Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She stretched out, fingers and toes curling as her spine unravelled from its sleep. The morning sun warmed her skin through the panes of glass and the silken sheets offered a cool respite from the heat of even the most ventilated building in New Orleans. Careful to keep quiet, Hayley shifted over. Her bed partners were still sleeping. A soft smile graced her lips and she watched them. Even after years of the same, fondness burst in her heart each morning, overwhelming. She’d never have it any other way. She was dead, but she had never been so alive.

Hope snored on her belly, cozy and safe between her parents. Facing her mother, her chubby cheek smooshed outward from where it pressed against the bedding. One fist curled next to her mouth and the other gripped onto her father’s hand. Hayley’s eyes wrinkled in amusement at the sight. Klaus slept on his front - just like his daughter - on Hope’s other side.

Hayley softly swept a lock of Hope’s hair out of her face. A perfect combination of both of her parents’ hair. Not as dark as Hayley’s, nor as light as Klaus’, but a mix of golden honey and sunlight-shining auburn. And just as curly as her father’s. She was beautiful and sweet and the best thing Hayley had ever done. The most beautiful thing.

She’d come crashing into their room in the middle of the night, crying and hiccuping. A bad dream, she’d sobbed, asking to sleep in their room. Hayley and Klaus never could refuse their precious little princess-

That some of Hope’s nightmares were based in a measure of reality - many times they’d had to hide and many times she’s had to explain to their daughter why they were hiding. So many enemies against their family, and too many times that she’d been in danger because of it. Yet even as enemies loomed somewhere in the distance, Hope’s birth had only strengthened the bond of the Mikaelsons.

-So Hayley and Klaus had hurriedly pulled on some pajamas and ushered their daughter into bed. She’d calmed quickly, dozing off as Klaus hummed a Nordic lullaby and Hayley stroked her hair.

Klaus didn’t need to sleep (and neither did Hayley) but it was one of life’s pleasures. And the mind needs rest even when the brain and body don’t. They tried to sleep a few hours each night, if only to instill good habits in Hope. Their daughter still had human needs, after all. Just like she had not too long ago, just like Klaus had a very long time ago.

She considered her husband with heavy eyes, slowly shaking off the last vestiges of the dream world. She saw the way the sunlight painted decorations on the skin of his back, the way his curls and stubble glowed in the dewey morning light. His pink lips parted.

She loved them both. Immeasurably.

Hayley checked the time on her phone. 6:30 A.M. She scrolled through her notifications - some meme from Rebekah and a text from Marcel to tell Klaus to call him. She rolled her eyes. She loved this city, god did she love it, but there was so much damned drama. They’d dealt with the majority of the threats when she was still pregnant and before Hope turned one, but that didn’t mean issues never popped up here and there.

Movement brought her attention back to her daughter. Hope stretched out, her little pot belly peeking out of her sparkly yellow pajamas. A big yawn overtook her face. She opened her eyes to see Hayley awake next to her. Hope sat up on her knees.

“Good morning, Mommy,” Hope said through another yawn and dove at her mother, hugging her tight as she could around the neck. Hayley smiled that fond smile and hugged her back.

“Good morning honey, did you sleep well?” Hayley asked softly, trying to be quiet for Klaus’ sake. No point though, she thought when she heard his breathing begin to shorten.

Hope nodded, muttering an ‘uh-huh’ and cast her eyes toward her father, still clinging onto her mother’s neck.

“Can I wake Daddy up?”

“He might be grumpy,” Hayley teased. Klaus smirked, his eyes still closed.

“Not to me,” Hope said with the self-assurance of a four-year old who knows she’s the apple of her father’s eye. She was right, Hayley thought, grinning at Klaus over their daughter’s shoulder.

“Be gentle,” she told Hope. Her daughter had a history of jumping on her mom and dad to wake them up. While they could handle whatever the little girl threw at them, Hayley didn’t want Hope to make a habit of being a rude alarm clock for the sake of others when she was older. A little consideration was a good lesson to learn.

Hope scooted over to Klaus and crawled onto his back. She laid flat on her belly, her chin tucked over his shoulder.

“Daddy, wake up.”

Klaus began to shift, pretending to wake up. He yawned and said, without opening his eyes, “Hmm what’s this weight on my back? Has a little goblin come and attached itself to me?”

“No Daddy! It’s me!” Hope shouted right in his ear.

“Hope, where are you? There’s a goblin on my back. Whatever am I to do now?” he exclaimed dramatically.

“It’s me!” she giggled. She slid off to the middle of the bed as Klaus turned onto his back. She climbed back on him, sitting on his chest.

Klaus gasped out loud, “Hope, are you telling me that you’re a goblin?”

She giggled and bounced on his chest, “I’m not a gobling, Daddy!”

“You’re my little goblin,” he said and Hope hugged him around the neck like she had with Hayley.

Hayley watched, in love.

“Good morning, luvs” he said, sitting up with Hope still hanging from his neck. He leaned over and kissed Hayley on the mouth. She ran one hand through her daughter’s hair and the other through her husband’s.

“Let’s go get some breakfast,” she smiled.

…

There was a cute little nook on the ground floor of the Mikaelson compound that Hayley had outfitted into a breakfast corner when Hope was almost one. Connected to the kitchens, large windows provided a view of the courtyard and protected from the weather - rain and heat and (sometimes) snow flurries. The whole clan had moved back into the compound - quarter finally secured and enemies vanquished for good (for the most part) - and Hayley had wanted Hope to grow up as normal as possible, having meals with her family.

A circular wooden table sat in the middle of the room. It hosted enough seats for all of them, but rarely did the entire family sit down for breakfast at the same time. Between travel, lovers, friends, and finding humans to feed on, it was a rotating home base. Hope was the center of it all.

That morning, Hope on Klaus’ lap, the three of them sat facing the courtyard, eating together. She and Klaus nibbled on their breakfast and drank from cups of blood while Hope flung food all over the table and painted her face with milk in the pursuit of eating. They hid their more violent feeding tendencies from their daughter, saving the hunt for when she slept or was with one of her aunts or uncles. But they didn’t hide their nature. Hope knew what they were, albeit a sanitized version to be sure.

“Marcel needs to talk to you apparently,” she told Klaus in between sips of blood and coffee, “although I don’t know why he didn’t just call you.”

Klaus tried to get Hope to eat the last of her fruit. She wasn’t having it. He sighed,“I told him I was not to be disturbed until tonight. My phone’s been off.”

“If he couldn’t wait...” she trailed. He grabbed her phone off the table and unlocked it. He dialled Marcel and passed Hope over to Hayley, standing up when the other line connected. He gestured that he’d be a minute and disappeared into the kitchen.

Usually he was good at keeping his phone on him, but Hayley figured that after a thousand years of no cell phones, twenty years of them wasn’t enough to instill a habit completely. She’d owned a cell phone for more than half of her life - off and mostly on since she’d turned eleven. Reminders of how much older - ancient, even - he was in comparison to her came occasionally. One of those things you don’t really think about until it’s spelled out right in front of you. She knew he cared for her, loved her even, but how many women had he loved in his lifetimes? Her insecurity over their relationship crawled out of its shallow grave like a zombie cockroach. She wacked it with her compartmentalization shovel and covered it with some more dirt.

She knew she had no reason to be insecure, he showed her that each day, his actions toward her and their daughter are proof enough of that - each time the zombie cockroach comes out, it gets more and more weak, losing its malevolent strength.

Hope was giggling in her lap when Freya shuffled in, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Good morning,” she said warmly. She and Freya were somewhat of kindred spirits - searching all their lives for family, and to finally find it here in New Orleans, with the Mikaelsons.

“Hi Auntie Freya!” Hope said, waving her chubby hand.

Freya sent a wink to her niece and flopped into an empty chair. She poured herself some coffee and piled a plate full, picking and choosing from the spread of food on the table.

“Where’s Klaus at?” she asked, leaning back into her seat and kicking her feet up onto the chair across from her.

“He’s calling Marcel,” Hope answered excitedly, lisping slightly so it sounded like ‘Marthel.’

Hayley nodded in affirmation behind her daughter’s head and Freya sighed, “Oh boy, what is it now?”

Hayley laughed at that. They chatted for a few minutes about this and that and entertained Hope until Klaus returned.

“Hello Freya,” he said with a nod. He passed the cell back to Hayley and sat back in his seat, sighing.

“What’s up?” Hayley asked him.

“Marcel just informed me that there’s a rogue group of witches who’ve been attacking both the wolves and vampires,” he crossed his arms, eyes hard.

“How long has this been going on for?” Freya asked.

Hayley’s eyebrows furrowed, “Jackson told me yesterday that a few wolves went missing last week. He said he’d get back to me when he knew more - is this connected?”

Hayley grabbed a children’s picture book from a ledge on one of the windows and handed it to Hope. The little girl started flipping through with intense concentration as the rest of them talked.

“According to Marcel, he’d noticed that a few vampires deserted their posts last week. But one of his men found them and some wolves incapacitated in some random witchy hovel. Nobody knows who the witches are, not even Davina--”

“This is not good,” Freya muttered into her mug of coffee.

“--And,” Klaus continued, “a note was left where the wolves and vampires were found. It promised more attacks in the weeks to come, to eliminate the lesser beings of New Orleans.”

Hayley fumed. “Fuck,” she whispered without thinking.

“Fuck!” Hope said cheerily. Klaus’ eyes wrinkled in laughter, softening the dangerous glint. Hayley tried to hide a smile, pressing her lips to her daughter’s head.

She raked her hand through her hair and tapped her fingers on the table, “We have to deal with this before any more attacks occur and before the wolves and vampires retaliate.”

“Indeed, my love. Peace in this city remains delicately balanced among the factions. We must fix this before the scales are tipped beyond repair.”

Freya crossed her arms, “So what do we do now?”

Klaus smirked and Hayley rolled her eyes fondly.

…

“Thanks for meeting with us,” Jackson said from his seat next to Aiden, “I’ll talk to the pack when we get back to the bayou, make sure no one retaliates against the witches - we want peace in this city as much as you.”

“Thanks, Jack. You’re on my speed dial- I’ll keep you updated,” a serious look overtook her face, “we may need the pack’s help when things come to blows. Can we count on you?”

“You know it,” Jackson said, a determined look in his eye. He’d lost good men and women to the rogue witches.

Jackson was a good ally to have, Hayley thought, glad that the vampires and werewolves finally lived peacefully in the quarter. She drained the last of her local craft beer and stood up, throwing a few bills on the table for the waitress.

She nodded and waved, “Bye guys, be safe.”

They called out their goodbyes, still sipping on their beers, as she started to weave through the tables and chairs. She typed on her phone and headed toward the door.

Hayley: hows Hope?

Freya: Perfectly safe and happy. Playing with her doll house.

Hayley: thanks! ur da best.

Hayley smiled, glad that Freya was so quick to respond. Just before the pushing open the door, She navigated to her messages with Klaus.

Hayley: done with the meeting.

Hayley: all good there?

The midday heat beat down on her as she opened the door to leave Rousseau’s. The hot air enveloped her oppressively just as her phone trilled loudly in her hand. It was Klaus. She answered and leaned against the wall just outside the bar.

“Hey,”

Hayley sighed and pulled the front of her t-shirt from where it stuck to her body. The air was so humid that she could practically drink from it.

“Hey, luv. Was your meeting with Jackson--” he spat the name with an undercurrent of venom, “--productive?”

