Love and Loss (The Fun Gilbert Book 3)

Chapter 27- Clifford the Big Red Door

3rd Person P.O.V.

After Jessica passed out in Klaus's arms, he took her back to the compound and allowed her to sleep in his bed before filling Meredith in on what happened to Elijah. He promised to go into the bayou to find the flower, leaving out the fact that his father is alive. When Jessica told him that, he knew it wasn't a vision he had seen as he had tried to convince himself. He shook off his thought before laying down in the bed and wondering what he would do if his mother went after Jessica.

He had almost died after he let his worry that Mikael might kill her cloud his mind, he wasn't sure what he would do if she were to get hurt because of him. He once again shakes off his thoughts before closing his eyes and waiting for sleep to come. And it does, once Jessica snuggles her body close to his, filling his body with a warmth only Jessica can give him.
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Klaus wakes up after only a few hours of sleep to head out to the bayou where Ansel is waiting, offering his help with finding the flower for Elijah. Klaus reluctantly agrees and follows him. Meanwhile, Jessica wakes up in Klaus' bed with him nowhere to be found so she walks downstairs to get breakfast, only to be commandeered by Hayley, who drags her to a different part of the bayou to talk to Jackson about the wedding ritual.

"Jack, you said that your problem was that you didn't have control of the wolves. Well, this is how. They won't need Esther's rings if they have my powers," Hayley tries to convince him, but Jackson won't listen.

"I already knew about the ritual, Hayley. Ansel told me about but it has to be a real, god honest wedding. It only works if you honor your vows. Are you ready for that? Besides, we don't know if it works," he claims and Jessica hums in disagreement. "Got something to say, Jessica?"

"It'll work," she promises. "That's why Ansel told you, probably. They used to do it all the time in the old days. The wolves next to Nik's village had three from the time I arrived to the time I fled after Mikael drove a sword through my heart."

Hayley and Jackson give Jessica a weird look before Hayley clears her throat. "Right, well I'm not going to ask about that, but see Jackson. It does work. We can do this for our people. Ansel can help us."

Jessica snorts, drawing attention to her so she sighs. "Sorry, it's just, Hayley I think you underestimate Jackson's feelings for you. When I met him, he was already in love with this girl that he was supposed to marry you and then as he got to know you, for whatever reason, he fell in love with you rather than his image of Andrea." Jessica notices Hayley's irritated look and goes over what she said and tries to amend it. "No offense. Anyway, Jack wants you to marry him out of love, not obligation. Besides, if you're counting on Ansel to lead you through it, I'm afraid you've lost your chance."

"What do you mean?" Jackson questions with worry that Jessica doesn't notice.

"I mean that I'm pretty positive that Ansel won't make it through the night."

"Why?" Hayley queries, confused.

"Because he was a shitty father before he was killed and he's still a shitty father now that he's back." Noticing their confusion she attempt to clarify. "I'm just saying that any father that allows their son to be beat so their lover's husband doesn't find out the kid he's using as a punching bag isn't his kid, is a pretty shitty father. And knowing Nik, even with his want for a father, his anger for Esther will overpower that. She's the reason he lost his daughter and he's more likely to string Ansel up in the cemetery to hurt his mother than have father-son bonding time."

"Ansel is Klaus' father?" Jackson demands and Jessica looks at him in surprise.

"You didn't know? I thought you spent 4 months with him."