Where I Stood

Chapter 2

The next morning, Helena awoke alone, and was hesitant to seek Klaus out. If she was in fact pregnant, there were things she needed to tell him. Once she freshened up, she realized she had nothing of hers with her, as she still didn't know how she ended up with the witches in New Orleans. She carefully descended the stairs, and upon seeing Elijah in the study, she pulled down the hem of what she assumed was Klaus' shirt further down, trying to cover as much of her legs as possible. Elijah looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have any luggage." She shifted uncomfortably.

He frowned. "Klaus and I will rectify that immediately."

"Where is Klaus?" She said, knowing she needed to talk to him.

"In the library. Would you like me to show you?"

"Please." She smiled.

Once Elijah had led her to the doors of the library, he quickly disappeared. She knocked on the doors, unsure of what to do. She blushed when Klaus opened the door and shared a similar response as his brother to her lack of clothing.

"I didn't exactly have time to pack." She shrugged. "I need to talk to you." He held the door open for her as he stepped to the side, allowing her entrance. He watched her walk over to a large chair and sit down in it, curling her legs to her body. He was struck with how small she looked. Her dark hair cascading down her back with her doe-ish green eyes looking at him apprehensively.

"What is this about?" He closed the door for a semblance of privacy. If Elijah wanted to, he could easily listen into their conversation whether the door was closed or not.

"You don't know much about me." She said, meeting his eyes. It was true, besides knowing she was from England prior to Mystic Falls, he didn't know anything about her past. And he only knew that much because of her accent. "I-" She didn't know what to say. "If I am in fact pregnant with your baby, you need to know something."

Klaus frowned and took a seat in a chair across from her, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "When I was younger, I had to go to a doctor and she said that not only would it be incredibly difficult for me to become pregnant, but it would be nearly impossible for me to carry the child to term." She looked down at her knees. "So even if the witches are right, it doesn't matter because you chose the woman who can't physically have children."

Klaus didn't know how to respond so he asked "How?"

"What?"

"How did you become unable to carry children, Helena." He demanded. Surely, she was young and relatively healthy, a bit too small, but all the same.

Helena waited a few moments, forming words to carefully phrase her admission. "I was...incredibly malnourished when I was younger. It had lasting effects."

"Well, I'm sure with the help of witches and a doctor, everything will turn out fine." And despite the words, he couldn't help but worry. Despite himself, he grew to care for the small human in front of him, and was beginning to wrap his mind around the prospect of having a child.

"Klaus, you shouldn't get too excited." Helena frowned.

Klaus sighed and walked over to the pregnant woman. He didn't know how he became the one who had easily accepted this miracle. "You forget, sweetheart." He sat on the arm of her chair and took her hand in his. "The child is mine. He is already stronger than any other." He smiled arrogantly.

And for the first time since he had found her in New Orleans, she laughed. "Arrogant much?" She looked up at him. "And who says the baby isn't a 'she'?" She smiled quietly.