Nothing Without You

“You’re absolutely losing it.” Emma complained as Jared stood behind her, both silently judging me.

“I’m moving, not selling my soul.” I laughed, though I could imagine her confusion. I’d just told her I was moving, and she happened to figure out where. She was appalled, to say the least. She was all about Klaus until she realized I was moving in with him, but lucky for her she didn’t know the real reason why.

“You just reconnected with the guy. You don’t know him, he could be a weirdo killer or something!” She gasped, being dramatic.

If only she knew. “Stop it, he’s not a weirdo killer.” I rolled my eyes. She wasn’t wrong, not entirely, but I couldn’t say that. “Look, it’s probably temporary. I don’t know, in any case it’s fine.”

“I think you’re moving too fast.” Jared said, sliding me his input for the first time.

“Maybe. But it’s my life, just let me do it. If it ends up being a mistake then that’s on me.” I shrugged, knowing this wouldn’t be a mistake. This may actually save my life and theirs. I couldn’t imagine someone else getting killed because of me.

It was quickly dropped after that, but Emma was angry. I didn’t know why she cared that much, it wasn’t like we couldn’t still be friends and hang out. I was only moving across town.

Once I’d finished packing, I felt sad. I hadn’t realized how little I owned. I took everything, aside from the bed and dresser, and it all fit into 5 boxes. That was it. It was like I’d been living in a huge blur and nothing like that even occurred to me before I’d known who I was. I didn’t even own a candle, which was practically a necromancing sin.

I went to leave, and they wouldn’t even send me a farewell. I rolled my eyes and slammed the door behind me, not understanding where the anger was coming from. It made me feel far less guilty about leaving them my portion of bills though.

I sat on the porch as I waited for a ride, not having a car was beginning to be such a nuisance. Klaus had only left me with "I'll send someone to pick you up." I didn't know who or when either. But lucky for me, only about 10 minutes rolled by before a sporty, red car appeared in my driveway, Elijah behind the wheel. I sighed, I didn't like him very much. He had this strange way about him that made me not trust him, but I didn't have a choice.

I hopped in the car after taking my luggage to the trunk. "Thanks." I mumbled, slightly terrified of him.

"Are you sure you want our protection, necromancer? You know that doesn't come free." I winced, unable to decode his odd message.

"You want favors from me?" I asked, not able to imagine them needing any financial help.

"If the need arises, I expect you'd be happy to oblige." this gave me chills. What was he expecting to need from me?

"Within reason, of course." I bartered, hoping to at least gain a little respect form him.

"Yes. Within our reason." I didn't like where this was going. "We wouldn't ask you to sacrifice yourself of course." Letting that be the only thing void of this deal made me a little sick.

"Well what, you have something in mind?" I asked, trying to just get him to the point. His dancing around the issue and making me anxious was getting frustrating.

"Not yet, but I'm sure we could use you in the future. It's only fair." Yes, maybe he was right, it was fair. I never would have had a problem doing things for a family that was willing to take me in, had it not been brought up like this. I had a feeling I would be staying very close to Klaus.

"Sure." I quietly agreed, not wanting to press the issue.

"Good girl." My stomach flipped into nauseating knots, what a weird thing to say. When we got to the compound I slowly followed behind Elijah with my things. He lead me to a room on the far west side of the building, I assumed it was far from everyone else's rooms. "This is where you'll be staying. I hope it's suitable for your needs."

I felt like he meant this in a negative way, like he'd given me the worst thing he could, but the room was gorgeous. The bed looked bigger and softer than anything I'd ever slept in, the long, heavy, purple velvet curtains hung from the windows, blocking most of the light. A large expensive chandelier hung from the ceiling, lighting up the royal purple damask walls. The carpet was black and plush, leaving me with this comfortable and content feeling. "It's gorgeous, thank you."

"Yes, our sister Rebekah had a large hand in the decor this morning. Thank her when you see her." He nodded and left me to my thoughts.

I shut the door behind me and took a moment to take it all in. I was nervous, not knowing what it was going to be like living with this family, but I had hope that it would be okay. I thought about this, among other things, as I unpacked everything I owned. I was obsessed with this gorgeous room, I didn't want to clutter it any longer with boxes and junk.

By the time I was done, my stomach was growling. I'd forgotten to eat. I made my way down to the kitchen where I quickly realized these vampires were very equipped for sustaining a human. Hope had her own food, neatly put in a section with her name on it, and Hayley had hers. There were some other loose, random food items, but nothing I felt comfortable taking. "Hungry?"

