17

The aftermath of the horrific argument between Klaus, Rebekah and Bonnie brought a tension thick enough to disrupt the little family setting they had been trying to build ever since getting back from London. The proverbial line had been drawn in the sand, and it was clear that Bonnie was not letting Klaus off the hook when it came to this, choosing to side with Rebekah. Klaus, hurt by the perceived betrayal from both Rebekah and Bonnie, had taken to reclusion. Elijah, the ever diplomat, was trying his best to work on a reconciliation between these three hard headed people, but that was proving to be quite the difficult task.

Holed up in their non official headquarters, the room that would be the nursery to the newest Mikaelson, Bonnie and Rebekah were discussing color swatches and analyzing the colors that had been painted on a part of the wall as samples when Elijah entered the vicinity. As expected, his presence was ignored. Talking about the pros and cons of having a coffered ceiling seemed to be more important than acknowledging him. His lips curled upwards in amusement.

"I see you've taken to ignoring me," Elijah commented, keeping his tone light. The tension was bad enough without him antagonizing them.

"Whatever gave you that idea, brother?" Rebekah questioned; not bothering to look at him in the face as she flipped through the fabric samples. Her voice was as sweet and smooth as molasses, but Elijah knew better. She was still upset with the whole debacle. Her pride wouldn't let her show it, though.

"I could tell you, but that does not matter. What is important at this moment is ceasing the animosity in this house. Something wrong with what I've said, Bonnie?" Elijah asked when Bonnie snorted; feeling like a school teacher for his semi admonishment.

"I'm all for peace and holding hands to sing a song, but it's not going to happen. Not like that," Bonnie answered with a shrug, not caring if she would ruin Elijah's peacemaking plans by not complying with him.

"Whyever not? Considering that a child will be born into this family in less than six months, I would expect all of us to make an effort to have an appropriate environment."

What Elijah said made sense, Bonnie knew that. No baby should be born into a life of family chaos. That was the last thing she wanted for her daughter. However, knowing Elijah was right didn't stop Bonnie from seeing red with his comment. He meant well, but the guy could be so condescending sometimes. It almost felt like he was scolding them for reacting the way they did when it came to Klaus.

"I would expect you to have this conversation with your brother, also," Bonnie said; choosing to use some of his words almost as a way to mock his attitude. "Because I refuse to be held as the sole responsible for this mess."

Elijah sighed; stuffing both hands inside the pockets of his dark grey slacks and turned his head to give Rebekah a meaningful stare. The blonde, in an uncharacteristic move, stayed quiet and averted his gaze. For some reason, that made Bonnie's blood boil even hotter than before. For a thousand year old man who was supposed to be the smartest of them, Elijah was sure being stupid. Didn't he know that you just don't piss off a pregnant lady?

"Oh, please, Elijah. Don't try to act like you care about family harmony when it's clear that you blame the two of us for this mess!" Bonnie exclaimed, feeling the need to defend both herself and Rebekah from his silent accusations.

"I do not blame you, but you have to admit that there's some responsibility to be had. The situation did not have to escalate to that point," Elijah said. Bonnie's face went from its usual caramel hue to bright red in record time. As her body filled with indignation and anger, Bonnie could feel her face and ears get warmer and warmer to the point she thought she was blowing steam.

"Are you serious? How did we escalate the situation? As far as I can tell, we were minding our own business when Klaus barged into the room like a maniac and started choking the life out of your sister!"

Bonnie's voice got high pitched as she spoke. She was sure she sounded ridiculous and her blood pressure was probably rising with each word, but that had been pushed to the back of her mind. There was no way she would stay quiet when Elijah was spewing so much bullshit with a straight face. Were they in an alternative universe where trying to kill a sibling during a fit of rage was no big deal?

"Rebekah knows how rash and unpredictable Niklaus can be, not that I condone his actions," Elijah said, noticing through the corner of his right eye that Rebekah had flinched with his argument. Regret washed over him right away. He was supposed to fix this, but it seemed like he was doing nothing more than stoking the fire and infuriating Bonnie. The young witch had adopted a protective motherly attitude towards Rebekah, something he hadn't expected. Now he would have to be extra careful in choosing his words.

"You're a pretty talk, I'll give you that, but you're all talk," Bonnie said; actually disappointed in him. Elijah was always the one who liked to talk about the importance of family and how they needed to stick together, and now he was acting like a hypocrite. The vampire lifted a dark eyebrow in questioning. "You say you don't condone his actions, but that's all you do. Hell, that's all we do around here."

