It is that time of the year again, when the whole family gathers at a Christmas Eve feast. A family usually says its prayers and eats their food, but that is not the case with the Mikaelsons. Everyone has things to worry about this night and what Christmas Day is going to bring them.

Rebekah no longer cares about doing anything more for Christmas, making everyone feel disappointed that they don't have a tree. Klaus is fearful of what Christmas Eve is going to bring to him. What kind of future will Ansel show him? Hayley is going to be hard to convince to join the feast, as Finn comes face to face with his family, supported by Camille. Gia decides to come to the feast, making Elijah uncomfortable as Kol is having a hard time believing that Davina is seeing the real Kaleb.

December 24th

The day before came by like a blur. When Klaus woke up the next morning, he could barely believe that he had survived the night. But this was going to be far different than before. This day was going to be different than yesterday. He sighed and turned around to see her, but she was not in bed. Startled, he stood up, just as he heard the door open and Hayley was now coming out of the bathroom. She had taken the time to take a shower and comb her hair. Seeing her, showered, with a wonderful scent and just a white towel covering up her exquisite body, was making him feel something he has not felt in a couple of days. "Good morning." She whispered politely to him. "Good morning." He responded.

Her voice was different and she sounded almost disappointed. He got out of bed and went into the bathroom, slamming the door shut after him. Hayley rolled her eyes of the way he was starting to mimic her. How much of a married couple were they starting to look like? She was trying hard not to think about the word, "married". She would never get that happily ever after that she wanted. Finishing brushing her hair, she got dressed for the day. Rebekah had just sent her a text. I am going out. I need some fresh air from this hellhole. Hayley smiled and shook her head sadly, feeling sorry for her. What about the Christmas Eve feast? We are still having that, aren't we? Rebekah replied at once. Yeah, we will, but I already cooked all the food. The people who come tonight will have to please themselves. I am not even sure that I will be there. Hayley gasped when she read that and wrote back. Don't say that. You have to be there. You are planning on leaving me alone with Klaus. Please spare me the torture! A while came before she responded. Fine. I have to go now. Bye. Have a nice day!

Klaus had the water running for a while before he stepped into the shower. He could not hear her doing anything, with his hybrid hearing, but she certainly hadn't left the room because he would have heard that too. What would happen tonight? What about what Ansel told him? Will he be able to get through Christmas? Facing Hayley now would be more than difficult, after hearing her confession. She told Rebekah that she is in love with him. How could she be? This seemed all too impossible. Klaus let the warm water seep through his hair and thought about her choice of words. She poured her heart out.

"I want to be loved. I think I deserve it. I don't want to be known as his one night stand or the mother of his child. I want to be known as…the woman he loves because I know that he feels something for me just as I feel something for me. But he just won't give in. He lives with me and treats me like he has treated every single lover in his past life: no commitment, no nothing. Just the sex part which is driving me insane. I want everything. I want the whole package and I...I could have had that with Elijah. Elijah is a wonderful guy and he would have given me love and everything but…I can't help if I am in love with Klaus!" He was thinking that she still had Elijah on her mind, after all this time. The thought of the holidays reminded him of the indiscretion between his brother and Hayley from last year and his eyes closed tightly, trying to forget completely. He could finally hear her walk around the room for a while. She was searching for something in the closet, he was sure of that. He closed the water and walked out of the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around him. "What the bloody hell are you doing?" he asked her, when he heard all the noise.

She was not looking at him. "Hayley, answer me!" "I am not doing anything! I was simply looking for a Christmas sweater I bought for myself. It's something that will sure as hell help me feel a lot better than I am feeling now. What a joyful Christmas Eve this is going to be!" she yelled out at him, slamming the closet door shut and leaving the room. Klaus stood there, nearly shaking his head and then finally, he decided that he would return to his shower. This was going to be a pathetic day, but tonight was going to be the biggest one of the year.

Rebekah had texted Hayley, telling her that she needed some time for herself for a while. She knew that Hayley knew her real troubles. Marcel. She could no longer stand to be so close to him and after he had come to speak to her the other night, she had been feeling more vulnerable. Walking down Bourbon Street, Rebekah caught sight of two people, who seemed more and more like a couple now. Finn and Cami were walking, talking and laughing together. "That little bastard." Rebekah mumbled under her breath and walked up to the two of them. "So, this is how it is going to be now, Finn? You're just going to turn your back on your family?" she asked him. Finn was shocked for a moment and wanted to say something but Cami spoke up. "Rebekah, he has been having a hard time." "Are you his spokesperson?"

