"Waa waa unhuh unhuh waaaaa waaaaa WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Hayley forced her eyes open and let out a heavy sigh as she reluctantly pushed her covers off. She was half-asleep and half awake but she slowly made her way out of her bed.

Nikol's piercing cries echoing throughout the corridors of the compound was a common occurrence these days. It had been almost 4 weeks since she was born and the youngest member of the Mikaelson family reminded everyone of her presence as much as she could.

At a snail's pace Hayley made her way to the door of Nikol's nursery. At first she was one of those really paranoid moms who sprinted to her crying baby as if her life was in danger every time she cried. She quickly learned that every cry wasn't indicative of a life or death situation and she relaxed a bit learning to decipher the meanings behind every cry. Oddly enough it was the most paranoid person in the house, Klaus, who convinced her to not freak out every time Nikol cried. Klaus surprisingly held his composure well when it came to Nikol.

He never seemed to be fazed by her sleepless nights and constant fussiness. While she was on the verge of a meltdown every few hours Klaus was cool calm and collected and it often drove her mad. Little did she know he was only putting up a front and whenever he left her presence he was on the verge of a meltdown too. After his outburst the night Nikol was born he told Hayley that he would no longer cope with life's happenings with the help of alcohol. She told him it wasn't necessary but he insisted, trying really hard to show everyone that he was capable of change. That lasted all a week but he kept that tidbit of information hidden from Hayley. She had no idea that Klaus would sneak off to indulge in his stash hidden in his quarters. It was pretty much routine for him to have at least 1 glass of scotch after dealing with Nikol and Hayley.

Rebekah was the only person who knew he had slipped back into his habit. She caught him red handed after she stormed into his quarters to beg him to get his daughter to stay quiet for just an hour so she could rest. Instead of scolding him she joined him and promised not to say anything. She would find herself sharing a drink with him frequently over the next few weeks.

No one was really prepared for what having a newborn in the house entailed. A place that was once littered with members of the supernatural community was now almost completely vacant. The kitchen was now cluttered with bottles and half the compound was drowned in baby supplies.

Klaus's paranoia caused the family to agree to limit the people in and out of the compound. He knew that no one would be able to harm her with three originals around but after his horrific run in with some really powerful New Orleans witches with a serious axe to grind he learned not to underestimate his enemies or anyone anymore. Everyone besides Marcel and Sabine were pretty much banned from the compound indefinitely. Klaus didn't even trust the compelled workers around the house so all of the household staff was sent on extended vacation as well. Everyone chipped in to help with the day-to-day functions of the household while Klaus and Hayley tended to Nikol. That plan worked out okay for a little while but after two weeks of just them in a house with a fussy newborn chaos was bound to strike. Klaus finally relented and allowed the house staff to return to the compound after his siblings and Hayley began to cause him unneeded stress. Of course each of them was compelled again and he made sure to issue out threats of slaughtering everyone they've ever loved should they cross him in any way. Things around the house returned slightly back to normal or at least as normal as it could get with 2 vampires, a hybrid, a werewolf, and a newborn all living together.

Hayley finally got to the nursery after what felt like a good 15 minutes of walking from her bed to the door. When she got there she was surprised to see Klaus in the middle of the nursery with Nikol on his bare chest frantically patting the crying baby on the back to calm her down.

"Oh look sweetheart your mother finally decided to make an appearance, took her long enough"

Hayley rubbed her eyes and walked up to them. "Don't start with me right now Klaus I'm not in the mood for it"

"Oh I'm sorry love I forgot you're the only tired one in this room" he snapped back.

"Seriously Klaus, we're going to do this at 4am? Didn't we just have this argument two nights ago? It's not my fault she won't stay asleep"

Klaus clenched his jaw and turned his back to her. He knew that it would infuriate her. With a new baby the tender moments they shared immediately following her birth had all but disappeared. They got to know each other better than they ever imagined in the short time since Nikol's birth but not in a good way. Klaus had attempted to be nicer the days following his outburst but Hayley wasn't as forgiving as he had first hoped and the more overwhelmed she got with the baby the more she snapped at him. He would in return either return her insults with one of his own or completely ignore her for a few hours. They learned how to push each other's buttons quickly and neither one missed an opportunity to do so.

