Winter's Child

Chapter 6 The Outing

Elijah offered his arm to Kagome. Bucky's eyes narrowed, and he scowled. He didn't like that Kagome was so close to the vampire, he told himself. But it was more that Bucky didn't want any man near his daughter. No one was worthy of his daughter, and honestly, Bucky wasn't prepared to share his daughter's affection with anyone. He barely got his daughter back and wasn't ready to give her away. On the other hand, the outing gave Bucky the chance to survey the area and make sure Hydra still hadn't established any cells in the area and for him to size up any potential threats.

Elijah caught Kagome's father scowling at him from the corner of his eye. He chuckled; it had been a long time since he saw that look from someone. He could compel James Barnes to leave him and Kagome alone, but he thought better. It was only fitting for a father to be worried about their daughter. What Elijah didn't know was that after all the conditioning that Bucky had, he could easily resist any compulsion. Elijah glanced at Kagome and was surprised that Mr. Barnes was scanning his environment. It was like he was surveilling his environment for threats. It's a lot like Niklaus did when he was somewhere new.

What Elijah didn't realize was that while Niklaus looked for enemies coming after him and his family, The Winter Soldier was also looking for a defensible position and escape routes if necessary. Bucky was more worried about Hydra than he was about the Supernatural. He knew that the beings in the French Quarter were no match for him, not even the vampire that showed interest in his daughter. The Winter Soldier healed almost as quickly as a vampire, and Bucky knew he was stronger than any vampire he had encountered.

Elijah also didn't notice that as they walked, Bucky subtly kept to the shadows so that the cameras never got a clear look at him. It was a habit that he honed over the years, and because of that, Bucky could slip anywhere without any proof he was there. Bucky watched and listened to the conversation that Kagome and Elijah were having. Elijah explained the history of New Orleans and The French Quarter, and Bucky instantly picked up that the vampire was lying. Elijah knew too much about the city to only be a history expert. ‘He lived here before,’ Bucky concluded. So it didn't take Bucky long to figure out that Elijah was much older than Bucky thought.

Kagome also picked up on that. Elijah spoke of New Orleans too fondly for him and knew too much to have only lived there briefly. She wondered how old Elijah was and then decided she didn't care. She was having fun with Elijah and thought she deserved it after everything she had been through the last few months. That was not to say Kagome didn't occasionally have fun with her father as they ran from Hydra. But they were always on the lookout. When father and daughter arrived in Paris, Kagome wished she had time to explore the city, though her father showed her where they lived after she was born.

The time they spent in Paris, Bucky showed Kagome where he and her mother met, the areas they went on dates, and where he proposed to her mother. Kagome was happy visiting the City of Lights, though she knew they couldn't linger there long.

Kagome subtly shook her head to return to the present, but Elijah saw her, “Are you alright, Miss Barnes?”

Kagome smiled at Elijah, “Yes, I'm fine. I only got caught up in a memory,” Kagome answered.

Elijah smiled at Kagome; he was curious about what was on Kagome's mind, but he didn't pry. The trio continued to explore the French Quarter when Bucky stiffened. Then they heard a voice behind them, “Enjoying your walk, Brother?”

Elijah sighed, and they turned to face his brother, Klaus, who had Hope in his arms and Hayley beside him. Hayley heard from Rebekah that they had breakfast with their new neighbors and that Elijah asked the young lady if she wanted a tour of the French Quarter. She sized up the human that Elijah seemed interested in.

The girl was petite with long black hair past her waist, milky white skin, long eyelashes, and ice-blue eyes that matched the man beside her. She assumed that the man was this girl's father. Hayley thought the girl might be Japanese, but only half. Hayley was not impressed with the weak human. She knew that if she wanted, she could quickly kill the little human.

Hayley's eyes wandered toward Elijah, and what she saw upset her. Elijah kept glancing at Kagome, and Hayley could tell from the look in his eyes that Elijah was fond of the foreign girl. Hayley felt her heart clench, thinking Elijah had lost interest in her. She glared at the little human, but Kagome did not mind Hayley.

As Hayley sized up the dark-haired woman, Klaus did the same thing with the man standing next to the girl. Klaus glanced at the man and, as usual, was not impressed with what he saw until Klaus's eyes met Bucky's. What Klaus saw made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Though Bucky was standing relaxed, Klaus could see Bucky's muscles were tight, ready to spring into action. And his eyes were cold and calculating. They kept darting around in constant lookout for danger. Klaus instantly knew this man was a danger; maybe not to him or his sibling, but he could be to his daughter.

Elijah sighed, “Hello, Brother, Hayley,” Elijah answered in an annoyed tone, then smiled at Hope and greeted the baby. She squealed when she saw her favorite uncle and reached out for him. Klaus hesitated; he finally handed his daughter over to his brother.

Elijah cooed at the baby and tickled her, making Hope delightfully squeal. Kagome smiled when she saw Elijah interacting with his niece. Kagome hadn't been sure about taking a tour of the French Quarter with Elijah; she was a little suspicious of his motives, but watching the vampire with his niece, Kagome relaxed slightly. However, she wasn't sure about Elijah's brother.

The first thing Kagome noticed about Klaus was that he had a hard exterior and was arrogant. She instantly knew that was a facade to protect himself; her father and Inuyasha were the same way. Kagome flared her aura slightly, and she instantly felt the pain and fear of rejection that Klaus felt. Her heart went to him, and she decided to ease his pain.

Kagome extended her hand to Klaus and introduced herself to him, “Hello, Niklaus, I'm Kagome Barnes. It's nice to meet you,” Kagome said with a smile.

Klaus gave Kagome a charming smile, though there was something sinister in his eyes; he kissed her hand. The minute his lips met Kagome's hand, Kagome pushed a subtle amount of power into him. After kissing Kagome's hand, Klaus gave Kagome a genuine smile and looked into Kagome's kind eyes, “Well, Miss. Barnes, I hope you enjoy living in the Quarter. If you need anything, please feel free to drop by. As a matter of fact, why don't you and your father join us for dinner tonight.”

Elijah's brows shot up to his hairline in surprise, and then his eyes narrowed at his brother. What was Klaus up to? But looking into his brother's eyes, he saw nothing but kindness and sincerity. Hayley turned toward Klaus and gave him a skeptical look; why would Klaus invite the little human over when Klaus was paranoid about anyone that wasn't family around Hope? Hayley didn't like it, but she could not say anything.

Kagome glanced at her father and silently communicated with him. She knew he would leave the decision up to her, but it would give Bucky a chance to assess the vampires and find their weaknesses, just in case he needed to defend his daughter. Bucky already noticed that the brunette, Hayley, did not like his daughter no matter how friendly she seemed, and he knew it was because of the vampire standing next to his daughter.

After a few seconds of looking at her father, Kagome smiled brightly at Klaus and accepted his offer, “Wonderful, I'll have Elijah escort you to our home. If that's alright with you, Brother?”

“Of course, Brother, that is not a problem,” Elijah answered.

Klaus clapped his hands, then took Hope from Elijah, “Well, I shall let you continue with your tour. I look forward to dinner this evening. Come, Hayley,” Klaus ordered, treating Hayley like the dog she was.

Hayley glared at Klaus but followed him anyway without saying goodbye to the others.

Elijah smiled at Kagome and offered his arm again, “Shall we continue our tour, Kagome?”

Kagome smiled at Elijah, making Elijah's heart flutter, “Yes, please, Elijah.”

With that, the trio continued their tour through the French Quarter.