Hey=)

This is chapter 3 and I really hope that you like it. Thank you so much for the positive response. Again this chapter got longer than I planned (I just can't seem to manage to keep the chapters short! And I really try!) and I will post chapter 4 this week as well, because I'll be going abroad next week.

So, let me know what you think about this. =) (Sorry for the mistakes!)

Two days later

"Why don't you show Niklaus your paintings while I clean up?" Caroline suggested.

Klaus had already been staying two days with them and she could tell that he had kept an eye on everything that she was doing. She found it quite disturbing, but then again she couldn't blame him. If she was in his shoes, she would probably act the same, maybe even worse.

It was probably not only the fact that he was Hope's father that made her so nervous, but the fact that he was still as handsome as he had always been and that he was stirring some feeling inside of her which she hadn't anticipated, at least not that strongly.

She caught herself staring at him, at his body and his hands and she wished that he would stretch out one of those hands to touch her; to chase goose bumps down her spine with one of those hands, but he had kept his distance so far and Caroline experienced other feelings as well. Feelings of disappointment, sadness and rejection.

He hadn't made any advances towards her and she tried to accept that he was only here for his daughter and that his feelings for her had long been resolved.

Maybe there was someone else?

A pretty witch probably…or maybe even two…

"Okay." Hope shrugged and jumped off the chair. "Come on." She led him up the stairs and into her small room that was entirely covered in art works. Klaus widened his eyes and was flabbergasted when he saw what he had stepped into.

Whatever he expected it wasn't this!

This looked almost like a gallery and a very beautiful one as well. The works were very different from one another with various motives; landscapes, animals, flowers, people and one or two modern art themes. Hope remained close to the door while she watched how Klaus walked into the centre of the room and closer to the paintings. She tried to read his expression, but she couldn't.

"Do you like them?" She asked finally after a few moments of silence.

"They are very good!" He exclaimed with surprise colouring his tone while he examined the works and really realised how talented she was. And there was a strange feeling lingering inside of him that he didn't know where to put. It came out of nowhere, but it came when he recognised the style of painting that was quite similar to his own.

Hope smiled slightly. "Mum said I got it from my dad."

Klaus froze. "You haven't met him, have you?" His voice was merely a whisper.

"No, mum says he is busy and that I will understand everything when I am old enough…Bullshit." She quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry!"

Klaus did as if he overheard the slip. "I am sure he has his reasons."

"Do you know him?" Hope asked and Klaus sighed admitting silently:

"I thought I did."

Hope looked at her toes and scoffed. "I think he simply left mum alone…for whatever reason." She mumbled, but Klaus heard her loud and clear.

He squinted. "Do you think she is lonely?"

"I know she is. She says she doesn't care about what the other people are saying about her, but sometimes, when she thinks she is alone, she sits in front of her window and just looks at the stars for hours with her phone in her hand."

Klaus gulped. His bodies felt hot and cold at the same time as his blood rushed into his stomach.

He watched how his daughter picked up a pencil and started to draw. Her eyes looked very concentrated and he wondered if he looked like that as well. He felt the urge to touch her, but he didn't dare too.

Later that night Klaus looked for Caroline and found her in her room, just like Hope had described her before. And he thought he'd feel a tiny needle punctuating his heart.

"Caroline?"

"Mh." She turned around to him.

They stared at each other for a moment. "I am sorry." His tongue felt heavy and dry in his mouth.

She shrugged. "Don't worry." But she was still hurt, either from his harsh words or his absent feelings she didn't know.

He didn't need to remind her all the time that Hope was not her daughter, because she knew. She knew it and yet she felt like she was hers.

He shook his head. "No, I am sorry."

Caroline stood up when he walked into the room.

The way he stood in front of her made her want to lean into him. He was Hope's father and she wished she could dump half of her problems, worries and thoughts on his shoulders. That she could share every responsibility. She wished that she wouldn't feel lonely anymore. She never had during their phone calls and now he was here in front of her and everything was different.

Or was it?

Klaus suddenly leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Her skin prickled. "Good night Caroline."

One day later

Rebekah entered the house like she had on so many mornings while Matt parked the car.

"Good morning Sunshine!" She called out, but froze when her brother walked out of the kitchen with a furious face. "Nik!" She gasped.

