Losing Him (Only His Series: Book 4) *OLD VERSION*

Chapter 36

Alex's P.O.V

Klaus had just finished buckling Hope and Shawn's car seat into the backseat of the SUV. "Always the perfect children. Let's get out of here, shall we?" Klaus asked them affectionately. Unfortunately for him, when he turned to get into the driver's seat, I was standing in front of him with an amused expression.

"There is a scared kid out there, and I can't just turn my back on her," I said to him.

"And, tragic as that may be, it's not my problem. Neither is it yours. Get in the car. We're leaving." Klaus said to me.

"We're not going anywhere," I said firmly.

"And I suppose you're going to stop me? Perhaps you'll get Hollis and your other foul-smelling friends to help?" He asked me.

"Those friends of mine are helping us, Klaus - no questions asked - despite the fact they have problems of their own. And all you've done is insult them. You don't get it, do you? This is the exact reason why we're here. Maybe if you hadn't been a dick to, I don't know, everybody, then we wouldn't even be on the run." I explained to him how frustrated. As usual, Klaus was not thrilled to be called out on his faults, and he became angrier by the moment.

"I have always done what I needed to do to protect our family from numerous enemies. I make no apologies for my methods." My husband said angrily. I scoffed in frustration and annoyance.

"Do you even hear yourself, Klaus? You're incapable of even pretending to be a good person. And you can justify it all you want with strategy, and 'us versus them,' but at the end of the day, the enemies that you have are the ones that you made." I said to him. Klaus clearly knew that I was right, but was loath to admit it, so he continued to glare at me. "Is that what you want for your children? Is that how you want them to see the world? I'm not just gonna stand back and let you raise them to be just like you, Klaus."

"If it's your impulse to trust in the kindness of those outside the family, all the more reason you need my protection," Klaus said angrily. I had reached my limit and sighed before ending the argument.

"I am gonna go speak to that girl because she needs my help. You're gonna stay here and shut up. I've earned at least that." I said to him.

"Alexandria, listen to me -" He said aggravatedly. I, at my limit where this argument is concerned, point to the car door so that Klaus can see Hope and Shawn, who were watching us argue.

"There is a very good chance that one day, our children will be dealing with the same thing that Kayla is dealing with. And, if that day comes, I hope that someone makes it their business to help them, too." I said to him.

Klaus finally started to understand where I'm coming from and remained silent as I turned to leave to find Kayla. Before I did, though, I squeezed his arm affectionately and whispered to him.

"Being kind doesn't make you weak, Klaus," I said and left.

~

Night had fallen, and I had just arrived at Kayla's trailer, where I knocked on the door. Kayla looked devastated. When she saw me standing in front of her, she burst into tears and rushed towards me to give me a hug.

"Alex!" Kayla said.

"I am so sorry, kiddo," I said to her. We pulled away and walked towards a small campfire near the trailer. "I heard there's not much of a pack left, so I thought you might need someone to talk to." Kayla nodded silently, but she's still obviously overwhelmed by everything that had happened. "But here's the thing you need to remember as you deal with all of this - you're a lot tougher than you think you are. And, no matter how awful you feel, you're not alone."