My Brother's Keeper
———
"Well, I hope you know how proud I am you were created with the courage to unlearn all of their hatred. God, I hope that you're happier today, 'cause I love you and I hope that you're okay."
—Olivia Rodrigo {hope ur ok}
———
-
America rolled over in the mass of sheets and pillows, furrowing her brows when she rolled into a vacant space rather than a body. She peeled open her eyes, squinting at the rumpled, empty spot before the sound of the door opening caught her attention. The woman covered a yawn as she craned her neck to look, huffing softly in amusement at Rosie tiptoeing in with a mug in hand, the girl's attention glued to the drink she was determined not to spill. Behind her, Klaus trailed in just as slow, endearingly patient in a way that brought a smile to her face. "Well," she rasped, still caught up in her slumber, "good morning, flower."
Rosie glanced up, expression beaming. "Good morning! I made you coffee." America pushed herself up onto her elbows, smiling softly, "Aw, thank you, munchkin." The little blonde closed the rest of the distance between them, the woman sitting up to take the cup before Rosie clambered onto the bed and burrowed beneath the blankets. "You're welcome!" She chirped, America smiling fondly at her enthusiasm as she settled back against the headboard. Minutes ticked by as she sipped at the contents of her cup, her hand carding through blonde hair as Rosie drifted back off to sleep.
The young woman stifled another yawn as she lolled her head to the side to peer at Klaus where he sat in an armchair, the hunter's sword perched on his lap as various sketches of the hunter's tattoo lay spread out on the coffee table. She was quiet, watching him turn the dial on the hilt this way and that, and it seemed he, at the very least, expected something from her as he raised his gaze warily after some time. "Your silence is only slightly unnerving." She snorted, sparing the man a squinty-eyed glance. "If you expected me you jump down your throat for every little twitch, sorry to disappoint—plus, I have bigger problems."
He arched an inquiring eyebrow at her, America noting it a moment later and flashing a wry smile. "I'm pretty sure Elena's sired to Damon." His reaction was immediate, the woman forcing a look of exasperation at his laughter. "Nik, it isn't funny." The amusement in his eyes disagreed. "No, quite frankly it's hilarious that those two have managed what is nigh impossible between vampires." She didn't quite share the sentiment, huffing her dissent as she moodily sipped at her drink. "It's not. Damon is completely unaware, making his usual comments, and Elena takes them literally—it's a problem. This whole cure business is, with Jeremy, and then Atticus Shane's ties to Connor and Hayley."
Klaus hummed as he turned the sketches of the tattoos this way and that, observing the symbols with a frown. "And what of Hayley Marshall, an orphaned werewolf trying to seduce Tyler Lockwood, connects to the college professor?" America drained the last of her mug, leaning over to set it down on the bedside table before she settled again. "Tyler's with Caroline, Nik. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that." Even as she said it, however, she wasn't sure. Hayley, after all, was staying at the mansion with Tyler, unbeknownst to Carol and Caroline's knowledge even though the latter knew the two were. . . acquainted.
Klaus scoffed, reaching for one of the sketches. "The boy's a hybrid with high-strung emotions and an impulsive nature. He doesn't exactly strike me as the epitome of self-control." The woman frowned, trying to recall through the haze of the curse if she had noticed anything off about Tyler and Hayley, anything odd about both rather than the annoyance she felt with either. Tyler wore his guilt as prominently as he did his clothes, and America had noted nothing that raised her suspicions. "He hasn't," she said though her conviction was lacking. Klaus hummed, "Yet."
-
"Hey, stranger." America greeted as she approached Caroline standing amongst the decorated tables. The blonde's head shot up, green eyes shooting in her direction with a bright grin. "Mer! You made it!" The woman chuckled as she was swept up in a hug, barely getting a moment to return it before Caroline pulled away, clipboard tucked under her arm. "Oh my god, you won't believe how much I've missed you. I basically had to plan the whole pageant on my own!" America arched a curious eyebrow as she tilted her head at the vampire. "In literally three days, everything has gone wrong.