"Bonnie, you have to understand that Niklaus still has unresolved-"

"He had a shitty childhood with shitty parents! My mother abandoned me twice and preferred to raise someone else! And I still manage not to take out my underlying anger on others."

Now standing against a wall, Rebekah gasped in surprise. What Bonnie said made sense, but this subject was kind of taboo around the siblings. Both Rebekah and Elijah felt guilty for not standing up to Mikael's cruelty, and that guilt manifested in their inability to hold him accountable for his mistakes. Bonnie wasn't a heartless bitch; she knew how much Klaus' past had messed with his head and still controlled most of his actions, but enough was enough. If they kept treating Klaus with kids' gloves, nothing would change. And Bonnie knew that things would have to change before their bundle of joy arrived.

"I'm sorry, Elijah, but you know it's true. Klaus does these awful things and all you can do is slap him on the wrist and defend him to us," Bonnie continued; analyzing the way Elijah frowned at her accusation.

"He feels bad for this, Bonnie. You said you would take his child away from him."

A silver of guilt ran through Bonnie as he said that. Did she go a little overboard with that threat? Maybe, but she had done it to scare Klaus enough so he stopped attacking Rebekah. Her words didn't hold any weight.

"I will apologize for that as soon as he apologizes to Rebekah. Then we can have an adult conversation and move on from this."

"Bonnie, I don't need an apology," Rebekah piped in with a small voice after minutes of silence. To be honest, the blonde felt guilty enough for everything and she knew the odds of Nik apologizing were not good.

"It's more than an apology, it's about him admitting he made a mistake. That's how we can grow as a family."

"He does know that. He just has a hard time with some things and that should not come as a surprise to you."

Bonnie sighed as a heavy weight settled on her chest. It almost felt like Elijah was admonishing her for not being able to accept Klaus and his flaws. Her hormones, now working at overtime at this stage of her pregnancy, started to act up and Bonnie's green eyes filled with tears. She wanted to remain strong and unwavering, but it was getting to her. First it was the realization that Klaus hadn't really changed after everything that happened with them and now this.

As if they had switched places, Rebekah stepped into the motherlyrole at the first sign of Bonnie's tears. This was why Rebekah hadn't wanted to make a big fuss about Klaus' hissyfit. Bonnie would inevitably get upset and the last thing anyone needed was Bonnie, who was halfway into her pregnancy, to get stressed. So far, Bonnie's had an easy time with it, but they could never be too careful.

"Elijah, why don't we have this conversation some other time?" Rebekah suggested with a tone that left no room for discussion. She moved to be next to Bonnie and noticed that her hands had a slight tremble to them. "Please, Elijah," she insisted when he didn't move right away.

Elijah's smooth forehead was marred by thin, deep lines as he frowned in guilt. Leaving Bonnie in a state of distress had never been his intention, but that was what he'd accomplished. Rebekah's eyes met his as she gestured to the door with her head, and he took the wisest course of action for the moment. Turned around and left the room as quiet as he had come in.

"Sorry, it's the hormones," Bonnie apologized; wiping her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. Her voice was coarse, as she was still trying to swallow the urge to break down in sobs.

"Shh, it's okay," Rebekah assured her; moving with vamp speed to pick up a bottle of water and hand it to her. "Just take a deep breath and try to relax."

Just like in that fateful evening, the two girls ended up sitting on the dark hardwood floor. This time Rebekah was the one who was comforting Bonnie.

"Elijah is right, you know? Maybe I was living in a fantasy land; believing I could change Klaus," Bonnie commented after taking a big gulp of water.

"That's not what Elijah said, Bonnie," Rebekah replied in a quiet voice; trying to concentrate so she could hear the witch's heartbeat and check if it was still erratic. While it had calmed down a tad, it was still faster than Rebekah would've liked According to Lydia, Bonnie's body seemed to be adjusting well to the changes, but one could never be too sure. This was not a usual pregnancy, so any little thing could pose a threat.

"That's what he meant and he's right. For the last couple years I turned a blind eye to all of the things he had done, I even helped him some of the times. It was naïve and stupid of me to expect him to change just because we're having a child together," Bonnie muttered the last part, almost as if she was having an internal battle with herself.

