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Eudora didn’t realize it, not at first at least. Klaus had asked her to make his new friend a sandwich- peanut butter and raspberry jelly- for Milly. Eudora hadn’t blinked, remembering her own imaginary friend and the games they’d play, made the sandwich leaving it besides Klaus own sandwich for Milly. Klaus had beamed, swaying side to side before excitingly whispering to his friend, “I told you momma would make you one.”
It was nearly another week before she realized that she was a little off in her assumptions.
“Danka, mutter!” Klaus cheered, before sticking a tongue out as he carried a glass of juice to the table.
She had frozen. Eyes locked on his retreating back as her hand stilled in its movement of whipping down their garnet counter. Shaking her head, she continued her task, and sent the rest of the day with that word playing on her mind. She made dinner, as it was her turn, and brought the boys out to the farmers market early in the day, and in the end tucked them in and turned off the lights.
It was as she was climbing into her own bed that she brought it up to Diego.
“It was Klaus, that could see dead people?” she asked even though she already knew.
Her eyes had stayed locked on her husband as he swallowed thickly and his face turned pale, nodding his head hesitantly.
“Did he- did he see?”
“You told me,” Her voice shook, “Klaus learned German, French, and Mandarin off of…spirits.”
The room was tense as the couple stared at each other, shared dread pulling and making the hairs on their arms and necks stand tall.
“What if- Dora, what if he’s just remembering?” Diego tried, voice coming out desperate as he remembered what his brother’s power had done to him, what it had driven him to.
“Di,” she shifted forward, placing a hand on his chest as she locked eyes with him, “We knew, I know we hoped but you knew that if Ben had his powers then surely… We can help him. Steer him away from drugs give him something else.”
“Something else.” Diego hissed, “You have no-no-no idea.” He chocked, “You don’t kn-ow-know what it was like, watching his power destroy him.”
Eudora glared jerking her hand back as she watched Diego hiss and spit like an angry cat.
“I think you forget who would pick him up off the streets, who would call you as he was being processed. I may not have been there in the beginning but I saw what he did trying to run away from those monsters that tormented him.”
That night they went to bed, backs turned away from each other. In the silence of the bedroom they both drifted into fitful sleep, tormented by the idea of being unable to help their son, forcing him to suffer like his older self-had.
“Klaus, come here.” Eudora called softly, waiting until he trotted over twirling slightly to allow his new purple skirt to billow out around him.
Bending down, she pulled Klaus up, sitting him on the counter. Sighing heavily, she brushed back Klaus hair, cupping his cheek gently as she asked.
“Can you tell me what Milly looks like?”
Nodding happily, he chattered back, eyes roaming over his mother’s shoulder before stopping at some point in the corner.
“She’s got pretty long hair like auntie Ally’s. She a little smaller, comes up to here!” he crowed bringing his hand up to show she’s about three inches shorter than himself, “she’s got a pretty red dress on and and a red line right here.” He touched his neck, before blinking back at Eudora.
Swallowing thickly at the news, she breathed heavily through her nose before asking, “And what did you say her name was, dear?”
Tilting his head to the side as if listening he answered back. “Milly Benson! She’s really nice mommy, plays dress up and dolly with me.”
“I’m-“ she chocked, “I’m sure she is very nice.”
Reaching forward, she helped Klaus hop off the counter and sent him off to play, waiting until his he disappeared down the hall before grabbing the phone calling a familiar number.
“Beaman, do we have anything on a Milly Benson?”
“…Diego running off on you? getting super powers too?” He teased lightly before pausing and saying in a much more somber tone, “Got a missing report of a Milly Benson, five and a half, was visiting the city with her mother when she went missing at a mall last week. She was last seen wearing a red dress with a white sweater and shoes.”