Chapter 7
Round 1
Klaus POV

A/N: Warnings: Use of the word "fuck" and some violence, but it's mostly hostility.

When I wake, a few of the others are awake, but not getting out of bed. I need the loo.
As I'm coming back, I can hear them gossiping like a bunch of school girls.

"So that's the famous hybrid? He is delicious." Her accent is French.

"He's a jackass."

"True. But he still has a pretty face. I hear you cursed him so bad. How?" This accent sounds Polish to me and belongs to a blond Amazon.

"I gave him a 12-hour dose of what I felt for the first year after he left."

This causes them all to ooh.

"How's my baby kitty, hm?" She mimics his sweet meows and I can hear him purring.

"How do you think he will take the news of another child?"

"Knowing his male ego, he'll be a smart-ass about having super sperm or something else hybrid strength related. And possibly some joke about us wolves producing a litter."
They all laugh.

"Well, triplets that aren't identical, and had all different sacs, that must have been a lot of sex. A lot, a lot, of sex." Speaks the blond Amazon.

"Sophie!"

"What? I'm a doctor of the lady parts and delivering babies and I'm a sexologist. I know what I'm talking about." Sophie's the blond Amazon with the Polish accent. "Is the hot spring ready?"

"Ready." Another confirms. Is she Scottish? It must've been the one in the kilt.

"Aren't you joining us?"

"I'm ready to eat my kitten."

"C'mon, I keep a blood supply in the pantry fridge." Logan speaks.

"I feel old."

"You'll get used to it."

"And insane."

"You'll sort it out eventually." Thing One speaks.

"We all do." Or have I got them mixed up?

When they walk past me, I can see Roxy breathe in deeply. She knows I'm here but doesn't say anything or even look at me.
They continue into the pantry off the kitchen, and I can smell the blood they drink from bags.

"Oh, nope. Nope. I'll slosh." Followed by Roxy belching.

"Split one?"

Roxy belches again and Logan laughs softly. "I'll take that as one more and I'll explode."

"Oink, oink, put it down. Have it in an hour. You won't feel guilty and," She belches again. "Less of that."

"You gonna go talk to him? Before the kids get up?"

I can hear her sigh.

"Rox, I know you. You'll be upset with yourself forever if you don't just talk to him. It'll be like Robby all over again."

"I know."

Robby? Who the fuck is Robby?

"I'll take Babe and get him something to eat."

Logan has the kitten in her hands as they exit the pantry. I don't know what Logan grabs, but she picks something out of the fridge and goes in the other room, the doors sliding shut behind her to give us privacy. Now it's just Rox and I here in the kitchen, alone.

"Enjoy your 12-hours of hell?"

"It was more like 6. Dalilah showed up and removed your collar. With us being linked she felt it too. Thanks by the way. It was terribly depressing and painful. Are you hiding any more children I should know about?"

"No. You hiding any other girlfriends you didn't care to inform me of?"

"Hayley and I were never like that."

"Then explain it to me!" Her explosion makes the hair on my arms stand up. "One day we're fine! And then the next thing I know you're breaking things off with me in the worst way possible and I'm seeing some werewolf leaving your house stinking of you!" When her fists come down on the counter, it splinters and cracks. Her eyes flashing gold and her fangs are out. Her hands splay and the marble counter top returns to it's previous perfection.

"What the hell else you want me to think?" The anger is gone from her voice and it's repaced with heartbreak.

"I thought I was doing you a favor by leaving. You know the enemies I have and they would go through you to get to me. Your safety in New York wasn't going to last forever. It's why I left for New Orleans. I helped build that city. It's mine. And I was going to reclaim my throne and bring you there when I knew you'd be safe there."

"Before or after starting a family with someone else?"

With my hands on the counter, I lean towards her. "Listen to me well because I will not be repeating myself. Hayley and I have never had a relationship. That Hayley is the same Hayley that sided with Tyler to break the sire bond I had with the first batch of hybrids I made. I was in New Orleans when supernatural drama happened. Hayley got caught in the crossfire. We helped each other out-"
"Of your clothes."

"With the trouble brewing between the species. It was a moments weakness. We were both drunk and missing people we couldn't have."

"You could've returned. Any time you could've returned and instead you use the excuse of I'm drunk and lonely. It's pathetic. You think I was never lonely or missing you? You show up outta the blue and force your way into my life, and then you try to mind fuck me before running away, only to come back like this."

"I didn't see you running after me."

"That curse I gave you is what I felt for a year! You blindsided me! If it weren't for the others, those kids would've died of starvation before they were even born because my bedsores had bedsores. You know how long it takes for that to happen to someone? That's how long I didn't move because I couldn't get up in the morning.

"I decided that if you were being honest about anything at all, then you wouldn't come back because your pride and fear wouldn't let you. You think it was easy for me to hunt you down and risk that same rejection?" She reaches across the counter and slaps me.