Hayley rolled her eyes but ignored his jab. It was a good thing she acted as liaison between the Crescent wolves and the Mikaelson family instead of Klaus. He refused to forget that she and Jackson had been betrothed at birth despite their total lack of interest in each other as adults. They worked well together, and that was the honest truth. Not that she had much room to judge, though. She could admit that she was a little more aggressive toward Camille at times than she needed to be. Jealousy wasn’t exactly either of their best traits.

She cast her eyes up and down the sidewalk, marvelling at the performers who persevered even in the sweltering conditions, enjoying the bustling atmosphere of the quarter.

“Yeah, it was. We shouldn’t see any retaliation from the wolves, and they’ve promised to act as backup if we need it.”

There was an older couple with their backs to her - a man and a woman. They stood in front of the boutique next to Rousseau’s, surveying the street. There was something familiar about them. Trepidation tingled in her body, but she wasn’t sure why.

“Good, we’re reconvening at the compound in an hour. Marcel is securing similar vows from the vampires, and--”

His voice faded as she slowly pulled the phone from her ear. The man and woman both turned to face the other direction, their faces now visible to Hayley. It was hard to breathe all of a sudden. They hadn’t seen her yet. She couldn’t move. She didn’t know if she wanted to move, if she wanted them to see her. Someone had a fist around her heart, she was sure of it. She looked down to her chest. No fist.

The bar door burst open and Jackson jogged out with Aiden on his heels, “Hayley, are you okay?” He looked worried. She was still staring at the couple, a hand resting on her chest. At the sound of her name, the couple turned toward the noise.

The woman gasped.

Tears stung at Hayley’s eyes. She blinked them away and shook her head. Klaus was shouting on the other end of the line - he must have been worried.

She pulled her phone back to her ear and through the knot in her throat she forced the words, “Klaus, sorry. I’m safe, but I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at the compound soon. Bye.”

She hung up before he could say anything. Jackson put a hand on her shoulder. She stared at him, unseeing. His guarded yet curious eyes flicked between her and the older couple walking towards them. She turned to face the couple then she looked down at her feet, then at Jackson, then at her feet again.

She took a few steps forward, stopping when she was right in front of the couple. Jackson was beside her, just a step back. Aiden stood by the door, arms by his sides. It was silent for a minute, the only sounds were the live jazz playing a few paces away and the bustling crowds of the street. Hayley stared at the couple and they stared back. She blinked her eyes rapidly. Her phone trilled again but she ignored it.

A few passerbys gave the group of them annoyed glances for standing in the middle of the sidewalk so they all shuffled closer to the building wall.

The man spoke first, “My god, Hayley. Is that you?”

She wrung her hands together, she felt like a child again - she wasn’t sure what to say. “Hi,” she settled on. The couple gaped at her.

“Anyone want to tell me what’s going on?” Jackson asked abruptly.

“Oh, um--” Hayley startled from the silence they’d fallen back into, “--These are- were my adoptive parents, Neil and Holly Marshall.”

Jackson’s eyebrows shot up. Surprise colored his face.

Hayley continued, “Mom, da- oh,” she cursed to herself. Way to go, Hayley “--um anyway. This is Jackson.”

“I would say it’s nice to meet you, but I don’t make a habit of making friends with child abandoners,” Jackson said. He crossed his arms and widened his stance.

The Marshalls looked taken aback. Neil closed his eyes and looked down, a pained noise escaping him. His wife opened and closed her mouth several times as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t manage to push the words out.

“Jack..” Hayley whispered out of the corner of her mouth, wearily. But really, she appreciated his presence.

“How-how are you?” Neil stammered, quiet and hesitant sounding. He looked the same as she remembered - kind, gentle, and dependable. His beard and hair were more gray than blond now, but his eyes were the same warm green. Dependable until he was’t. Warm until he wasn’t.

“I’m good, really good actually,” she said, a note of surprise in her own voice. She’d never even considered that she might see her adoptive parents again, never even considered what she might say if she did. What were the chances, she thought to herself now. But with them suddenly before her eyes, as surprising as ghosts, she wanted to show them that she’d done well with her life, without them.

Her adoptive father nodded, a small, strained smile on his lips. Holly placed a hand on his arm, comforting. She, Hayley thought, looked aged - as if she’d lived two lives in the twelve years since they’d last seen one another. The rest of her, though, was the same. Her gray hair was pulled back from her temples severely and she wore a no-nonsense outfit, a fancy purse hanging from the crook of her elbow. .

Holly spoke then, “This sure is a surprise, a- a good one, of course,” It sounded like she was forcing the words out, “Do you live here?”

“Yeah, for about five years now,” she volunteered hesitantly, “what brings you to New Orleans?”

“Just travelling, we wanted to see what all the fuss was about,” Neil said. Hayley nodded her head, and brought her hands up to push her hair behind her ears nervously.

Holly gasped, “Oh Hayley, is that a wedding ring?”

Hayley looked down at her left hand, surprised that she pointed it out. Most of the people she encountered in New Orleans either already knew who she was or saw the inlaid ‘M’ and didn’t dare ask questions. She hesitantly held her hand out for Holly. Her adoptive mother admired the ring, her hand moving Hayley’s this way and that, Neil peering over her shoulder.

It wasn’t a wedding ring, per se - but everyone thought it was. They’re not married according to the laws of the fleeting and human. But they were partners, parents together, lovers, in love - and they called themselves husband and wife. Klaus had created it for her - forged from the silver of the daylight ring his mother gave him before his hybrid nature was revealed. He’d told her the design was reminiscent of the Viking traditions of his childhood. A thin, silver band engraved with vined patterns, widening into a relief of blooms encircling a profile of a wolf howling, the Mikaelson family crest rendered by jewels under its jowls. A perfect depiction of the unification of the only two hybrids.

She saw the exact moments that Holly and Neil noticed the wolf. Holly looked up to Hayley’s eyes, her mouth puckered unpleasantly. Neil cleared his throat as Hayley pulled her hand back, stuffing both hands into her jean pockets.

“It’s lovely,” Holly said quietly over the tense silence. Neil nodded in agreement, skin tight around his eyes “Congratulations, you two. How long?”

It took her a moment to realize the misunderstanding. Neil and Holly were looking between her and Jackson, waiting for an answer. Hayley was shocked quiet, but Aiden’s muffled laughter in the background brought her out of her silence. Her eyebrows shot up and she stole a glance at Jackson. His eyes were wide, just as surprised as her. They shared an awkward glance.

“Actually,” she said slowly, “I am married, but not to Jackson. We’re good friends, though.”

“Oh, my bad. I just assumed but I guess I’ve turned us all into asses instead,” Neil joked. It came out a little forced, but she appreciated the effort. Hayley smiled - a genuine one for the first time since she’d run into them.

“And I’m about to be turned into a corpse. I hope nobody heard that - your husband is gonna kill me,” Jackson said with equal measures of humor and uncertainty. He was aware of Klaus’ distaste for him. Hayley elbowed him in the ribs. He swatted her back.

Holly and Neil frowned confusedly just as Hayley’s ringtone sounded again, loud and a distraction in the awkward atmosphere. It was Klaus again. “Speak of the devil..” she muttered. She declined, knowing he would be upset with her later. She looked at the time. Shit. She was running late.

She was both glad for the respite from the family (not family, she already had a family) reunion and bewilderingly sad she had to depart. Her emotions were all over the place. If it wasn’t impossible, she’d think she was pregnant again.

“I’ve got to go,” she said slowly, hesitantly, “I’m sorry to cut this short.”

She stopped there, afraid of crossing a line, afraid of saying something wrong.

“Oh,” Holly said.

When nobody said anything more, she turned to Jackson, “Keep in touch - I should have more information for you in a few hours.”

“Will do, and good luck.”

“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” she trailed off, hoping that they’d want to see her again and hoping she’d never see them again.

They nodded a goodbye, looking shocked and uncomfortable still. She turned on her toes and patted Jackson on the shoulder. Jackson inclined his head toward her adoptive parents and joined Aiden by the door of the bar. She waved to the two of them as they disappeared into the bar again.

She headed in the direction of the compound, wishing she’d taken one of the cars. She should have known the heat would be too much. She’s never liked the heat very much, but she prefers to walk instead of drive. Strolling down the streets of her birth city, her daughter’s birth city, seeing the people and the music and the dancing even in the early hours of the morning was a balm to her soul - she loved it. Usually. Now the musicians and dancers and smiling tourists mocked her muddled thoughts and feelings.

Her eyes filled with tears, a bitter disappointment coating her tongue. She sniffled and shuffled her feet against the pavement. What had she been thinking? As if they’d want to see her again. She reminded herself that they kicked out their so-called thirteen year old daughter onto the streets with only the clothes on her back. They weren’t her parents, not truly. She didn’t have parents, and it was time she stopped deluding herself on the matter.

When she was a few shops down from Rousseau’s, she heard an aborted shout, “-Wait!” from Neil. She paused for a second, unsure, hesitant. But her fists clenched and she kept walking, ignoring the call - it was better that she didn’t see them, it’s not like they’d ever wanted her anyway.

She cried the entire way home.

…

At the compound entrance, she waved to the security guards and entered the foyer where Hope came running through, shrieking in delight, dressed head to toe in a sparkling pink and purple princess costume. Freya was hot on her heels, hair askew.

“Hi Mommy,” Hope yelled, speeding toward one of the foyer exits, “Bye Mommy!”

Freya stopped when she saw Hayley in the entryway.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, heading towards Hayley, a concerned tilt to her head. Hayley smiled through her tears and wiped her eyes furiously. She flushed. She hated crying in front of people. Or crying in general. It made her feel weak, vulnerable.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. Is anyone back yet?”

Freya shook her head, eyes kind.

“Okay, um.. could you watch Hope a little while longer?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks, Freya,” Hayley sighed and headed toward the staircase. She trudged up to her and Klaus’ bedroom, feeling like she was carrying a sack of boulders over her shoulder. In the room, she kicked off her shoes, pulled off her jeans, and took off her bra.

The tears came fast and strong again. She crawled into the safe haven of the bedding, pulling the covers up and over her head, pushing her face into her pillow so it muffled her sobs. She felt terrible. Hayley hadn’t seriously thought about her parents in a long while. The wound of their abandonment had healed many years ago, leaving a ragged scar, one that she’d accepted as a part of her, that still caused pain even if she avoided considering the cause. But now their presence was like a splinting wooden knife scraping open the scarred skin like a connect-the-dots picture.

Wounds like that are pesky things.

So she bled and she cried and she wept and she died.

Her tears eventually abated, but her skin still burned as if all of her ugly feelings were clawing their way out of her very pores.

She must have dozed off for a few minutes because she startled slightly when she opened her eyes to see Klaus staring worriedly at her from where he was knelt beside the bed.

“Hayley, what happened? Why didn’t you answer my calls?” he asked, grasping her hands firmly before rising to sit on the bed.

Pushing herself up to sit against the headboard, she sighed and rubbed at her red eyes. She pulled her knees into her chest, shoving her face into her legs. She wanted to cry, but the tears had dried up. She threw the blankets off of her, suddenly hot. Klaus wrapped a hand around her bare ankle, a comforting pressure. She felt his gaze intent on her.

She stared at the bedding, beseeching. It held no answers.

She sighed.

“I didn’t mean to worry you. I- I- I ran into my..” her words turned into a whisper, “..adoptive parents.” Embarrassment seemed to overwhelm her then. That she was affected this much, that she caused all that fuss over what amounted to nothing, that these humans had such a devastating hold over her emotions.