"Why don't you just give her to me, you know you usually can't wait to dump her off on me like I'm the only one here who's a parent", she snapped back. "She's probably just hungry again anyway"

"Didn't you just feed her a few hours ago? I thought Sabine said she would get into a routine eventually, why hasn't she done that yet? This can't be normal"

"Yes but in case you haven't noticed nothing about her goes along with the rules Klaus"

They shared a slight laugh. Everything about Nikol starting with her conception defied the rules. Klaus turned his attention back to Nikol, who was still crying. He tried to whisper comforting words to her but nothing was working.

"Give her here and I'll try to feed her again, maybe that will get her to go back to sleep"

Klaus could tell that she was really tired and he started to feel bad. Being that she breastfeed and Nikol got really hungry at night she was usually the one who had to get up during the night with her and it was already starting to wear on her.

"I believe Rebekah said she didn't drink a few of her bottles from earlier. If you would be so kind as to go get one from the kitchen I'll stay up and feed her tonight"

"Seriously?"

"Ask me that again and I'll be happy to reconsider love"

Hayley smiled internally at his sudden generosity. She gave him a smirk before leaving the nursery. She returned with a nice warm bottle and handed it to Klaus who was sitting in the personalized chair he had put in the nursery. Just as she had suspected the newborn's cries stopped immediately and she devoured the bottle like she hadn't eaten all day.

"I see someone was really hungry" Klaus quipped as he peered down at her, amused by how aggressive she was.

"Just imagine what I go through, she attacks my breasts like a beast whenever it's time to feed"

That caused a chuckle to escape Klaus's lips and visions of the beastly attack he launched against her that night flooded his mind.

"Come on Hayley, I don't think I have to imagine what it's like to attack your breasts like a beast now do I" he said, looking at her suggestively.

Hayley couldn't contain her smile as she realized how she set herself up for that one. Not wanting him to see her flustered she turned and walked out of the room, not forgetting to hurl a final insult at him on her way out. "You're such a dick Klaus"

When Hayley finally woke up it was mid afternoon. The rays of the sun shined brightly through her large window causing her to cover her eyes as she pried herself away from her pillow. She couldn't remember the last time she slept that long during the night. She peeked her head into the nursery before getting dressed for the day and a huge smile came over her face. The two people she saw before shutting her eyes were both sound asleep. She walked over to Nikol to check on her then focused her attention to Klaus. The big bad hybrid was motionless in the corner he made for himself in the room. He stayed there the entire night. She was surprised by how peaceful he looked, like he didn't bear the weight of 1000 years worth of pain on his shoulders. It took everything in her to refrain from placing a tender kiss on his cheek. If she knew it wouldn't lead to her ending up right back in his arms she would have done it but she couldn't take that chance. She never really knew how to react when she had those kinds of urges. They caused thoughts to race through her mind that she wasn't ready to address, choosing instead to brush them off as mere fantasy, and she didn't have the time or the emotional capacity to dwell on fantasy.

Hayley quietly left the nursery, carefully closing the door as to not disturb Klaus and Nikol's slumber. She may not be willing to give into to her deep desires right now but she could do something nice for him in return for giving her a little break.

She headed downstairs where she found Rebekah, Elijah and Sabine enjoying lunch.

"The mama wolf is finally awake, how nice of you to join us Hayley. I'm assuming based on the lack of screaming that my little niece is still sound asleep," said Rebekah.

"Yes she is, she's asleep upstairs with her father actually". Hayley isn't really sure why but it made her feel proud to say those words. When she first found out she was pregnant with Klaus's child she expected to be abandoned. Never in a mission years did she think they would have the partnership they have now. It may have only been 4 weeks but her daughter had two parents to raise and love her, which was more than either of them had ever had.

"It seems Niklaus has taken quite well to fatherhood so far. I do admit I'm surprised by how involved he is already, I thought he would surely leave you to do most of the work." Elijah chimed in. He was proud of his little brother, he knew he had it in him but he didn't know he would see the gradual changes the baby would bring to his life this soon.

