XXII: From a Cradle to a Grave

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Briana sat perched up in bed with pillows supporting her back as she listened to the ramblings of her fiancé while flipping mindlessly through a magazine. 

"I knew this treaty would never work," Klaus rambled from their connected bathroom as he readied himself for bed, "From the moment Elijah such a concept I knew it would fail, but he insisted." 

"Mhm." Briana mumbled as she flipped the page. 

"And now look, the factions are at war more than ever before. The wolves and vampires are at each other's throats, neither one of them with the means to reign superior. The humans in a transition of leadership since the demise of the priest and the witches.. well, I can only assume they are up to no good."  Klaus spoke. 

"Yeah, mhm." Truthfully, Briana hadn't comprehended a single word that has left Klaus' lips in the last twenty minutes. 

"This city is supposed to be our home, and under Elijah's rule it has erupted into bloody conflict--" Klaus shut off the light before stepping fully into the bedroom portion of their room, realizing Briana's focus was on anything other than him. 

"Are you even listening to me?" Klaus voice hardened as he stood at the end of his bed with his arms crossed over his chest. 

The sudden change in his tone was enough to, finally, catch Briana's attention. She put her magazine on her lap before giving Klaus a convincing grin, "Of course I am!" 

Klaus shot her a disapproving, but playful, look over his brow, but Briana wasn't going to give up. 

"It was something about your brother and the city.." Briana tried to recall just one detail of Klaus' ramble, but she struggled. As it turns out, she was paying even less attention than she thought. 

"Oh! There was something about bloody conflict!" Briana remembered looking up at him with a hopeful smile, but Klaus wasn't budging. 

Briana shoulders fell in defeat, "I don't know, babe. Give me a break, you ramble." 

"I do not--" Klaus mocked offense, but his playful nature turned to one of seriousness when he saw Briana's hand fly to her swollen stomach in presumed discomfort. 

Briana's sighed slightly frustrated as she leaned back into the pillows, both hands on either side of her stomach, "I'll tell you what I do know. That something is going to end in bloody conflict if miracle baby doesn't stop punching my internal organs." 

Briana's voice got louder and more pronounced as her statement went on. Her eyes focused on her stomach like she was talking directly to her unborn child. 

Klaus chucked under his breath as he slid into bed beside her. Briana instantly grabbed one of Klaus' hands, placing it on her stomach where she felt their child kicking so he could feel it too. 

The kicks were repetitive and hard. Briana watched as a beaming smile spread on Klaus' face feeling their child move. 

"Do you feel that?" She looked to Klaus with a smile even though he could sense the discomfort in her voice, "She might be stronger than you." Briana joked in reference to how hard her child was kicking with all her tiny might. 

"We'll see about that," Klaus mumbled trying to stifle his laughter. 

Briana moved his hand across her stomach to follow the constant flutters she felt, wanting Klaus to experience every moment with her. 

"Take it easy on your mother." Klaus leaned down towards her stomach as he spoke to their unborn child. A wide smile on Briana's face at his action, "She's done a great job keeping you safe and healthy while we wait to meet you." 

Now til Forever | n.mikaelson (book two)Where stories live. Discover now