She risked a glance up to Klaus. His lips were pressed into a tight line and his eyes held an anger in them. Not toward her, she knew.

“What are they doing here, in New Orleans?” he asked, head tilting. He grabbed her hands in his again.

“Apparently just visiting. They didn’t know I lived here.”

Hayley explained what happened through whispers and stammers.

“Are you alright?” he asked slowly - softly - when she was done. She shrugged. Shifting onto her knees, she shuffled forward and leaned her forehead onto his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist and urged her forward so she slid into his lap, legs around his hips. Hayley buried her face in his neck. All the sensations that accompanied crying plagued her - the tight throat, the stinging eyes, the runny nose, the hot flush, the furrowed brow - yet no tears came.

His hands ran up and down her back, “What can I do?”

Hayley remembered the first time she’d seen this side of Klaus - the kind and careful and gentle side that he reserved mostly for his wife and daughter and for his siblings too during peacetime in the Mikaelson family squabbles. She’d been eight months pregnant and they’d been flirting since she’d moved in with his family, under his vow of protection for her and the baby, and fucking for two months, blazing desire being so far the only thing that held them together.

She’d been eight months along and lounging on the couch with him and he’d placed a hand on her swollen belly and felt Hope kick. Hayley had put her hand on top of his and smiled. When he looked up at her, tears had glistened in his eyes. She’d kissed him then, soft and sweet for the first time instead of rough and fiery.

That was the true beginning of their love affair.

“I dunno.. There’s nothing to do, really. They’re probably going to leave the city soon and I’ll never have to see them again.”

Her fists clenched in his shirt. Through raspy breathings she told him, “It was so horrible and I- I was so weak.”

Klaus tutted, “I have a hard time believing that my wife was ever weak. She, who is the resilient, brave, tough woman who managed to tame me and truly bring my family together.”

She shook her head into his shoulder, a weak chuckle escaping, “I was just so- so fucking nice to them. I wanted their approval and their love, for whatever goddamn reason, but- but now I just feel angry. When I think of what they did to me.. I just can’t imagine ever turning my back on Hope - not even if she massacred an entire city.”

He hummed, tracing shapes on the skin of her back, under her shirt, “Wasn’t it you who assured me that I wasn’t weak for being so conflicted about my parents - the root of all my evils?”

Hayley nodded after a moment of hesitation.

“Even as I hated Mikael, all I wanted was for him to tell me that he was proud of me, that he loved me as his son. We seek the approval from those who do us the most harm.”

She let out a sigh, deep and long. Nodding, she whispered a thanks. His words, although they hadn’t healed the wound that had ripped open today, had been like a bowl of chicken soup when you’re sick in bed - meant to calm the mind and nourish the body so you can gain your strength again and heal.

“I’m glad Jackson was there, though,” she said, knowing she was poking the bear and entirely unafraid, “I don’t think I could have done it alone.”

He huffed, “Oh and what did they think of Jackson?”

Hayley laughed into his skin, “Actually, they saw my ring and thought he was my husband.”

Klaus grunted angrily and pulled her back slightly so he could see her face. He narrowed his eyes at her. She smirked. His jealousy, although potentially lethal to the wrong person, was cute.

After a beat, his lips curled into a grin, more sarcastic than anything, “I guess I’ll have to kill him. We can’t have people believing such false notions.”

“Hey, hey,” Hayley said, smiling, “you relax. Jackson is a good friend, and he stood with me the entire time today.”

Klaus sighed dramatically, “I suppose I’ll leave him be.”

Hayley stared into his blue eyes and warmth spread through her body. He had a magical way of making her feel better. She pressed a kiss onto his lips and hugged him. Her mind drifted to the meeting she’d returned to the compound for.

She gasped and clambered off his lap and stood up from the bed, speaking fast, “Oh shit, I’m holding up the meeting, aren’t I?”

She heard him standing up from the bed just as she was pulling her jeans back on. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her path to the adjoining bathroom.

“You’re more important,” his eyes bore into her own.

“I just want to focus on this witch situation and my actual family - you and Hope and your siblings,” she said determinedly, “my parents can go fuck themselves for all I care.”

She didn’t want to think of her adoptive parents or her past or how they abandoned her or, or, or. Understanding in his eyes, he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her on the knuckles.

“Just know, my love, that the Mikaelsons will stand with you always and forever, no matter what you decide to do.”

Her heart burst. Even through all the hardships that came with it (and there were many), becoming a Mikaelson was the best decision she’d ever made. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight again, his arms around her waist, lips to the side of her head.

Pulling back, she took a deep, readying breath and said, “Let’s go get these witches.”

…

“Nothing,” Klaus fumed. An empty can clattered across the floor and smashed into the wall across from him. The pub was dingy and dark. A real witchy hovel, indeed. He went to kick a similarly empty bourbon bottle--

“Brother, enough. How is that going to help us find any clues?” Elijah asked. Klaus rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“What clues, Elijah?”

“Impatience doesn’t become you, Niklaus. We’ve only been here for ten minutes.”

Klaus huffed and went back to searching. Hayley was chuckling on the other side of the bar, examining where the bodies had been found. She whooshed over, “You look like Hope when you’re frustrated.”

She pecked him on the cheek and his impatience bled away. Snatching her around the waist, he spun her around.

“How could I ever be frustrated with you around?” He said, pulling her into a waltz and humming a tune. Her smile was as beautiful as the sunrise peeking through the leaves of the trees, glittering on the streams of his boyhood village.

A gagging sound came from the doorway, “Could you two be anymore nauseatingly sweet?” Klaus and Hayley looked over to see Marcel grinning at them.

“As if I haven’t had to endure much worse between you and my own sister,” Klaus scoffed, “Come, help us search for clues.”

Marcel strolled in and they all returned to combing through the pub. It had been owned by a Chantilly witch who, according to Vincent, had passed away two weeks ago, leaving the pub to the New Orleans coven as a whole. The rogue witches had made sure to wipe away any of their tracks. Klaus let out a long sigh.

He watched as Hayley groaned ten minutes later and threw her head back, eyes closed.

“Oh my god,” Hayley said suddenly, staring up at the ceiling. Klaus looked up, eyebrows raising.

Elijah and Marcel whooshed over, following their gaze. Sigils covered the high ceiling, corner to corner. An overlapping mess of lines and shapes and runes.

“How did we miss this?” Marcel asked incredulously, “I was here earlier, and none of my guys saw it.”

Elijah pulled out his phone and took a series of pictures.

“What does it mean?” Hayley asked. Klaus crossed his arms and shrugged.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Elijah said, his head tilted. He gestured to his phone, “I’ll send this to Freya.”

“Good,” Klaus said, “We should head back to the compound and keep watch while Freya analyzes this.”

A round of agreements rang out in the pub and they all headed to the door, spilling out onto the sidewalk. Marcel saluted them and took off in the one direction while Elijah unlocked the car. As Hayley moved to climb into the backseat, she stopped suddenly and turned to Klaus, “Ach, I forgot! I promised Hope some beignets for breakfast tomorrow. You guys can go ahead, I’m gonna go pick some up.”

The car engine rumbled as Elijah turned the key. Klaus turned toward Hayley, “I’ll come with you. We can’t be too careful with these witches attacking both werewolves and vampires.”

Hayley began to shake her head as she stepped back onto the sidewalk, “You don’t have to..”

From his place in the driver’s seat, Elijah agreed, “My brother’s right. Rebekah and I can take care of Hope while Freya determines the meanings of these sigils.”

Klaus nodded and slammed the car door shut, Elijah speeding away down the street after a farewell. Alone on the sidewalk, Klaus saw Hayley’s eyebrows furrowed in worry.

“Besides,” he continued, “I’m always yearning to spend time with my beautiful wife.”

He took her hand and started down the street toward Hope’s favorite beignet place.

A smile broke out on her face and she laughed. “Sorry, Klaus. It’s not that I didn’t want to spend time with you.. I just didn’t want to hold anything up.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer to him.

“Not to worry, luv, you’ve already been a great help with everything. Between you and me,” his voice dropped into a conspiratorial whisper, “we never would have made allies of the Crescent wolves without you.”

Hayley chuckled and shoved him away jokingly before shuffling back under his arm. They walked in a comfortable silence down the twinkling street as the dusky lights of the sunset shimmered with the golden lamps dotted along the storefronts. The door of the bakery chimed as Klaus pulled it open for Hayley to enter first. He observed silently as his wife ordered a set of beignets big enough for the entire family. That she’d so seamlessly managed to become a part of his family warmed his cold, dark heart. She and Rebekah were thick as thieves, his wife a calming presence in face of his overprotective nature towards his little sister. Her relationship with Freya was mutually beneficial - both lost and then found. Elijah, the dutifully protective uncle, had many times professed that through Hayley’s many similarities to Klaus, he’d come to understand his brother better because of their union.

Hayley and Hope had mended his broken family and he’d be forever grateful. His wife and child. He’d never could have imagined in all his years alive that he’d ever have something so beautifully normal, so human.

He grabbed the paper bag from the cashier, the oil of the beignets already staining the bottom, and waited for the transaction to complete. His wife - his wife, he’d never be tired of that - was swiping her debit card and thanking the cashier. He turned to the door when it chimed again - a young man walked in followed quickly by a couple in late middle age.

He took Hayley’s hand again as she turned around and put her wallet away.

His heart pounded and he feared the worst when she stopped suddenly and gasped as if she’d been stabbed. Her eyes were trained on the older couple by the door of the shop and their eyes were on her.

Oh, he thought.

Hayley clenched her fists and stormed over to stand in front of them. Klaus matched her pace, beignet bag in hand.

“Are you following me?” She asked furiously when she reached them. His hand moved to rest on her lower back, supportive, protective.

The woman gaped for a minute before the man answered through stammers, “No, I swear Hayley. We just heard this was the best bakery in town and wanted to try it out.”

At that, he saw Hayley deflate, imperceptible to the untrained eye.

“Oh. Right,” she said, defeated. She sighed and shuffled in place. It was strange to see her look so downtrodden, but he supposed that he was similar, albeit more murderous, when it came to his terrible parents.

“Well, we’ve got to go,” she said and grabbed Klaus by the hand, dragging him toward the door.

“Wait, please!” the woman implored behind them. Hayley stopped and stayed looking away. Klaus stood sideways, watching the couple and determining if they were a threat. He glared at them. They glanced nervously in his direction before focusing back on Hayley. Humans often felt fear when they saw him, their bodies recognizing an apex predator even if their minds didn’t.

The man spoke hurriedly next to his wife, “Hayley, please. We made a mistake by letting you leave without a way to contact us earlier. We tried to find that guy you were with in the bar but he must have left out the back door or something because he was gone.”

Hayley turned to face them slowly, standing slightly behind him. Her hand squeezed his, hard.

The man continued, encouraged that Hayley hadn’t yet run out the door, voice strained, “Please, would you like to go get dinner or a coffee or anything? We don’t have any plans tonight and it would be so nice to catch up with you.”

His wife crossed her arms. He could hear her heart pounding angrily. “And why the fuck do you care about my life all of a sudden? From what I remember you two kicked me out onto the street when I was thirteen,” she spat at them.

The woman recoiled, obviously upset. Tears shone in the man’s eyes.

The man took a step forward, stopping when Klaus responded in turn, just a slight edge of threatening. The man held out his hands, palms up, “Hayley, there hasn’t been a day since you left that I haven’t regretted what happened with all my heart. We were never the parents you should have had, but we did raise you for years. Now that we have the chance to know the woman you’ve grown into, we can’t ignore it.”

