip and makes her best puppy dog eyes at her dad. "Can I please, please, pretty please go with you?"
Klaus thinks about his answer. Since Hayley has given up her rights as a parent, Klaus really doesn't have to clear it with anyone. He can make the decision solely by himself. "You might be able to help me convince her, but I don't know." Klaus says playfully. A side of him Lizzie seems to bring out.
"Please. Please. Please. Pleeeeeeease." Lizzie begs, continuing to make puppy dog eyes.
Klaus wraps his daughter in a tight hug. "Of course you can come with me. And we won't return to New Orleans until we have your mom with us." The smile on Lizzie's face is toothy and bright. "But for now, you need to sleep. I will set everything up and we will be on our way tomorrow."
Lizzie snuggles back down into her bed and lets Klaus pull her covers up to her chin. "Good night, daddy."
Klaus leaves one last kiss on Lizzie's forehead. "Good night, Lizzie."