"The floral shop messed up the order so I had to go half an hour out of town, make my own, and have that multiplied by like a hundred, Stefan and Elena broke up, Damon and Elena are doing this thing, Jeremy is, like, going crazy with hunter instincts and I'm pretty sure Bonnie has a thing going with Mr. Sexy and Mysterious. I also haven't even seen Ty in four days, I've been so busy." The woman blinked slowly as she processed the information dump, her frown deepening with each detail. "Is that why Chris came back smelling like lilies?" Caroline furrowed her brows at her, "That's, like, the least concerning thing I just told you."
America shrugged, "It stuck out. Ro's allergic so she was sneezing all day. The rest of it. . . well, Stef came over two days ago and, werewolf senses, so I knew something was up, Elena called about Damon, Jeremy confessed about his dreams, but the thing with Bonnie and Shane—" The vampire grinned, wiggling her eyebrows with a teasing leer. "It's kinda hot, isn't it?" She levelled Caroline with a deadpanned look. "Hell no. He's like twice her age, Care, and I don't trust him." The blonde hummed as she propped the clipboard up in the crook of her arm, scribbling information down as she spoke. "It's basically the same gap between you and Klaus, isn't it?
"Just double digits, not quadruple. By the way, did I hear right that you snapped Shane's neck? At school?" America plastered a look of faux innocence on her face. "Absolutely," the bridge of her nose scrunched, "And it is so far from being like me and Klaus. I think once he hit triple digits it ceased to matter. Plus, if you bring immortal age into this, then Stefan and Elena should not happen and there goes your sole reason for believing in love." Caroline frowned, seeming to consider her words before the blonde huffed, shooting her a half-hearted glare. "It's just a crush, it's harmless."
America disagreed but Caroline wasn't finished. "But you know what's not harmless? Damon Salvatore. Elena has to realize she's made a huge mistake. Her and Stefan belong together. They're supposed to live happily ever after on a nice acre of land, married with a white picket fence house and kids. And maybe a dog. Stefan strikes me as a dog person." The raven-haired woman hummed in partial agreement, remembering the part the man had played in her acquiring Meri. "He's a dog person, but have you ever considered that Stefan and Elena have outgrown each other?"
One would have thought she had spouted curses against her family given how dramatically Caroline whipped around to face her, her eyes wide in horror. "What?!" America sighed heavily. "Car—" The blonde waved a dismissive hand, a scowl on her face. "No, I don't want to hear it, traitor. I can't believe you actually just said that to me." The vampire continued muttering to herself in disbelief, the woman torn between amusement at Caroline's undying loyalty to a couple long over or exasperation that she was holding on tighter than either of the two involved in said couple.
"Is she okay?" America blinked, a grimace gradually forming on her face as she turned to her left to see Elena had joined them. "No, and you're not about to be either." Like a shark that had scented blood in the water, Caroline spun around part-way through her ramblings, her eyes narrowing with intent at the sight of the brunette. "You!" Elena caught on quickly to what she had just stumbled onto, sighing quietly. "Me," she grumbled, shooting her sister a sidelong glare because the woman well and truly could have warned her ahead of time. "Look, listen, I'm your best friend and I would never pick sides, but are you sure this is what you want? Because Stefan is your soulmate."
Feeling somewhat mischievous, America looked up from where she had been fiddling with the bouquets Caroline had gone through great difficulty procuring. "Not really." The blonde shot her a glare. "Shush, you. Not everyone can be lucky to find their actual soulmate. I'm speaking in rom-com happy-ending terms." Elena gave the blonde a pointed look to which, miraculously, the vampire took a figurative step back. "I'm not saying I don't love Stefan anymore but I'm aware enough of my feelings for Damon being so intense that I just had to end things. It didn't seem fair being with him when I felt something for his brother."
America raised her eyebrows at that, glancing briefly at her sister. Her wording hinted at the fact that her feelings weren't new, just their abrupt intensity since becoming a vampire. The latter of which was an odd thing given that by the same logic, Elena's feelings for Stefan should have intensified unless. . . unless they had already begun fading away. The chances of that made the sirebond a little less threatening to Elena's emotional state though the woman was certain the others wouldn't understand upon finding out. With the hybrids, it was obvious it didn't influence emotions—Tyler and his innate dislike for Klaus was a prime example—but direct orders were hard to ignore.