Klaus scoffed, “I keep hearing ‘we’ but your wife has been awfully silent for one of the included parties.”

The man paused and grimaced, glancing at his wife who wrung her fingers together (something which struck Klaus as familiar, something his wife did) and frowned down at her feet.

Avoiding Klaus’ gaze, she looked hesitantly up at Hayley. The wrinkled skin around her eyes became more pronounced as she whispered, “Hayley, I’m.. sorry too. The way we- I reacted-” Her eyes flicked to Klaus, “- was wrong. I know that now. And- and I do want to learn about your life, if you’ll let us.”

Hayley shifted in the corner of his eye, hands wringing just like her - whatever this woman was to her now. He noticed the couple’s reticence in mentioning the reason they kicked Hayley out in the first place. Either they were afraid to mention it (as if it were a ghost story that only came true if you spoke of it like the Bloody Mary) or -

He smirked darkly, “Not to worry, mister and missus Marshall, I know exactly what happened. No need to avoid the subject on my account.”

Shock colored their faces.

Her hand slipping into his, Hayley came to stand beside him. She cleared her throat.

“Well,” she said, voice trembling, “I guess.. thank you for the apologies. But, um, I don’t know if we can tonight, so..”

Klaus turned to look at his wife. Her expression was one of conflict. Based on their conversation earlier, he figured she was feeling the same sort of confusion now. He cut a glance toward the couple across from them. It’s not like he wanted to be in their presence any longer after how they’d treated Hayley, but that wasn’t his decision to make. Besides, it would likely be a while before Freya figured out what the sigils meants.

Still looking at her, he leaned toward her and whispered under his breath, too low and too fast for the humans to hear, “Hayley. Elijah, Rebekah, and Freya have it under control for now. We’re not exactly needed at the moment, so if you want to meet for dinner with them, don’t let that stop you. It’s your choice and I’ll be with you no matter what.”

She smiled at him, small and fond. Her eyes flicked all over the shop, as she took a few moments to think before pulling in a deep breath, presumably gathering herself, and rocking nervously on her feet.

“On second thought.. I suppose dinner wouldn’t hurt,” she offered hesitantly and scooted closer to Klaus. A smile broke out on the man’s face and the tension in the woman’s shoulders released.

“Great!” the man said, sounding pleased. “So where do you suggest?” He asked Hayley, “You live here, after all.”

Hayley pursed her lips and shifted from foot to foot, “I know a place.”

…

This was one of the oddest days of Neil Marshall’s life - full of confusion and sadness and happiness all at once. First place on the list, though, definitely belonged to when all of his adoptive daughter’s bones broke one by one and she turned into a rampaging wolf in front of him. That day was also first in line for actions he regretted most in his life.

After Hayley left - after they kicked her out - he’d tried to find answers. But nothing. Years passed and nothing tangible, only legends and myths. His memory was consumed for years on end by the growls and the roars and cracking bones. But what he could remember most of all was Hayley staring at him and Holly from the front porch, blotchy and snotty and bleeding as she cried and sobbed and begged them not to kick her out.

She was a monster, he had thought.

How he looked at a scared girl and saw a monster, to this day he couldn’t understand.

There was no excuse, he thought now, for his atrocity.

He and Holly had been working to the bone for years and years, avoiding each other and avoiding what happened. Somehow they had managed to stick together all these years. For better or for worse.

He’d been in the office one night, working overtime (again) when his boss had barged in and forced him to leave and take two weeks paid vacation. Neil had stomped home, fuming. The work was good for him, it distracted him. Five days of him laying around in bed and binging television and avoiding his thoughts and his wife had come home with a trip brochure to New Orleans, declaring that they were going to have a real vacation to the jazz capital of the world and that he was going to enjoy life outside of work for once.

And there they were. New Orleans. He’d lost his faith a long time ago, but seeing his daughter again before his eyes made him want to thank god.

Holly’s hand rested in the crook of his elbow as they walked down the glittering street, a few paces behind his daughter (he wasn’t sure if he had the right to claim her as his daughter anymore) and the man she was with. Her husband, he assumed, based on the way they interacted with each other, but he’d already been wrong about that earlier.

Hayley and the man stopped in front of a small restaurant. She gestured for them to follow as the man held the door open for everyone to pass through. Neil’s first impression was that it was small and it was packed full of people. But the smell of food blanketed the room, spicy and sweet and certainly the real New Orleans gustatory experience. They all waited by the hostess stand, the man typing on his phone with one hand, but Neil doubted they’d be able to get a seat for at least an hour. He looked around, all the tables were full.

A young woman in her twenties approached and circled behind the stand.

“How many will be dining tonight, sir?” she asked.

“Four,” the man with Hayley replied. The hostess bent down for some menus.

“Follow me, please.”

Neil’s eyebrows shot up as the hostess led them across the room and through a beaded alcove. There was a small, tastefully decorated room with a few empty tables.

“Cute place,” Holly said, taking everything in.

Neil and Holly followed Hayley and the man as they chose a table toward the back of the room. The man pulled out one of the chairs for Hayley before he sat next to her. Holly sat in front of Hayley with Neil directly beside her. He observed the younger couple. Saw how Hayley leaned toward the man, his hand wrapped around the back of her chair.

Hayley had grown into a beautiful woman of twenty-five. She’d obviously done well for herself, with nice clothes and a well to-do husband if her wedding band (or the unusually quick service) was any indication.

“So hopefully this isn’t me putting my foot in it again, but is this the husband?” Neil asked Hayley.

Her mouth fell open and she looked to the man beside her, “Oh! I should have introduced you all. Sorry. Yes, this is my husband, Klaus Mikaelson. And Klaus, this is Neil and Holly Marshall.”

“Nice to meet you, Klaus,” Holly said warmly while Neil nodded along.

Hayley’s husband - Klaus - smiled at them. It wasn’t a warm smile. There was a coldness to it, something threatening.

A waitress came in and took their drink orders. When she left, they all sat in an awkward silence.

“I was admiring Hayley’s ring earlier, it’s so beautiful. It must be one of a kind,” Holly said, breaking the tension

“Thank you, it is. I made it,” he said, smirking. He had an accent, something Neil had noticed earlier.

“Impressive,” Holly’s eyes widened, “But isn’t silver supposed to be lethal to-” she cut herself off, uncomfortably shifting in her seat. Neil closed his eyes.

“To werewolves?” Hayley said, a bite to her words. She crossed her arms, “No. That’s a myth.”

Holly nodded awkwardly and Neil placed a hand on her thigh. The waitress returned with their drinks and Hayley sipped from her dark glass, eyes periodically flicking up to him and Holly. Neil cleared his throat and read through the menu. Klaus and Hayley seemed to know what they wanted because they ignored the menus.

When the waitress returned, they placed their orders.

“So,” Hayley said, “What about you two - any big changes since I left?”

That was a nice way of putting it, since she left. As if she’d had any choice in the matter, Neil thought sadly.

“No,” Neil said, “Same jobs, same house. Although your mom-” he stopped and looked down, “-Hols here got a promotion recently.” He smiled at his wife proudly.

“Congratulations,” Hayley smiled woodenly.

Holly nodded a thanks with a strained smile. After a moment, she hummed curiously, “Can I ask where you’re from, Klaus? Your accent..”

“A lot of places. But I was born in Mystic Falls,” he said.

Holly nodded and Neil drew lines through the condensation on his glass of water, “What do you two do for a living?”

“Oh,” Hayley stole a sip from Klaus’ bourbon before answering slowly, “It’s complicated..”

Klaus chuckled, “Now, don’t be shy, luv. We work in.. politics, you might say.”

“What sort of politics exactly?” Neil asked. He wondered if they worked for the city council or the governor or something like that. But then, they probably wouldn’t be able to afford such nice clothes.

Klaus leaned his chin onto his hand, curling his fingers around his lips, “My family runs this city and Hayley helps.”

What. How does a family run a city?

“Like the mob?” Holly asked, voice concerned. Neil’s mouth dropped open. Their clothes, the VIP treatment, Klaus’ dangerous countenance. God, this was all his fault, he’d kicked out a thirteen-year-old girl and she’d fallen in with organized crime. What if she’d been kidnapped and forced into it? The guilt tore at his insides, trying to claw its way out only to be shoved back by his self-hate. He deserved to feel this way.

“No,” Klaus said. Neither he nor Hayley said anything more on the subject. Eyebrows furrowed, Neil shared a worried glance with Holly.

“Don’t worry,” Hayley added off-hand just as the waitress returned, placing their plates in front of them. Neil smiled gratefully, still worried.

Digging in, Neil savored the taste of the spicy Cajun dish. “Great service here,” Neil noted, “And really good food.”

“I thought you’d like it,” Hayley said, a soft smile on her lips, “It’s my favorite. Klaus showed me this place when I moved here. It’s been around for centuries, a family business if you can believe it. It’s basically all I ate when I was--”

She stopped talking, her lips pursed awkwardly, her chuckle dying with her words.

“When you were..?” Holly probed. Neil sighed inwardly, he was curious as well but sometimes his wife was not so observant or tactful when it came to body language and conversation.

Before Hayley could answer, Klaus’ phone vibrated loudly on the table. He swiped the screen with his thumb and answered, “What is it, brother?”

What an odd way to refer to a sibling. So old-fashioned. He never addressed his brothers like that and he was quite a bit older than Klaus. Must be a European thing.

Whoever this Elijah was, he seemed to have bad news. A darkness fell on Klaus’ face and Hayley wore a concerned look. Just then, both Hayley and Klaus snapped their heads to look toward the door, perfectly in sync. He awkwardly turned to look at the doorway, but nothing was there. Holly glanced at him, confused.

“Too late, Elijah. They’re already here. Send a car,” he said quickly before shoving his phone into his pocket. Both he and Hayley stood up and circled around the table.

“What’s going on?” Neil asked. There was a crash behind him and a group of people walked through the doorway. They were chanting like a bunch of nutjobs as they stood in place. What the fuck, he thought.

Hayley turned to them, a small twinkle of worry in her eyes “No time. Get behind the table and stay in the corner.”

“Should we call the cops?” Holly asked with a gasp as the room shook. Neil ushered her behind the table like Hayley told them and stood in front of her. Framed paintings and photos crashed to the floor and the dishes on the table clattered from the vibrations.

“Do not call the cops,” Hayley shouted over the noise, standing beside Klaus and facing the chanting people.

“Enough!” Klaus bellowed. His voice was deep and terrifying. Neil shivered. There was a woman who stood at the front of the group. She lowered her hands and the noise stopped and the shaking abated.

“Thank you, now what is it that you want so badly that you couldn’t wait for me to finish my dinner?” Klaus demanded. A dangerous smirk painted his lips in a curve. Neil hardly thought now was the time to be joking about.

The leader woman laughed loud and high, “I think you know, Niklaus Mikaelson. Witches brought two terrible darknesses into this world, the werewolves and vampires. But your mother created an evil unlike any other when she turned you. And now you’ve spread this disease to your wife and daughter. We will stop at nothing to exterminate each and every one of you half-breeds.”

Neil’s eyes were wide, “What the fuck?!”

Nobody spared him a glance. Hayley narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

Klaus growled low and deep, “You will lose slowly and painfully. No one has ever defeated my family in the millennium we’ve existed and there have been many attempts. What makes you think a group of weak witches like yourself will succeed where no one has before?”