"Yeah well he still refuses to change a diaper so don't give him too much credit"

"The day I see Nik change a diaper is the day I become the mayor of New Orleans so don't get your hopes up Hayley". Rebekah wasn't ready to crown Klaus daddy of the year like Elijah.

"I wanted to ask one of you for a favor…."

Elijah stared with curiosity in his eyes and Rebekah rolled her eyes, "well spit it out Hayley"

Hayley hesitated to tell them her request afraid they would take it the wrong way and deduce that she had some non-platonic feelings for him. It was too late to back out now.

"I wanted to give Klaus his favorite meal for lunch today"

"There are blood bags in the refrigerator Hayley, what on earth would you need us for?" Elijah, who was now really curious, asked

"You of all people know that Klaus favors fresh blood Elijah. He stayed up through the night and the morning with Nikol so I thought it would be nice to bring his meal to him instead of making him go out and get it himself. I'm sure there's some poor soul roaming the quarter one of you can find for him to drain"

They both just looked on flabbergasted. Hayley was desensitized to a lot of things that go on in the vampire community. Because she was a werewolf she was disgusted by their practices, but she gradually became comfortable with them. Eventually they didn't bother her at all but they never expected to see the day she encouraged their savage behavior.

Hayley nervously patted her hair and fidgeted with her cardigan. Their silence made her feel antsy and uncomfortable. She could almost hear their thoughts racing about her motives. "Just forget I asked"

Elijah smiled, amused by how flustered Hayley was getting. " That's very nice of you Hayley, unexpected, but nice nonetheless…Rebekah I believe this is a task you might enjoy"

"I guess I could carve out some time to ruin some poor soul's day since you asked nicely" Rebekah wasn't fooled by Hayley's sudden generosity. Everyone else pretended they never saw Klaus and Hayley locking lips weeks ago but she didn't forget, she was just waiting for the right time to bring it up, this still wasn't it but she had a feeling the opportunity would present itself soon. Standing up from the table she started walking out of the room, "I'll go fetch Hayley's love offering ,I'm sorry, thank you gift from the quarter, any special instructions?"

Hayley wasn't amused by Rebekah's sly comment. "Just get it here and I'll handle the rest thank you"

"Hey my little princess you're finally awake"

Hayley picked up Nikol who let out a few baby noises and yawned. Her sounds were loud enough to wake her father up as well. She rubbed her nose against Nikol's tiny little nose and cradled her closely.

"Looks like your father is awake too"

Klaus slowly picked himself up from his slumped position in the chair. He opened his eyes and frowned. He was not amused by Hayley's upbeat nature.

"I thought you slept well why the scowl", turning away from Klaus and focusing her attention back on Nikol. "I guess your father didn't enjoy your company last night Nikol"

"I don't think well would be the word I would use to describe my night love, I see that you did though"

"Yes I did. Thank you Klaus. I really needed that."

"What can I say, I was feeling generous and I wanted to spend a little time with this screaming little one here." He said, walking towards Hayley near the changing table.

She was in the process of undressing Nikol to change her out of her onesie. She had pulled out a cute little yellow and white sundress and matching headband that Rebekah bought for her to wear today. The Infant wasn't too fond of changing her clothes or her diaper so she was kicking her little feet out at her. Klaus reached over and held her feet in his hands

"Keep still Nikol, you can kick all you want after you are dressed in this ridiculous dress your aunt bought you" Hayley looked over her shoulder and laughed.

"Rebekah is going kill you when I tell her you called Nikol's dress ridiculous. Did you change her diaper? This one looks brand new…"

Klaus was feeling generous but not that generous. He laughed much to Hayley's dismay. "Of course not love I compelled on of the maids to do it "

Hayley rolled her eyes and slapped his hands away from Nikol's feet. She picked her up and placed her against her chest and shoulder.

"Why don't you put a shirt on and come down stairs with us, I have something for you"

"And what might that be?" he asked raising his eyebrows up.

