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Hayley stood in the dimly lit nursery, hands curled reflexively around the side of her daughter’s crib, the wood smooth beneath her palms. She could hear the mourners outside, their tears and their prayers. Her grip tightened on the wood as she took in the pristine white sheets and small fluffy, light pink blanket folded towards the corner.
Hayley inhaled deeply closing her eyes, trying to drown out the new and heightened senses filling her body. She and Elijah had gotten back from the memorial close to a half hour ago and the deep ache in her chest had only grown since. The sound of gravel crunching beneath rubber signaled her that Klaus was back. Her eyes fluttered open as she listened to him stop the car and turn off the engine, the ability to hear far beyond her means still so new. Hayley’s chest tightened when she caught a hint of his muffled cry. The ache in her chest intensified, moisture pooling in her eyes. They had done the right thing. Hayley had promised their daughter that she’d grow up safe and loved and right now, that couldn’t happen in New Orleans.
Her chest constricted, pain tearing through her heart as she clutched her stomach, the feeling of emptiness inside of her that had just twenty-four hours before been filled with their child, grew like a black whole sucking the joy and happiness from her very being. Hayley hadn’t expected things to be perfect, but she’d expected to have their daughter with them, to be able to be the mother she never had.
Silent tears spilled from her eyes, leaving a trail down her cheeks as her gaze traveled through the carefully crafted nursery and landed on the crib in front of her. A room created from the love, from the good inside of Klaus that Hayley hadn’t thought he possessed. A good their daughter would now never see. She’d never get to sleep in the crib her father hand crafted, or play with the toys he’d bought her. They would miss her childhood, every moment, every milestone. But she would be happy, she would be loved, and she would live a childhood free of the pain and suffering that surrounded them all. A quiet sob fell from Hayley’s throat a she mourned for the loss of her daughter.
___
Klaus walked up the steps slowly, his body and heart feeling heavier than it ever had. He had been through a lot in his thousand plus years, but never had anything been more painful than watching his sister drive off into the distance to parts unknown with his infant daughter. He had driven past the mourners in the streets, his gaze finding Francesca’s in the crowd briefly, hatred and pain burning bright in his with a promise of revenge. He would strike her and her packs down for her betrayal.
Their daughter might not be truly dead, but they had to give her up, let her go in order to protect her and because of that, they were giving up their chance to see their daughter grow, to be a part of her life and have a family of their own. A family Klaus so desperately wanted, but should have known he’d never get. Not after everything he’d done in his long life. All the suffering and pain. His chest tightened, jaw clenching as he continued up the steps. They had done the right thing. Hayley had promised their daughter that she’d grow up safe and loved and right now, that couldn’t happen in New Orleans. Klaus would not rest until they made that promise a reality though, so that their daughter could come home to him-to them.
He paused on the landing his head tilting to the side as he heard quiet sobs. Something inside Klaus shifted calling out to his own grief at the sound of the mother of his child in pain. The same thing he’d felt when he’d heard her cries of distress last night as the witches forced her to deliver their baby so they could take it; a need to protect, to strike down the things hurting his family and rip them to shreds. Klaus moved forward, his footfalls heavy as he ran a tired hand over his hand before letting his hand fall to his side, his posture defeated and worn. He walked quietly into his bedroom and discarded his jacket on the chair hesitating for only a moment before stepping forward to the door that joined his to his daughter’s nursery.
The sound of the door opening made Hayley glance up and when she spotted Klaus, not that she hadn’t heard him coming, she couldn’t seem to quite control what she heard and didn’t just yet, it felt like something reached inside her chest gripped her heart and squeezed it painfully. Hayley reached up wiping the tears away quickly as she watched him silently.
Klaus held her gaze for several moments before finally breaking the silence in the small room, the room he had yet to step inside. “No Elijah?” He asked curiously wondering where his brother was. He was hard pressed to think Elijah had left Hayley in such a state.
Hayley pursed her lips and looked away from Klaus, “I asked him to give me a little time to myself,” she admitted finally uncurling one of her hands and reaching into the crib, brushing it against the blanket there.