I jumped, I hadn't expected someone standing behind me. "I'm sorry." I said as I turned to meet the eyes of a beautiful blond. "I haven't eaten today, I was hoping-"

"It's quite alright. I was heading out for wine anyway, would you like to come?" I glanced at her bracelet, noticing it had letters. "REBEKAH" was written in diamonds.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." This made her smile, and I was relieved. I couldn't hand'e another person like Elijah.

We engaged in small talk until we landed ourselves in the wine isle at some grocery store. "So, Molly, how are you coping with everything?" I must have given her a strange look as she felt the need to explain. "Niklaus and I are very close. He clued me in."

I shrugged. "I'm doing okay, I think." I wasn't sure or Rebekah yet, so I wasn't sure how much I could trust her. Klaus seemed to trust her though. "I mean, its weird, dealing with the grief I should have dealt with years ago."

"I always wanted to be a mother." She said, casually checking out the shelves of wine. I was surprised to hear that from her, seeing as we’d only just met.

“You could adopt.” I offered this, though I knew just as well as she did that couldn’t happen.

“My world is too dangerous for a child. Poor Hope doesn’t even get to live like she should. I couldn’t possibly do that to a child with a chance at a normal life.” She was kind, much kinder than you would expect a thousand year old immortal to be.

We got everything we needed and headed back to the compound. As I prepared dinner, I found I was struggling with how much to make. Did everyone often eat together? Did some of them eat at all? It isn’t like it was necessary.. I was a bit confused so I just made enough for about 5 people and left it at that.

By the time Klaus got back, I was just finishing up cooking. Hope was already at the table, ready to eat, and Hayley would be down any minute. “What’s this?” He asked, an amused and bewildered look on his face.

“I was starving and, obviously, you don’t have a lot of food around here. Figured I’d whip something up. I hope you don’t mind.” I smiled as I set down the food.

“Of course not.” He nodded and sat with us. "How are you princess?" He asked Hope, and she went on about her day.

As Hope continued to talk about everything from new spells she's learning to how fun her day at the beach was, she touched on a subject that I could see strung a nerve. "I wish we could have more fun days, Daddy." The hybrid met his daughter's gaze and I could see his heart breaking. "You're always too busy." It was a small comment, but a powerful one, unbeknownst to her.

"I'm sorry Hope. I'll do my best to have better days with you, alright?" It wasn't a lot, but it was the best he could do. I, as an adult, understood why he wasn't often around, I understood the amount of time and effort and how much risk it took just to keep this small girl safe. Hope, on the other hand, didn't get to see that part of her dad. She didn't know that every time he left the compound, he was off to go defend her, to fight off enemies looking to kill or use her. He left her in the dark about this on purpose, to keep her innocence as long as possible. It must have hurt him, knowing that his absence was disappointing his daughter.

I hadn't realized Hayley was standing nearby until she spoke. "Hope, honey, we've had this talk." She said gently. "Daddy can't always be around because he has to keep you safe, remember?" I knew Hope didn't fully understand why or what that meant, but it was something she half way accepted.

"I know." She sighed and took a bite, glumly staring down at her plate. This situation must have been incredibly frustrating for her.

I didn't see Klaus that much during the rest of the day. He'd spent most of the day with Hope, likely shaking off the guilt he'd felt earlier. He'd taken her for a long walk, then I supposed they'd been painting in the garden. I loved watching him as a father, he was so gentle and sweet to her, nothing at all like the ruthless king often had to be. I was beginning to learn the method behind the madness, the reason he was the way he was.

At the end of the day, after Hope had long gone to bed, I noticed Klaus was still MIA. I had last seen him walk into a room I'd never been in before, and assumed he was still there. I wandered my way up to the door and paused before knocking, second guessing myself. As I contemplated what to do, I heard a voice from behind the door. "Come in, Molly." Oh yeah. He could hear me.

I stepped in and was overwhelmed by the amount of artwork around me. Canvases lined the walls, most being just set up on the ground, stacked, or on easels. I slowly approached him as I checked out the artwork. "I didn't realize you were a serious painter."

"I suppose you could say that." He said as he focused on the half painted canvas in font of him. "Is there something you need?"

"Oh, right." I had momentarily forgotten why I even came. "I was just checking on you. Are you okay?" He hadn't acted quite right since his conversation with his daughter, I knew it was bothering him.