Such was evident when Damon was determined to kill Connor, and by association, so was Elena even if she was uncertain about killing. "Stefan filled me in on everything." Caroline recounted bitterly. Elena straightened up at that, a frown tugging at her lips. "He did? Is he okay?" The blonde levelled her with a flat look. "No, he's heartbroken." America huffed, drawing both of their attention. "Stop being so dramatic. He'll be fine. Breakups suck for everyone involved, no need to make Elena feel like it's her fault her feelings changed and do not validate Stefan's thinking that they aren't real.
"I had to rip into him for it and that wasn't pleasant for either of us. Elena's not broken, she doesn't need to be fixed and you, Care, are going to respect the decisions she makes because she's free to make them for herself. Remember when no one was on Tyler's side when he turned and you still went against your friends because you loved him and that's all that mattered? Yeah, this isn't any different. Stefan will be fine, Elena will be fine, Damon will be fine and you will be fine. It'll work out how it's meant to." The two vampires stared unblinkingly at her, one in gratitude and the other with a petulant pout.
"It's not the same." The blonde muttered as Elena nudged her sister's shoulder with hers, murmuring her gratitude. "If you can give me a list of reasons why it isn't, then we'll talk but till then, we're dropping it. I'll handle Stefan, you'll lend Elena your unbiased support as her best friend and life goes on. Today is just another day, and I don't want to hear anything more about it. We're going to enjoy the pageant and enjoy the day. No cure talk, no Damon and Elena, no hunters, no nothing. You got that?" Both girls exchanged a shared look of fond exasperation, their conflict forgotten for the moment before they turned to America, nodding as they chorused, "Yes, ma'am."
The woman rolled her eyes affectionately, "Don't be cute." In response, Caroline batted her eyes at her exaggeratedly, America huffing a laugh as she shook her head.
-
"Knock, knock," America called out moments before she opened the door to the dressing room, peering inside to find Caroline, Elena and April inside, the latter caught mid-conversation as she held up two different dresses. "Hey—whoa, you look gorgeous, Mer." The woman blinked at the young girl as she shut the door behind her, flashing a warm smile. "Not as gorgeous as you will. Pick the red." Caroline's smile was gone instantly, replaced by a scowl as the raven-haired woman made her way over. "Red? Are you trying to get the judges to hate her?" The woman hummed softly at the accusation as she took the two dresses from the young girl, turning to Caroline with raised eyebrows.
"Don't be dramatic. The judges this year are looking for something different—they're not the same ones from," America furrowed her brows, "last year, huh?" Elena smiled knowingly. "Feels like a long time ago." The eldest of the four huffed because truly, those words didn't do the difference in time any justice. "Really does," she murmured. Back then during the pageant in spring, rather than fall, there had been tomb vampires, Stefan had been hooked on human blood—an overhanging threat they hadn't fully realized then as they did now—America had been with Tyler, dancing around Damon and she. . . she had just been uncovering the oddities about herself, no reliable label to the truth yet but knowing there was something different.
"Anyway," America blinked, holding the gowns up again, "the dresses, the judges, the standard—different. They'll like the red. It's bold, compliments her figure, and brings out her features. The blue doesn't do any of the above. April's skin is cool-toned, so the warmth in the red is better than the coolness in the blue." Caroline scowled as she leaned back against the countertop. "But the blue is safe. One of the judges is a returning judge. She's old-fashioned. She was Gracie Lockwood's judge when she got laughed off the court for that three-foot slit." The woman side-eyed the blonde before she handed April the dress, her expression daring when she looked back at Caroline.
"Red. And Gwenyth is progressive now since her granddaughter was born. That's why she stepped down in the 90s, remember? Mystic Falls was an even smaller town in Gracie's time, of course, she got laughed off the court. Women having bodies?" She gasped exaggeratedly, "How could they?" Behind her, April stifled a giggle, America shooting a pouting Caroline a smug grin and wink. "Trust the process, Care." The blonde huffed, crossing her arms in distaste but didn't protest more. "So, red," the woman said, turning to April, "because blue, well, if you needed more reasons not to, Elena wore blue and she didn't win." The brunette made a sound of offence, shooting her sister a glare to which the latter met it with a grin of faux innocence.