"And then you just decide to show up yet again and force your way back into my life." Her eyes are gold again. "Anything to say for yourself?"

I've never seen her like this. I've seen her be calm while upset, but this is bad. I know when a woman's calm while she's enraged means she's going to get you and she's going to get you good.
"I'm sorry."

When I blink my blurry vision becomes a tiny bit clearer since the tears aren't drowning my eyes.
"I love you, Rox. And I can't stand my own failures. All I ever wanted was a safe place for us and the one in New York was coming to an end. I was weak and I made a mistake! You think I was happy the mother of my child wasn't you? I regret Hayley but don't you dare think I regret my daughter."
"And what about your other daughter? What about your sons? Did you even hear their heartbeats or did you not care?"

"I didn't notice, Rox. I swear I didn't. I didn't know it was even possible! And they're just as much my children as Hope is! Don't think I would play favorites with my children." I hiss.
"Why not? You play favorites with your siblings."

Point one for Roxy.

"When can I see them?"

"Never."

"They're my children!"

"They're your offspring. You've been fucking off for the past three years and playing house with someone else. Now that Dalilah's gone, you're safe to return to whatever it was you were doing before you were forced to come see me. And you're going to leave my children and I, and everyone else around me alone. This conversation is over." She heads for the doors. I grab her arm to stop her.

"You will not keep me from my children."

"Why shouldn't I?! Everything you touch you break or you kill. Perhaps I should've listened to you instead and we'd have been spared this whole damn mess! And isn't that your favorite means of protection? Just run away and hopefully the enemy will follow you instead? That's the difficulty with hunting your own kind, Niklaus. They think. And sooner or later one's gonna wise up and outsmart you and when that happens, I'll be here protecting my family while you're running away! Now get your hand off me."

"I don't care if you hate me, but they are mine. I never knew they existed. Please, just trust me."
"Trust you? I trusted you and you broke me. You think for a second," Her hand twists around and her claws dig into my skin. "that I'm going to let you just walk back into my life and play daddy to children who have no idea who you are? You think you and I are going to pick up where we left off?" I can feel the pressure starting in my head.

"Rox, please,"

She catches my other hand and with strength that matches mine, she snaps my wrist.

"If it had been I that caused you such pain, you'd kill me in a heartbeat. Don't even try to deny it either. Those children were safe and I've made them safe from YOUR family, and they will continue to be safe because they will be away from you. That's what you wanted isn't it? Save me from you? But you're so selfish enough to try and keep them close when you know that means they will become targets? Targets too young to defend themselves. You can't run away and butt in whenever you see fit. It doesn't work that way."

She pushes me away from her.

"And I don't believe anything you say."

I snap my wrist back in to place.

"Rox, please, have I ever lied to you?"

"I don't know. Have you? I obviously can't tell." Her voice sounds so sad and that look in her eyes, I can practically hear her questioning everything about us. "Stay away from me. Stay away from my kids, my pack, my friends, and go back to your throne and your harlot. If I don't see you again for a century, it would still be too soon."

"I've always told you the truth, Roxy. I know you don't trust me, but they are my children. I have no doubts about that. Do not bar me from them or I will be forced to do something you won't like. I deserve to know them."

"And what about what they deserve? How are you going to explain to them why they have a half sister they never met? How are you gonna explain to your other child why she's got half siblings and you and her mom aren't together? You think it's fair to them to dump adult dramas like that on to them? Or on Hope? You think none of them are gonna ask these things? You think I'm gonna have fun explaining that to them when they're older? You think they deserve to compete for your attention? If it's not from Hope then it'll be from whatever girl strikes your fancy at that week or the power you seek. Do you think at all?!"

"This doesn't have to be as bad as you make it out to be. Not everything has a fairytale ending! Life is messy! It's not wrapped up in your neat little OCD boxes! I made a mistake! One I have to live with and regret more than you'll ever believe because you won't just trust me!"

"If I broke you, would you trust me? If I had children with another man and claimed to love you, would you trust me? Could you? Or would you be wondering every moment what I'm up to? Who I'm with? No. You couldn't. How dare you ask that of me when you couldn't! Now take your family and fuck off back to the armpit that is Louisiana."

I risk it. I need her to remember how she feels for me. Surely, she can't completely hate me. Feeling like that, they don't die.

When we hit the wall it creaks under the force of us thumping against it and I kiss her. At first there is nothing. No movement at all and I'm reminded of our first kiss when I had caught her off guard.

"I love you." I peck her lips. "Only you." Again. "Please don't hate me."

She's trembling but reciprocating. Right before I'm blown backwards and slide across the linolium floor into the stove. As I'm getting up the oven door swings down and hits me hard in the face.

"Do that again and I'll rip your tongue out. Take your family and get the fuck off Logans property."
"This isn't over."

"Yes it is. You just haven't realized it yet."

No. It's not over. I will have you back and I will have my children. I will have my family, together, under one roof, so help me whatever god exists, if I don't get what I want, heads will roll until I do.