"Just come down and see for yourself" She shot him a suggestive glance and left him to get dressed.

When she got downstairs Rebekah had a tall, medium weight brunette waiting in the kitchen.

"Will this do Hayley?"

"Yeah I think so, wasn't quite what I was expecting."

"Oh don't be fooled by her innocent look, she was insulting this woman less fortunate than her in one of the bars, I figured that was just cause to offer her up as your thank you gift"

It made Hayley slightly uncomfortable to think about it but she got over it quickly. This was the reality of her life now and she might as well embrace it every now and then, plus it's not like she didn't have a twisted side to her. She silently questioned why she was even doing this in the first place. Klaus was bringing out her darker side without even knowing it and she was surprisingly okay with it. "Whatever, thank you"

Rebekah just shrugged her shoulders and slouched back into the chair she was sitting in. Klaus walked into the room and immediately froze; he looked at the strange woman in his kitchen and wondered who she was.

"What is this about Hayley?"

"Good afternoon to you too Nik it's always such a pleasure to hear your dreadful voice"

"Shut up Rebekah! Hayley?"

She walked over to Rebekah and handed Nikol over to her.

"This is for you Klaus, I-"

"For me? Rebekah what of this nonsense?"

"Don't look at me Nik ask your baby momma here"

Hayley was already regretting everything. She just wanted to be nice. They may have survived their first argument the night Nikol was born but that would only be the first of many for them. She knew she had been snapping at Klaus for all sorts of things lately. That combined with his recent nice behavior made her want to kind of make up for being a bitch to him for the past few weeks. Now she just felt like being a bitch again. "Sit down and shut up klaus"

"Watch it little wolf"

He sat in the chair that was pulled up to the empty table for him and eyed her curiously. She grabbed a knife off the kitchen counter and told the brunette to stand up. She held the woman's arm out in front of Klaus and sliced her wrist with the knife causing her blood to drip and Klaus's senses to awaken. She could see the need in his eyes so she pushed the girl's bleeding arm closer to his mouth.

"Here, enjoy your lunch. When you're done just dispose of her, I don't want our daughter sharing a house with a dead body all day." She retrieved Nikol from Rebekah and left Klaus to his meal.

He grabbed the arm and feasted on the warm blood running through her veins. The girl tasted delicious but the exhilaration he experienced was magnified because Hayley had been the one to offer her up to him. Most women would be too disturbed by his blood thirst to even watch him feed let alone offer him someone to feed on. Hayley was not only undisturbed by his twisted nature but she was enticed by it. She reveled in it and it made him desire her greater than he had ever desired her before. He desired her even more than he did the night she told him that painting showed her how twisted he really was and that she could relate. He didn't stop until he completely drained the woman of every ounce of blood in the body. Savoring it like it was a special meal that he needed to last forever. He was satisfied and his thoughts wondered all over the place trying to figure out how she managed to satisfy every part of him. He sat at that table with his hands in his head, failing at trying to calm his thoughts about her. His mind bounced between her slitting the woman's wrist in front of him and him ravishing her body all those nights ago. It drifted to the night she gave birth and then to the night he carried her weak body into the house after she has been attacked. He sighed heavily because he knew what it all meant and he knew there was no going back once he finally admitted it to himself. He was falling for her, and not only was there nothing he could do about it; there was nothing he wanted to do about it.

He stood from his seat with the intention of going to Hayley and questioning her about her little "gift". He knew how it made him feel but he wanted to know why she did it. He brushed it off to mere curiosity at first but he kept thinking that maybe she returned his feelings, and if he could get her to tell him what motivated her display today it would give him some sort of indirect conformation. He needed to know before he talked himself out of his feelings again.

He walked into the main room expecting to find Hayley and Nikol only to find marcel. He was questioning Hayley about where he was and he did not look happy.

"Marcel…."

Marcel leaped to his feet when he heard Klaus's voice and approached him nervously.

"There you are, Klaus we have a problem"

A/N: So I hope you guys weren't terribly bored with this chapter. If you were don't worry, as you can tell from the minor cliffhanger at the end there is some drama on the horizon :)