A/N
Based on my fanfiction "Getting to know you".
It got a little longer than expected but I hope you will enjoy it.
"So what do you think?" Sixteen year old Hope stood in front of the mirror and asked her.
Rebekah shifted her gaze from the magazine and looked at her beautiful niece's reflection in the mirror. She was unconsciously smoothing her dress which was a pretty shade of blue and reached just above her knees leaving her long slender legs bare. Her long wavy brown hair just like her mother's fell just above her waist. She was looking more and more like Hayley except for her eyes which reminded Rebekah of her brother's mischievous plotting schemes.
"You look lovely honey" Rebekah said while getting up from that lying position on hope's bed and went to her.
"Here" she handed her a set of earrings.
"This is beautiful aunt Bekah" Hope squealed and said "where did you get it from?"
"It was in our family for generations. Your mother had the bracelet and matching necklace which will be yours when you grow up. Come let me help you" Rebekah helped her niece put the earrings on.
"Is it strange that I miss mom?" Hope asked looking at her in the reflection in the mirror while Rebekah clamped the earring.
"No honey why would you think that?" Rebekah asked in surprise voice
"I don't remember her anymore you know. Just some vague memories. You and daddy and uncle Kol is all I have" Hope said with some sadness in her voice
"Even if your mom and dad are not with you Hope, you will always be part of their lives. You are part of them. You can never forget them" Rebekah leaned over and kissed her niece and then smiled and stepped back "Okay perfect, now ready. Put on your sandals. I have to meet Kaleb after dropping you off at the party"
"Hmmm Kaleb what third time this week! Seems like someone is falling for someone" Hope said mischievously looking up while strapping her sandals.
"Weelll may be" Rebekah smiled at her niece and then asked with a little note of seriousness "where is Elijah?"
Hope got up and straightened her clothes and said with a smile on her face "He is on a date"
"Really! Who may I ask?" Rebekah was intrigued that her brother had finally decided to go on a date.
"He didn't tell me. I asked and believe me I asked but he wouldn't budge" Hope told her and then said "Okay I am ready"
Rebekah looked at her niece and said "you look pretty. So your first valentine party! Do I need to tell you anything?"
Hope laughed and said "No aunt Bekah I know all about birds and bees"
Rebekah laughed at the memory of when Hope had asked that question for the first time and the look on Elijah's face, she will never be able to get it out her mind.
They got out and while on the way to the party she commented "do you know uncle Kol is on a date too?"
"Hmm I would have known that my brother will not let this opportunity go away" Rebekah said keeping her eyes on the road.
She stopped the car at her friend Tracy's house. Hope got out. Rebekah leaned in and said "Have fun and I love you"
She saw her going into Tracy's house and then drove away smiling looking forward to her plan with Kaleb.
Hope entered the party and smiled at people. Then she spotted Tracy in lip lock with Tyler. She zoomed to them. She coughed realizing them that she is there. Tyler looked at her from head to foot and said "You look lovely Hope"
"Why thank you Tyler? You cleaned up nice too" Hope said jokingly and doing a fake courtesy.
"Hey what happened? You are late" Tracy said
"No, I am not" Hope said
"Yes you are look 10 minutes late" she said looking at her wrist watch
Hope laughed and rolled her eyes at her friend's exaggeration and said "Okay I will get something to drink"
She made her way to the drinks table and was about to pour herself a drink when someone asked "Here, have this one"
She turned and stared into the most blue eyes she had ever scene and a charming smile and said with a smile "It is okay I will have this one"
Her aunt's word rang in her ears 'never ever take a drink from someone's hand unless you know where it came from'
"Alright then, I will have this one then" the boy smiled at her with that charming smile that made dimples appear on his cheek.
"My name is Henry" He extended his hand to her
Hope looked at his hand and then took it and said "Hope"
"Would you like to dance?" He asked her after a couple of minutes of silence
"I don't dance" Hope said smiling
"Okay then we can chat" Henry said.
"Does this taste funny to you?" Hope asked him after taking a sip from her glass
"No, why?" Henry took the sip from his glass
"Nothing. So how do you know Taylor" Hope asked
"Who?" Henry asked distractedly
"The girl whose house you are in" Hope said with exasperation
"Oh. A friend of a friend or something" Henry said.
Hope looked at him sideways. There was something about him that was bothering her. All those warnings indications from Rebekah started coming in her mind. She put her glass down after a while and said "Will you excuse me"
Henry turned to her and said with a charming smile "Okay I will see you around"
He held her hand and pressed it.
Hope walked away from him. She went to stand with Tyler and Taylor. "Who is that Taylor?" Hope asked her friend
"Who?" Taylor looked at where she was pointing but it was Tyler who said "Oh he is a friend of my friend Ben. You know Ben right?"
"Hmm" Hope said and then shifted her gaze to the dancing people.