"As much as I can hate that little shit, even I have to admit that he's changed. Maybe not in that drastic way, but I did notice something. The old Nik would never do half of the things he did for you? The trip to London, for one. And you should've seen how distressed he was when you passed out after doing that spell. And you know why he freaked out so hard? He's scared and wants to protect the two of you."

Bonnie chuckled; pushing a strand of dark brown hair behind her right ear.

"You know, I don't know how you can keep defending him after everything he's done. Don't you feel like jumping into a car and never look back?" Bonnie asked with genuine curiosity.

"I used to, but that urge passed some time ago."

"For the record, I would totally run away with you if it weren't for the nugget," Bonnie piped in with a smile, rubbing her stomach. "We could pretend to be two heiresses traveling around the world."

A chuckle escaped from Rebekah's lips as she imagined that alternative life. They could spend the summer at the French Riviera, on a 150 feet yatch and sail from Cannes to Nice. They could tan, brunch and drink Bellinis during the day and party all night. By the time winter came, they would go to the Alps and maybe learn how to ski. That would have been a much nicer reality than having to deal with Elijah, Klaus, Marcel and the never ending struggle for control of the city.

"Surprisingly, the feeling is mutual. We would make an amazing duo, but I think the little nugget will be even better," Rebekah said, moving to pat Bonnie's bump. A bright smile took over her face when she felt the said nugget kick against her hand.

"Oh, I think she woke up. I'm almost sure she's starting to recognize voices. Whenever Klaus is in the room, she gets restless. I don't know how she wasn't kicking during the shit show part one and then shit show part two, the remix," Bonnie commented with a frown.

"Bonnie, not to overstep my boundaries or anything, but maybe it would be best if you just talked to Nik," Rebekah started to say, to Bonnie's displeasure, who rolled her eyes. "No, hear me out. We, especially the nugget, need some peace. Besides, I feel like this is the calm before the storm. Our enemies are out there and we can't be fighting amongst each other when they come for us."

Bonnie couldn't argue with that point, so she just nodded and kept quiet. Anything she had to say would just make her sound petty and immature. While she knew she would have to make things right with Klaus at some point, Bonnie wanted him to reflect and figure some things before they could go back to normal. Their prior record of fighting had not taught them much, so Bonnie was determined to get something out of it.

"If it makes you feel better, I will talk to him. Now, can we please go back to discussing the nursery? I need to focus on something fun right now," Bonnie pleaded with wide puppy eyes, eliciting a laugh from the blonde.

"Okay, pregnant lady. I went ahead and called an interior designer and by the way, she totally agrees with me on the great pink matter. We don't need a lot of it."

"Nice to know that it's two against one when it comes to my own daughter's room," Bonnie pouted, even though there was no real annoyance in her voice. "What did she say?"

They spent the next three hours over countless design magazines and arguing over styles and color schemes. Much to her surprise, Bonnie loved every minute of it.

Despite promising Rebekah she would work it out with Klaus soon, it took Bonnie much longer to finally seek him out so they could have a conversation. She had legitimate excuses, though. It had been finals week, prompting her to finally focus on her ignored theoretical

Then Klaus' mood had taken a turn for the worse, and it became impossible to pry him away from his study, as he had sequestered himself in there, only leaving at the wee hours in the morning, when he was sure Bonnie would be asleep. After two years with him, Bonnie knew how to read the cues he threw her and decided it was better to let him have his time. Even though her words had been empty during that argument, she could now see how that might have cut her hybrid deep and he needed some time to lick his wounds. Klaus had never dealt well with feelings that didn't include anger, paranoia or contempt.

The situation was making her feel like shit, even though she still believed she had done the right thing by defending Rebekah. Klaus still hadn't apologized to her, not even for his hissy fit and violent outburst. After two weeks, it was very unlikely that he would, so Bonnie knew it was up to her to be the bigger person and make things right. It didn't mean that she condoned his despicable display of uncontrolled violence, though. As soon as the dust settled, they would have their overdue conversation.

Dragging her bare, swollen feet over the dark cherry hardwood floors of the hallway, Bonnie stopped in her tracks when she noticed the light coming from the nursery. The door was closed, but she could see a soft yellow light streaming from the crack under the door.

Considering she had been the last person in there after the workers left, her curiosity spiked. The suspicious, borderline paranoid side of hers also spiked up. Was it possible that someone had invaded the house? The mansion was spelled from the top to its foundation and was equipped with a state-of-the-art security system, courtesy if Elijah. Any type of breach was unlikely, but not impossible. With their growing list of enemies, Bonnie would not put it past any of them.