The woman - the witch, Neil thought incredulously - clenched her jaw and raised her arms once again. She swiped her hand from left to right and Hayley went flying through the air crashing hard into the wall. Holly shrieked and Neil moved to go see if she was alright, but Hayley stood up smoothly and gracefully. That crash - from magic, what the fuck - should have seriously harmed her - but she seemed perfectly fine.

Hayley growled, and Neil saw her eyes flash yellow. In a blink of the eye she stood in front of one of the men flanking the woman. She grabbed him and shoved her face into his neck. He screamed loud and terrified. When Hayley pulled back, blood covered her mouth and poured from the man’s neck as he collapsed to the ground. Hayley was thrown through the air again and Neil heard a terrible snapping sound. Her body landed near him and Holly. Her neck was bent at an unnatural angle, her eyes open.

Holly screamed and tears flooded Neil’s eyes. His daughter was dead. He looked over to see Klaus attacking one of the other witches.

It was chaos. He was sobbing over Hayley’s body. He should have found her before now, made amends, been a part of her life. This was all his fault. If they’d been there for her when she needed it she never would have fallen in with this crime family or whatever the fuck it was.

His ears were ringing, deaf to the fighting of others and the sobbing of self. He looked up and saw Holly, red faced and blotchy with tears. He turned to the doorway. All the witches were lying on the floor and two other people had arrived. A blond woman and a man in a suit were speaking to Klaus. Neil caught eyes with Klaus who strode over.

“Klaus, she’s- she’s dead,” Holly cried. Klaus bent down and picked Hayley up, one arm behind her knees and the other behind cradling her broken neck.

“Follow me,” he ordered.

“Not until you tell us what’s going on,” Neil shouted, drawing the eyes of the newcomers.

“Hayley is fine, trust me. Just come with us, you’ll be safe,” Klaus said harshly.

Neil crossed his arms. Anger and sadness warred within him. Of course Hayley wasn’t alright.

Klaus sighed loudly, “Elijah, could you please..?” before carrying Hayley swiftly through the doorway.

“What--” Holly started to ask when the man - Elijah - approached. He gave them a polite smile. And then--

--And then, both he and Holly were standing outside of the restaurant, in front of an expensive looking SUV. What the fuck, Neil thought once again, not for the last time he was sure.

Elijah opened the car door and ushered them in. Klaus was sitting on the other side of the car seat, Hayley in his lap. Her neck was still bent. Neil choked on a cry as he shuffled in beside Klaus, turning to help Holly in after him.

The door slammed. Elijah climbed into the driver’s seat just as the blonde woman got into the passenger seat. Neil’s body jerked back as the car took off from the curb to the sounds of honks and yells on the street.

Neil looked over to Hayley and a sob escaped. “Can someone please explain what’s going on?” he said through gasps.

Klaus ignored him, aggressively calm and collected for someone who just lost his wife. He bared his teeth and bit into the palm of his hand. Neil jerked back and held an arm in front of Holly. Klaus held his bleeding hand up to Hayley’s mouth and she-

She woke with a gasp, her neck snapping back into place. Neil stared, mouth gaping. Holly’s cries stopped. Her hazel eyes opened.

…

God, she hated getting her neck snapped. She groaned, rolling out her shoulders and took in her surroundings. The interior of the luxury SUV was dimly-lit in the dark of night time, Freya and Elijah staring forward as the car whipped through the streets. Klaus’ arms were wrapped around her and she shifted in his lap.

She remembered what the witches said. “Is Hope okay? They threatened her!” She asked frantically.

“She’s perfectly safe with Rebekah and Marcel. Davina and Vincent are at the compound too,” Klaus informed her.

She sighed, relieved.

Her parents were staring at her, shocked and scared. Eyes red and cheeks wet, it seemed like they’d both been crying. Hayley glanced at Klaus who leered at her playfully and pulled her into him. She rolled her eyes and leaned sideways onto his chest.

The sound of Neil’s voice sounded loud and frantic through the small space, “Hayley? What- you. You were dead, your neck was broken! How are you--”

“I’m fine, dad,” She said with a superficial calmness, but underneath her heart skipped at her slip of the tongue. There was some kind of curse on her, that anytime she was around her adoptive parents, crazy supernatural shit happened.

“But how? Is this a- a werewolf thing?” He demanded.

From the front seat, Freya glanced back, eyebrows raised.

“Not a werewolf thing,” she sighed, uncomfortable with the topic, “A vampire thing.”

Neil squinted his eyes, forehead creased, “But. I thought you were a werewolf.”

“I was when you knew me. I still am. But now I’m also a vampire.”

Klaus stroked her side and added, “She’s a hybrid. Like me.”

Holly cut in with a high and strained voice, “That’s what those people were talking about, wasn’t it? Heavens,” She gasped, “Werewolves, vampires, and witches? That’s what they were, right? Witches?”

Hayley nodded, lips pressed together in a forced smile. Freya turned and addressed Klaus and Hayley, “Davina and Vincent received a threat while I was figuring out the sigils - there are more of these rogue witches than we expected. That was just a small portion.”

“Fuck,” Klaus said through an annoyed sigh.

Neil was shaking his head incredulously, “What else is living under our noses?” Neil said, collapsing back into the seat.

“That pretty much sums it up,” Hayley answered. She glanced out the window, they were almost at the compound.

“Does that mean,” Neil said slowly, looking toward Freya and Elijah, “that all of you are like Hayley?”

Freya chuckled, “No. I’m a witch.” When Neil and Holly became apprehensive, she added, “A good one. Well. I suppose that’s a matter of perspective. But don’t worry - I’m not like the ones back there.”

“And I’m a vampire,” Elijah added without turning around. Holly rubbed at her forehead.

The car pulled into the driveway of the compound and Elijah parked swiftly. Klaus helped Hayley out of the car and they ushered her parents out after them. Striding toward the compound entrance and flanking Holly and Neil, Hayley noticed their shaky steps and breathing. What a disaster. She hadn’t intended on letting them get closer to her life, to knowing about Hope or her nature. But Klaus had made the right call in bringing them back to the compound. They wouldn’t be safe out there now that the witches suspected a connection between them and the family they sought to destroy.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the cool air of the compound hit her. Although her body felt perfectly energized, she was emotionally drained. Collapsing onto the couch for a good few hours sounded incredibly attractive right then.

Elijah led the way to the center room of the compound where Hayley spotted Vincent, Davina, Kol, Rebekah, and Marcel speaking in a circle. They broke apart as the newcomers filed in, looking curiously at her parents.

“All good?” Vincent asked. Hayley nodded with a tight smile.

Klaus poured himself some scotch from the open bar and flopped onto one of the sofas. Elijah sat next to him with a straight back, he crossed his legs and clasped his hands together over a knee. Some of the others helped themselves to the bar and returned, talking to Klaus and Elijah.

Rebekah stood next to Hayley and whispered, “Hope’s in bed, for now. She was a little resistant tonight so she might be bugging you soon.”

“Thank you so much. We were supposed to be back for bedtime, but- well...”

She crossed her arms and nodded toward Neil and Holly, “Something to do with those two humans gaping and crying like some bloody two-year-olds?”

Hayley chuckled through her nose and watched as her parents shifted uncomfortably in the room, nervous around all the strangers in the strange place.

“Who are they anyway?” Rebekah asked.

“My adoptive parents, if you can believe it” Hayley sighed deeply.

Rebekah turned toward Hayley fully, “The ones who abandoned you when you were thirteen? What the bloody hell do they want?”

“Believe me, I’ve asked myself the same question. Somehow we ran into each other on the street around noon. They’re on vacation,” Hayley finished sarcastically.

Rebekah shook her head and nudged Hayley with her elbow, “Gods, what a bunch of grandparents Hope has.”

Amusement curled in Hayley’s abdomen. She smiled gratefully at Rebekah. She was a great friend to have around.

“Rebekah, Hayley, if you could join us in the battle plans,” Klaus said impatiently.

Hayley rolled her eyes and shared a look with Rebekah. She turned her attention back to the group and ignored her parents for the moment.

“No need to be so salty,” She said teasingly, repeating what she’d heard Josh saying toward Marcel the other day. Klaus grinned and she shuffled toward him, perching on the arm of the sofa next to him. Rebekah and Marcel remained standing side-by-side while Vincent, Kol, and Davina sat on the opposing sofa. Freya sat on the sofa arm by Elijah.

“First of all,” Vincent said, gesturing toward Neil and Holly who were still standing awkwardly, obviously feeling out of place, “Who are these people?”

“My adoptive parents, Neil and Holly. They’ll be staying here until these witches are dealt with.”

Holly crossed her arms, “Excuse me? Shouldn’t we have a say in that?”

“Sorry,” Klaus responded for her, sounding not-at-all sorry, “It’s really not up for discussion.”

Holy frowned, an angry look creeping onto her face while Neil gaped still.

To soften the blow, Hayley added, “It’s for your own safety, the witches could use you to get to us, so it’s best if you stay here.”

Before they could say anything more, Klaus said, “Speaking of staying here, I think it would be beneficial if all those aligned with us - the vampires, wolves, and non-defecting witches - remained here until the threat is eliminated.”

Marcel raised an eyebrow, “Isn’t that just giving the witches one big target to attack?”

“It would be much easier for them to attack individual groups of vampires and werewolves,” Davina said, “their power is on a smaller scale but they have many members. If everyone was staying here, the witches would bring their full forces.”

“Correct,” Elijah said, “This way, we could reduce their numbers, and with it their power.”

“Plus,” Klaus said dangerously, “They threatened Hope. Now, we all know that she is the reason this city remains in peace. The werewolves, vampires, and remaining witches will fortify this compound and protect the one who represents us all.”

Vincent nodded with pursed lips and looked toward Davina and Kol, “I suppose we’ll go talk to the witches who haven’t lost their goddamn minds in hate.”

“I’ll call Josh,” Marcel added.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll get in touch with the wolves,” Hayley glanced toward her bamboozled parents, “And I’ll get you two set up in a room.”

She kissed Klaus on the forehead as the others scattered to their various tasks. She gestured for her parents to follow her and led them up to one of the guest rooms. She dropped the beignets off in the kitchen on the way.

…

Holly sat, dazed on the luxurious bed in the guest room, staring at her husband as he paced. A knock sounded from the door and Hayley nudged her way in. Neil stopped pacing.

“Here. Freya and Kol lent you some clothes. But if things aren’t resolved by tomorrow, I’ll send for your stuff to be picked up from the hotel,” She shuffled toward the door after she set them on the dresser, “Sorry again for the inconvenience, but we don’t know when this will be over. It’s honestly safest for you here.”

Covering up a slight twinge of annoyance, Holly smiled gratefully, “Thank you, Hayley.”

Neil nodded from his spot by the window.

“Well,” Hayley said, drawing out the word, “I guess I’ll see you in the morning. Make yourself at home.”

“And,” She added seriously, “if you’re planning on leaving, which I really suggest you don’t do, please tell one of us so we can go with you.”

“Understood,” Neil said. Hayley waved hesitantly and closed the door behind her.

Holly and Neil stared at each other for a good minute, incredulous and bewildered. This was probably the craziest day of her life, even more so than when her daughter became a werewolf in her sitting room. She flopped back onto the bed, throwing an arm over her eyes.

She sighed, deep and full-bodied.

“What a day,” she said after a few minutes.

“Tell me about it,” Neil said, sitting down on the chaise by the window with a puzzled expression.