Klaus nodded, “I see, well then,” he paused not sure what else to say, “Then I’ll leave you with your thoughts.” He told her stepping back and gripping the door ready to close it.
“Klaus,” Hayley’s voice was barely a whisper when she spoke, her eyes never leaving the crib.
Klaus paused, the uncertainty in his expression clear, “Yes, love?”
“I care for your brother, more than I probably should.” Her words were quiet as she spoke finally looking at him, eyes glistening in the dim light, “And as much as he loves you and cares for me, he doesn’t understand.” Hayley turned so she was fully facing Klaus, “Our daughter is gone,” she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek, “And the only person who understands this emptiness inside of me, who understands the ache of losing her…is you.” Hayley swallowed heavily, pushing aside her need to always be strong and never show weakness. Just this once, she would let herself be vulnerable. “Please don’t leave.”
The words were spoken so softly that if Klaus wasn’t who he was, he wouldn’t have heard them. The pain on Hayley’s face and the devastation in her voice called to him. He stepped into his daughter’s nursery and was beside Hayley in seconds his hand hesitantly going to the small of her back and resting there as he followed her gaze to the empty crib. Klaus pressed his lips together, “I’m sorry I failed you…I failed her.” His words were quiet as he thought about yet another thing in his life he’d screwed up. Everything beautiful, everything good was ruined by him. He should have been able to offer his child a home, a life, and family. And instead he’d doomed her before she was even born. The feel of Hayley’s hand against his arm pulled him from his thoughts and he glanced at the woman beside him, gaze meeting hers.
“You didn’t fail us,” Hayley’s voice was strong, certain. “You found me, tried to save me. And we did save her. This isn’t a failure. Our daughter will live, she’ll be happy and she’ll be loved.” Another tear slipped down her cheek, her hand tightening on Klaus’ arm. “No matter the pain we feel, the ache, we’ll always know we did the right thing for our daughter. You did the right thing.” Hayley whispered.
Klaus felt moisture grow in his own eyes and he wrapped his arm around Hayley pulling her into his side and pressing his lips carefully to her forehead.
Hayley wrapped an arm around his midsection allowing herself to lean on him, to let her heightened emotions drain into his. “How is Rebekah?” She asked quietly.
A ghost of a smile crossed Klaus’ face, “She is well. Our daughter will be safe with her.”
“I know.” Hayley told him, not questioning the decision to give her to Rebekah. They’d made it together, just like they decided on her name together. It hadn’t been what Hayley originally planned, but it had fit. Hope Mikaelson. They stayed like that, standing in their daughter’s nursery for a while. Eventually Klaus shifted letting his hand run down Hayley’s arm before releasing her and stepping back.
Hayley watched him curiously for a moment until he held out his hand to her.
Klaus saw the hint of a question in her eyes and he tilted his head towards his bedroom. “Just for tonight, let us grieve together. I understand your feelings for my brother, I am not,” he paused trying to convey what he wanted from her, “I am merely asking for your company. I do not think either of us should be alone tonight.” He spoke quietly, reserved. “I am quite relieved you’re not dead Hayley, that someday our daughter will have both her parents, that-” his voice broke and he looked away from her.
Hayley’s chest tightened at his words and she stepped forward and took his hand. She nudged him back into his room leaving the nursery door open. She followed Klaus to his bed letting him get in first before following him and lying above the covers.
Klaus pulled her against his side and stared at the ceiling. “I was going to teach her to paint,” he said quietly.
Hayley closed her eyes briefly trying to blink away the tears as she rested a palm over Klaus’ heart. “The letter I was writing the other morning was to her. I was telling her how…how happy I was, and how excited we were to meet her and how much we already loved her.” She whispered.
Klaus felt a tear slide down his cheek, but he didn’t bother wiping it away. Hayley had included him in her letter, had acknowledged him as her father. A part of him had always felt she would try to shut him out of their daughter’s life because of who he was, what he was, but that apparently wasn’t true. “Hayley, I promise you, if it is the last thing I do on this earth I will bring our daughter back to us. I will make this place safe; I will make it the home she deserves. She will know us, and us her. This I vow to you.”