With some unsettling anxiety while attempting to remain calm, Bonnie turned the knob and pushed the door open. What was there surprised her even more than an intruder.

Klaus was in there, sitting on the floor with his back to her. The frown of confusion that marred Bonnie's face became more pronounced when she saw the two large bottles of liquor around him. Both of them were empty, and judging by his posture, it was possible he was working on his third bottle of Wild Turkey. Lovely. Out of the places to get plastered, he chose their daughter's room.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie questioned; still rooted from her place at the threshold. A tiny, tiny part of her was scared that he could do the same to her as he did Rebekah. Especially now that he had been drinking.

"Not much."

His shoulders tensed up at the sound of her voice for a second or so, but then he relaxed. When Bonnie noticed there was no aggression in his voice, she took careful steps toward him.

"You're sitting on the floor; getting drunk in our daughter's room. I wouldn't exactly call that not much," Bonnie replied with a soft voice as she shook her head. She wasn't happy that he was knocking them back in there , but she recognized this moment as a chance to talk to him and finally have some peace.

"I am just admiring what you and my sister have done," he said with a shrug; resembling a wounded animal in his posture. None of his strength and bravado seemed to be present within him, and that surprisingly, caused a knot to form in her throat. A few days ago, she'd been praying and hoping Klaus could let go and just open up to her. Now that he was so vulnerable she didn't know what to think.

"It's much better, isn't it?" Bonnie asked; moving to sit down with as much grace as her bump would allow it. Almost shoulder to shoulder with him, she took to admiring her surroundings.

Once dusty and dreary with somber paintings and emerald green velvet curtains, the room had been cleaned and steamed from top to bottom. Even the hardwood floors that had been caked with a thick layer of grey dust were gleaming; now restored to their old glory. The paintings were removed from the walls, as were the old fashioned light blue wallpapers. The room was still a mess with cans of paint on a corner and unopened boxes stacked up on another, but at least it had started to resemble a place that belonged to a little one instead of a Southern plantation owner.

"I was surprised you would put this much effort in here when you're one foot out the door."

"Klaus," Bonnie murmured and let out a sigh. There would be no beating the bush; it seemed.

"Wasn't that what you've told me? That you would take our daughter and leave; I would never see her," Klaus repeated the words that Bonnie had foolishly spat out, causing the witch to cringe in embarrassment.

"I didn't mean it," she whispered; her voice barely audible even though the room was quiet, save from the crickets chirping away outside. With enhanced hearing, his ears were able to pick up her words, but Klaus showed no emotion; continuing to stare at the white wall before him and refusing to look at her.

"Nik, look at me," Bonnie pleaded; green eyes glistening with tears that just wouldn't go away. Klaus finally turned to face her, and frowned at the sight of her tears. As much as there was anguish and fury simmering at a low boil inside him for the past weeks, seeing Bonnie hurt had an unexpected effect on him. His chest constricted as if a hand was gripping his heart with all of its might. The need to take her into his arms and comfort her overwhelmed him. "I didn't mean what I said. I wouldn't do that."

"Then why say it?" Klaus asked; his tone indicating that he didn't believe her. He might be uninhibited fury personified, but Klaus saw Bonnie as a brilliant mastermind with an innocent, adorable crooked smile who could stick the proverbial knife into her enemies' eyes without hesitation.

"I knew this would shock you enough to snap you out of whatever trance you were on. You don't know how you looked. Your eyes; you looked like you wanted to really hurt your sister. I'm not proud of it, okay? I'm not that woman; I'm not going to use my daughter to get you to comply with me."

"And yet, that was exactly what you've done. Should I expect you to be gone with my child every time I do something to displease you?"

Almost laced with venom, his words came out harsher than he intended.

"Don't do this, okay? If I were like that, I wouldn't even say you were the father after what you've told me when you found out I was pregnant. This isn't about me trying to control you. We've disagreed plenty in the past and I was able to move past it. Because I knew that you were doing your best to protect us, but that shit you pulled with Rebekah? That was inexcusable."

"I dealt with Rebekah in the way I saw fit. You fight tooth and nail to defend, but have you stopped to consider that she was selfish by getting together with Marcellus and putting all of us at risk?"