"And," America continued, "Matt will be there." She winked, pressing her lips to stifle her laugh as the young girl flushed red. "The Quarterback sure gets around, huh?" Damon's voice came from down the hallway, detectable only by supernatural hearing before the man was knocking, peering inside when April called out. He wore a smirk as he glanced at the girl appraisingly. "Raven's right, kid. Red is the right pick." His gaze shifted to America, an eyebrow arching. "Did I miss something, or are you competing this year?" The woman rolled her eyes fondly, grinning as she glanced down at her smooth, shimmering lilac dress.
"You didn't. This is an apology." The man hummed, leaning against the doorframe. "So, you and lover boy are good, now? No more impending war on the town, the hy—the kids don't need two homes, anymore?" She levelled him with a look of fond exasperation, shaking her head softly. "We're good, Damon." Satisfied, the vampire set his sights on the brunette and blonde, the latter of whom was more than unhappy to see him but artfully bit her tongue when America shot her a pointed look. "Who's lover boy?" The woman blinked at April's curious whisper, glancing down at the girl with a slow, affectionate smile. "What, you don't gossip with the rest of the town?"
At that, April made a face of distaste. "No, thanks. Every time I go somewhere they get awkward. It's like they're thinking, 'oh, her dad died, how ever will we function around this weak, little orphaned girl?'" Unbidden, America snorted, recalling a similar interaction to herself, Elena and Jeremy when their parents had passed. "Yeah, that doesn't get better for a while, but uh, he's talking about Klaus. Klaus Mikaelson." April tilted her head as she hung up the red dress, taking the blue one from the counter along with the cloth cover it had come in. "Mikaelson? Like Rebekah, right?"
America suppressed the instinctive frown, schooling her expression into something nonchalant as she nodded. "Yeah, he's her brother, which, by the way, she's with Elijah, her eldest brother. He needed her help with one of their businesses. She'll come back to the land of the living when they've smoothed out the problems there. Should be back in a couple weeks, but she'll message you soon when the chaos dies down." April was quiet as she zipped up the cover, chewing on the inside of her cheek anxiously. "But she's okay?" Scenting her uncertainty in her lie, America knew she'd have to play into it more until she found Rebekah and undaggered her.
"She's doing just fine. Probably a little pissed to be pulled away," an understatement, really, "but she's okay." April sighed softly, nodding to herself. "Okay, good. I just. . . I really wish she was here. She was really excited for me." The raven-haired woman's expression softened as she ventured closer to April, bumping their shoulders gently. "I know she wishes she was here too. You know what you can do though?" The girl tilted her head at her in question. "Win this, for her. Then you can tell her all about it." April's smile was shy as she leaned against the countertop. "You really think I'll win?" America grinned, eyes flashing amber in the light. "Of course I do."
~
"Well, well, well, there is Tyler and his. . . friend." America blinked, tearing her attention away from the stage to follow Klaus' gaze. Her grimace was immediate as she saw Tyler and Hayley by the table holding the winner's crown, the two huddled closely together sharing a laugh over something she had missed. "He. . ." He wouldn't, she wanted to say but the pair's lingering looks and close proximity said otherwise. "I think me and him might need to talk." That's what she settled for, worrying the inside of her cheek as she watched the pair with a frown. "While you're doing that, include Paul. That werewolf is with him when she isn't with the Lockwood boy."
America raised her eyebrows in surprise before her eyes narrowed in distaste. "She's what?" Klaus, ever the instigator, hid a smile in the junction of her neck as he pulled her back flush to his chest, his hands settled on her hips. "She's after quite a few of our hybrids, sweetheart. I don't presume her presence will be missed elsewhere." A deep, rumbling growl echoed in her chest as she leaned back into the mischievous man. "I'm not exactly the most stable person to taunt, right now, Nik. I don't like that she's around them—I almost killed her a couple days ago for just smelling like Shane."
