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The eldest Mikaelson daughter didn't know she had made it to her home, her mind was busy screaming out questions when all of the nowhere strong hands held her tightly. She tried to fight the person, believing that one of the Forbes' boys or the Lottie had caught her. Freya fought and fought, her magic was weak so it wasn't useful but when she heard the familiar voice of her brother she stopped. Freya's green desperately locked with Elijah's worried ones. She blinked and looked around, seeing Niklaus and the others her body relaxed. And when her mind suddenly realized that she was safe, she began to hysterically cry; she didn't understand why she was crying but watched them kill took a toll on her. The Mikaelson clan all tensed up and became alarmed, seeing Freya cry meant trouble, she rarely cried.
While Elijah tried to calm his older sister, he locked eyes with Niklaus both wondering what the hell happened. An hour later, Freya had calmed down and was ready to speak. When she told them what she saw in the woods, to say that they weren't expecting that was an understatement. Everyone turned to Niklaus, expecting him to say a joke about being happy that his children had taken his love for violence but no. Instead, they have seen his face pale, eyes widen in shock, and his mouth slightly opened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Surely, his sister was wrong. His children, children that were also Claires; his sweet, kind-hearted, soft Claire. Their children weren't like him... they couldn't be when they had a loving mother like Claire Forbes. "You're lying."
Freya shook her head, "trust me, brother, I am not." A heavy silence filled the room, everyone was in their own thoughts. "That's what she meant," Hayley whispered, her brows furrowed together.
Niklaus turned towards her, "what was that?" Hayley looked up at him, she hesitated to tell him what she did today but if she didn't tell him now, then it was going to be a bigger problem later on. She briefly looked at Elijah - knowing that he was going to be upset that she had broken her promise to not go anywhere near Clair - then back at Klaus. "I went to visit Claire today," as expected Elijah frowned and Klaus growled along with Kol.
"Alone?" Kol asked, glaring at her. Hayley may be married to his elder brother Elijah and was the mother of one of his nieces, but that didn't mean he liked her.... tolerated her because of Elijah but nothing more.
Hayley didn't look at him as she rolled her eyes, seeing them look at her with suspicious eyes. "What? I had to protect my daughter--"
Niklaus took a threatening step towards her, "what did you do, Hayley?" Quickly Hayley snared at him, "her fucken daughter called my daug---"
Once again Niklaus cut her off, "don't forget that she's also my daughter." His voice was low and menacing. Niklaus may not be there for her nor did he know of the twin's existence but that didn't mean that he will let anyone run their mouths and disrespect his children, even if they didn't like him right now.
Hayley got off the couch and glared at Niklaus, crossing her arms in a defiant stance. "Don't act if you care about them, Klaus. Before you even knew they were your blood, you were ready to do anything to protect Hope when if that meant harming Cla-"
One moment Hayley was standing then next she was slammed against the nearby wall, with Niklaus' hand dangerously wrapped around her throat, his eyes burning with rage. "Don't speak her name, Hayley."
Before Niklaus could do any further damage, Elijah went to rescue his wife pushing his brother away from her. Her hands went straight to her throat and she glared hatefully at Niklaus. "I did what I had to do to protect my daughter, Klaus."
Niklaus snarled, his ocean blue eyes turning black. "I'm warning you, Hayley, stop speaking."
Hayley pushed away from her husband, furious that everyone was looking at her with a disappointed look, especially her daughter. "For fuck sakes, you're all acting if Claire--," she ignored Klaus' growl, "is some fucken saint!" She looked at Davina and then at Freya, "you two never met her and you're on her side." Hayley's tightened her fist enough to draw out blood. Then her glare was directed at her daughter, "they're treating as if you're dirt and you're letting them."
Hope frowns, looking at her mother with sad disappointed eyes. This was the first time, she had witnessed her mother's jealously and she didn't like it. She didn't understand why her mother was jealous of Claire but it was clear to see that she was, even if she tried to hide it. Hope had seen it the first day, she had seen the secret evil eye her mother gave her when she thought no one was looking. Perhaps it was because her father loved Claire and not her, his attention was solely on Claire even when her mother was pregnant with her. Maybe it was because ever since she could remember, everyone had talked about Claire. There was always someone talking about Claire or what would Claire say in such situations. Or perhaps it was because her uncle Elijah had talked about Claire more than her father and Kol combined. Elijah had told her wonderful stories about the sweet and kind-hearted teenager he had befriended while he stayed here.
Her hand clenched together in a tight fist, "you slept with her fiancee!" Hope screamed, she didn't like that her mother was getting angry at Claire when she didn't do anything to her or to her family. It startled everyone that the youngest and purest Mikaelson had raised her voice for the first time and it was towards her mother. Hope refused to look away, even as her lips trembled and her shoulders heaved with emotions, unwilling to back down. "They have every right to treat me like that. They have every right to hate me! I took their father away from them!"
Niklaus stared at his daughter and his heart broke seeing her cry, but it hurt more because once again it was him who was making her cry.... well it was his doing that was making her cry. Hope's dark lashed brimmed heavy with tears, her hands clenched into shaking fist, in a desperate battle against the guilt of knowing that if she was never born then perhaps her father would have stayed with Lottie and Theo; been their father and not a stranger.
Hope harshly wiped away her tears, "I understand, mother trusts me I do. I know that Lottie is not dealing with this whole sibling thing correctly, but you have to see it from their perspective. Lottie is angry and hurt. Our father left her mother after he cheated on Claire," Klaus looked down feeling ashamed and guilty that his daughter had known what he had done to Claire; the woman he claimed to love so much. "She had no father--"
Hayley interrupted Hope, "they had Stefan!!! Claire got married to him--"
"IT'S NOT THE SAME!!" Hope screamed once again, she waved her hands up. "Lottie doesn't know what it's like to have a father's love. She doesn't know what it means to be safe in the arms of the one person who supposed to keep you safe from the world. She doesn't know all because father was busy keeping me safe and loving me when he was supposed to do all of that with her."
Hope calmed down, her voice softens and her tears lessened as she turns to her dad. "I see it in her eyes, daddy. I see the pain and jealousy whenever she sees the two of us together. I don't have too read her mind to know what she is thinking. Lottie isn't so different from any girl that doesn't have a father. She longs for you and your love. Lottie is hurt and angry. She just wants to know why you weren't there for her."
Silence. Once again the room fell into a heavy silence. Niklaus bit his tongue and closed his eye, desperately trying to hold in his tears. At that moment, regret washed over him like the long slow waves on a shallow beach. Each wave was icy cold and sent shivers down his spine. How he longed to go back and take a different path, but now that was impossible. There was no way back. The remorse would eat at him every day of his life. He knew that Claire and their children hated him, and just like Hope had said; they have every right to, but that didn't mean he couldn't make it right.
Niklaus Mikaelson opened his eyes; determination and longing filled his ocean blue eyes. At that moment he knew what had to be done. What he had to do to make things right between him and his children. It was time to stop feeling guilty and putting his faults on everyone but him, it was time for him to be their father... even if it took him a thousand years or more. He would have their forgiveness or at least have them consider it... Niklaus would have his children and be a family as they should have been in the first place.