"Rebekah!" Klaus flashed forward grabbed her throat and pinned her against the wall. "What are you doing here?" He snarled and Rebekah choked.

A loud shriek sounded behind them through the whole house.

Hope stood on the stairs and looked utterly shocked.

Klaus loosened his grasp and Rebekah pushed him off her. "Nik, you moron! Honey, it's all right, I am fine! Come here." Hope hesitated, but then jumped into her arms and buried her face in her stomach. "See. Sh." Rebekah caressed her niece's hair soothingly and meanwhile Caroline had appeared on the staircase.

"Oh no."

"I would say so." Klaus said grimly.

The door opened again and Matt entered. "Hey Care…Klaus?"

Klaus threw a look at his sister and pursed his lips.

Caroline descended the stair and touched Hope's hair. "Are you okay?"

Hope nodded. Jealousy hit Klaus when he watched the scene unfold in front of him, because Rebekah was the only person in this room who was utterly honest. She really was her aunt; would always be and Hope knew that.

"Hope why don't you go and have breakfast with Uncle Matt?" Caroline suggested and Matt nodded immediately.

"Yes, kid, how about pancakes?"

But Hope didn't want to go and held on to her aunt while she looked distrustfully at Klaus.

"Everything is fine." Rebekah assured her and even Klaus nodded.

"I promise you that I won't harm your aunt."

Hope looked at him as if she tried to read his mind like she had tried before, but hadn't managed to figure out what he was stinking. She looked at Caroline then, the most important person to her currently in that room.

"And mum?"

Klaus looked at Caroline. "I have never harmed her."

Caroline's stomach fluttered.

Hope seemed to be soothed and Matt quickly whisked her away.

Klaus turned to Rebekah. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"The only right thing: I support Caroline!"

"She did! Klaus, I couldn't have done it without her! You have no idea how hard it is to raise a kid on your own." Caroline defended Rebekah and Klaus didn't know what to say.

"Nik, what happened to 'family above all'? 'Always and Forever'?"

"After everything that you did, Rebekah!" He growled angrily referring to her betrayal when she sold him out to Mikael.

"Let me make it right again! Hope is my family and so are you. I love you, even though you have been such an ass! And I was the only one who always stood by you!"

"Klaus, Hope loves her! Please, think about your daughter!" Caroline pleaded.

"What a scheme Rebekah!" He snarled.

"It is no scheme you paranoid moron!" She yelled back at him.

"No!" Caroline agreed and kept defending Rebekah. "I went to her! I didn't know what to do, because Hope wouldn't eat. I was scared and I was alone. So I went to the only person I knew wouldn't harm her. Your sister; her aunt!"

Klaus stared at her and it was obvious that he tried to keep control.

However, he couldn't rip Rebekah from Hope's life, he knew that much. The kid would never ever forgive him if he did.

Two days later

Things had calmed down. Klaus kept avoiding his sister, but he didn't try to dagger her which was a progress, Caroline thought.

This afternoon Caroline saw that Hope was lounging on the couch. She was bored and simply flipped through one TV channel after the other. Flo obviously didn't have time for her today. Caroline bit her lip pondering. She looked at Klaus who was looking something up on the internet. She pursed her lips.

"Why don't you two get some ice-cream and get to know each other better?" Caroline suggested quietly looking from one to the other.

Hope raised an eyebrow and funnily Klaus mirrored the look, which made her struggle to suppress a smile. She had made it her mission to figure out every tiny bit that the two of them had in common.

"Why?" Hope asked a bit disinterested. She had become quite wary when it came to Klaus, ever since he had attacked Rebekah and there was one part in Hope that made her very very suspicious about Caroline's intentions. Why would she let her spend time alone with someone who had attacked her aunt? And why did she want her to get to know him? He was just passing through, wasn't he?

Caroline sighed. "Because I want you two out of the house to have some time for cleaning and you are both in my way." It wasn't entirely true, but she hoped that it would work.

Hope shrugged. She looked at Klaus.

Klaus looked warily at Caroline, who motioned for him to go with her.

Klaus swallowed. "Sure. Why not."

Hope groaned rolling her eyes. She could have spend the whole afternoon in front of the TV and now this…

On his way out Klaus looked at Caroline who whispered. "Come on Big Bad, you can do this."

He rolled his eyes.

