Klaus awoke to the shower running in his bathroom. He didn't have to open his eyes to know that it was King who had woken up early to get dressed for the day...

Klaus's eyes snapped open.

He looked over at the alarm clock on the side of the bed and it told him (in bright red) that it was eight thirty in the morning. Klaus shoved the blanket aside and intruded on King in the shower.

He wouldn't have believed anyone if they told him that King had woken up early on his own, but Klaus saw it with his own eyes. "You woke up?" he astounded.

King must have heard his voice when the water turned off, and a few moments later, the glass door slid open and King emerged. "Yes, baby, I did," he answered back idly. He grabbed the towel off the rack and wrapped it around his drenching wet waist.

"But it's so early," Klaus puzzled, because he was sure that maybe King didn't know about the time, which was why he was awake.

King shrugged a shoulder. "Sometimes, I like to see the sunrise," he said, as he came up to Klaus and leaned into him. He surrounded Klaus with fresh forest pine body-wash and dark aftershave. King's hair was slicked back from being wet. The cool water, which hadn't been dried off his body glistened like little droplets of diamonds against his bronzed, tattooed skin. Klaus wondered what the water would taste like if he licked it off his skin. Instantly, Klaus felt himself flush a bright red for thinking such an absurdly ardent thought.

He cleared his throat. "I should get ready too," Klaus said as he turned away.

King didn't move away though. "You seem tense," he observed keenly.

"Tense? Me?" he said. Klaus shook his head. "Nope, not at all. It has nothing to do with you."

King tilted his head. "I meant maybe it's because we have to meet Robert today," he corrected.

Realization hit Klaus. "Oh, right," he said and regretted not going with that excuse. "No, I'm fine with that. I just want to get this day over with, that's all."

King nodded. "I get that," he said.

Klaus attempted to move aside, so he could take a shower, but once again, King didn't let him. "I should probably take a shower too," he told King. He looked at King who seemed to be grinning with amusement. "Um, is something wrong?" he asked, which was a mistake indeed.

King's eyes gleamed with trouble; they always did when they had plotted away something crafty, which Klaus knew that he couldn't handle it.

King lifted his hand, he laid it over Klaus's cheek and the pad of his thumb caressed Klaus's lower lip. "Why did you tense up earlier?" King asked.

"No reason," Klaus answered too quickly.

"Is that so," King said coyly. King definitely didn't believe Klaus at all. "It wasn't because I'm standing in a towel. Naked and defenceless, right?"

Klaus's brows shot up. "You, defenceless? That's new," he astounded. "I'm more defenceless than you even with my clothes on."

King nodded. "That's true," he agreed vainly. "So, what's on your mind then that you're blushing now?"

Klaus couldn't hide the shock on his face. He laughed awkwardly; "I'm not blushing," he quickly scurried away and turned the shower on, so the water would heat up to the right temperature.

"Klaus," King called out and Klaus had no choice but to turn around and face him. "Lying to me is going to get you punished-" King raked a hand through the stubborn strands, that kept falling over his forehead. His sapphire eyes flamed alive with a carnal desire as he eyed Klaus- "Now, are you going to tell me the truth or continue lying?"

Klaus backed away. He bit his lip contemplating if he should tell the truth about why he was blushing or lie once again. Maybe, staying quiet was the best option, he thought to himself. But then King was getting impatient as Klaus thought of everything.

"No," Klaus announced abruptly surprising King. "It's too embarrassing to tell you."

King stripped off the towel and backed Klaus into the shower with him. "So, you choose the punishment then," he verified.

Klaus opened his mouth to challenge him, but nothing came out. He simply ended up being caught in King's weaved web of heated passion.

Klaus didn't know that King's punishment was going to be so hot and rough. The kind that wasn't supposed to be spoken to anyone out loud. The simple shower that was supposed to take less than ten minutes had taken a half an hour and they weren't even bathing. Klaus was exhausted by the time King was done bestowing his punishment on him for lying. Klaus avowed to never lie again to this man otherwise, he was going to need a miracle to survive the next penalty... Klaus glared at King the entire time he got dressed and they went downstairs.

Everyone was standing in the kitchen drinking coffee before they had to head out to the hospital once again. Although, this time there were no tears and no speed in their steps to rush towards their loved one. As they waited for the clock to hit nine o'clock, none of made any attempt to move on their own accord. Even the usual members who would be laughing and filling up the room with their voices had gone quiet.

Klaus made it downstairs after getting dressed in a simple black suit. He arranged the black tie around his neck, as Bone poured him some coffee. King came down right after as well, in a simple white dress shirt and black trousers, because he didn't care much about this day either. They stood together near the kitchen island with Bone beside them.

"Did you all eat breakfast?" Klaus asked his siblings.

"No," answered Viola who was wearing black too, and stood with her blonde hair tied back in a pony-tail. Her shirt was white and the blazer was black, which matched the tight trousers and high-heels. Apart from her blatant troubled expression, she looked lovely.