After some moments of silence, he asked aloud, “I wonder who Hope is.”

Holly sighed again and shrugged. She was too tired to think. She grabbed the women’s clothes from the pile on the dresser. She headed into the en suite bathroom and turned the water of the shower to the hottest temperature. Steam filled the room fast and strong. They had a good water heating system for such an old building.

The heat of the water beating down and scalding her skin pink, she leaned one arm onto the shower wall, weak. Her lungs were tight and her heart was heavy and her stomach was leaden. Despite what she could say - from the petty part of her soul that she was aware was only projections of her own insecurities, Holly knew that Hayley had done well for herself. Extremely well. And not in the way that her own mother would have thought, that she’d bagged herself a rich and successful man. No, Hayley had done well for herself because she was happy. She was happy and she was loved and she was accepted. Her life was strange and apparently dangerous, but she was happy. Anyone could see that.

That part of her mind slithered its slimy path to the forefront. She was better off without you. It was good you kicked her out, she only would have been stifled with you. You were only a poison and you would have hurt her more if she’d stayed. You know you’d never be able to accept a monster as a daughter.

She shook her evil thoughts off and rinsed the high-quality soap from her body. Tears leaked from her eyes, hidden by the shower water. She wanted to sleep for a few days straight.

Without even an exchange of a word, Neil took his turn with the bathroom. It wasn’t unusual for them to not speak, to avoid each other - emotionally or otherwise. But a twinge of sadness blossomed in her heart not for the first time. She crawled under the thick duvet of the bed and fell asleep to the sounds of the shower beating down and the water pipes hissing in the walls.

When she woke, it was dawn. The sky cotton candy blue and pink, a vibrant orange peeking out from the horizon. Holly slid out of bed and bundled up in a fluffy, cotton robe and leaned against the wall, looking out the window. The building had a beautiful view of the streets of New Orleans. The city was asleep, but the beauty of it never rested. She’d come to see that in the few days she and Neil had been there. She was an early riser, after all.

On the bed, Neil snored softly into the pillows. He had slept fitfully all night but it seemed that a deep sleep had finally conquered. She hadn’t been able to sleep that well either. Her husband’s tossing and turning and the emotional roller coaster of the day before made for a sleepless combination.

Tip-toeing across the room, curling her toes in the soft area rug, she turned the door knob slowly. With a glance toward Neil, she shut the door behind her, making sure not to make any noise. There was a snoopy side to her, she could admit, as she padded her way down the hallway slowly. Last night, she had been so confused and tired, she’d barely taken in any of the details of her surroundings. But the house seemed asleep, she should be safe to take a quick peek around. Hayley had said to make themselves at home.

The corridor was wide and old-fashioned, with arched ceilings and dottings of oaken doors. Artwork decorated the walls. Beautiful aging paintings and portraits. She took a turn into another corridor and stopped in front of one large, central portrait with a gilded frame. In the forefront, there was a blond man lounging in his chair, legs spread, dominating the frame. Standing behind him was a young blonde woman and a black-haired man both with calm and solemn expressions. She wasn’t known for her skills in history, but from the cracking of the paint and the clothing featured, it was definitely from long ago. What century, she would never be able to pinpoint.

Her eyes lingered on the rendering of the intricate lace detail of the woman’s sleeve, draped over the back of the chair, a wide opening which allowed her hand to rest atop the blond man’s raised one.

His face was familiar, she thought. Quite familiar. Squinting her eyes, she marvelled at the similarities of this painted man to Hayley’s husband, Klaus. The woman, too, looked like that girl Hayley had been talking to last night. And the other man stood similarly to the polished gentleman who had driven them to the compound.

She shook her head. Was that even possible? She tried to remember everything from the night before, but truthfully it had been a whirlwind of stress and fear and sadness. Klaus had said Hayley was like him, she remembered that. But what did they say they were exactly? After seeing her daughter come back to life, she supposed it’s not out of the realm of possibility that vampires or werewolves - or whatever Hayley and Klaus were - could live forever like in the movies.

It made her a little uncomfortable to think that ancient creatures in human skins might exist. That her son-in-law (can she really claim that familial title given what she did?) might be older than her.

Turning away from the portrait, she noticed a small table with a bunch of framed photographs clustered about. It made her smile, it seemed so normal in this vast fortress of a place. Careful, she picked the most central one up. It was a baby. Swaddled in a purple blanket, a soft smile around where she sucked on her own fingers, her chubby cheeks pink and flushed. That fuzzy feeling only puppies, kittens, and babies gave her burst in her chest. Her fingers brushed against the picture.

She wondered who the baby was - she was obviously important to someone in this house.

“Hi,” a chipper voice said suddenly. Holly jumped and gasped, covering her mouth with a hand and setting the picture back down with the other. She looked over to the side and down. It was a little girl, about four or five. The girl wasn’t smiling, but those chubby cheeks were one of a kind. This must be the baby.

She looked familiar, more so than from the photo.

“Hello there,” Holly said gently, “What’s your name?”.

“I’m Hope, who are you?” the little girl asked curiously, rocking back and forth on her feet. She held a stuffed bunny in one hand and a beignet in the other. Hope, Holly thought. She remembered a Hope being mentioned the night before, by some of the strange people. And Neil, too now that she thought about it.

“Nice to meet you, Hope. I’m Holly. Where are your parents?”

Hope hummed and took a bite out of her beignet, sugar and crumbs sticking to her face, “I wanted to wake them earlier, but they were busy in their room, my Auntie Bex calls them ‘horndogs,’” She drew out the word as if she was trying it out for the first time.

Holly gaped at the girl who stared innocently up at her. She desperately wanted to laugh. Instead, she cleared her throat and clasped her hands awkwardly. It’s been a long time since she’s interacted with children. They’d adopted Hayley when she was around Hope’s age and that was about the extent of that.

Hayley.

That’s what it was.

Hope reminded her of Hayley. Holly looked at the little girl, chewing on her beignet, and saw Hayley as a little girl. Hope’s hair and eyes were the wrong color and she was confident and happy whereas Hayley had been frightened when they’d first met her. But other than that, Hope was a spitting image.

Holly would know, she looks at the photo of six-year-old Hayley in her wallet every day, to remind herself of her mistakes. To torture herself, truly. Was this Hayley’s daughter?

More crumbs fell to the floor as Hope took another bite of her beignet and gazed at Holly contemplatively. “What’s your faction?” she asked through a mouthful.

“Faction?”

“Daddy said last night that a bunch of people from the factions are gonna show up today. I’ve never seen you before but I think you’re a witch… or maybe a werewolf.”

“Oh,” Holly said, catching on, “I’m not any of- of those things.”

“So you’re a human?” Hope asked, shifting to squeeze her bunny. Holly nodded.

The little girl’s eyes narrowed, “Daddy didn’t say anything about humans coming.”

Holly felt as if she was being interrogated, pinned to her spot by Hope’s big blue eyes. Not knowing what else to say, she asked, “Who’s your daddy?”

Hope crossed her arms and jutted a hip out. The amount of attitude in just that move, a child-sized imitation of adult body language, was astonishing. Holly received no answer even as the woman and the girl stared at each other - child-like apprehension and adult-like suspicion radiating off their respective (although ironically unlikely) hosts.

Footsteps sounded behind her and stopped just to her side. Holly risked a glance at the man beside her, his soft gaze locked onto the little girl in front of them.

“Daddy!” Hope shrieked, running quickly toward Klaus. He reached down to pick her up, slinging her along his side after he smacked a kiss onto her cheek.

“Good morning, my love,” he said to his daughter. His behaviour was so soft, so gentle, so perfectly fatherly. She remembered how frightening, how domineering he had been during the fight last night, and even - to a lesser extent - towards her and Neil before their meal had been interrupted. She supposed they deserved his aggression.

“I guess that answers your question,” Klaus said placidly, turning to face Holly.

She felt caught, like she’d done something wrong. Instead of sticking with that thought, she pulled her robe together tighter and steeled herself. She let out an exhale, “Is- is that..?”

He stared at her with unreadable eyes and, after a moment, nodded. Addressing Hope again with a smile, he bopped her on the nose, making her giggle.“I see you found your beignets,” he teased, “Your mother is looking for you, goblin.”

He set her down with a kiss to the hairline before she made a beeline past them, disappearing around the corner, leaving a trail of sugary tracks.

In the silence, Holly stammered, “I’m sorry- I- I didn’t mean to-”

Klaus waved his hand and the words died in her mouth. He glanced at the grandfather clock on the wall and crossed his arms.

“We’ll be having breakfast downstairs in an hour, if you and your husband would like to join,” at that, her lips parted and he continued, “Hayley and I thought we’d make proper introductions over some coffee.”

Uncharacteristically shy, she nodded and pivoted haltingly toward the way she’d come. She stopped. Klaus raised an eyebrow.

She flushed, “Your daughter- How come Hayley never said anything last night?”

Klaus hummed, and something told her it was more than a little mocking, “I suppose it had something to do with protecting our very non-human daughter from those who would cast their own out on such grounds.”

He sent her a close-lipped smile and strode away in the direction Hope had gone. Holly looked down, face hot and eyes stinging. A shaky breath left her chest gaping. Trying desperately to compose herself, she wrung her hands together. Looking again toward the table, one of the photographs she hadn’t noticed before caught her eye.

It was all three of them. Hayley, beaming a beautiful smile toward her husband and daughter; Hope, mid-laugh, swinging from where her arms were wrapped around both of her parents’ necks; Klaus, watching the two ladies - wife and daughter - with a tender smile and enchanted eyes.

If anything, Holly wanted to cry even more. Glad as she was for her daughter’s happiness, she knew, deep down, that the harm she’d inflicted upon Hayley at the delicate age of thirteen would never be undone, could never be fixed or forgiven. Not truly. And not by her hand.

The realization - for she had deluded herself into believing that maybe, just maybe Hayley would absolve her, that she could atone for her most grievous sin - rang like a death knell, spelling her eternity buried beneath the crushing, earthy guilt that she had piled upon herself.

Heading back to the guest room, she scrubbed at her eyes and took slow, measured breaths.

…

“I ran into Holly not just a moment ago,” Klaus told her from the doorway connecting their bedroom and bathroom, “She was speaking with Hope in the hallway.”

“Oh?” Hayley pursed her lips and yanked a towel off the rack, wrapping it around her body as she stepped out of the shower. With a second towel, she tucked her wet hair into a turban, “I suppose the cat is out of the bag, then.”

“I invited them to share breakfast with us in an hour,” he said, crossing his arms and peering into the room to check on Hope. Hayley could hear her squeals as she jumped up and down on their mattress.

“Does Hope know..?”

Klaus shook his head, “But Holly does.”

She nodded and sighed, reaching for her toothbrush. It wasn’t as if she’d decided as soon as she’d run into her parents yesterday that she would avoid the subject of her daughter. It just… hadn’t come up.

No - that was a lie.

She’d been afraid. Afraid for her daughter or afraid for herself, she didn’t know. But no matter the reason, fear breeds inaction.

Rinsing out her mouth, her eyes caught with Klaus’ in the mirror. Hope let out a shrieking giggle and Hayley smiled.

Changing the subject, she asked, “When do you think the witches will retaliate?”

He shrugged casually, “Sooner rather than later, I imagine. They seem to be an impulsive lot.”