She didn't always snap at Cami like that but right now, it was something that concerned one of her brothers. "Rebekah, I thought that I was not wanted in this family after what I've put you through." "It has been a year, Finn. I am sure that everyone has wanted to see you so we can all just make amends for the sake of our niece." Finn nodded and whispered, "How is she?" "As if you care!" "Like you said, she is my niece so I care." Rebekah bit her lip and whispered, "Hope is just fine, when she is away from the people who have tried to hurt her." She stated matter-of-factly. "I would never think about harming her. She is my blood. Remember that, Rebekah." Finn told her, calmly. Rebekah stood there for a moment before nodding. "So, you are going to prove to your family that you have changed? Start by coming to the Christmas Eve feast I have arranged for tonight." Cami smiled and nodded. "He will be there and so will I." "Great! Because I am sure it will turn out to be a splendid evening!" Rebekah exclaimed with a roll of her eyes before leaving them.

Finn gently shook his head. "I am sorry you had to witness that, Camille. She can be so stubborn sometimes, but after what she has been through, I can understand her this time." Cami took his hand and they started walking again. "She has been pretty stressed lately. No one has done much to help her with the Christmas preparations, the Christmas trees are all out of stock and she and Marcel broke up again." Finn rolled his eyes. "These two never catch a break, do they?" "No, they don't. They are the forbidden lovers after all." Camille suddenly groaned when she saw who was coming up their way. "What's wrong?" Finn asked her. "Davina. She and her new date, Kaleb." Finn chuckled. "It would seem that she can't really move on from the charming Kaleb face to the Kol one." "No. I know what she is planning. She is using Kaleb to make Kol jealous and that is driving me insane." Camille explained.

Gia had slept badly that night after the discussion she had with Elijah. She felt really bad about it for some reason. Her intention was not to make him feel bad, but she had to tell him what everyone thought of him sleeping with his brother's baby momma and who happens to be his brother's current love interest. It was shameful and she was jealous of that, she was not ashamed to admit it to herself. But she was never going to admit that in front of Elijah. Yesterday, she had made a pact with herself that she was going to forget all about her dead husband, Mark, but she was not going to move on to another man that quickly. It took time. And only now, on this day, on Christmas Eve, did she realize that she had made a huge mistake by making out with Elijah that day during training.

There was a knock on the young vampire's door and she immediately went over there to see who it was. She was hoping on some miracle that she would find an old relative at her door, someone who would recognize her as part of the family and take her in again. Someone who would care to spend Christmas with her. But at the door, stood the one and only handsome man, Elijah. She couldn't believe that she couldn't shake him out of her life. "What are you doing here?" she asked him at once. "I came here to apologize." "Please, don't. You don't have to apologize for anything." "Not even for the mistake I made a year ago?" "You should be apologizing to your brother, not to me about sleeping with the love of his life." Gia told him and finally let him enter. "There was nothing going on between Niklaus and Hayley at that time." "Still, you're afraid to face your brother about it. Why would you be? It's like you said. There was nothing going on between them a year ago so why be afraid to face him?"

"Because, he has been protective of Hayley lately and I can see the way he looks at her. I know how much anger he holds for me for what I have done. I cannot bear the thought…" Elijah stopped talking as Gia cut him off. "I say that it's Christmas and he should forgive you." "There is nothing to forgive. Only to talk." "Then talk and get out!" Gia snapped, losing her patience with him. Elijah looked at her more before whispering, "I would like for you to attend Christmas Eve with me and help me talk to my brother about the situation, something I have felt guilty about for a year now." "I am not sure that I want to go anywhere. I just want to be alone…and why would I help you anyway?" she asked him. "Please. I need your help, Gia." Elijah whispered. She stood there, thinking long and hard. "And no one should be alone on Christmas. You come with me so you can have a good time." Elijah explained his wishes more to her, finally making Gia cave in and accept going with him.

…

Festive, indeed and Rebekah had settled with nothing less that night. The Mikaelson Christmas Eve party had started pretty early and the whole family was attending. Hayley was asked by Rebekah to act the hostess until she came home, if she would come home. "Where is she, love?" Klaus whispered in her ear when she was arranging the plates on the table. "I don't know. But with the way things are going, I don't think that she is going to come at all. This is the shittiest Christmas I have ever had. I can only imagine what she must be feeling after she has been ignored for days, unappreciated and dumped by the man she loves." Klaus chuckled. "She has not been dumped. She is the one who decided to end the relationship, but of course you would put it your way to make her feel better, little wolf." He paid no attention to what she said that this was the worst Christmas of her life. Hayley rolled her eyes and tried to put it out of her mind so she could greet the guests, but she couldn't. She felt a pinch in her heart when he said that. "Marcel has been disinvited so he is no longer welcome!" Hayley finally told him and placed the huge turkey that Rebekah cooked, on the table. Klaus arranged his tie in front of the mirror in the kitchen and frowned. "And who may I ask, disinvited him?" "Who do you think?"