"You all should eat something," said Klaus. He was concerned for his siblings who only refused breakfast when they were upset.

"We can just grab something after, Klaus," suggested Vincent. His brother was dressed in a navy-blue suit that was always stylish on him. He had raked his blond hair back and didn't bother with a tie either.

"Where's Hailey?" Viola asked Hunter who was dressed in layers of black, his silken shirt tucked into dark pants and leather shoes. His blazer was stitched to his bulky figure and he ran his hand through his dark hair out of irritation.

"She's coming," Hunter answered. "Morning sickness has gotten worse today."

"She should rest then," Viola fretted with a frown.

Hunter raked his hair again. "I told her to," he said grimly. "But she wants to be with us when we meet-" his voice dropped and his amber eyes glared so hard that Klaus was sure the coffee cup in his hand would break.

"Are River and Ryder coming too?" asked Vincent.

"Probably," guessed Viola. "They won't let Gabriel do this alone."

Klaus knew that River and Ryder would never let Gabriel face Robert unaccompanied. They would be by his side, supporting him through the whole thing. Klaus was glad that Gabriel had friends like that, he deserved it more than anyone.

"Do you want some coffee?" Klaus asked King who was distracted by his own thoughts despite calmly standing beside Klaus.

King looked to his side. "No. Thank you," he smiled at him.

King suddenly reached down and laced his hand with Klaus; a gentle gesture that had reassured Klaus. As they stood, Klaus tried to concentrate on his family, but King's thumb began to caress his wrist and the small pulsing area. Klaus knew his heart was hammering in his chest and now King knew too.

A few voices were heard from the stairs and they knew Gabriel had arrived. But before him, Sabrina and Hailey had appeared. Both the girls had their hair down but Sabrina adorned a headband, which pushed her mocha-chocolate bangs away from her face. She didn't put as much makeup on as she usually would. The dark liner near her aqua-green eyes was all she had, along with pink lipstick that matched her short skirt and silk blouse.

Hailey looked good despite feeling her morning sickness kick in. She had put on a loose black skirt, that reached the floor and a white blouse. Her fiery-red hair fell in loose curls and she had a small jacket that hid her growing belly. Neither of them reached for coffee or any fruit. Hailey went to Hunter's side and they talked a little, before they grew quiet again.

Their eldest brother didn't walk into the kitchen, he stood in the foyer dressed in a clean white suit, that had a vest and underneath was a light-blue shirt, that wasn't buttoned to the top. Gabriel had a distant stern frown, which told them that his thoughts were creating a cold storm in his head. Klaus even sensed that his brother's demeanour had darkened more than yesterday. Gabriel golden eyes expressed his distress, but also the strict focus to get through today with calculated steps and words.

"All of you ready to go?" Gabriel spoke sternly.

His four siblings faced him stiffly and nodded. "Won't you drink coffee before we head off?" asked Klaus.

Gabriel slightly relaxed from seeing Klaus. "No, not today," he said firmly before he went to the front door.

They all followed him onto the porch were River and Ryder were waiting as they all predicted. The twins were wearing matching black suits and they didn't exchange any words with any of them. They merely joined Gabriel's side and walked with him to the car. Klaus watched River and Ryder joined with Gabriel's each side, like they always were since childhood. Klaus smiled and knew that Gabriel would be fine no matter what happened today.

Klaus and King had gotten in their car alone. Bone decided to stay back simply out of courtesy, but Klaus didn't mind if he had come along. But Klaus didn't push either, because he understood that this was a sensitive moment for them and maybe Bone didn't want to intrude.

"Gabriel seems more tense than usual," King commented as he reversed the car out of the parking-lot.

Klaus buckled his seat-belt and relaxed back. "He's worried, that's all," he believed.

"Worried over Robert?" King's voice didn't hide the distaste for Robert.

"No," Klaus said. "He's worried about Viola, Vincent, Hunter and me." This was why Klaus hated his father. Gabriel was all alone when their mother died and now he's left alone to handle this too.

"Your other siblings don't look very thrilled with this plan," said King, as all the cars came to a pause at a red light.

"We're all doing this despite not wanting to," Klaus shared to his mate.

"So, why do it?" asked King. "I think this is such a waste of time as much as all of you."

"I agree," said Klaus. "But it's for Gabriel. We are only doing this for our brother and alpha's orders."

"He doesn't seem very happy about it though," countered King.

"It's because he was alone when he buried our mom," said Klaus grimly. "But this time, I'm going to make sure he's not alone and that he knows that we're all here for him."

For the rest of the ride, they stayed quiet and focused on the long roads ahead of them.

They arrived at the hospital just on the nick of time. Last night, Gabriel had Robert moved from the other hospital across town to the one Dr. Stone worked at. They were greeted by her at the front entrance and she took them all to the designated room. She explained his condition to Gabriel and said that he had less than a month. All of them already knew this though because of Cedric.

