Book: Kindred Spirits
Chapter 110 (3x16)
Word Count: 911
Cassidy had just walked out of the gas station store with a bag full of supplies to find Klaus waiting for her outside their SUV. The heretic pulled a black and white trucker cap that read, 'Mother Trucker' on it and waved it at Klaus, who immediately objected to it.
"Absolutely not!"
"We need to blend in! You could start by losing the thousand-dollar jacket." Cassidy joked with a soft smile, stepping forward to place the cap on Klaus' head. "There! You look lovely." She sealed the compliment by pressing a soft kiss to Klaus' lips.
"I always look lovely." Klaus replied with a cocky smirk. Cassidy chuckled and rolled her eyes, slapping his arm gently.
"Your ego needs deflating a notch, Nik. Now..." Cassidy took a hold of Klaus' hand, squeezing it gently. "Let's go inside!" She began pulling him towards the bar down the road of the gas station, with Klaus hurrying to keep up with her eager steps while also trying to push Hope and Leo's twin pram.
---
Klaus and Cassidy walked into the bar together. The hybrid held Cassidy's hand with one of his and was pushing the twin pram with his other hand. The bar was homey-looking and it was blaring country music. They walked toward the bar, where a bartender was cleaning glasses in the back.
"We're closed." The bartender snapped. Klaus shot him a look.
"You don't look closed."
"Sorry, um, is Steven here?" Cassidy asked with a polite smile towards the unfriendly bartender. He glanced at her and looked her up and down, which caused Klaus to take a step closer to the bar in warning, protective. The bartender sighed and looked between Cassidy and Klaus.
"Who's asking?"
"Cassidy. His step-daughter."
With a sigh, the bartender walked off to go and find Steven. Klaus glanced at Cassidy, confused.
"Step-daughter? How is that possible? Your parents are--"
"Dead, I know." Cassidy frowned. "Steven was recently married to my dad after he left my mom, confessing he was gay. My dad may be dead, but Steven was always kind to me. He'll always be my step-father, and he still wears his wedding ring. He calls me sometimes to check up on me."
Just then, Steven, a middle aged man with fair brown hair, green eyes, and was clearly trying to grow a beard from the stubble on his chin, walked out into the bar from the back room, looking pleased to see Cassidy.
"Wow, there she is! It's been a while, Sid."
"Sid?" Klaus whispered to Cassidy.
"It's a nickname. Just go with it." Cassidy whispered back with a small chuckle before turning back to Steven. "I was meant to visit sooner, but I got a little caught up."
"I see that." Steven glanced at Klaus before turning his attention on the two year olds in the pram.
"Meet your grandchildren." Cassidy informed. She never believed in the term 'step-grandchildren'. They're either grandchildren or not, depending on if the parents want the step-parent involved in their children's life. And Cassidy definitely wanted Hope and Leo to have at least one loving grandparent still alive... "This is Hope and Leo."
"Oh, look at them!" Steven gushed over the twins, a warm smile on his face. "They're beautiful. I assume you are the father?" He turned to Klaus with a smile, completely oblivious to the fact that he was a 1000 year old hybrid.
"I am." Klaus nodded with a smile. "And the husband."
"Oh, really?" Steven's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Why wasn't I invited to the wedding, hm?"
"No one was. We eloped." Cassidy told, so Steven nodded in understanding. "Do you mind if we hang around here for a little while and lay low?"
"Be my guest." Steven nodded. "Hey, you guys settle in. Family drinks for free."
---
After Klaus had a few drinks and Cassidy stuck to lemonade since she was driving, they'd convinced Steven to let them steal a few fruitshoots for Hope and Leo for the car ride.
Klaus was buckling Hope and Leo into their car seats in the backseats of the SUV.
"Always good little ones. Let's get out of here, shall we?" He turned to Cassidy, who was climbing into the driver's seat. "Where to, now?"
"You tell me. You're the expert at running." Cassidy reminded with a teasing smile. Klaus let out a sarcastic laugh, slipping into the passenger's seat.
"Thank you for that, love. I needed that reminder."
"Yeah, yeah. So, where to, expert?" Cassidy wondered, starting the vehicle up.
"What about New Mexico?" Klaus suggested. "We can compel ourselves a nice two-bedroom house with a nursery. There has to be an art room, too, so I can paint you in the mornings before you wake up. My winning masterpiece. We will schedule times to call our family each day and we can go out with the twins every day and show them all of their fascinating landscapes, like Acoma Pueblo, and White Sands National Park, or--"
"Nik." Cassidy placed her hand atop Klaus', turning to smile at him softly. "That sounds wonderful. For once, we are finally acting like a normal family... no drama in sight."
"It's peaceful, isn't it?" Klaus returned the smile. "I like peace... I don't get it a lot."
"Then, Nik..." Cassidy turned back to the road. "Welcome to your new peaceful family life."