Klaus smirked and shook his head. "Seeing as how Rebekah is not playing the hostess tonight, I have the liberty of inviting whoever I want in my house." Hayley smiled for a moment but then chose to fade it as she whispered, "You are forgetting that Rebekah left me in charge, which means that I am the hostess, which means that I get to invite whoever I want and to keep out whoever I please." She moved away from him and looked in the mirror, hoping that she was going to be shown a more splendid image of herself. She looked pretty down with the weather and she was feeling that way too. Hope was in her crib and smiling at both of her parents when they entered the nursery.

Hayley picked her up in her arms and started rocking her gently and making her squeal and giggle. "You love that, don't you?" she asked Hope but the little baby was more distracted, looking at her father. Klaus smirked and came forward, taking Hope away from her. "It seems that she prefers to be with her father now, don't you, littlest wolf?" he asked her and kissed her forehead, making Hayley's heart flutter when he saw the image of a father loving his child, no matter how much of a jerk he was to her mother. The doorbell rung and Hayley had just finished adding up everything in the kitchen. "Maybe it's Rebekah and she changed her mind." Hayley whispered. She went to the door and looked disappointed when she saw Gia and Elijah standing there, looking exquisitely elegant.

She had not seen Elijah for a couple of days now and with the recent events with Klaus, Hayley was glad that she was seeing him again. "Hey, where have you been?" Hayley asked him, noticing the firm grip he had on Gia. "I have been taking care of a couple of problems but I trust that you and Niklaus have been doing well without me." Elijah said smiling but Klaus stepped to the door at that moment and wrapped his arm around Hayley's waist, pulling her closer to him. "You cannot even imagine how well it has been without you, brother." Hayley didn't want to be in the middle of a fight and gently pulled Gia away to the kitchen as Klaus and Elijah remained in the doorway, staring at one another. "I see that you have found a distraction for Hayley." Klaus whispered, smirking, but he was not in the mood to laugh.

Elijah frowned at his brother and pointed a finger at him. "Gia is here as my guest and she is not a distraction for anyone. She is a woman that I have deep feelings for." "I am sure you do, brother." "Niklaus, I don't think that now is the best time. I have been meaning to talk to you face to face about last year but…" Klaus pushed him out in the snow as he came too and shut the door behind them. "Let me get one thing clear to you, brother. When you set foot in that house, you are my guest, do you understand? You do not dare to talk to me like you're superior." "That is not what I am doing." "Then you will understand that I have no interest in hearing about your relationship with Hayley." "Niklaus, there is nothing going on between me and Hayley." "You may choose to believe that, but I don't. I know all about last year and what you dared to do with my child in the same house, under the same roof, as Rebekah and I were off, trying to save both of your lives. You decided to get hot and heavy behind my back." "We were emotional and she was about to get married to a man that she didn't love. I was under a lot of pressure as well with what Mother was doing to me. I was not thinking…" "The damn right you weren't." Elijah refused to say anything afterwards and Klaus stepped menacingly towards him, whispering, "Hayley is mine." "Niklaus…" The door opened at that moment and there stood Hayley.

"What is going on here?" she asked, confused by the way Klaus looked like he was ready to kill his brother. "I think that we are done here, Elijah." Klaus told him, with spite in his voice, as he turned around and headed back inside. Hayley could see from the distance that other people were approaching too. Kol, Kaleb, Davina, Cami and Finn were now coming and were waiting to get a taste of what this feast had to offer. Hayley put her hands on her hips and faced Elijah. "Are you going to tell me what happened or will I have to figure it out for myself?" "It's about what happened between us last year near Christmas." A blush appeared on Hayley's cheeks as she remembered. "Klaus is angry about that? Why?" she asked, surprised. Elijah rubbed his forehead and whispered, "I have no idea, Hayley."

The people who were invited came inside soon and neither one of them looked happy. Hayley could notice that she and Rebekah were not the only ones that were having the worst Christmas possible. Hope was the only sweetheart in the house who was keeping the family alive with her laughter and squeals which made everyone smile. Finn was feeling uncomfortable, receiving dirty looks from all of his brothers. Kol was chewing angrily as he watched Kaleb put a hand on Davina's leg at the table. Gia seemed to be lost in space as Elijah was receiving angry looks from Klaus from time to time. Cami was looking at Hayley nervously while she was eating, as if she was afraid that the whole table would explode eventually. The meal was quiet and neither Rebekah nor Marcel had attended that night.