Klaus hummed, his lips tugged into an impish smirk. "Has your instinct ever been wrong?" The woman blinked before she craned her neck to meet his gaze. "You want me to kill her, don't you?" He offered a slight shrug. "I certainly won't have any reservations. A select few of my hybrids smelled of deception the last I saw them and her scent was the strongest." America furrowed her brows, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly. "Name a select few." It wasn't any good that the few he named were some of the ones he'd pulled away from a life they valued, doing them little to no favours when he turned them.
"Of course," she grumbled, watching the dates of the contestants line up at the bottom of the grand steps. "And you can't just ask them if they're plotting to kill you?" The man huffed, "Your faith in my abilities to handle secrecy is crippling, love, but I questioned the ones I suspected and, without room to deceive me, they had nothing worth noting." That truly caught her undivided attention then. "They're lying about something they don't know about. . ?" Klaus nodded, sparing Hayley a discreet glance. "I believe she has some sort of ulterior motive but she's with the professor, and he and I have not yet interacted so I'm uncertain I am involved."
And yet that still begged the question of why the hybrids would be if not the original one himself. Caroline stepped up onto the second set of steps, cue cards in hand. "Living in this town forces you to see that nice things are very, very hard to keep," America lamented, leaning back into her lover. "Hi, everyone, I'm Caroline Forbes," the blonde's voice carried, calling for the crowd's undivided attention. "As the reigning Miss Mystic Falls, it is my honour to introduce this year's Miss Mystic Court. We begin the process with Valerie Fell accompanied by Dyl—. . ."
The woman respectfully tuned out as the blonde introduced each girl, their announced names coaxing them from inside and down the stairs to where their date waited. "Where's Jeremy?" She murmured, scanning the long line of men to see her brother was nowhere to be seen. Klaus didn't so much as follow her gaze even as he answered. "Last I checked he has locked himself away in his attempts to stifle his murderous hunter urges." America wrinkled her nose in a scowl as she glanced back at the man. "Did you plan on mentioning that or were you going to keep that to yourself?"
He flashed her a smile of pure innocence, his blue eyes glinting in the sun. "Certainly, love." It didn't answer her proposed question, the woman rolling her eyes in half-hearted exasperation. ". . . And finally, we have a last-minute entry, April Young accompanied by Jeremy Gilbert." Finding Matt towards the front of the crowd, she nudged him none too gently with a brush of magic, hissing very quietly in his ear for him to "get your ass up there, Matthew!" when he only looked around in bewilderment. As the boy saved April from what had been moments away from being the most embarrassing moment of her life, the woman turned her attention back To Klaus.
"Is he at home?" Hands caressed her sides soothingly, "He is fine, love. A few of the hybrids are keeping an eye on him." Her frown deepened. "How bad is he, Nik?" The man pressed his lips to her temple with a long, slow sigh before he offered her his phone. "Call Daniel or Reyna, they're the two currently with him and my calls are the only ones they'll answer at the moment." In the face of her flat expression, he flashed her a blameless smirk.
~
America exhaled sharply, a frown on her lips as she watched her sister, Damon and Caroline from where she and Klaus sat at the crest of the hill on the Lockwood property. The contestants were dancing with their partners, the crowd watching enamoured, the trio arguing with quiet hisses and the couple observing the vampires. "Jeremy should be my priority, right now." The woman murmured, her body stretched across the expanse of the bench with her back propped against Klaus' chest. The man hummed in acknowledgement as he traced a senseless pattern along her side. "Not your sister's rather unfortunate and complicated sirebond?"
America scowled, her pointed silence only urging the man to continue. "When it's discovered, her involvement with Damon Salvatore will be questioned and I'm sure her friends will only be too happy to march her back into Stefan's arms against her will." Her scowl deepened, her fingers a little sharper as they tapped a steady rhythm against the man's suit-clad arm. "I'm well aware, Nik, but getting Jeremy under control is easier than breaking a sirebond likely stemming from love. It's easy to lose gratitude but forcing her to fall out of love is just cruel."
