The secret child

Chapter 11

"We're not going to kill him just yet," Niklaus said dismissively. He was growing tired of his nephew's tantrums. This was precisely why he preferred to have his family daggered and hidden away in coffins.

"Why not?" Danhy demanded, "he killed Uncle Finn, he deserves to suffer!"

"and he will in due time but right now we have more pressing concerns,"

"like what?" the forever teen shrieked. His usually elegant mask slipped for a brief moment, revealing the child underneath. Danhy stomped is foot against the wooden floor as he glared heatedly at his Uncle. Nicklaus raised his eyebrow at his sudden shift in behavior. "ooh, the brat's having a tantrum," Damon snickered. Danhy surged towards Damon. He slammed his fist into his forehead, watching as the younger man's head snapped back with a sickening crack. "Danhy!" Rebekah screeched, "what did I just say?"
"he was being a jerk," he said briskly. Danhy straightened out the wrinkles in his shirt. He pushed his shoulders back and held his head up high, resembling the stance his father is known to exude.
"And you're being a spoilt brat," Niklaus tsked, "restrain yourself, nephew, your child is starting to show,"
"bite me," he hissed.
"gladly," Niklaus smirked. His fangs lengthened as he released a low snarl. Danhy snarled back but not nearly as menacing as his uncle. There was a small part of him that feared his Uncle but not enough to fully submit like he sometimes should. Defiance was a trait that ran far too deep within his family.

"Get out the both of you," Rebekah hissed through gritted teeth. Danhy tugged on the front of his suit jacket, straightening out the wrinkles that had gathered along the front of his expensive suit. His usual mask of indifference settled over his features again as he slowly followed his Uncle through the large double doors. As they passed the arch into the hallway the doors were promptly slammed closed behind them, the sound echoed off the walls of the empty hall. "Woman," he mumbled under his breath. The dramatics weren't needed but his Aunt had always had a flare for being over-dramatic.

Niklaus ignored his nephew, simply rolling his eyes at the young boy who reminded him so much of his brother. He sauntered down the hall towards the library, a refuge that would hopefully be left undisturbed by the brat and his sister. Danhy's shoes scuffled against the polished wood floor as he tried to keep up with the Hybrid. A sudden wave of dizziness swept over Danhy. He staggered towards the nearest wall, breathing heavily as his vision began to blur. He rested the palms of his hands against the cool surface and took in a shaky breath. Danhy could vaguely hear his Uncle call out to him but he sounded as though he were speaking to him from beneath several feet of water. The world around Danhy tilted to the side and suddenly the floor was coming up to meet him. His head collided roughly with the cold hardwood floors, it released a sickening crack as his skull bounced off the floor before his body slammed back down with such force that if Danhy was not already unconscious he would be afraid of sustaining some sort of injury.

***

Danhy woke up some time later feeling groggy and disorientated. He rolled onto his back, feeling the silk sheets beneath him rub against his overheated skin. He tried to push himself up into a sitting position but his arms buckled beneath him, sending him crashing down into the soft confines of the bed. Danhy groaned from between clenched teeth but soon regretted it as the sound caused a splitting pain to spike along the front of his skull. The last thing he remembered was following Niklaus down the hall and then nothing, it was all a blur after that. "Well if it isn't sleeping beauty," a cold voice chuckled. Danhy glanced towards the doorway. His dark lashes fluttered against his pale cheeks as he struggled to keep his eyes open, it felt like all of the energy was being drained from his body slowly. "What happened?" he mumbled,
"you fainted, like a damsel in distress," Niklaus smirked. He closed the distance between them with two long strides. He sunk down into the soft sheets by Danhy's side and reached up a gentle hand to wipe away the sheen of sweat that had begun to form along his brow. "You were muttering something very interesting while you were unconscious, something about a prophecy," Niklaus hand paused in its track across Danhy's sweaty skin, his palm lay gently over his nephews pink flushed cheek. His small face still fit perfectly within his hands. Niklaus thumb gently traced across the skin just below his right eye before he turned Danhy's face to the side so that he could look the younger man directly in the eyes. "Care to share nephew?"
"what are you talking about?" Danhy mumbled, "How long was I out for?"
"two days,"
"What?!" Danhy shrieked suddenly, "why didn't anyone wake me!" He batted Niklaus hand away in panic. He tried to force his still weak arms beneath him in order to push himself up into a sitting position but he only succeeded in falling back down against the soft sheets as his arms buckled underneath the weight of his body. Danhy growled from between his clenched teeth. He planted his hands firmly against the sheets and tried to push himself up again but a firm hand on his chest seized his movements, "Stay down before you injure yourself any further," Niklaus tsked, "now about this prophecy,"
"I don't know what you're talking about Uncle Nick, I swear."
"if you're lying to me," Niklaus said calmly but there was a fire behind his eyes, a fire that promised tremendous pain if he was found to be lying
"I'm not!" he whined. The hand still resting against his chest became a solid force against his sweaty skin, he was forced back down to lye against the sheets with a soft thud. Danhy lay there, blinking silently up at his Uncle with large eyes filled with a childlike innocence that hasn't graced his features in so many years. He tried to remain as still as possible under Nicklaus own piercing eyes. "I don't remember whatever it was I had been dreaming," Danhy said in a gentle voice, "it was probably just another bad dream, they have come back ten fold since I was un-daggered."

"Niklaus!" a gruff voice boomed. The walls of the mansion shook underneath the force. The painting hanging above the fireplace on the far wall fell from its spot and landed heavy against the wooden floors. The glass shattered, sending tiny fragments scattering along the floor. Danhy's eyes widened as he recognized the gruff yet silky texture of the loud voice. "You called papa?" he hissed. Niklaus smirked down at his nephew, mischief dancing behind his eyes, "traitor."
"Where is he?" Elijah called out. Niklaus rolled his eyes. He got up from the bed with a huff and crossed the room towards the bedroom door, he threw the door open with a thud and called out down to Elijah who was pacing through the front rooms of the house as fear of the unknown raced through his body. "Keep your pants on Elijah, he's up here!" A gust of wind blew through the room accompanied by a blurry figure. The figure stopped and Elijah's body quickly came into view. He was leaning over the bed with his hands gently cupping Danhy's cheeks, he turned the teens head from side to side examining his pale skin for any signs of damage or scars. "Papa," Danhy groaned, "will you stop already? I'm perfectly fine,"

Elijah removed his hands from his sons face begrudgingly. He fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket for a moment, not quite sure what to do with his hands, he was trying to respect his son's wishes for space but the fatherly side of his just wanted to reach out and pull his son in close to his chest. "You don't look fine to me, what happened?" Elijah asked,
"he fainted, like a little girl," Niklaus chimed in from across the room.

Two pairs of almost identical eyes turned to glare at the Hybrid, "Why are you still here Niklaus?"
Niklaus crossed his arms over his chest, "What, Is it so strange for me to want to make sure the brat is alright?"

"Yes," father and son said in sync.

Niklaus rolled his eyes, "oh how cute, you talk in sync now," he turned around and left the room with a huff. Niklaus left the door open, allowing the bright light of the hall to filter into the dimly lite room. Danhy burrowed down further into the soft sheets, a muffled moan leaving his lips in content. Elijah smiled down at his only child and in a stern voice said, "Go to sleep,"

"but I'm not tired," he tried to protest but his words only fell on deaf ears,
"just try." Elijah leant forward and placed a gentle kiss against his son's forehead.