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𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐓 was one of the people who influenced Emilia growing up, she had loved her father so much and when he died it left her tortured, it left her with nothing but a bitter hatred towards vampires for most of her childhood.
What most people know is that Henry Benoit was murdered in cold blood by a rogue vampire that was not from New Orleans for no reason other than being a druid, an emissary. What people did not know, well not many people did at least, was that Emilia Benoit had witnessed all of it from her hiding place in the closet by the stairs.
She had mourned for so long and that's exactly what she was doing now as she stood out on the balcony with droopy eyes.
"Keelin-" Freya was about to scold her wife and tell her to just leave her alone. It was obvious that Emilia was in a mood and from what she knew, moods were best left alone.
Keelin turned around to look between Freya and Klaus, thankfully Hope was still sleeping but her distressed cries before she woke had awoken not only Kklaus but her and Freya too. "I can't just let it go, Frey." Her eyes softened as she looked at her wife.
"'Why the bloody hell not? Our mysterious guest will settle down soon enough." His voice was nonchalant despite the fact that he was desperately trying to ignore the part of him that wanting to go and comfort her himself. "If you know something, please share."
That made Keelin falter and purse her lips and look away from them. Telling them about Emilia's emissary nature was one thing but her fears and guilt over Henry Benoit was private and not something Emilia liked strangers to know.
Klaus' eyes narrowed at her and he stepped closer to her before Freya intercepted with a glare in her brother's direction and a frown in her wife's. "Why are you hiding it, K?"
"Telling you about what Lia is supernaturally is one thing but giving you personal information that Emilia doesn't like to talk about much less think about is a line I won't cross." Keeling sighed when both Mikaelson's frowned at her. "Listen, I know you're both upset I kept Emilia my dirty little secret but-"
"It's okay, Kee." A soft voice that was unusual for the voice it belonged to spoke up.
They all turned to look at Emilia standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest and an unreadable look in her eyes. "I'm sorry for waking you, I forgot there were other people in the house." She shot an apologetic look in Freya's direction but avoided looking at Klaus.
"It's alright, love. You do have a set of lungs on you." Klaus retorted as he let his gaze trail over her before resting on her face.
Freya smiled at her gently as she let her arms run up and down Keelin's back. "Don't worry about it, I hope you're okay."
"I'm fine." She smiled but everyone could see it was forced but no one commented on it. "Just dreams about my father." She supplied as an excuse as she glanced at Keelin so briefly that they almost missed it. "Please don't be angry at Keelin for keeping my secrets, she's like my personal and unlockable diary." Her grin seemed a little more real at Keelin's scoff and the chuckle that followed from the Mikaelson siblings.
"Nonsense, we can't expect you to spill all your secrets at once. We should at least wait until we've plied you with the finest wine." Klaus smiled at her charmingly and was satisfied when her lips quirked up in response.
Emilia sat on the couch with a heavy sigh, "It's not really a great secret or well hidden, people just forget since it happened so long ago. It doesn't really matter anymore to people it didn't affect." She tried to ignore how Klaus sat close to her even though there was much more room on the couches and chairs.
"I'm much more interested in you than your secrets."
Freya almost rolled her eyes at the charm rolling off of her younger brother, she was well aware of the attraction he felt towards the girl and how he loved a challenge but she did wish he would take a liking to her wife's best friend.
"Flattery won't win you points with me, darling Klaus." Emilia drawled out as she looked at him with a glint in his eye.
Keelin got up with Freya and smiled up at her best friend. "We're going back to bed." She reached down and placed a hand on Emilia's shoulder. "None of it was your fault, don't feel so guilty."
"Yes, mom." Came the sarcastic retort from Emilia but a small smile tugged at her lips as she was left alone with Klaus.
Fuck.
"What was that about, lovely?" His tone was curious but there was glint in her eyes. "I have my ways of getting it out of you, so choose your answer carefully." Klaus leaned closer and watched her closely as Emilia snorted.
"I've dealt with puppies who scare me more than you do." She retorts but she can't deny the shiver than went down her spine.
Emilia and Klaus gaze at each other intensely before Emilia sighs, mentally cursing the part of herself that wants to trust those around her desperately. "Fine, what do you know about Henry Benoit."
"Strangely enough, nothing at all." He replies, pleased he got his way and moves closer to her, she can see small details of her face like how her eyelashes curl against her cheeks when she blinks.
"I wish I was that lucky. My father was like me, an emissary, being an emissary is dangerous, Klaus. We're hunted by vampires because we guide werewolves, we help them, teach them, keep them connected to their humanity." The tone of her voice is filled with bitter venom and usually Klaus would take offense, be angry but hearing it from her, it draws him in, he wants more, more more.
"What happened?" His voice is uncharacteristically soft as he watches her through his blue-green eyes.
She gulps and their eyes connect for the first time. "A rogue vampire, one that wasn't from here, found us. I was nine years old at the time, my father was playing a board game with me and my mother when we heard it. The vampire was having a conversation on the phone about how he was resolved to kill my father, to stop emissaries from existing. He didn't know that it got passed down whether they were alive or dead. I hid in the coat closet."
"You witnessed the whole thing?" He questioned in horror, watching her expression crumble and her shoulders fall.
Emilia's jaw clenched and her hands curl into fists, Klaus could almost swear he saw her eyes flash an electric blue."My father begged for his life, begged for the vampire not to take him from his family and that bastard laughed." Her lips pursed as she forced back tears, her father's death was one of the most horrific things that had happened in her life.
She had loved her father and he was ripped from her life like he didn't matter. "In the end, my father died a horrific and pain-filled death. His death was for nothing because it doesn't matter if the previous emissary is dead or alive, I would still become one myself by time I turned eighteen." She looked up at him to see him already looking down at her.
Klaus' eyes looked down at her with a soft look of sympathy, a feeling that irritated him deep down. He couldn't understand why a girl he had just met was eliciting such feelings inside him and why he was feeling this way towards her.
Emilia leaned in towards him and Klaus immediately wrapped an arm around her. "Sorry for waking you up." She whispered.
"It's okay, don't worry about it, love." He cupped her face and turned her towards him so they were face-to-face. "You don't ever have to apologize for that, my love." His voice was gentle and the pet name made butterflies explode in her stomach.
She leaned into his hands and closed her eyes as she felt at peace for the first time in forever whilst talking about her father.