Klaus hummed curiously as he wrapped nimble fingers around her wrist, preventing the sharp claws from ruining his suit further. "How do you know it's love and not another emotion?" America huffed as she watched below as Damon calmed Elena's worries, speaking her into disregarding their brother's whereabouts in a disturbingly easy manner. "It's the strongest emotion I can scent off either of them." There was another factor that played a part, one more defining than mere feelings but the woman didn't feel it was her place to say then and there. Not quite yet, she decided as her eyes lazily followed an irate Caroline making her way up the hill towards them.
"You poor, poor thing." America purred teasingly, grinning brightly and sharply when the blonde glared. "Don't patronize me," she hissed, the older woman humouring her as she lowered her outstretched legs to the ground. "Did you hear all of that? Did you hear her?" Caroline collapsed in the empty spot with a huff, her face flushed in her irritation. "Hard not to, Care, but you know—" The vampire made a frustrated noise as she waved dismissively. "I know, 'it's her choice, her life, blah blah blah' but she's letting Damon dictate her entire life and it's like she doesn't realize it!" America hummed obediently, biting her tongue.
"I'm trying to support her but she's making it soo difficult and Damon's such a smug ass about stealing his brother's girl—don't give me that look, it's stealing and he's been working his evil, grubby magic since the summer. It was theft in the first degree." The woman begged to differ as you couldn't quite steal what had never quite been yours to keep after a few too many mishaps but America wasn't inclined to rile Caroline up further. At least, not entirely. "It's not exactly an ideal situation but Stefan will be fine, and Damon is happy. This kind of love is the kind he hasn't had in a while."
Green eyes narrowed dangerously. "He didn't have to ruin another relationship to get it! And Elena did have it! She had the epic love everybody dreams about—" America leaned further back into Klaus, considering the piece of knowledge she had, calculating the meltdown that would ensue and if she wanted anything to do with it. "The greatest love story isn't always the most epic, Care." Caroline huffed, cocking her head at her as she gestured for the woman to continue. "Passion makes for the best love stories." The blonde arched an eyebrow. "Isn't that the same thing?" America grinned, shaking her head.
"Not even close. An epic love is tame. It's a safety net, there to catch you when you fall and it's warm and all-encompassing. Passionate love is wild," her grin sharpened into something sly and mischievous, her eyes gleaming, "it's free-falling but never hitting the ground. It's hot and all-consuming, intense and exhilarating. It's overwhelming but you just can't get enough." Her smile softened around the edges as she craned her neck to meet Klaus' smug gaze. "It burns hot," she murmured, tearing her eyes away before Caroline scolded her in half-hearted disgust, "but it never burns out."
The blonde wasn't thwarted, scowling at them with only a partial seriousness. "You two make me feel sick and single, and I'm immortal with a boyfriend." America's eyes squinted with her apologetic grin as she capped off her small rant. "Stefan and Elena. . . they were a candlelight but eventually, the wick would run out. Damon and Elena are an eternal flame. They'll burn forever, even when you think there's no more fuel left." The vampire frowned, leaning back against the bench with a troubled look. "You make it sound so normal and inevitable—and stupidly wise—but it's so hard to grasp that her and Stefan are just done.
"He's hung up about the cure being a fix, hoping that maybe it'll just rewind everything to when they were happy. . ," the woman pressed her lips into a thin line. "You can't really fix what was never broken, Care. Stefan knows that—or he does now." Caroline heaved an aggravated breath, resting her head in the palm of her hand. "What would you do?" America blinked owlishly at the rather vague inquiry. "In what situation?" The vampire peeked at her. "With the cure. Would you take it? Either of you?"
America was certain there was no circumstance or situation where the cure would ever work on her and she was certain she didn't need it either, having played a mortal in many cases for the fun of it without said cure. Klaus, on the other hand, she was curious to hear from, glancing back in interest. "I'm afraid being one of the most powerful creatures on earth has its perks." The woman snorted, patting the hand resting on her abdomen. "And I'm afraid I have no human form to return to—that's how the cure works." The latter she said absently, paying no mind to her words until both Klaus and Caroline twisted to look over at her.
