Lightning Strikes Twice

Twenty Eight

Méalla was lurking outside of Klaus' painting room, listening to him and Alex talk with a smile on her face. Klaus was teaching Alex how to paint from reference photos. He sounded genuinely calm and Alex's voice was bursting with glee.
"What are you doing?" Elijah silently walked up next to Méalla. She made a be quiet motion before responding.
"Listening to Klaus bond with Alex. They're both having a good time just painting. No plots, no wars. Just fun. They both deserve it." Méalla glances into the room, smiling as she watched Klaus helped Alex set up a canvas. She felt Elijah peering in over her shoulder.
"I do say, Alex is quite the girl. I'm happy she's taken to living with us. She's a bundle of joy we can all use right now."
Méalla hummed in agreement, continuing to watch her brother and charge paint. Elijah smiled down at his sister, glad she had an anchor of light in her grief. Méalla started to walk away, going to help Hayley with some things with her wolves and Elijah continued looking through the doorway.
Elijah started to walk away as well but Alex caught sight of him before he could.
"Elijah! Come here!" She whispered loudly. Elijah grinned and silently made his way over. Klaus looked up at his older brother with a smile.
"I'm painting something for Méalla. Do you have a photo of all of you, her, and Hayley? It's going to be a family piece." Alex looked up at Elijah. Elijah felt his heart stretch as Alex said the word family piece, as he noticed a picture of her by the easel.
"Why yes, I believe I do. Do you have a preference for a kind of photo? Goofy ones or serious ones?"
Alex looked thoughtful before answering, "Goofy. She needs as many smiles as we can give."
"I'll go fetch them. Is this a surprise?" Elijah asked, grinning conspiringly at Alex and Klaus. Alex nodded yes.
"Than I shall keep my lips sealed."

"Hey Alex! You don't have to eat my cooking this morning! There's breakfast downstairs!" Méalla called from the table, watching as Klaus and Alex made their way downstairs.
"So, which restaurant's missing a compelled chef?" Hayley asked, popping a piece of food into her mouth.
"It's certainly a card I've played in the past, but I had no hand in this." He gestured at the food. "Hmm. Well, then, I guess we have Elijah to thank."
Elijah came walking into the courtyard. "This wasn't my doing."
"Then, where did this all come from? Alex, don't touch it yet." Méalla warned, looking around with concern. The silver lid on a nearby platter started to rattle, startling Hayley and Méalla. Klaus looked uneasy as he lifted the platter which released two starlings that flew up toward the ceiling, causing him, Méalla, Alex, Elijah and Hayley to all duck. They look around at each other, confused.
"What the hell was that?" Hayley exclaimed. "An invitation from our mother." Klaus deadpanned as he read the paper on the tray. Méalla looked at her brothers anxiously. He turned it toward them. It read "Dinner. Your home. 8PM" in nice calligraphy.
"So, I guess I'm meeting your mom?" Alex asked a bit too lightly.
"No way." Méalla gave Alex a stern look. "Our mother is too dangerous and unpredictable at the moment."

"Why don't you want me to meet your mom?" Alex asked as Méalla braided Alex's hair from behind.
"Because she's not the mother I know anymore. She made us into what she calls monsters and hates us for who we've become because of her decisions. She's been trying to rectify that at any cost for a long time. It's not below her to hurt our loved ones. Especially you." Méalla's hands were swiftly braiding Alex's long hair while she talked. It was comforting to Méalla and Alex both.
"So definitely not grandma material then?" Alex said.
Méalla chuckled then stopped for a beat after processing the word grandma. Her braiding hands stilled.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked, noticing Méalla's pause.
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Besides, you're too great of a grandchild for her." Méalla said, slightly choked up but wanting to keep things light. She started to braid again. Alex had said grandma so easily. Does that mean she considers Méalla to be a mother figure? Or was she talking about Saoirse and Hope?
"Did I jump to saying mother things too quickly?" Alex asked softly.
Méalla finished braiding Alex's hair before she came and knelt down in front of Alex.
"No. Not in my eyes. I just don't want you to feel like you have to call me mom or consider me your mother. If you don't want to, you don't have to."
"I want to call you mom. You are my mom in almost every sense of the word besides blood. Do you want me to be your daughter? Are you okay with me being Saoirse's sister?"
Méalla looked at Alex with tears in her eyes but smiled brightly. She hugged Alex tightly and whispered into her ear.
"Having you as my daughter is something I want very very much. I love you. Saoirse is extremely lucky to have you as a big sister." Alex hugged Méalla back just as tightly. They stayed like that for a few minutes.
"Come on. Why don't you come help us plan out tonight? After the discussion, perhaps you can help me choose what to wear? Elijah will insist on dressing up." Méalla stood up and extended a hand to Alex, who took it. They walked into Klaus' room, where Klaus is on the balcony and Hayley lying on his bed.
"It's times like these I'm really glad I never knew my mother." Hayley said as they walked in. Alex joined Hayley on the bed, while Méalla stood against the wall. Hayley wrapped an arm around the girl who leaned against her.
"Mothers aren't so bad. It's the ones who do bad things and believe it's the right thing who are the annoying ones." Méalla responded.
"We have enough enemies here. And now, the war for our home is to be fought against my own family." Klaus muttered angrily.
"Your wretched mother and her disciples tried to put a carving knife through our babies' hearts. I will happily add to the body count." Hayley sat up, shifting Alex as she moved.
"I'll join in, we three can tag team. We can be the three stooges of justice." Méalla quipped. Klaus ignored her. Hayley and Alex laughed slightly.
"You will do no such thing. Esther's a master in the art of possession. We know whose body she currently inhabits. We must decipher her intentions before she finds a new host." Elijah joined them.
"Well, her last invitation was an assassination attempt on all her children. I think we can assume her intentions are decidedly foul."
"Well, then. We have," Elijah checked his watch "this afternoon to prepare for the worst."
"You could always just poison her food? She's in a mortal body." Alex suggested. Elijah gave her a stern look while Klaus pointed at her.
"I agree with Tiny Wolf."
"We are not poisoning Esther. Even if we did, she'd hop into another body." Elijah reprimanded. Méalla shot Alex a thumbs up which she tried and failed to hide and change her proud grin to a stern look when Elijah glared at her.