Promise Me, Always And Forever

Paternal Instinct

~Month 2~

Nik pulls a blanket over an exhausted Hayley.

"I can't thank you enough for this, Nik," Hope groans, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Misery shines in her eyes and Nik can tell the beginning of this pregnancy is going to be a rocky one. The poor woman had a horrible case of morning sickness, which lasted all day and into the night sometimes. Nik hopes that Hayley will get over the sickness soon because it's driving her to exhaustion and making her weak.

Nik gives the werewolf a small smile. "It's no problem. Try to sleep a bit if you can and I'll bring you something to eat later if you can stomach it."

"Thanks," Hayley mumbles. "You're awesome, kid."

Nik chuckles, choosing not to say anything and she leaves the room to allow Hayley to sleep. That leaves her by herself, wandering the house silently. She has no particular desire to read and she doesn't want to go back to her room, so she walks about until she hears her father's heartbeat drumming from one of the rooms upstairs.

In the last month, Nik's relationship with Klaus has improved greatly. They have stopped arguing, but has not stopped them from disagreeing with one another at all. Klaus has been kind and gentle with her, lifting her dark mood a little. Klaus, though, could never take Elijah's place in her heart. She loves her father dearly, but wishes Elijah were present.

The teenager finds herself following Klaus' heartbeat. It leads her down the hall and she finds herself standing in front of a door leading to a room she has never ventured before. So, she knocks softly and listens for activity in the room.

"Father? May I come in?"

Then, she hears something rustle and the door is opened by Klaus who looks down at her curiously. "But of course, little one. I was going to come find you anyway." She's ushered inside and Nik looks around the room, smelling paint and the scent of paper. The room's floor is covered in a plastic tarp to protect it from paint and there are canvases lined up everywhere.

Nik looks up to Klaus. "So you come in here to paint?"

Klaus smiles softly. "When time permits, yes." He looks as stress free as Nik has ever seen him. His shirt is splattered with paint and his blue eyes twinkle. "Tell me, little one- do you draw?"

Nik almost laughs at the question. Do you draw? The girl's past attempts at drawing are horrific. She has long since given up the fine art of drawing and has opted out to write and play piano like her uncle.

"I can't draw a straight line, Father," Nik says, looking at the elaborate paintings around her. She certainly hasn't inherited Klaus' ability to draw and paint.

"Seems that we will have to remedy that," Klaus states. Nik watches as Klaus walks around the room, grabbing a spare easel and he searches for a canvas. She watches as Klaus sets the easel up next to his own work, motioning Nik to join him while he continues to search for a canvas. "You may not be able to draw, but anyone can paint. You have seen styles such as abstract and contemporary. An imbecile could paint."

Nik raises an eyebrow. "Are you calling me an imbecile?"

"No, you silly girl," Klaus admonishes playfully. "You may behave like one at times, but you are not an imbecile. Now, it seems I have no spare canvases at the moment. Would you care to accompany me to the Quarter? I have to pick up a few things, anyhow."

"So late in the evening?" Nik asks, worried that they might not get back before dark. Klaus has warned her several times of the dangers of being out after dark- being nabbed by witches and rouge vampires lurking in the Quarter.