Somehow, relief and fear curled in her gut at the same time. Relieved that this whole nightmare - the presence of her parents, that is - would be over with soon and fear that these witches would unleash something terrible upon her family - Hope or Klaus or anyone of the Mikaelsons mostly, but a little bit of that worry was reserved for the human couple under their protection. He must have read the emotion on her face because, in an instant, he stood before her, cupping the side of her jaw. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Worry not, my love. We have the backing of all the vampires, all the Crescent wolves, and the vast majority of the witches.”

“I know,” she sighed. Klaus was much more assured in these circumstances, having lived through a thousand years of threats and dangers toward his family. According to Elijah, though, even this measure of confidence was nothing compared to how he responded to threats before Hope’s conception. Still, as she had not known him long before Hope came around, his seemingly unwavering confidence in the face of threats sometimes frustrated her. But, she supposed, if she ever got to live as long as he, perhaps she’d feel the same way.

His hand trailed down from her jaw to cup around the back of her neck. He took a step forward, gargantuan even in the negligible space between them. She peeked up at him coyly and bit into her bottom lip at his heated stare. She leaned forward onto her toes as he applied a light pressure onto her neck, boneless in his grasp. He leaned down and their lips met. God, she thought as her eyes fluttered shut.

He pulled her into him, both hands now at her towel-covered waist. She clutched at his shoulders and a shudder of heat crackled in her lower belly as he dragged his teeth across her bottom lip.

“Are you two being horndogs again?” Hope said loudly from the bathroom door. Hayley gasped and tore away from Klaus, seeing their daughter looking at them with wide, innocent eyes. They hadn’t noticed her arrival, too caught up in one another. She saw Klaus smirking from the corner of her eye.

Despite herself, she exhaled amusedly and shook her head fondly, “Now, where did you learn that, young lady?”

…

Breakfast was an awkward affair, no one knowing quite what to say. And if one did think of something to say, one might dart a glance at the little girl among them and question if it was appropriate to say in her presence, ultimately deciding not to risk it. The stilted silence, broken only by the exclamations and laughter of Hope, was thankfully cut short by the steady arrival of their allies. Streaming in the compound in groups of five or six, soon the Mikaelsons were surrounded by three of New Orleans supernatural factions (it’s not like humans would have been much help against murderous witches).

When the aforementioned witches arrived, lured by the temptation of all those they looked down upon gathered together, just as they had predicted in their meetings, there was a quick fight. Almost disappointingly so, Hayley begrudgingly thought. Overconfident and blinded by their hate, the rogue witches were hardly a match for the Mikaelson’s allied witches, let alone all of the vampires and werewolves of the quarter. Alas, there were a few injuries, but no fatalities. On their side, that is. The rogue witches weren’t so lucky.

Hope, of course, had been sequestered away with her Aunt Rebekah long before the assailants arrived, guarded by a small company of their best fighters. Neil and Holly had refused to hide away until there was a concrete sign of danger, and Hayley had eventually conceded, tired of arguing with them.

Hayley was remembering just that as she glared at her father (ex-adopted father, she chastised herself). Despite their fortifications and their ultimate victory, the witches had managed to siege unexpectedly, thanks to a mole in their camp of allied witches, throwing a few people around before their presence was even noted. She bit into her palm and let her blood drip into a goblet. When Hayley thrust the goblet toward a grimacing Neil, Holly moved to protest.

“It will heal him,” Hayley said through thinly veiled impatience. “Drink it,” she told him and wanted to add, I told you so. Neil reached out as far as he could, his entire back bruised from where he was thrown into the bannister. She bridged the way and placed the goblet in his hand.

His grimace at the taste quickly melted away into a look of wonder, soon shifting and turning as if he’d never been injured in the first place. She sighed and leaned back into the seat, “Now don’t die for the next twenty-four hours or you’re going to turn into a vampire. And it’s not as fun as the movies make it seem.”

Neil raised an eyebrow but thanked her anyway. Holly frowned and turned to Hayley, “I guess you were right.”

“You guess?” Hayley scoffed and watched as Holly looked down at her feet, a flush overtaking her face. Neil shifted in his seat, no longer in physical pain, but uncomfortable nonetheless. Hayley sighed, “It doesn’t matter. You’re all healed now, like it never happened.”

Holly perked up a little at that, relieved.

Hayley thought about booting out of there and hiding away, but her parents would likely be leaving soon and it would be rude. And, although she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, she wanted to soak in as much of their presence before they inevitably left her once again. She clenched her fists and forced herself to relax.

Unsure what to say, Hayley cast her eyes desperately around the courtyard, looking for something, anything to save her. People were milling about, low-rankers cleaning up the mess from the fight while others spoke to their faction leader before trailing out in smaller groups than they arrived in. She caught eyes with Jackson but he was in the middle of a conversation and regardless, he would probably avoid her while Klaus was in the same building. She rolled her eyes.

“Hey, chica,” a deep voice rumbled from her left. She turned to see Marcel just before he collapsed into the seat next to her. She smiled in greeting and glanced at her parents in her periphery.

“So these are the people you ended up with after I left you at that orphanage,” he drawled. Holly and Neil exchanged confused glances.

“Well, after a few different homes, yeah,” she agreed. “Holly, Neil, this is Marcel, he’s part of the family.”

Marcel smiled at that. When she’d first moved to New Orleans, Marcel and Klaus were legendary in their rivalry, they’d practically shouted down the walls in the storms that characterized their relationship. Betrayal and hurt colored both father and son’s actions, begetting more and more betrayal and hurt. Hope’s birth had been a salve to this gaping chasm, showing Klaus how to embrace Marcel as family, and prompting Marcel to move on from the past. Now, a devoted brother and doting uncle to Hope, Marcel was one of Hayley’s closest friends.

“Pleasure,” Holly said bewildered, “Did you just say--”

“That I left Hayley at an orphanage, yeah,” Marcel said, cutting him off. His tone was deceptively light, his posture relaxed with an arm flung over the back of his chair and his ankles crossed out in front of him. He looked over to Hayley and raised an eyebrow. She nodded and gestured with a hand for him to go on.

“Oh, I can just feel your burning curiosity,” Marcel said jovially, “I guess I can be generous and answer your questions since it doesn’t seem like Hayley wants to.”

Hayley rolled her eyes. It’s not that she didn’t want to, but she had a habit of losing her words around the curious humans seated across from her. It would be easier for someone who knew of her story to explain some of it.

“You look--” Neil started and looked a little annoyed when Marcel cut him off.

“Too young to’ve known Hayley as a baby?” Marcel smirked, “Well, I am quite handsome, thanks for noticing. But in fact, I’m much older than both of you combined. Surely Hayley explained to you about vampires?”

“Oh,” Neil paused, “I didn’t even know vampires existed until yesterday evening.. It might take a bit before I’m used to the idea.”

“That’s understandable,” Hayley forced out when no one moved to speak, wishing he’d been that open to the idea of werewolves all those years ago.

“Um,” Holly started, looking uncomfortable, “Can I ask how you knew Hayley when she was a baby?”

Hayley chewed on her lip and decided to add to the conversation, “Did you guys know I was born here in New Orleans?”

They both shook their heads. She uncrossed her legs and crossed them the opposite way, “Well I was. To a powerful werewolf family of a powerful pack. My parents were murdered one night when I was just a baby, and Marcel, as the king of the city, was informed. He found me, and then eventually you two found me.”

“I’m sorry, Hayley,” Neil said quietly and she shrugged her shoulders. Scrubbing at his eyes, Neil asked, “King of the city?”

Marcel hummed, “For a century, I ruled the New Orleans underground.”

“Not anymore?” Holly asked and Hayley tensed slightly. Although Marcel and Klaus had buried their differences, some issues between them were more easier to unearth than others. Eyes flashing, Marcel smiled, “Not anymore. Although I have a good enough role nowadays, I suppose.”

He didn’t sound upset, but you never knew with centuries-old vampires. Pursing her lips, she added, “Please, without you the vampires never would have come into line and the city would be in chaos.”

His gaze softened as he looked at her, reaching over to ruffle her hair. She rolled her eyes again.

“So you’re related to Hayley’s in-laws...?” Neil trailed off. Hayley chuckled. Imagine explaining to a couple of humans how exactly Marcel fit in.

“Klaus adopted me when I was a boy and turned me into a vampire when I grew old enough,” Marcel said, “And I’m married to Rebekah.”

“Rebekah?” Holly asked.

“Klaus’ sister,” Hayley said.

Neil closed his eyes and let out a chuckle, “So you’re telling me that… Hayley, your step-son is older than you and Marcel, your aunt is your wife?”

“In so many words,” Hayley agreed.

Marcel grinned, “Well when you put it that way it sure does sound odd. And my sort-of daughter, Davina, is married to one of Klaus’ brothers.”

“What sounds odd?” A familiar voice said from behind her. She turned to see Klaus smirking down at her with a beaming Hope up on his shoulders. She smiled and reached out with her arms for Klaus to deposit Hope into them.

Marcel repeated the joke as Klaus circled the couch to sit between his wife and son. Hope in her lap, Hayley was careful as she swung her legs over Klaus’. He circled one of her ankles with a warm hand.

Klaus smiled impishly toward the humans across from them, “My my my, that does paint our family as lecherous indeed.” He scratched at his stubble and looked at both Marcel and Hayley in turn, “Vincent just returned, the witches attacked with their full numbers. We won’t have to worry about them anymore.”

She was relieved and heartbroken. Turning to her parents, she said, “That means it’s safe for you to leave. I assume you’ll both want to get back to your suitcases. I’ll drive you back to your hotel whenever you’re ready.”

Neil looked to his shoes, “We don’t have much to get ready for..”

“Right..” Her heart clenched, she checked her watch, “If you meet me in the foyer in thirty minutes, we can head off.”

…

The only thing that could be heard was the whooshing of the world as the car pierced through it. Tapping at the steering wheel, Hayley cringed at the silence. Inescapable, apparently it was.

“Nice fellow, your Klaus,” Holly said from the back seat.

Hayley glanced at her through the rearview mirror. That wasn’t how she’d put it, exactly. She quirked an eyebrow and her mouth, “I don’t know if nice is the word..”

Neil chuckled, “You sure have got yourself an interesting life. Weird. But interesting.”

“Yeah,” she whispered after a pause, “But it’s a good one.” Her lips curved into a soft smile even as she felt the sting of tears. Her life was good. Genuinely good. She loved and was loved, she tasted and smelled and saw and touched and listened to the joys of the world. The world she had so much life left to live in. She was excited to live out her days with her family, her hope.

She looked over to see Neil wearing a solemn expression.

“Hayley,” he said sadly as she pulled to a stop at an intersection. She blinked her eyes rapidly and saw Holly’s sad face in the mirror.

“Please allow me this,” he said hesitantly, “I know nothing I say will ever fix what we did. But I am unspeakably sorry. I will go to my grave with this regret, burrowed right here in my heart-” he placed a fist over his chest, “- not knowing how you were, how - if - you survived the streets all these years.. It means the world to me that you’re happy and loved, that you’ve found your place in this world.”

Holly’s hand came to rest on Hayley’s shoulder and tears filled anew in Hayely’s eyes. She forced herself to keep her eyes on the road, lest she stare too long at Neil. The father she’d loved. The father who’d loved her, until he hadn’t. In some ways, his betrayal had hurt more than Holly’s - he had been her prince, her hero. And all of a sudden, her villain.

Neil smiled sadly and continued, “I only wish we could have been there to see you blossom into such a remarkable young woman.”

She scrubbed furiously at her cheeks, wiping away those fucking betrayer tears. “Thank you,” she choked out, knowing that wasn’t at all an adequate response.