There was nothing really to talk about. After they ate, they chose to depart quietly. Kol decided that he would stay but Finn would not even think about it, deciding to spend the night at Camille's place. Elijah was staying too, since it was his family's home and wanted Gia to stay with him for Christmas night but she refused and went home. As Davina and Kaleb left the house, they seemed to be distancing themselves more and more. "I am so sorry, Hayley." Cami whispered to her, before hugging her tightly. Hayley accepted the embrace and nodded. "Yeah, what the hell? We got this over with. Let's just hope and pray for a miracle tomorrow on Christmas morning that everything will be okay." Camille slightly smiled before leaving. The house nearly looked empty as Elijah and Kol have both locked themselves up in their rooms. Klaus came over to her side and brushed his finger against her shoulder.

Hayley turned around and snapped, "What do you want?" "Hope needs to be tucked in." Klaus responded just as firmly, as the two parents went to the nursery. Hope was still smiling and Hayley gently rocked her and fed her, telling her that Santa Clause was going to bring her plenty of presents. Klaus stood at the door and watched them both, with a saddened look on his face. When he and Hayley finally returned to their bedroom, they felt completely estranged. They didn't even say goodnight to each other, much less wish one another a Merry Christmas. It was Christmas, but not at all merry.

…

Ansel shook his awake at once, making it impossible for him to sleep even a wink. "This is your last night. I trust that you had a pleasant Christmas Eve." Ansel said to him with a smile as Klaus got out of bed. "Oh, you have to be kidding me!" He groaned. He looked back towards the sleeping Hayley and got a feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What is going on now? Where are we going?" Klaus asked him. "I told you. We are going to take a look at how your future looks like with you remaining the way you are." Ansel made Klaus link his arm with his and they were off, being dropped off on the streets of New Orleans. It was Christmas, Klaus knew that, but the streets looked very different. "What year is this?" Klaus suddenly asked as he looked around. "Around 2034, almost 2035." Ansel replied.

"We passed 20 years?" Klaus whispered. "Yes, we did." At once, Klaus could see someone familiar walking through the snow. Even after 20 years, she remained the beautiful hybrid girl he knew. She was and will always be his little wolf. She was dressed in a red mermaid dress with a black overcoat. "Hayley." Klaus murmured as he watched her look at her phone as she walked. "What is she doing? Where is she going?" Klaus asked Ansel. "Just watch." He told him. Hayley looked up from her phone and smiled as she saw someone from behind Klaus. The Original Hybrid turned around and his mouth dropped as he saw his brother, Elijah, standing behind him, dressed for winter, waiting for Hayley. "What is going on here?" Klaus asked. He watched as Hayley went over to Elijah and placed a kiss on his lips. Klaus shook his head and looked away. "I don't believe this!" he growled.

"Believe what you want, Niklaus but it's the way it is." "How is it possible that she is with Elijah after 20 years? What about me? Where will I be? Where is Gia?" Klaus asked him, anger flowing through him. Ansel sighed and whispered, "You pushed Hayley away for good. After you found out about that confession that she loves you, you humiliated her by turning her down in front of the whole family on New Year's Eve in 2014." "What? I couldn't have done that!" Klaus insisted. "But you did…to protect your pride. You did it in front of all your vampire friends. After that, Marcel lost all the respect he ever had for you. You lost him as a friend. Gia…let's just say that she is no longer in this world." "What do you mean? What happened?" "After you humiliated Hayley, she broke down and as usual, Elijah was there to help her. Gia had given her heart to another man, to Elijah himself, only to have it broken the minute Hayley and him slept together again. She was desperate for affection after the way you broke her. After she found out that Elijah slept with Hayley again, Gia could no longer mend her broken heart. She drove a stake through her heart one night and killed herself."