Bonnie opened her mouth to reply, and closed it when she realized she would probably say the wrong thing and have Klaus go to crazy town all over again. It was obvious that he took umbrage at her defending Rebekah instead of sticking by him, so she would have to be careful not to piss him off.

"You and Rebekah have had your fucked up dynamic for years, and I know it's not up to me to fix it. But you can't just attack her whenever you see fit and say you were dealing with it." Bonnie sighed, and started fiddling with the hem of her black cotton shorts when she saw the glare he threw her way. "Look, I'm not going to pretend to know what's like to have a contentious relationship with a sibling, but don't you think that this could be a good time to try and work on this? I get that you felt some type of way when it came to her getting back with Marcel, considering he's your frenemy."

Klaus chuckled and took a big gulp of the whiskey; hissing when the amber liquid burned its way down his throat.

"Don't you think I would've done it if it was that easy? Rebekah and I have been on this ride for hundreds of years."

It was Bonnie's turn to let out a quiet chuckle. How could Klaus be so smart and so clueless at the same time?

"Oh, Nik. I think you don't like the silence that comes with peace and you'd rather feel anger than anything else," Bonnie stated with gentle eyes and even gentler voice. Proving her point right, Klaus grimaced when he saw what he believed was pity in her expression.

"I don't need the therapy session or the pity party, witch," he growled before taking another swig. Resembling a wounded animal that didn't know whether to flight or to fight, Klaus squared his shoulders and tried to avoid her gaze.

"And I'm not doing either, so you can drop the attitude," Bonnie said, losing her patience for a moment. Clearly, this angle wouldn't work, so she had to try something else. "I feel like the odds are stacked against us from the get go. I'm a barely-out-of-my-teens girl who met her mother for five minutes and you're a hybrid who never thought about having kids. On top of that, we have a plethora of enemies that would like nothing more than to see your downfall. I know I won't be able to protect her for all her life, but I want to give her the best I can. Do you want to have your little girl be afraid that you'll have an angry outburst at any moment or maybe think it's normal to choke people out because she's upset?"

Right then and there something clicked inside Klaus. It was subtle, but Bonnie noticed the change. His tight shoulders softened, and the frown disappeared. The thick layer of tense energy that had been swirling around dissipated into a calmer sensation with a somewhat nervous edge. It was almost like Bonnie could sense Klaus coming into an understanding with himself and his feelings. The baby, Bonnie realized, could sense emotions and she had always seemed to be sharper when her dad was around.

"Why do you do this to me, witch? Do you take pleasure in knowing you're my weakness? Both of you? Knowing that I'm terrified of what could happen to you?" he asked with a confused and raspy voice, as if he was trying to make sense of what was happening. Being hit with so many emotions at once; love, fear, confusion, anger and regret were all battling with each other. That hadn't happened ever since he became a vampire with the ability of shutting off his emotions.

"No, Nik," Bonnie whispered as she got closer to him and pried the bottle from him, setting it down on the floor. The calm was gone, and in its place there was disorientation coming from him.

That was Klaus processing everything he had kept bottled up in who knows how many years. This was the hybrid who believed feelings could only weaken him and distract him from his quest for power. No wonder he was having such a hard time getting in touch with what he was feeling. Not to mention it probably scared the crap out of him to admit that out loud. Klaus seemed to be protective of her and the baby, but he almost had an aloof approach to her pregnancy, as if he was scared of being too involved. Unlike Elijah, who appeared to know every single detail there was to her pregnancy, Klaus was focused on the fact that he needed to get rid of their enemies so their family was safe. There was a certain disconnect that now made complete sense to Bonnie.

"We're not your weakness, Nik," she continued to say; this time wrapping her arms around as tight as her bump would allow it. As if she knew they were talking about her, the baby inside Bonnie kicked as hard as she could to make her presence know. Bonnie yelped in surprise, but didn't move away. He needed this; he needed them. "She is your strength and I wish you could understand that. A few months ago, I would tell you that yeah, I like my life and my friends and I wanted to see how my life would turn out, but now? I can't wait to hold her in my arms, see if her eyes will be blue or green, or if she'll have your dimple. The thought of anyone taking that away from me makes me furious and want to fight that much harder. We will get through all of this, but not if we keep hurting each other."

The room was silent again, and for a moment Bonnie was worried she had said too much and put Klaus into shut down mode. She let out a sigh of relief when he nodded. A whole sentence about his feelings would be nice, but she would take what she could get.