Hope was already a few steps ahead f him, but he easily caught up with her. She didn't speak with him and he didn't think that she would make the first step which meant that he had to get a grip. Usually he would threaten her to force her, but this time he couldn't do such a thing. He had to be honest.

"I am sorry about your aunt. I really didn't mean to harm her. I have known her for a long time and we had a fight when we parted. I didn't think I would meet her here."

Hope cocked her eyebrows and stayed silent. No reason to go all 'Killer' on her.

Klaus sighed. "Look I promise you that we have resolved our issues. Do you think that we could at least try to get along?"

Hope bit her lips and tried to figure out what to do. After a while she shrugged. She could at least try to, but only because her mum seemed to want her to try.

"How did you get to know mum?" She asked curiously and she thought that a small smile passed Klaus' lips.

"It was quite some time ago. I…I was looking for a friend of hers."

Hope nodded. "And then you became friends?"

Klaus chuckled. "No, it wasn't that easy."

Hope looked really interested now and Klaus smiled amused.

"I had to save her life first."

Hope widened her eyes. "Really? Cool." She muttered.

Klaus couldn't help but smile. Cool.

"What's your favourite flavour?" She asked and Klaus was a bit taken aback.

"Hm?"

"Ice-cream. Your favourite ice-cream flavour."

"Uhm, well, I like lots of flavours."

"But what is your favourite one?" Hope pressed.

Klaus looked at her and thought about his favourite flavours. The first one that came to his mind was the ferreous taste of blood, but he didn't want to tell Hope that, so he kept thinking and then he remembered another flavour. And maybe that one really was his favourite flavour. His favourite scent that he also found in Caroline's hair.

"Peaches."

Hope grinned. "Mine too!"

She waved at a few kids.

"You have lots of friends." He stated, but Hope shook her head.

"Not, really. But Flo is my best friend and that's all I need."

"Why don't you like Aunt Rebekah?" She suddenly asked.

Klaus huffed. "I don't hate her, if that is what you mean. I have really known her my whole life and…and I…she's very important to me." Klaus not wanting to lie; not to her.

Hope frowned. "Huh?"

"I'll tell you that story another time, okay?" He was desperate for a change of subject.

Hope shrugged. Adults!

After a while of silence. "Niklaus, can I ask you something?"

"You can call me, Nik, if you like. And yes, you can."

"You're not the guy from the phone calls, are you?"

He frowned. "I am not sure I can follow you."

"Look, mum has always had her phone with her, because this guy would always call her and I really think she liked those calls, but now you are here and she isn't looking at her phone anymore every five minutes, so I thought I put two and two together." She smirked cheekily and Klaus huffed.

So she was smart. Too smart? What else would she figure out?

He had the feeling that she saw right through him. Something that only Caroline seemed to have managed to do so far.

He licked his lips. "Well, would you be disappointed if I was?"

Hope squinted. "Depends…Are you married to another woman and have a child with her?"

A few days later

Caroline had made herself comfortable on the porch swing with a book in her hands. Her naked foot was tapping in mid air to an inaudible musical tune. Life was good.

And somehow she had started to feel extremely better since Klaus had come back into her life. Even though she was still afraid and waiting for the moment that he would use to change her life forever and take Hope with him down to New Orleans.

But in those moments, when he was close enough to touch, she just wanted to stretch out her itching fingers, but she didn't dare to.

She sighed and tried to concentrate on her book again. Come on Clare Abshire, let me be part of your world for a little while, she asked turning the page and feeling the same longing that the protagonist felt.

After one or two hours she heard Hope's laughter reaching her ears from the street. Flo and her had been riding through the streets with their scooters and skateboards.

Everything was fine.

"Don't forget to copy me that CD!" Hope called to Flo before they parted.

"I'll do that now! Bye, Hope!"

Caroline heard the squeaking of the garden gate and noted that it could need some oiling. She would do that later.

"Hey mum."

"Hi." Caroline said while she finished reading the sentence she had just started.

Hope walked towards her. "What are you reading?"

"I am…" Caroline looked up and gasped. "Hope!" She jumped to her feet forgetting the book that fell onto the floor. Caroline came close to Hope and wanted to touch her, but she pulled her hands back. "What happened? Oh my god!" The familiar feeling of panic put strong ropes around her lungs and pulled tight.