Suddenly she felt dizzy. She looked around in alarm and saw that Tyler and Taylor have moved on the dance floor. She grabbed the back of a chair to steady herself when she felt someone holding her arm and whispering "I have got you"
Someone was taking her upstairs. She tried to resist but the hold on her arm was really strong.
Everything was hazy to her. Someone pushed her on the bed and said "Now where will you go?"
"Henry?" She asked disoriented
"Yes and now I will teach you the consequences of rejecting me" Henry laughed maliciously.
"You drugged me" Hope said with indignation
"Yes I did love" Henry said
Hearing love from his mouth made Hope sick and she snapped "Don't call me that".
She got up but felt dizzy and fell down. Then she felt him falling on her. She screamed and tried to push her off but Henry was more powerful than her. She scratched his face with her nail. He yelled "you bitch". He put his hands on thigh and moved them up under her dress. Hope screamed and kicked but Henry pulled at her dress neck which caused it to rip. Hope managed to kick him with all her strength which caused him to stumble back and hit the knob of the door. Hope got up, saw him fall on the carpet listlessly and hastily took out her cell and pressed 1 on her speed dial when the door banged open and two boys entered the room. One of them looked at Henry lying unconsciously bleeding from his head and then advance to Hope who screamed …
Elijah kissed Cami on her neck and snuggled against her. He leaned back and looked into her eyes and said "Are you sure? I am still a vampire and you are still a human"
"Yes I am sure Elijah. It has taken you 10 years to ask me on date so don't spoil it by these lame sentences" Cami smiled and kissed him.
"Happy valen…" Elijah was cut off when his cell rang. He saw her name on the caller ID and smiled. He detangled himself from Cami and picked up and said with a smile on his face"I thought girls stay …."
"Daddy…." He heard her panicked voice and then her scream. Elijah felt his heart stopping. He jumped up and before Cami could say anything he ran out saying "Hope!"
But there was just screaming of his niece and words "No, please don't…"
Elijah ran to Taylor house in his vamp speed where he knew the party will be. He banged open the door and looked around. It was so noisy, music was blaring in the top volume that he couldn't hear her first and then he heard her whimpers. He headed to the sound and banged the door open. She was struggling with two boys. Elijah whooshed in and pulled those boys away from her. HE didn't know but his fangs came out. The boys noticed that and they panicked and ran away. Elijah turned to Hope who was cowering in the corner.
Hope looked up at him with this wild look in her eyes and hugged him. The tears starting falling her eyes. Elijah eyes travelled to her torn dress, her disheveled hair and scar on her neck, the bruise on her arm and he took of his jacket and put it on her and engulfed her in his arms. He picked her up and put her on the bed. "I think I killed him" Hope said into his chest
"Who?" Elijah suddenly pushed her away and asked
"That boy who tried to…" Hope couldn't finish her sentence and pointed at Henry's unconscious body
Elijah looked around and for the first time noticed that boy on the ground bleeding. He whooshed to him leaving Hope surprised and still in shock. He checked him and then bit his wrist. He put his wrist near the boy's lips ignoring the gasp escaped from Hope's mouth. The boy stirred and opened his eyes. Elijah looked into his eyes and said
"Go away and forget about everything that happened here and never ever come near her again. Otherwise I will kill you myself"
Henry didn't need telling twice. He got up and left.
Elijah turned to Hope who had one hand on her mouth and the other on her stomach. Her tears had stopped falling perhaps in shock of just she had witnessed.
He went to her and picked her up. He went down and carried her through the crowd. Some of the kids noticed them while the others kept doing what they were doing.
He put her in the car and drove home. He looked at her side ways. She had her eyes shut and the tears were falling from them. He held her hand which were in her lap and squeezed it and said "everything will be okay"
Hope just shook her head keeping her eyes closed.
On reaching the compound Elijah took her to her room and put her under the covers on her bed and then kissed her on her forehead. He was about to leave when she held his hand and said "daddy please stay"
Elijah looked at her shattered face and nodded. He scooted the only chair in her room near her bed and sat down with her. Hope held his arm and closed her eyes hugging his jacket that she was still wearing. Elijah looked at the face of his 16 years old niece whom he had raised like his own and the image of all those endless nights when a 3 year old Hope would not let him leave his room and relived the accident that took the life of her mother came to his mind
In a couple of minutes he realized that she had gone to sleep from her rhythmic breathing sounds. He took off his shoes and straightened his legs on her bed and closed his eyes too.
His cell rang which caused Hope to stir. He squeezed her hand and picked up the cell and saw it was Rebekah "Is she home?" Rebekah asked as soon as he picked up the phone.
Elijah swallowed hard and nodded and said "yes"
"Okay then, I will be late" Rebekah told him mischievously and cut him off.
Elijah looked at her and then closed his eyes again and soon he was sleeping too.