"If it makes you feel any better, you are my weakness too," Bonnie mumbled against his black cotton shirt; the fabric muffling most of the sound though not enough to make it unintelligible to Klaus.

"Not your strength?" Klaus inquired; sounding like himself for the first time in their conversation. The teasing undertone was back, and Bonnie couldn't be any more relieved. As much as she did want to stand up for what was right, and enact a peace treaty between the two siblings, being without Klaus after she got used to his constant presence had been difficult.

"Nope, just my weakness. You should be proud of yourself, Mikaelson. Not many people get that title."

A genuine laugh came out of him; the rumble onhis chest tickling the skin of her cheek in a nice way. The baby gave her a small a small kick, probably feeding off the positive emotions that were up in the air. With all the carehe could muster, Klaus placed a hand on her belly and the other on the small of her back. The kiss that followed was soft, warm and inevitable. The palm on her back slipped under her pajama tank top, he started tracing some figures on her skin.

"Yeah, no. I'm smart enough to know that there's no funny business with the drunk person," Bonnie said with a smile as she gently pushed him away. His face contorted into an adorable disgruntled expression, but not even that was enough to convince her. "Besides, I was trying to not to tell you that you smell like the floor of a brewery, but I can't anymore."

"I'm a hybrid, Bonnie. I don't get drunk," Klaus stated with so much confidence that Bonnie almost believed him. His glassy, bloodshot blue eyes and the way he seemed to slur his words told her otherwise.

"I believe the term used for your condition right now is 'fucked up'," she chuckled; placing both hands on his shoulders so she could get up from floor. "Get rid of these bottles and go take a shower because that smell is giving me morning sickness."

"Will you wash my back, love?" He joked with a small grin, trying to make sure they were okay without asking.

"Uh, I think I'll pass," Bonnie replied, returning his smile with one of her own; knowing the small gesture would be enough to assure him they would be okay. Feeling lighter than he had in weeks, Klaus could do nothing but guffaw at the grimace that showed on her face. Elijah was right, the damn know it all. As much as he would like to convince himself otherwise, Bonnie was an important part of him. "Nik?"

"Hmmm?"

"You know I would never do that, right? I wouldn't take her away from you," Bonnie said it once more to be sure that there was no doubt lingering in his mind. While the witch had apologized for that petty threat, she knew Klaus had a tendency of taking things to heart and he was the master of not forgiving or forgetting. One could only hope he would be able to let this one go. Then she remembered to add something in her short monologue. Better do it now when he seemed agreeable. "But you do have to apologize to Rebekah."

With lips stretched into a straight line and blue eyes trying to avoid her, Klaus gave a somewhat stiff nod in acknowledgment to her words. It might seem harsh, but he just didn't want to let himself get enraptured into another emotional conversation and risk losing control again. It was bad enough that Bonnie saw him when he felt the most exposed. If it was that important to her, he would

A part of Bonnie got frustrated that she wasn't able to get anything more from him, but then she was reminded that even him admitting his vulnerability was a big deal. This was the hybrid who preferred to scorch the earth than to back down from anything. It would be naïve of her to expect him to become a whole different person overnight. Right now, what mattered most to Bonnie was the fact that Klaus seemed willing to change some of his ways.

"It's late and I'm going to bed," Bonnie announced, tapping her bright pink colored nails against the door. "You should stop by after cleaning this mess, I mean, if you want. Remember my mango and pineapple body wash? I think that's the only thing capable of getting rid of your alcoholic stench."

She was out the door before Klaus could even open his mouth to respond, knowing that she had extended the olive branch. The ball was in his court now.

"It's still early," Klaus grumbled, cracking one eye open, but shutting it down immediately after being hit by the morning sunlight. The lack of Bonnie's lithebody and her bump against his back- Bonnie had insisted on being the big spoon- woke him up from his slumber. He patted the mattress until finding her bare legs. In his still slumbering state, he rolled over to rest his head on her lap. "Go back to sleep."

Reaching down, Bonnie started to run her fingers through his dark blond hair; her nails barely scraping his scalp. Resembling a content kitten, Klaus purred and threw an arm around her midsection.

Such a big, bad hybrid, Bonnie thought with mirth, moving to trace the lines of his mouth and nose. Seeing him like this, so relaxed and pleased almost made Bonnie doubt that this was the same guy who had outbursts of rage.