Hayley could hear the emotion in his voice and she shifted so she was facing Klaus, the man she thought had no heart. But as she looked at him, tears in his eyes pain in his heart, she knew she’d been wrong. Klaus was as misunderstood as she was. Hayley swallowed hard. “We will,” she told him. “We will make it safe for our daughter. I know we haven’t always seen eye-to-eye. And when this all started, when I first came to New Orleans, we both had our own agendas. But from this point on,” Hayley held Klaus’ gaze, “We are a team. I promise you I will watch your back, I promise I will be loyal to this family if you give me your word to do the same.”
Hayley knew Klaus was forever making deals because in his eyes people always let him down, but this time things could be different, they needed to be. “Include me in what you’re doing, make sure I stay safe and I will always be on your side because you are the father of my daughter and she needs us both. I want her to have both of us. And I will kill anyone who tries to keep us from her. But I need to know, if the day ever comes that you’ll have my back too, that you’ll keep me safe so that I can see our daughter again too. I want that family you talked about, you me and Elijah…our Hope.” She whispered. “But for that we have to trust each other. Can you do that? Can you trust that I want to keep the father of my child safe?”
Klaus was silent for several minutes as he watched the myriad of emotions displayed on Hayley’s face. She was putting herself out there willing to trust him when she knew his nature, knew how he operated. His heart constricted and he opened his mouth, words not coming right away. Klaus shifted slightly reaching out and cupping Hayley’s cheek as he held her gaze. “You have my word. I do not expect you to trust it right away or to believe me, but you are the mother of my child and despite past acts, I do want us to be a family.” He blew out a breath despite the fact that he didn’t need to.
“I will keep you safe, for our daughter. I will not let any harm come to you or Elijah because we are family. All of us. You are our family forever and always, now. We are going to live a long life with our daughter. We’re going to watch her grow, and love for many years to come, this I promise. You and I might be nothing but this to each other, but that’s alright. Maybe one day we’ll even be friends,” he offered, “But even if you don’t wish that, we’ll always be family,” Klaus repeated, “And I will always protect you.”
Hayley leaned into his touch closing her eyes and letting the tears fall. She lifted her hand and placed it over his as it cupped her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open. “And I will always protect you, for our daughter.” She told him. “We will get her back, or we’ll burn everyone in this city trying.” Hayley said matter-of-factly, her voice hard. Those who did this to them would pay with their lives. She, Klaus, and Elijah would make sure of it. “But for tonight,” her grip on him tightened, “For tonight just hold me. Tell me we did the right thing and someday soon we’ll see our daughter again.” Hayley murmured as she rested her head against Klaus, the notion that she was doing so strange and yet at the moment this is where she felt she needed to be. She wasn't in love with him and he wasn't in love her, but they shared a love for Hope, a love that only parents could understand.
Klaus cradled her head in his hand, fingers slipping into her hair as he rested against the backboard of his bed. He pressed a light kiss to the top of her head before leaning back and staring ahead. “We did the right thing,” he repeated her words though he truly meant them, “and we will see our daughter again. But until we do, she has Rebekah and there is no one better or more loving to give our daughter a happy and normal existence until she can once again be with us. All will be well, you’ll see.” He told her. “We will strike down those who oppose our family and we will have our new beginning. Our Hope,” he told her quietly Klaus’ voice drifting off in the distance.
Elijah stood outside Niklaus’ bedroom, not sure either one of them could see him from his perch near the balcony that overlooked the downstairs of their home. The sight before him made him grip the railing tighter. He knew his brother held no romantic feelings for Hayley, or so he said, and she none for him, but seeing that Niklaus could offer her something he couldn’t tugged at his heart making him realize just what his brother must have been feeling all those months ago when Hayley came to him instead of Niklaus.
Elijah had heard their promises to each other and he begged, nay prayed to all things above and below them that Niklaus held true to his words. They were all family and if they were going to bring Hope home, they would all need to work together to fight the evil that remained. There was nothing Elijah wouldn’t do for Hayley or his brother or their child. It was time to fight, to make a stand and let New Orleans know that their family would not be defeated. They would take back control and their family would once again be whole.