Closer

Hope

AN: A glimmer of hope, and an ocean of despair as we begin to delve into our characters' backgrounds.

I like the idea of Katherine being the one you don't cross, but still with her bitchy attitude!***It should be noted that I do not own these characters.

"Kol who are all these people and where did they come from?" Hayley asked as she walked into her "so-called" home. There appeared to be a huge family party going on, with a variety of adults and children bustling around. Balloons in rose gold and lavender floated near the ceilings all over the east wing.

There was a triple-tiered cake with pale pink frosting and a pale shade of purple trimming. Then there was the treat table with delicacies in every delectable flavor she could think of. Cake pops, macaroons, assorted cookies, and donut types. Just looking at it threatened to give Hayley gestational diabetes. Still, Hayley thought she ought to try one.

"Why, these are your party guests, love! I put this all together myself." He spread his arms and spun in a slow circle, gesturing a physical ode to the grandeur of the room. "How do you like it, darling? Eh?"

Hayley couldn't help but smile at him. "It's beautiful, Kol."

He held his arms out for an embrace. "Come now, show me love."

Sighing but not dropping her smile, she rolled her eyes and leaned in for a hug.

"You've got a beautiful maternity dress waiting in your room for you, you should go change for the pictures."

"Yeah sure," she looked around at all the people she didn't recognize. "Seriously though, who are all these people?" She asked again as she was released from Kol's two-second embrace. As affectionate as he was with nearly everyone he met, the physical contact of it was always very fleeting.

Hayley noted that no other Mikaelson's were present, yet Kol didn't seem to mind. Hayley poured herself some fruit punch.

"The families of my business partners at the club."

"You mean Klaus's club,"

"Hush darling, they can't tell the difference." Kol turned her shoulders and led her outside. "I told them this is a mandatory company event for a very high profile client who's expecting via surrogacy." Kol gestured to her watermelon belly. "And that the client would like to remain anonymous, of course. I strongly encouraged them to go all out with the gifts. So best believe, dear Hayley, Baby Carla will have all the best of accommodations."

"Her name isn't Carla and please don't tell me you killed anyone else. " Oh my God, Bonnie! 

He didn't answer, partly because he didn't intend to, and a large crash sounded on the patio. Someone had knocked a sculpture. It was a small child who was visibly upset at her own clumsiness, covering her mouth and starting to cry. Hayley watched as Kol excused himself to make his way over to the child. He knelt down and whispered a few words of comfort to her. He patted her on the back and she nodded and then took the hand he offered. He led her to the jump house but before she could go in, someone who Hayley assumed was her parent, intervened. From what Hayley could tell, the parent apologized to Kol and chastised her daughter who began to cry again. Kol glared at the parent and stared into her eyes, whispering something inaudible to her. The woman nodded and turned and walked back to the house in a zombie-like trance.

Shit! Dropping her cup of punch, Hayley gave chase, well as much as she could in a hurried waddle, after the woman. Inside she saw the woman heading up the stairs of the west wing, Kol's side of the house. She turned around to check for Kol and was startled to see him standing before her.