"Never better." His dull response screamed sarcasm, I sure he wasn't used to talking about things before he blew up about them.

"Don't be like that." I said, not really thinking. Had anyone else said that to him, I sure he'd have their head on a platter, but all he did was give me a warning side glance. "And don't give me that look either." Yes, I was pushing my luck, but my demand put a snarky smile on his face. "Talk to me."

He sat up straight on the stood he sat on and admired his work for a moment. He turned to me and sighed as he put his paint brush in a cup of water. "What?"

"I know that what Hope said today has been bugging you. Instead of drowning your frustration in paint and alcohol, talk to me about it." He glanced down at the empty bottle of bourbon below him and rolled his eyes.

"Well, while you're observing my drinking habits, you may as well count this one too." He smugly grabbed another almost empty bottle from a table close by and finished it in one gulp. He set the bottle in my lap and turned back to his canvas.

"You're deflecting." I noted, placing the bottle on the floor.

"Molly, you know what it's like to feel like you've failed your child. I know that what happened to you little girl wasn't your fault, and you know it too, but you have felt that sense of failure, yes?" He was absolutely right, and maybe that's why he elected to open up a bit to me, because I already knew what it was like to feel that huge sense of failure.

"Yes." I answered, wanting him to continue on.

"I know I should just be grateful she's alive, but in order for her to stay that way, I have to be a bad father. I have to sacrifice my time with her, and I can't even tell her why. I can't tell her that Daddy can't be around today because he has vampires and witches and wolves to kill in order to keep her breathing. I can only tell her I'm keeping her safe, but she doesn't see that. She doesn't see a threat so, of course, she questions what on earth I'm actually deeming more important than spending time with her. It's a circle that I just can't seem to get out of." His long rant wasn't exactly expected, but it definitely wasn't unwarranted.

"That doesn't make you a bad father, you get that, don't you?" He looked at me, and I could see in his eyes he didn't understand that at all. He was completely convinced that he was a bad parent because of what he had to do. "Klaus, you keeping her alive is the most important thing you can do as a parent."

It was evident his frustration kept growing. I shouldn't have continued on with this, but I wasn't the type to know when to shut up. "Whatever the case, it isn't enough. Just.. Drop it."

"Stop, you're being dramatic." I shrugged, though any sense of calm I had went flying out the window at his next response.

I heard an almost inaudible growl come from somewhere deep in his chest and he began to raise his voice. "You heard me! Enough with this nonsense!" he was shutting me out. He'd been so close to truly opening up to someone, and this was him retreating from it.

"Klaus-"

"Enough!" He yelled, his eyes flashing a brilliant gold for a split second. I took two steps, backing away from him, fear was splattered across my face and I felt like I was 5 again. I knew I was pushing him too far, but I hadn't expected a reaction like that. I supposed this was why his family left him alone. "Leave me." He dismissed me, turning back to his half finished painting. I froze, unable to move, not sure of what to do. I wanted to calm him down, but apparently I'd struck a nerve and there's was nothing more I could do. "Go." He growled, and quickly backed up, taking one last glance at him before I turned and dashed out.

I went straight to my room where I had to wait for my heartbeat to slow back to a normal pace. I became angry and upset. How dare he treat me like that after I tried to help him? It was so rude and the way he dismissed me made me feel like he thought of me as a child or someone below him. I felt tears stinging my eyes as I paced around my room, too angry to sleep, too frustrated to relax. I decided I needed to take a walk.

I grabbed a jacket and stormed outside, ignoring the awkward side glances of the few Mikaelsons I passed. As I walked down the street, I started to get less angry and more paranoid. I felt like I was being followed. I often looked behind me, but I never noticed anything out of the ordinary, that is, until I decided to sit down at Rousseau's.

I sat at the bar and ordered a drink, mostly with the intention of having something to sip on while I gathered my thoughts. I was taken a bit by surprise when a man with dark skin and an award winning smile sat down next to me and greeted me with a "Hey, how's it going?"

"Fine and you?" I answered, almost robotic.

"Doing good." He put our greeting on hold to order a drink, then turned to me and said "Say, are you from around here? I feel like I've seen you around."

"Yeah, I've been here a while." I sighed, not really wanting to have this conversation at the moment.

"What's your name?" He asked politely.

"Molly. Yours?" I asked, just trying to be polite back, despite my awful mood.

"I'm Marcel. It's good to meet you."