A.N. - SUMMER BREAK FOR ME! Now I can write more often - and you know, do productive things with my life...
I'll be starting a Klaroline (TVD) story soon, so follow me to be notified when it's up.
If you have any baby names please suggest them in the reviews! I'm thinking of something in the Old English range. Also, leave any suggestions, flashbacks you'd like, characters you want to see more of, or anything else like that. Thanks for the support so far. Enjoy :)
Fighting back the tears that started to burn her eyes, Belle navigated through the traffic of New Orleans, on her way out of the city. She glanced back in her rearview mirror when something caught her eye. "Sabrina!"
Her youngest sister shot up from the back seat like she had been electrocuted. "Crap! Sorry," she said, climbing over the console into the passenger seat. She had a worn copy of Pride and Prejudice in one hand and a travel mug in the other. Her hair was messed up in the back from where she had been lying down. "I was reading."
Belle shot her a questioning look. "In the back of my Audi? Really?" She tried to laugh, but it came out distorted and strained.
"Yeah. It's quiet in the garage." She shrugged and put her book on the dash and drink in a cup holder. She put on her seatbelt and smoothed out her hair with her fingers. "Where are you going?" Sabrina's eyes lingered on Belle's face, noticing the tears that glistened in her eyes and her ragged breathing.
Belle shrugged, keeping her eyes trained on the highway that stretched out before her.
"Are you okay?"
The tears finally started to spill over. "Do I look like I'm okay to you?" It came off harsher than she meant it to. The sprinkle of tears quickly turned into an uncontrollable hurricane as she began hyperventilating, unable to contain the confusing mixture of emotions for another second.
"Here, just pull over and let me drive," Sabrina said soothingly, reaching over to grab her hand - Belle couldn't tell whether it was a move to comfort her or to keep her from swerving off the road.
She nodded and turned onto a side road that headed out toward the country, stopping the car on the vacant dirt road. She and Sabina unbuckled and got out of the car, silently crossing paths as they moved to opposite ends of the car.
Sabrina continued down the road once they were both buckled in. "Feel any better?"
Belle shook her head. "Not really, no." She said, pausing in between each word to let out a quiet, strangled sob.
"Here," Sabrina picked up her cup with one hand, keeping a firm grasp on the steering wheel with the other, and offered it to Belle. "It's green tea." She gave her a small, sympathetic smile.
Belle returned her smile, taking the cup in her hands. "Thanks." She took a long drink, nearly finishing off what was left.
It was strange, being taken care of. It was nice, and, at the same time, unnerving and unnatural.
"What's wrong?" Sabrina side-glanced at her.
"Everything," Belle mumbled, putting the cup back in the cupholder. She wiped away the tear streaks from under her eyes, avoiding Sabrina's curious gaze. "But at the moment, Klaus is practically blaming me for something that isn't even my fault, something that, until about three hours ago, I didn't think was possible."
"Didn't think what was possible?"
"Having children."
After a moment, Belle looked over at her youngest sister, watching as she processed this new information. "Wait, you're pregnant?" she asked in confusion and shock. Her eyes lingered on Belle for a longer period of time than they probably should have considering that they were hurtling down the road at over 60 miles an hour.
Belle nodded. "It would appear so."
"And Klaus is blaming you?"
"Pretty much."
She frowned. "Wow. I'm sorry, Belle. Is there anything I can do to help? Do you want to go home and try talking to him again or something?"
"No." Belle shook her head. "Just drive."
The sun had set hours ago, casting a dim glow of moonlight onto the city. Klaus stood in front of an easel - the same place he'd been for hours - as he worked on his latest piece. It was abstract with dark, warm hues tossed together in a quarrel on the canvas. To anyone else, it probably didn't look like much, like something a child in any preschool class could make. But to him, it was a small insight into the raging war in his mind.
Normally he was able to make peace with his demons, to chain them up and keep their wrath at bay, but they were pulling hard to their restraints, trying to break free. He was loosing the will and the power to hold them back, so, as he always did when he sought control, he painted. And no one disturbed him.
That is until a familiar voice pierced the silence he had cloaked himself in. "Painting, are we?"
He didn't turn to face her, keeping his gaze on the canvas, moving his brush along the canvas as she streaked more color on it. "It was either this or tearing the heads off a few tourists. I chose the moral high ground."
"How mature of you." Her tone was even rather than the sarcasm he was expecting. She walked over to stand by his side, her feet hardly making a sound as she crossed the wooden floor.
He raised an eyebrow, but still didn't look at her. "As opposed to my childish behavior earlier?" He dipped his brush into the glob of black paint on the palette in his left hand.
"Let's not start this again, please. We're both adults and I think we should have this discussion as such. I realize that my earlier approach wasn't the best and I'm sorry. I was moody and irrational and kind of bitch." She scoffed at her own words.
At last, his eyes met hers, but only for a second. "Is that an apology, or do my ears deceive me?" There was an obvious hint of humor in his voice, though his expression showed no sign of it.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, you moron. Now it's your turn."
He let out a long sigh that was more of a groan and put down the brush and palette and turned to face her. "You know I don't apologize, love." His tone bordered on snarky.
Her jaw tightened. "But you are sorry, right?"
He hesitated for a moment. "I'm sorry for upsetting you, but I won't apologize for being concerned about my daughter's safety or the safety of our unborn child."
A wide grin made its way across Belle's face, replacing the scowl and knit brow.
"What?" Klaus asked obliviously.
"You just said our child." She smiled wider and took a few steps closer to him.
He smirked. "Did I?" He closed the gap between them, pulling her against his body and draping his arms loosely around her waist as he looked into her eyes, almost letting himself get lost in their pale blue depths.
"Yeah, you did."
He pulled himself back to reality after a few seconds, trying not to get swept away in the moment. He had to focus on the topic at hand, address the elephant in the room. "What are we going to do?"
She sighed. "I don't know. Adoption? Ooh, maybe Rebekah will take it." Her voice was coated with a thick layer of sarcasm.
He rolled his eyes. "I'm serious."
"What else would we do? In roughly eight months I'll have the baby and we'll all be one big dysfunctional family."
He smiled. "Dysfunction is the norm around here, I suppose." He chuckled.
She sighed. "Now comes the hard part."
Klaus raised an eyebrow.
"We have to tell everyone," she said.