Hope frowned and stayed totally calm, while her mother seemed to freak out. "Mum…"

"Get inside, come on." Caroline quickly ushered her inside. "Klaus!" She called when they entered the hallway. "Oh my god! Niklaus!"

"Mum! Calm down, it's just a little sunburn, nothing to worry about!"

Klaus descended the stairs to figure out what the commotion was all about. He quickly took in the scene. Hope's face and arms were bright red and Caroline looked helplessly at him, keeping her distance, because she was afraid to touch her.

"What is going on?" Hope demanded to know, when she saw how Caroline looked at Klaus who came closer to examine her.

"We…we have to put something onto that." Caroline said and tried to think about what to organize first. "I…I could get something from the store…I…"

"Sweetheart." Klaus put his hands onto her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. "Calm down! -Does it hurt?" He asked Hope who shook her head and shrugged being still oblivious to what had caused Caroline so much stress.

"No, I feel fine. Seriously, everybody gets burned someday, right?"

Caroline held her breath.

Klaus hesitated. "Well, most of the people, yes. Why don't you lie down a bit. I'll get you something you can put onto that."

Caroline stared at him flabbergasted, but Hope just shrugged. "Okay." She left for the living room, while Klaus gently pushed Caroline into the kitchen.

Before Klaus could ask about her distress Caroline already hissed. "Did you see her? She could have burned up! What if she had caught fire and burned down into a pile of ashes?" Caroline pulled at her hair. "Oh my god, the sun was never an issue! I wouldn't even have noticed! Does she need a daylight ring?" Caroline whimpered when Klaus grabbed her hands to pull them out of her hair.

"Sweetheart, calm down." It actually stirred something tender inside of him to see her worry so much about his daughter's life. She would probably risk her life for the girl and that was something that he could never repay her. "She's is neither in pain, nor did she burst into flames. Didn't you tell me that she is only developing her nature? What about her wounds?"

Caroline frowned trying to remember what she had told him. "They wouldn't heal at first."

"What about her strength and hearing?"

"That is only just becoming stronger."

"What about her fangs?"

Caroline shrugged. "I don't know if she already has them." Suddenly she got the meaning. "Oh! You mean that this is some sort of development? Like…like puberty or something?"

Klaus shrugged. "To tell the truth, love, I have no idea. You might want to ask Rebekah about that."

Caroline stared at him, but when she saw his smile she realised that he had made a joke and Caroline chuckled half heartedly.

"I will get her a daylight ring, just in case and even something to put onto the wounds, okay?"

Caroline looked at him with a sweet relieved smile and she was very aware of the hand that rubbed soothingly over her arm.

"I'll only be an hour or two."

She nodded. "Thank you…Niklaus."

He smirked at her and left behind a tingling sensation in the air, when he left the house.

Caroline sighed. What a mess!

She prepared a few towels with cold water and walked into the living room.

"Here, put them onto your arms."

"What was that all about?" Hope asked.

"I just…overreacted…sorry."

Hope shook her head. Sometimes everyone just acted strange, especially her mother and her aunt.

Caroline settled down next to Hope on the couch and tried to shake off the confusing mix of feelings of worry, relief and gratitude towards Klaus. He had been so calm, when he was probably worrying himself. It would soon be time that Hope got to know about her real heritage.

"So what do you think about Niklaus? You get along okay?" Caroline asked Hope who nodded.

"He talks funny, but sometimes he is really scary. He has this look when you don't know what is about to happen next."

"I know, but he doesn't mean it." Caroline quickly said and she knew that she was lying. Most of the time Klaus did mean every kill, but she couldn't let Hope know that.

"Nik told me he saved your life."

"What!?" Caroline's eyes widened.

"Did he?"

"Yes, but…" Caroline groaned. That charming hybrid had turned the whole story around once again and of course left out the most important parts of him being the one who would her in danger first. "Yes. He can be nice when he wants to be." She grumbled between her teeth.

Hope nodded.

The wheels turned inside of Caroline's brain. "Wait a second. Nik told you?"

"I am allowed to call him that. Aunt Bekah does and I think it sounds cool."

Caroline grimaced. Of course it does.

"I think he has a crush on you."

Caroline choked. "What!?"

Hope grinned. "He is always staring at you and he told me how beautiful you looked on your first date and your prom and graduation."

Caroline's jaw dropped.

The book Caroline is reading is "The Time Traveller's Wife", if you want to know.=)