"How do you know how the cure works?" America peered at her love, peeking at Caroline as she tilted her head with dark eyes before they shined bright, fully white with rich flecks of gold. "How do you think it was made?"
~
"You know where the cure is." A statement, rather than a question, America rolling her eyes in a huff of annoyance as she tried to focus on Caroline on stage, the envelope of the winner in hand. The blonde was evidently still reeling a bit from the unplanned reveal, Klaus certainly still hung up on it as he draped himself over her. "The moment you've been waiting for. . ," Caroline projected her voice across the crowd, the raven-haired woman sparing her friend a glance before she addressed Klaus and his buzzing impatience. "I don't know where the cure is at this very moment—I made it, or well, I let it be made but I didn't follow the witch responsible while she stowed it away on some top-secret island."
Klaus' eyes narrowed in thought. "So it's on an island?" Elena held the sash and crown in hand, standing by Caroline's side as she made a show of slowly tearing open the envelope. "This year's Miss Mystic Falls is. . ." April found her in the crowd, tensed in anticipation but America was smug as she mouthed along with Caroline's excited announcement. "April Young!" Cheers erupted among the crowd, some good competitors embracing April as the girl herself teared up in sheer disbelief. She whistled as the younger girl made her way to Caroline, the loudest among the crowd. Moments later, America turned her attention partially back to Klaus.
"Well it's not meant for the general vampire public, Nik, so where else would you hide something for a very specific lot?"
-
"Can I have pancakes?" America arched an eyebrow at the child who was supposed to be fast asleep given that it was after ten and well past her bedtime. Heels in one hand, she propped the other on her hip as Klaus brushed past her with a chuckle at her expense. "Munchkin—" She faltered in her words and stance as a vision flashed before her eyes. Her surroundings were a foreign sight, the house far from familiar even though where she sat was cozy enough and the young girl with her hands pressed to a heavily pregnant belly was familiar. America was reclined in a worn and comfortable armchair, content and fond as Rosie draped herself over the arm, ear pressed to her belly with a giggle.
"Mom. . . I can hear them," the girl whispered, the woman snickering softly as she carded her fingers through the blonde's hair. "They can hear you too, little dove." Rosie hummed, nodding softly as she settled more against America, the woman huffing fondly as she coaxed the girl into a more comfortable position. "I love them already," Rosie murmured, America's eyes softening considerably. "They love you too, flower." America blinked profusely back into focus, registering that only a few seconds had passed but it was long enough for Klaus to pause, looking over his shoulder at her in growing concern.
Rosie cocked her head at her, puzzled by her silence and the woman exhaled softly, pressing her lips together to suppress her smile as she regarded the little blonde in a different light. "What?" The five-year-old questioned after a few seconds had passed, America feeling beautifully unsteady and yet so grounded as she breathed out softly, her heart warm. "Chocolate or banana?" The excited gasp was music to her ear and the girl's face-splitting grin was almost as sweet as the pancakes promised. "Chris!" Rosie exclaimed, racing to the kitchen, "El's making pancakes!"
The woman suspected she would have stood there for the rest of the night, enamoured by the vision and what was to come if Klaus hadn't cupped her cheek, drawing her attention with a curious frown. "Another vision?" He questioned softly, America staring owlishly at him as she registered that he hadn't seen it and that she was almost bursting at the seams to tell him just what it had been about.
Nearly just as quickly though, she bit her tongue before she could blurt out the details, thinking to herself a moment later that as amazing as it was. . . it certainly wasn't the time. Not until she knew more about the vision that couldn't be more than a year or two in the future given how old Rosie looked. Unfortunately for them, a whole lot of bad could happen alongside that good and America wanted to be more certain before she accelerated and delayed a life that looked all kinds of wonderful. Any time now wasn't the time, and if she threw off the timing enough, any time later might not be either.
"Something like that," she murmured, leaning into his touch a moment before Rosie and Chris' warring voices disrupted their moment. "Chocolate!" "No! Banana is better." America groaned, letting her head fall onto Klaus' shoulder in fond exasperation as she looked towards the kitchen, catching more snippets of the seventeen-year-old boy arguing vehemently with the girl twelve years his junior.
-