Midnight Promises

It's Complicated

Holy shit. Hope. I tried to peek around Klaus who was still standing in front of me, blocking my view. She looked like him. The same eyes, the same determination and the same angry expression.

"Who's this?" Hope asked, nodding in my direction. I tried a weak smile but her face remained unmoved.

"A friend," his voice was low but there was a slight tremor in it. I looked at him. Friend my ass.

Apparently Hope had the same thought and scoffed at him, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"I'll give you some space," I awkwardly stepped around Klaus, who didn't bother moving an inch to let me pass.

Walking past Hope, I tried giving her another smile but her eyes were fixed on Klaus. Hurt and pain cloaked under her anger.

God, that stubbornness sure came from her Dad.

I stepped outside and closed the door. I was about to go look for a place where I would be out of the way when Hope started speaking.

"Really Dad? You don't return my calls, you don't write, you wouldn't even come to the school for Christmas but you'll come here for some random girl?" Her tone was sharp but you could hear the small tremor, the only indication of how hurt she truly was.

I wanted to leave, truly. But I just couldn't move. I had to hear what Klaus had to say.

He sighed.

"Hope, it's not that simple," he sounded pained and exhausted.

"Oh it seems simple to me: you're a terrible father and you don't care about me."

"Don't you dare," his voice was menacing now.

"What? Am I wrong? Since when does Father of the year require you to ignore your daughter for the better part of a year?"

"I am doing this for you!" He bellowed, "so you are safe! You think this doesn't kill me? To be away from you? But trust me, being alive without me is better than being dead."

"You realize that I'm in danger regardless of if you're here or not? I'm a Mikaelson either way and people will come for me either way! You staying away is just selfish. Just because you couldn't save Caroline you don't have to punish me."

"Don't bring Caroline into this," I could hear the thickness in his voice.

"Oh but you're over her now aren't you? Who is she, Dad? New obsession?"

"Leave Emma out of this. I'm just trying to help her."

"Oh yeah, cause you're Mother Theresa," Hope scoffed, "Since when do you do anything selfless? What are you getting out of it?"

"It's complicated," he said.

What? What did he mean complicated?

"She's important enough for you to come back here. Must be quite a good reason since your own daughter wasn't good enough for that."

"I can't explain right now but I promise you will understand some day. It's important I help this woman."

What? It's not as though I hadn't had my own questions about why Klaus would help a total stranger, at a great cost to himself. But I had been vain enough to assume he was doing it out of some sort of romantic inclination towards me. But the way he was talking now- seemed like he had other motives.

"Why?" Hope seemed as confused as me.

I shifted my weight and the floorboards underneath me creaked loudly. The room went silent and I heard footsteps coming to the door. Realizing my mistake, I tried to turn and walk away, when the door opened.