White Blood | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter Seventeen

1942 — Kraków, Poland

   Her bedroom was big and spacious, with a big window facing the woods behind her home and  the backyard with the few toys they had bought. They didn't have children, but the toys would be just a small piece of happiness for the children that passed by her home. But, at that single moment, the day had been rainy, and the three children that were in her home were quietly playing in the bedroom with several dolls. She could hear their laughter, the soft sounds they made as they tried to stay quiet. 

   Eleanor smiled to herself as she stared out the window, watching the drops race each other down the glass. Her fingers brushed against he bottom lip as she smiled, as she felt enamoured with that tiny moment in time where she felt just a bit human. She felt as if she had children, a husband, she felt as if time hadn't stopped for her all those years ago. Eleanor Fraser felt old.

   "Come back to bed," she heard someone say behind her. She turned to see Thomas laying on the bed, sheets between his naked body as he laid face down. His eyes were still closed, as if he were still asleep. He opened one eye. "Come back to bed."

   "You have work," she said. Eleanor pushed herself from the window and moved towards the bed. She crawled from her side towards him, leaning down and laying a gentle kiss on his lips. It felt strange for her, but excited at the same time. "You should be waking up, you know."

   "Not today," Thomas mumbled, closing his open eye. "I am free today, Eleanor. I am all yours today."

   At that single moment, something inside of Eleanor jumped. It could have been her heart, or maybe her head telling her something she was supposed to know. "Are you sure?" she asked, furrowing her brows. 

   "Positive," he said, pulling up his arms to lay his head on top of them. "I don't work today, although Gianni does. I asked him to search through the files in Heinrich's office."

   "Why?" she questioned, furrowing her brows. "It's dangerous in there, Thomas. If they find him–"

   "He has mastered compulsion," he chuckled. "Gianni is safe, and he knows how to sneak in and out without getting caught. He's like a cat, I tell you."

   Eleanor let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. "He has always been sneaky, Thomas," she said, crossing her legs and looking down at him with a soft smile. "Ever since he was a child. His father did mention it several times, always asking about him as if he were hiding, but he was always spending time with Pippin." She recalled the orange tabby that spent a lot of time with her while she was in France. At that moment, her heart skipped a beat. It wasn't because of the cat, although she did miss it, it was because her mind jumped towards the person who fed her blood and broke her neck. She hadn't spoken to Klaus ever since she left him in 1872, although she did speak to Elijah. 

   She had received a letter from him a few days ago, but the letter remained unopened and between the pages of the current book she was reading. She was scared to read it, so she left it unopened and with curiosity biting at her. 

   "Gianni will be fine," Thomas said, giving her a tired smile. "You know he can protect himself."

   "I still see him as little boy," Eleanor said, making a face. "Although he is physically older than I am."

   Thomas chuckled. "That means nothing," he said. "You know, he thinks of you as a mother."

   "And you as his father," she said, chuckling. "It's strange. I'm blonde, you have black hair, and our child is a redhead."

    "We're English and our son is French," he laughed, shaking his head. "And, you cannot forget the many other children we have claimed as ours: German, Polish, French, Italians. We must have saved a child from each country Germany has taken, saved their lives so they can live prosperous ones somewhere else." He gave her a tired smile. "I think we have too many children to count."