"I can't; your daughter won't let me," she responded; placing the palm of his hand right over the spot on her stomach where she felt the most activity. Sure enough, she felt another swift hit as her little girl kicked away with abandon.

"I didn't know she was this strong already," Klaus mumbled to himself; his muffled voice tinged with a hint of regret.

The last two weeks had been nothing but a blur of anger, countless bottles of Bourbon and Jameson, and feeling sorry for himself while filling blank canvas with black and white paintings. God, how pathetic he was. So much going on around him; his daughter grew at an exponential rate inside her mother's womb and he was having a fucking pity party instead of being there.

"She takes after her mama," Bonnie said, resting her hand right over his. "Uh, she still needs to learn how not to keep me awake when I need sleep to survive."

Even though his mind was still clouded with sleep, Klaus had to laugh at that.

"She takes after me when it comes to that. However, I don't recall you ever complaining about me keeping you awake. As a matter of fact, you always seemed eager for it."

"Really? Sexual innuendos this early in the morning when we're talking about the baby?"

"You're right," he murmured, lifting her shirt and dropping a sweet kiss near her bellybutton. "I'm nothing if not a man of action." With surprising swiftness, considering he had been dead asleep ten minutes ago, Klaus sat up and pulled her closer until they the tips of their noses were touching.

Bonnie shrieked, both in surprise and delight as he rubbed their noses together. He then leaned down, rubbing his nose against the sensitive skin of her neck; taking in her scent. A bit sweet with a hint of citrus. Stripped of body lotions and perfumes, she smelled like herself. Like home.

Her earlier resolution of no sex was shot down when his blunt teeth scraped her collarbone. Shit. He knew that was one of her spots.

Just as she let out a quiet gasp and was about to pull him up for a kiss, a strong knock was heard.

"Bonnie, Niklaus." They heard Elijah's voice through the door. With a frustrated groan, Bonnie pushed him away. "As pleased as I am with the fact that you've made peace with each other, we have an urgent situation that needs both of you."

"He sounds worried," Bonnie commented, looking at Klaus with a concerned frown. Elijah was the most controlled guy she's ever met. He could rip someone's heart out without breaking a sweat. If he was anxious, something really serious was happening.

"My brother sounds like a cockblock," he muttered; feeling as disgruntled as a five year old that had his ice cream taken away. Bonnie laughed at his pout and moved to grab her green Tulane sweater and shimmy into a pair of black Nike shorts over her white boyshort panties.

"Come on, hot shot. There's always time for that later."

Judging by the way Rebekah was chewing on her bottom lip; the permanent frown etched on Elijah's and their seemingly terrified young guest, there wouldn't be time for any fooling around later. Even though no words had been uttered yet, Bonnie was perceptive enough to tell that this urgent situation was probably closer to catastrophic event than they wanted to admit.

"Okay, someone should talk before I start to get nervous," Bonnie requested when she realized none of them were willing to break the silence and tell the bad news. "Josh?"

The dark haired vampire's eyes almost bulged out of its sockets in surprise. He had heard of Bonnie Bennett; what vampire that worked with Marcel hadn't? She was the powerful witch that not even Davina or Marcel could control. She was the one who Klaus Mikaelson trusted when it came to this war for power. She was actually talking to him; and all he could do was stare at her with his mouth open. It almost felt like he was a groupie meeting his teen idol for the first time in his life. There was something about her; a powerful and regal allure that projected even though she was dressed for a run and had a large pregnant bump. How did she even know his name? As far as he knew, she was not involved in his undercover spy thing that he had been doing with Klaus for the last couple months.

"Uh, you see, Marcel got concerned with some things and he decided to..." Josh trailed off. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news when Klaus was breathing down his neck, just itching to attack.

"Marcel is convening the werewolves. He's preparing for war," Elijah completed the sentence for Josh.

"Why in the world would Marcel go to the werewolves? He hates them, and the werewolves would never cooperate with the vampire who exiled them from their homes," Bonnie argued, not understanding the problem. The werewolves would let Marcel burn if he ever came to them for their help.

"Marcel thinks destroying Klaus is a higher on his list of priorities than anything else. I think he's uh, scared of what's to come," Josh answered in a hesitant way, and motioned to Bonnie's belly with a jerky nod.

Already tense, the three Mikaelson siblings became even more agitated. Rebekah drained her tumbler of scotch with one gulp; Elijah stuffed both of his closed fists inside the pockets of his trousers, and Klaus's grip on her waist became uncomfortable.

