The Original: Book 6

Chapter 3

"What's the holdup?" Kol questioned, diverting my attention away from Nik and Finn, who were playing with toy dinosaurs. "We rescued Nik, we escaped mortal danger. Why are we not on a private jet to Saint-Tropez?" When no one answered, he took the newspaper from Elijah's hands, "you can catch up on the last five years when we're on our way. I assure you, you haven't missed much."

"Circumstances have changed," Elijah replied. "We will leave here soon enough."

"We have our nieces and nephew to consider," Rebekah reminded them, tearing her gaze from Delilah, who was playing on the swing in the yard.

"Kol has a point. We need to put an ocean between us and Marcel Gerard as soon as possible," Freya spoke up, moving to stand next to Rebekah.

"We're not going anywhere today," Nik interrupted, getting to his feet. "I want one day of peace with my children before we uproot them."

"Any delay is a risk."

"One day. We're in the middle of nowhere, the house is cloaked, we weren't followed and I'm not asking!" Seeing Finn looking up at Nik with wide eyes, I crouched down to his level.

"Finn, why don't you go play with your sister on the swings? Or go play in the garden? I think your brachiosaurus might be hungry," I suggested, and he nodded, grabbing his dinosaurs and going down the steps. I turned back to the others as the front door opened. Hope stood in the doorway, looking up at Nik.

"Everybody look who's awake," Hayley commented, trying to ease the tension. All eyes turned to look at Hope and I could tell she was uncomfortable.

"Hello," she muttered, her eyes wandering over all the faces before landing on Nik's again.

"Hello," Nik replied softly.

"Mom, can I go play in the garden with Finn?"

"Yeah, sure," Hayley commented, and Hope moved down the steps, going over to where Finn was 'feeding' his dinosaurs. Seeing the disappointment on Nik's face, I reached out to grab his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

***

"What terrible things did you tell her?" Nik asked, his eyes on Hope, who sat in the garden, painting.

"I told her that you're a hybrid, like me. I also told her that you're very old," Hayley revealed. "Other than that, she's seven, we can wait to share the gory details."

"Well, someone must have disparaged me. Perhaps that crone, Mary."

"Stop," Hayley interrupted. "Ellie and I have spent five years protecting her and the twins from everything, including all the horror stories floating around about you. She doesn't know your history. What she does know is that you protect your family, no matter what."

"And yet she fears me."

"She's a sensitive kid, Nik," I finally spoke up. "And you're not exactly calm right now." Nik nodded, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself.

"You were her fairytale prince, Klaus. And now you're real. You have a lot to live up to," Hayley remarked, walking away. I kept my eyes on Nik's face, seeing the happiness in his eyes as he watched Hope.

"Go," I muttered softly, and he turned his head to look at me, his eyebrows furrowing. "Spend the day with her."

"What about the twins?" He asked, his eyes wandering over to the two, who were laying in the grass, pointing at the clouds.

"They'll be fine. Finn has already formed an attachment with you and Delilah seems to have taken really well with her aunties. You can spend the day with them tomorrow. Hope needs your attention more than they do right now." Nik hesitated before nodding. "Finn, Delilah! Come on, darlings, let's go inside and get you some lunch."

"Coming, Mommy!" Delilah called, helping Finn grab his toys before they both ran toward the house.

I turned back to face Nik, "you'll do great, I know it." Pressing a quick kiss to his lips, I moved away, following the twins into the house.

***

"My children are art prodigies," Nik commented, looking through the kids' drawings.

"Well, they're far better than you ever were," Rebekah remarked and I chuckled. "Granted, the bar is very low."

"The art is lost on the feeble-minded." The two siblings were quiet for a moment and I could see the sadness in Rebekah's eyes.

"'Bekah?" I questioned, my eyebrows furrowing.

"Kol wanted me to say goodbye," she revealed.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. What's he chasing this time?" Nik asked.

"Does it matter? He'll return."

"He always was a selfish git." I rolled my eyes, slapping Nik on the shoulder.

"He died twice and spent five years trapped in Freya's beige dreamland. You can forgive him for a bit of wanderlust."

"I don't see you packing your bags," Nik commented, and Rebekah slowly took a seat at the table.

"Nik, you do not need me anymore. I know that I'm your favorite sibling, and of course, I adore you. But there's space in my heart for something more. I want love. I want a family of my own." I felt my heart sink at her words, knowing just how badly she wanted a child. "And wouldn't it be nice if we could part on happy terms for once? No daggers, no exile. Just...'so long for now. I'll see you again soon'."

Nik let out a sigh, pulling her up so they were both standing, "you were the only one who never treated me like a misfit. For centuries, my only place was by your side. And now, I belong beside my children. And I suppose you deserve to find your place in this world as well."

"Thank you." I wiped the tears from my cheeks as the two siblings shared a hug. When they separated, Rebekah moved to hug me.

"Until you return," I spoke, holding her tight.

Sorry for the late update again. My classes started this week, so I'm trying to keep everything organized and stay on top of the homework (which there will be a lot of).

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be coming on Monday, as I have changed the update schedule. If you didn't know that, go back and check it out :)

My character and her story are of my own imagination. They belong to me and nobody else. Please do not steal. Copyright 2018.