The next morning when Hope woke up, the sun light was coming in her room. She saw Elijah sitting on the chair holding her hand. Suddenly she remember everything and she gasped and sat up waking Elijah.
"Hey hey are you okay?" Elijah asked her with extreme concern.
Hope hugged her knees and started crying.
Elijah sat next to her and held her head and kissed her.
Rebekah had just come back from Kaleb. She smiled at the memory of last night and peeked into her room to see how her night was
"Hope sweetie how was…." She trailed off when she saw Hope crying itno Elijah's chest.
"What happened?" she got alarmed and rushed to her.
"Why did this happen to me?" Hope didn't listen to her aunt and asked Elijah still holding him from the front of his shirt.
"Hope, it was not your fault" Elijah said looking at her and then he turned to Rebekah who gasped. Living for 1000 years had taught Rebekah a lot. She suddenly understood what had happened.
Hope suddenly remembered something else as she pushed herself away from Elijah and said with indignation "You bit you wrist and fed him"
Elijah looked into her eyes with exasperation. "You turned" Rebekah asked him in surprise
"He was about to die Rebekah" Elijah snapped at her which made her gasp.
"What is going on here?" Hope asked them in confusion.
"First tell me what happened sweetie" Rebekah went to the other side of the bed and sat next to her
Hope told them everything crying and hiccupping. When she finished she just broke down and started crying uncontrollably.
"I am going to break his neck" They heard Kol's angry voice from the door. They were so absorbed in that terrible story that they need hear him come in.
"No Kol, he almost died so I healed him and compelled him. He will not approach Hope again" Eljiah said sternly.
"Compelled?" Even in this distress Hope's mind registered this word.
Rebekah looked at Elijah and said "I think she needs to know. It was a near miss today. She needs to be ready for future if ever she face such a situation"
Elijah said "No, I promised Niklaus…"
Rebekah cut him off and said "I know and we will keep that promise but she needs to know"
Eljah looked at his innocent niece and sighed. He knew that they will have to tell her someday but he was never ready for this day.
"Tell me what aunt Bekah?" Hope looked at her aunt's face with confusion.
"Hope honey what I am about to tell you, you have to listen with calm and open mind" Rebekah looked at Kol who had come into the room again and then at Elijah, took a deep breath and said "Your daddy, me, your uncle we are not human"
"What do you mean you are not human" Hope asked laughing
"We are vampires. In fact we are the first vampires in the history. Once we were human a 1000 years ago but then our village fell prey to a terrible disease which took lives of many of our friends so our father forced our mother who was a witch to make us immortal so that we dont die but with this immortality came a price- the price of our humanity, the thirst for human blood and with that the first vampires in the history were made. Now your father Niklaus, my brother, was a werewolf. We didn't know then but when Nik made his first kill as a vampire we got to know that he was not our real brother. Our mother had an affair with a chief of a werewolf clan that used to live near our village. She hid the fact from all of us until that very night" Rebekah stopped and looked at Elijah who had gotten up and gone to the window and was looking out.
Elijah could still picture his brother tied on the stake when their parents stripped him of his powers.
He turned when he heard Rebekah continuing "he was a hybrid – part werewolf and part vampire. He was the first and the only hybrid in the history. Now your mother was a werewolf who had not triggered her gene. Now honey werewolves can have kids just like human and just like werewolves hybrids can have kids because they werewolves too and that is how you were born. Vampires on the other hand cannot have kids. Every werewolf's child carries a gene which when triggered makes them fully grown werewolf and the trigger is the kill of another human. Kill can be accidental or intentional. Are you understand what I am saying Hope?" Rebekah touched her cheek gently
"You are joking right?" Hope asked her whose tears had stopped falling from the shock of hearing everything and then turned to Kol and Elijah to confirm her suspicions
"I wish I were honey. I wish I didn't have to tell you all of this but you need to know. What happened tonight can never happen again. Do you understand?" Rebekah looked into her eyes and said "I wouldn't mind you kicking someone's ass if you need too but you must not trigger your gene"
"No, no that cannot be. I am not. I cannot be… " Hope said with shock
"I am afraid you are. You are Nik's daughter. You are prone to get the gene from him or from your mother and none of us want…" Rebekah looked at Kol and Elijah but she was cut off
"You are making all this up so that I don't go to any of these parties again. I will not I promise but don't say all of this" Hope said desperately.
Elijah stepped up and sat next to her "Hope love, no matter what, we will always love you and protect you. Always and forever". He bent forward and kissed her.
Hope looked at her uncle's sad face and then her gaze moved to Kol who was distressed too and then to Rebekah whose tears were falling down now and she realized that she was crying too.
Hope leaned in and hugged Elijah and said "Daddy I am so scared"
"I know love but we are with you in each step of your life. Do you understand me?" Elijah said into her hair and hugged her back.
Hope nodded and smiled sadly into his chest.