"What, my baby? Marcel is scared of her?" Bonnie asked; her mind spinning round and round as she tried to connect the dots. "That's why he came here, isn't it? Did he ever tell you the exact reason?"

"Not really, but I can guess. Davina's been having some trouble with her magic for a while. She couldn't sense the other witches and she began to have these weird dreams. Then she started painting like a crazy person, and all of them were about you and a baby. It was a little bizarre, if you ask me," Josh joked, like he always did when he got nervous. Of course he regretted it a second later with one look at his unamused audience. "Sorry. I'm just not used to being in a room full of Original vampires."

"You're fine, Josh," Bonnie said with a comforting smile; hoping that she wouldn't intimidate Josh too much. They wouldn't be able to get anything else out of Josh if he was too nervous to respond. "So, you're saying Davina had dreams about me and my child?"

"Yeah, and she was pretty freaked out about it. You're not going to hurt her, right? She doesn't even know what's going on and Marcel didn't tell-" Josh started to ramble, but shut up when he saw Elijah raise a hand; wordlessly asking for silence.

"It is not our intention to hurt her; you have my word. Now, do you know what exactly does Marcel plan to offer the werewolves in exchange for their loyalty?"

"I'm not really sure on that, but I heard him talking to Thierry. He's allowing them to return to the city and breaking a curse. I think it's the Crescent Curse? I've never heard about it."

Bonnie, who had been trying to remain cool, felt the blood in her veins chill with that information. As a possible way of self-preservation, the witch had refused to believe that whatever strategy Marcel was planning would come to fruition. After all, Marcel and the werewolves had been enemies for decades now. However, they could be willing to overlook Marcel's heinous deeds if the vampire offered to break the curse. Despite not being the most knowledgeable about it, Bonnie knew enough about the Crescent curse to figure anyone in their right mind would do whatever was possible to be rid of it.

"Sit down, witch. You're pale," Rebekah noted in a worried tone, and proceeded to guide Bonnie to a high back armchair. The witch complied without a word. As a matter of fact, she just slumped down into the chair as if her legs had given out.

"We are done here," Klaus announced in a manner that left no room for argument. Without saying anything else, he walked towards Bonnie and knelt down in front of her. In another occasion, he would've been hesitant to do this in front of other people. Now, they didn't even register on his radar. Bonnie wasn't well, and that was what mattered to him. "Love, are you okay?"

Taking her hand, he noticed that it was cold and clammy, and a thin film of sweat seemed to be covering her face and neck. Her skin, which had a luminous glow especially now into the pregnancy, was a few shades paler than her natural hue.

"It's just my blood pressure, I'll be okay," she assured a worried Klaus, caressing his face with the back of her hand.

Despite his voyeuristic nature coupled with acute curiosity, Josh managed to divert his stare from the couple in front of him. Okay, he sneaked a peek or two. Could anyone blame him? At the Abattoir, both Bonnie and Klaus were the subject of many speculations within Marcel's ranks. All of the Originals were. However, the scene before him made Josh wonder if he really wasn't having a dream after taking some strong 'shrooms. The only Klaus he knew was the one who could kill without a blink of an eye; break a neck and rip a heart out. This one, who glanced at a witch with worried expression and kissed her on the forehead, was a whole different Klaus.

"Uh, so I'm gonna go before Marcel...yeah, so, bye," Josh stuttered, shifting from foot to foot as the awkwardness took over him. He had delivered some bad news to the Original Hybrid and lived to tell. Nobody could fault him for wanting to get the fuck out of dodge. Elijah spared him a quick glance and a nod; his attention was also turned to Bonnie. So he did what any rational person did and vamp speeded the hell out of that place.

If this was any other occasion, Rebekah would have been amused by the terrified expression on the young vampire's face. This time was different, though. All she could do was down one glass of scotch after the other in a futile attempt to calm the jitter in her hands. She might be a badass that didn't cower from many things, but she wasn't stupid, or completely heartless. Her relationship with Marcel, whatever it had been, was shot, and now her family might be in much more danger than she had previously thought.

"Well, brother. It looks like you've got your wish. We have a war in our hands," she said, and proceeded to fill the crystal tumbler with an expensive cognac this time.

Had Rebekah been a bit more sober, she would've seen the horror that flashed in Klaus' eyes when he realized that they indeed had just been thrown in a war. And surprisingly, he wanted nothing to do with it.