Evangeline POV:
The ceremony had gone off without a hitch, even though I spent the majority of it worrying about what Klaus and Elijah were doing from their spot on the second floor. I had opted to sit in the crowd with everyone else, in order to escape what would no doubt have been a terribly awkward situation up above.
The wedding procession had taken off a short time ago, beginning to make their way happily down the road in front of the compound, the music from which could probably be heard a mile away. I was happy for Hayley and her pack, but I couldn't help but resent her a little. She was happy beyond belief and I could tell just how much she loved Jackson from the way she had looked at him during the ceremony. I could only dream of that kind of happiness.
As I roamed the halls of the compound I was drawn by the sound of voices. "You have the audacity to analyze me?" It was Klaus' voice, and I had a pretty good idea of who he was talking to. "That's ambitious, considering your psychological deficiencies. How was your time with my therapist? Was it helpful? Because it was a great risk leaving her alone with you, these days who knows what you might do."
"I have stood by you and I have defended you for as long as I can recall," my suspicions were confirmed as I heard Elijah's voice, "but in the name of your daughter, and her mother, I will not watch you commit this evil."
My pace came to a halt as I rested my head against the wall, making sure to stay out of sight, curious about what sort of evil they were talking about. All the questions buzzing around in my brain were only met with silence which went on for a while before I decided to poke my head around the corner to see what was going on.
I spotted Elijah sitting down in one of the chairs, his head resting in his hands, a glass of alcohol on the table in front of him. Klaus was nowhere to be found. "You can come in, Evangeline," Elijah spoke up, startling me a bit. I came around the corner, making my way towards the center of the room where Elijah sat.
"What was that about?" I questioned as I took a seat.
Elijah leaned forward to grab his drink, taking a quick sip before placing it back down. "It's nothing you should worry about, just Niklaus being Niklaus." That was definitely not the answer I was looking for, as it could mean anything from a bit of attitude to an elaborate plot to murder everyone. Though judging from the conversation I had overheard, it was probably more on the side of the elaborate plot to murder everyone.
"That doesn't answer my question, Elijah," I said pointedly, hoping that he would at least give me some idea. "What is Klaus planning to do?"
With a sigh Elijah stood from his chair, taking another sip from his glass. "Evangeline, just trust me, it won't do you any good to know."
"Alright," I replied as I stood from my seat, "I'll leave you alone."
-
I could hear the soft sounds of classical music coming from the reception downstairs while I sat watching Hope play on the floor. It was still so hard to believe that a person this sweet and adorable got half her genes from someone as evil as Klaus.
"Does that taste good?" I asked her as she put her foot in her mouth. Hope simply looked at me and continued to suck on her foot. "You know one of these days you're going to have fangs and then you're going to have to stop doing this or you might accidentally bite off a toe or something."
There was a laugh from across the room and I looked up from Hope to find Klaus leaning in the doorway. "You're not so good with kids, are you?" He asked as he walked over and took a seat beside me on the couch.
"I've never been around kids before," I admitted, and I could imagine it was the same for Klaus, children weren't a fixture in the life of a vampire. "I think I was doing alright though, she needs to understand the dangers of having fangs."
Klaus smiled at me. "Well then, it's good she has someone like you to make sure she doesn't bite off her toe."
The room went silent for a while as I continued to play with Hope who eventually decided to take her foot out of her mouth in favor of the rattle that was beside her. After a few minutes, Klaus came to sit beside me, smiling down at Hope who reached her hand out to him. Klaus returned the gesture and Hope grabbed onto one of his fingers, her small hand barely able to wrap around it.
I'd never seen Klaus this way, never seen his eyes light up the way they did when Hope squeezed his finger. He had come a long way from the man who had told the witches to murder Hayley and the baby. "She really likes you." I mused as Hope leaned forward in an attempt to put Klaus' finger in her mouth as she had done with her foot. "You're an amazing father, she's lucky to have you."
"Thank you," Klaus briefly looked my way to give me a small smile, placing his free hand on mine, "it really means alot that you think that of me."
Once again the room fell silent as Hope continued to chomp on Klaus' finger. It was an adorable sight, watching him interact with her, I had never seen him look at anyone with so much love and devotion in his eyes. Who knew that all it took was a cute baby chomping on his finger to melt his heart?
-
Third Person POV:
Elijah watched in awe as Evangeline played with Hope, crouched in what had to be a terribly uncomfortable position, but it didn't seem as though it bothered her. She smiled at Hope, shaking her rattle which caused Hope to giggle and reach for the toy. Evangeline gave it to her, though she quickly put it down in favor of putting her own foot in her mouth.
It was an adorable sight, Evangeline certainly had a way with children. "Does that taste good?" Evangeline questioned the baby as she continued to suck on her own foot. Elijah couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "You know one of these days you're going to have fangs and then you're going to have to stop doing this or you might accidentally bite off a toe or something."
The sound of another, much louder laugh drew Elijah's attention from Evangeline to see Klaus standing in the opposite doorway. Evangeline looked up at him as he entered the room with her. "You're not so good with kids, are you?" He questioned her as Elijah continued to watch, wondering what Klaus was doing.
Klaus continued to hold a conversation with Evangeline about Hope, soon going to sit beside her and Elijah couldn't help the slight pang of jealousy he felt as he watched Klaus and Evangeline play with Hope. The three of them looked so perfect together, and Elijah wanted that to be him. He didn't want Klaus to worm his way back into Evangeline's heart after everything that has happened, she deserved better than that. She deserved someone who would take care of her, that person definitely wasn't his brother.
"You're an amazing father, she's lucky to have you." This piqued Elijah's interest, focusing back in on the conversation they were having.
Klaus smiled at Evangeline's words, but Elijah couldn't tell if she had returned the smile. That's when Klaus made eye contact with Elijah, however, instead of acknowledging Elijah's presence Klaus looked back at Evangeline and slid his hand over hers. "Thank you, it really means a lot that you think that of me." Elijah felt nauseous when Klaus looked back at him with a triumphant smile, almost as if he was gloating.
Elijah didn't say anything and opted to maintain eye contact with Klaus, determined not to let him win this. He didn't deserve the satisfaction of knowing that seeing him with Evangeline made Elijah's blood boil with unadulterated rage. Eventually, Klaus backed down, a smug smile still firmly etched into his face.