She turned into the hotel parking lot and pulled under the awning. Letting the car idle, she took a deep breath and turned her gaze to her adoptive parents.

“I’m…” she paused, “glad we ran into each other.” She wasn’t sure if that was wholly true, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

“We are too, sweetheart,” Holly said. And that, Hayley thought, was bittersweet. For although she was always closest with Neil, Holly had been a doting mother. Until Hayley no longer fit her mold of the child she’d struggled for so long to get.

“Listen, Hale,” Neil said slowly, holding out a piece of paper, “Here’s all of our contacts. I understand if you want nothing to do with us, but it would be the greatest gift if you allowed us into your life again.. But it’s your choice.”

She took the paper, her hand was shaking only slightly, “I- I don’t know.”

Neil nodded, looking unsurprised. He reached out and ran his knuckles across her cheekbone, soft and fatherly. He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and smiled, “My daughter. I love you.”

Tears shone in his eyes as he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. He sent her one last soft smile, showing that he wasn’t mad, and closed the door behind him. Hayley let out a shaky exhale. She felt Holly’s eyes burning a hole in her, but when she turned there was nothing but softness in her gaze.

“Neil’s always been better with words than me, you know that,” the weary woman said with a sigh and a shake of the head. She let out a chuckle devoid of humor.

“It’s- it’s okay,” Hayley said quickly, “You don’t have to--”

“Yes, I do,” Holly said firmly, leaving no room for argument, “I want you to know that for everything Neil said, I feel the same. I always was too caught up in my own image to realize that to raise a child means to raise them as they are, not to shove them into your specially crafted box.”

She held out a hand and took Hayley’s - when offered after a moment of pause - between both of hers. It was a motherly and warm and caring gesture. Hayley wasn’t sure how to deal with it.

“In spite of it all, you became so much better than us,” Holly said, raising her eyebrows and boring deep into Hayley’s soul. She patted the top of Hayley’s hand. She sounded whimsical and fanciful, pondering on the beautiful fairytale of Hayley’s life. “That’s all I could ask for. And that little girl of yours, she’s going to have the best life with a mom and dad who love her as fiercely as you and your man do. I don’t think I have to tell you not to make my mistakes..”

Hayley shook her head. She patted Hayley’s hand again and nodded with a sad smile, “Whatever you choose, we’ll understand. So don’t go making any decisions based on what we might want, okay?”

At a loss for words, Hayley nodded. She brought her other hand to rest on top of one of Holly’s. A warm embrace, four hands stacked. They pulled apart at the same time and Holly exited the car without a backward glance, joining Neil who had been waiting just outside the car door. Hayley stared after them as they walked, hand in hand, to the hotel entrance.

They turned just before reaching the door. They waved and smiled and disappeared behind the door all before Hayley could return the gesture.

…

She was shaking, trembling all over. That shiver that overtakes your entire body after a particularly difficult conversation, that strips away your control and throws your entire self into disequilibrium. She leaned back in her seat, loosing the bow that held back a great breath of pain and joy and confusion and anger and-

Understanding, appreciation, closure.

The word was almost too perfect for the situation. It suggested wrapping up the problem in a little box and, not shoving it where it would never be found again, but displaying it on a shelf for all to see. Look, here, I resolved all my past issues and I’ve accepted them as a part of me now, isn’t that so great? What about you, don’t you know it’s best to get closure on things like this? And when you do, make sure to let everyone know too, why don’t you?

A noun that describes more the voyeur than the one who closes. The audience that so wants the sweeping away of all the lingering issues, the happily ever after.

She’d already had her happily ever after, Hayley thought, long before her parents came to town and made amends. And now, it was just a little more happy, but not at all without sadness. Happily ever afters are never only happy, and if they are, it might just be a lie. A balance, tipped ever so slightly - so as not to topple the scale completely in one direction - toward the light. That’s a happily ever after.

Her scar still existed. And no, she wasn’t going to flaunt it. The hurt was still there, but it wasn’t all-consuming. Some clothing items may chafe against it and some counter corners may accidentally bump into it, but it was no longer a jagged wound that she hid from, that she hid away from her, a wound desperate for some manner of healing.

It has been healed with the best care available to her, and there is nothing to be done about it now except to enjoy dancing on the happy, New Orleans shaped side of her happily ever after.

Hayley stayed in the car under the awning of the hotel for the next few minutes, allowing the trembling to run its course. She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel and sighed.

She smiled.

…

“Gods, I wake up some days wondering whether this bloody family is a blessing or a curse,” Rebekah exclaimed, hands on her hips. There was blood spilled all over a five-hundred year old carpet and crayon drawings all over a Renaissance painting. Hayley was cackling from the sofa, watching as Rebekah dressed down her daughter and husband next to her on the sofa, both who wore identical expressions of mischief.

“Definitely a blessing,” Hayley whispered conspiratorially to a grinning Hope.

FINI

Chapter Text

Her phone chirped. It was from Jackson. Through puffy eyes, she opened up the message. A phone number filled the text bubble. Another chirp filled the room.

Jackson: Hey Hayley, I hope you’re ok. I know that must have been tough. After you left, Neil gave me this number and asked me to tell you that they would be in town for the next few days if you wanted to meet up with them.

A knot formed again in her throat.

Hayley: thanks. do you know why they didn’t just ask me themselves?

Jackson: Not sure. I think they were shocked by the whole situation, and forgot they didn’t have any way to contact you.

Hayley: 👍

Hayley: thanks again

 ...

She wondered if they were offended she didn’t call them mom and dad. But then might they not have been offended if she called them mom and dad.

... 

An hour later, she was pulling a half-asleep Neil down the grand staircase.. Waking Neil was always a test of her patience, but she’d long since learned how to ace it. A morning person he was not, something she had always thought complimented her own early bird habits. It gave them their own time each day. It kept them sane.

Neil yawned loudly as Holly anxiously peered around at the bottom of the staircase. She wasn’t sure where to go, Klaus hadn’t left her with much information during their short and humiliating conversation. Nodding to herself, she dragged Neil behind the staircase and into the kitchen, where Hayley had stopped by before showing them their room. If they were going to run into anyone during breakfast, it would be here.

The kitchen was large and empty but she followed a path toward an opposing door. Emerging from the kitchen, her senses were flooded with soft morning light. She stopped and Neil bumped into her back. Klaus and Hayley were sat at a table covered with plates and bowls and jugs of breakfast foods and drinks. Hope was giggling between her parents.

“Umm,” Neil said.

Hayley looked up and smiled. It was a nervous smile, Holly thought. “Good morning, come sit. Have as much as you want,” Hayley said, Klaus and Hope watching from their seats.

Neil and Holly took their places across from the small family. Neil wore a befuddled expression, the lingering effects of sleep gone from his eyes.

“Well,” Hayley broached, looking down at the girl beside her, “There’s someone I’d like you to meet. This is Hope, our daughter.”

Holly clasped her hands in her lap and sat up as straight as she could. Neil’s jaw fell open. She could hear him take in a shaky breath - realization and understanding finally coming to him.

“Hope,” Hayley added, stroking a hand down her daughter’s back, “This is Neil and Holly Marshall, they raised me.”

There was a moment of silence before Neil said gently, “Um- it’s very nice to meet you, Hope.”

Sending a smile toward the girl, Holly did not know what to say that she hadn’t already earlier in the corridor.

Hope’s lip puckered in confusion, “But I thought Grandma and Grandpa Labonair passed away.”

Holly thought Hope was a bit young to understand the concepts of life and death, but she supposed it made sense. After all, her father had called her ‘very non-human’.

Biting her lip, Hayley glanced across the table at Holly and Neil, still addressing her daughter, “Yes, they did, sweetie. Neil and Holly adopted me after Grandma and Grandpa Labonair passed away and raised me.”

Hope’s mouth shaped into an ‘o’ and she nodded, accepting what her mother said. She sent a beaming smile across the table and turned to her father, asking for some more juice. He obliged, eyes soft for his daughter, but nothing could hide the hard set of his jaw as he glanced toward the couple across from him.

How generous Hayley was, Holly thought. They hadn’t raised her, not really, not if they quit their jobs as parents five years too early, throwing her out into the world to raise herself. It was not absolution what Hayley had said, it was shoving all your possessions into the closet so that your parents will think you cleaned your room, but truly as soon as you open the closet door, the damage will come tumbling down.

... 

God, she was tired. And anxious. Uncomfortable, annoyed, you name it, she felt it. Hayley slammed a mug down on the counter and filled it up with a bag from their blood supply. With the threat of the witches, there’d been a moratorium on going on actual hunts. She shoved the mug in the microwave. She couldn’t stand anything less than warm.

Klaus called her a heathen the first time he’d seen. That she could at least heat it on the stove, for Odin’s sake.

When the microwave dinged, she gulped down the contents of the mug and sighed into the empty kitchen. Putting the mug in the dishwasher when she was done, she trudged out of the kitchen and toward where the wolves were camped out.

There were some unhappy parties (a minority overall) and she was stuck unruffling the feathers (or fur, as it were). Marcel was doing the same on the other side of the compound. As was Vincent. Since the factions had arrived, trickling in a few people at a time, Klaus and Elijah had been huddled up with Freya, Davina, and Kol to fortify the compound and devise counter attacks against the witches for whenever their assault may come.

Between crowd control, taking turns watching Hope, and dealing with her parents, Hayley was exhausted. Breakfast that morning had been trying… to say the least.

Passing by Josh, she waved a greeting. As she strode through the hallways, her ears perked up at the sound of her name. She slowed to a halt.

It was Neil. There were three heartbeats. A wolf and two humans.

“-tried for years to figure out what had happened, but there was just movies and fiction to go off of. Before that night, I had no idea werewolves were real, and after it seemed like we’d imagined the whole thing,” Neil said wearily.

“I’m not sure- I don’t know if it’s my place” Jackson trailed.

There was a rustling, “No questions about Hayley. Please. I just… don’t know if we’ll ever get the chance to ask again. I doubt she’s going to want us in her life after all this is through with.”

Jackson sighed, “What do you want to know?”

Hayley creeped closer to the archway that separated her from the speaking men. They were in a small seating room that was rarely used. She was careful to move quietly, so quiet that even Jackson’s supernatural hearing wouldn’t pick up on it.

“Um-” Neil stammered even as he got the chance he had asked for, “-why when she was thirteen? Is it like a rite of passage?”

Cushions creaked as Jackson sat down on the settee. Scrapes of wood along the floor suggested Neil pulled out a chair for himself. Another one for Holly.

“No,” Jackson said with a pained chuckle, “the werewolf curse is triggered by the first human a wolf kills.”

Holly gasped, “The boat? But surely fatalities from accidents don’t count?”

“Yeah they do.”

There was a silence. Hayley felt a sting in her eyes that was completely surprising and entirely unwelcome. She’d killed many since she was thirteen (not so many humans as she had vampires, witches, and werewolves, though). She’d come to terms with Jeremy’s death long ago. It had been an accident and she’d slowly recovered over the years. But faced with the reality of her parents remembering those events, the guilt felt brand new.

“How does it work?” Neil asked.

“Well,” Jackson said, “if you mean the werewolf curse in general..?”

She imagined that Neil nodded his head then.

“Basically, each full moon, we turn into wolves until the moon sets. We become wolves. It’s almost impossible to control ourselves in that form - we think like wolves, have instincts like wolves.”

Neil’s heart skipped a beat. For what, Hayley wondered.