Klaus could not believe what he was hearing. "What are you telling me? It is my fault that Gia killed herself?" "She was depressed. She had already lost her husband, having to witness the man who helped heal her; sleep with another woman was too much for her. Of course, Hayley would have never slept with Elijah if you hadn't done what you did. Now, after so many years, your brother and Hayley are together again." Ansel said and Klaus looked away. "Take me away. I can't stand to see any more of this. Where is my daughter? Where is Hope? What happened to her?" "After you humiliated Hayley like that, she has been incapable to care for your daughter and Rebekah had to swoop in and take care of her. Eventually, Rebekah raised her for the past 20 years, taking Hayley's role in her life as her mother, having the child she always wanted." "I don't believe Hayley would agree to this. This isn't real. This isn't my future!" "It doesn't have to be. You have the power to make a difference, Niklaus and…" "Take me to see her. I need to see my daughter. Is she grown up?" "Yes. She stopped aging eventually, when she reached maturity, which is 18 years. She is as old as Rebekah now, and only 2 years younger than her mother. I don't mean to say anything because Hope is my granddaughter but even I, a supernatural, find that completely awkward." "I am in no mood for your judgment, Ansel! Just take me to see my daughter. I want to look at her, to see, what I have missed."

"Here she is." Ansel presented Klaus his daughter. She was an exquisite beauty who looked just like her mother, but she had Klaus' smile and everything wicked of him. "She grew up, but she rarely got to see you after what you did to Hayley. You started to care less and less about your family as each year and each Christmas passed. You remained…with the city." Klaus frowned and shook his head. "If there is one thing that I would never do is neglect my daughter." Klaus whispered. "Maybe not intentionally. You still love her, but you stopped visiting her often and you lost her trust, both you and Hayley. She has grown to live with her parents separated and being raised by her aunt, but it was never what she wanted." Klaus watched as Rebekah offered Hope a Christmas present. They were laughing, joking and having fun, but it was just them. "Where am I?" Klaus finally asked. Ansel shook his head with his eyes closed. "If you really want to see…" "Yes, I damn well want to see." "Alright, then. As you wish, Niklaus!"

The last place that they had stopped was right outside the governor's home. "What am I doing here? I live at the compound!" Klaus growled as he looked around the abandoned house. It was dark and you could barely tell that there was someone living in it. "You chose this life, Niklaus. After you abandoned your duties and lost followers in your anger and vindictive ways, you were replaced as King of New Orleans." "What are you talking about? Who replaced me?" "Your brother, Elijah. He restored the community and New Orleans lives in peace now." "And I just live here?" "All alone, yes." Klaus sucked in his breath and cursed out loud. "Niklaus, come on, please calm down." "How can you tell me to be calm? This is my future that you showed me. I never asked for this and I don't want this!" Ansel raised his eyebrow. "What do you want?" Klaus wanted to speak but no words were coming out of his mouth. Ansel continued to look at him and then he snapped his fingers.

They were back in 2014, back in the bedroom, with Klaus feeling sicker than ever. "It's not too late to change things, Niklaus. It's not late to let go of your pride and tell Hayley how you feel. The future that I have presented you is the one that you will have if you continue what you have been doing so far. I have tried being a good father, to give you a head's up. I hope it has helped." "What am I supposed to do?" "Do the right thing. You don't have to ask me because you know what you must do. Just let go of your pride and be with your family, or you are going to lose them...forever." Klaus shook his head and whispered, "You have to leave, Ansel." "I do have to leave because I did everything in my power. Now, it's up to you to decide how you want your life to turn out. Have a pleasant evening, son. And Merry Christmas!" Ansel told him, touching his shoulder, affectionately before leaving.

Hayley was sleeping peacefully on the bed when Klaus decided to lie down beside her again. Her back was turned to him and he was staring at the birthmark that was exposed on her shoulder. He touched it softly once more, praying that she wouldn't wake up. He closed his eyes and he could picture her again, what he saw in her, sadness after 20 years, in Elijah's arms. Her confession to Rebekah had overwhelmed him so much. "I want to be loved. I think I deserve it. I don't want to be known as his one night stand or the mother of his child. I want to be known as…the woman he loves because I know that he feels something for me just as I feel something for me. But he just won't give in. He lives with me and treats me like he has treated every single lover in his past life: no commitment, no nothing. Just the sex part which is driving me insane. I want everything. I want the whole package and I...I could have had that with Elijah. Elijah is a wonderful guy and he would have given me love and everything but…I can't help if I am in love with Klaus!" He knew how he felt about her and he knew how much he wanted to make her his. Ansel's deep words rung in his head too. "Do the right thing. You don't have to ask me because you know what you must do. Just let go of your pride and be with your family, or you are going to lose them...forever." He came closer to her and gently placed a kiss on her exposed shoulder. "I won't lose you…little wolf." He murmured, before falling asleep, holding her in his arms.

A/N: The next chapter is going to be in Christmas Day and the last chapter of this Christmas Special fanfic. As you can imagine, there will be happy endings for all couples ;)