They stood in front of the single door that had Robert Centauri written on it in bold black lettering. Gabriel had frozen in front of the door, when suddenly, Sabrina reached over his hand on the knob and opened it with him. The door moved, revealing their father perched up and a bed, hooked to a machine, light from the window on his entire bed and room. Cedric stood bedside Robert's bed and they seemed to be amused over something.

Klaus and his siblings all stopped in their tracks when they heard their father's low laughter. His smile was wide and he had a calm expression, no pain or anger anywhere on him, almost as if he was a different person. That wasn't their father who had showed them nothing but a drunk who knew the feel of his kids with his fists.

Klaus tensed at the entrance and his heart sank to the point of no return. He couldn't enter or meet their father like this at all. He needed to leave and be away from him, otherwise a lot was going to come out.

Suddenly, the rush of thoughts in Klaus's head and heart calmed when a hand brushed against his own, which was fisted tightly. Klaus looked down and found King's strong tattooed hand enclosed over his own.

King had a determined gaze, that was unshakable. "I'm right here with you," he whispered calming Klaus down in a second.

Although, Klaus didn't move until Gabriel entered the room before anyone else. Robert noticed right away and he tensed. His smile dropped and his tired amber eyes flared to an alertness when he recognized his kids and their mates, and the twins.

"You all came," said Robert, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He turned to Cedric and smiled at him.

"How is your condition?" Gabriel asked sternly.

Robert slightly stiffened from Gabriel's stern tone. "It's bad, but I am living with it. So, none of you need to worry over that," he said carefully, which was a surprise because Robert never cared before.

Klaus stayed at the back of the crowd with King. He barely saw his father's expression from behind Viola and Vincent who stood in front of him. But even from this distance, he could sense that Robert was waiting for his kids to ask about him, which none of them were going to do.

"It was a wish that I asked for when I called out for you to visit me," Robert began. "I didn't think it'd be granted."

"Cedric told us about your condition," said Gabriel. "So, we thought it'd be only appropriate to visit."

Robert's hair had grown greyer and the wrinkles near his eyes grew prominent as his lips lifted into a sad smile. "Thank you," he said. "I appreciate you taking the time to visit me."

All of them shared an astounded and bewildered look as they heard their father speak. This wasn't the Robert they all knew and grew up with.

"Don't tell me that dying has made you a changed man?" Hunter mocked coldly. Hailey gave him a disapproving look for speaking out like that.

Robert looked at Hunter not expecting anything different. "I know I've wronged all of you," he said. "But I want to move past that and make amends."

"You wanna what now?" scoffed Viola.

"You can't be serious," added Vincent.

"Twenty years," responded Viola to her father, "of abuse, drinking, lashing out in anger. You want us to just let it go? No, Robert. There's no fixing what you did."

"So, then why did all of you come to me?" asked Robert. He looked back at Gabriel then. "You know, don't you? We both do?"

Gabriel's gaze stayed stern, dominant. He turned his head and looked straight at each pack member who had their own expression of distaste or anger or annoyance. Except Klaus, when Gabriel started straight at Klaus, he got a smile of reassurance to let out what he had on his heart. Klaus wanted Gabriel to express everything to their father while they had the chance.

"You left me all alone to deal with mom's death," said Gabriel. "I held Klaus as a baby while burying mom in the ground. Viola and Vincent didn't have anyone to explain where their mother went. Hunter closed his humanity to deal with the loss. And the pack was destroyed. But I couldn't do any of that, I had to keep going despite my heart breaking every day from losing mom."

Robert's eyes saddened. "I failed you-"

"Yes, yes you did," Gabriel said coldly. "More than anyone else, I needed you and you weren't there."

Robert closed his eyes as he sat back in pain.

"But look now, dad," said Gabriel. "Look what my pack is doing for you when you failed us." Robert's eyes scanned the room, surrounded by the wolves he abandoned. "None of them wanted to meet you. But because I said so, they all followed me here," Gabriel's stern voice grew a little more furious. "They'd follow me anywhere and that's what I spent years fighting for. I never gave up like you, dad. I never gave up because many depended on me."

"It's good to know that you never needed me," said Robert.

Gabriel frowned like he was perplexed and infuriated. "I did need you. But I learned that you didn't need us," he left the room. Hunter, River and Sabrina all ran after him.

The room silenced again and Klaus wondered what Robert was going to do now. The only person who was reasonable enough to listen to him had left.

Robert took a deep breath in, which seemed like an impossible task for him as he coughed sickly. "It's Hailey, right?" Robert spoke up after Cedric gave him some water.

Hailey looked up with surprise. "Er- yes," she answered.

"I would like to apologize about what I did to you," Robert said uneasily. "I was wrong and I'm ashamed of my actions."

Hailey stood stumped. "Thank you for your apology," she smiled. "We all make mistakes and have to live with the consequences."

"Yes, I know that better than anyone," he added when his eyes landed on Klaus. "Can you come closer?"

Klaus moved from the back of the room, past Viola, Vincent and Ryder. King walked up with him, because there was no way he was going to let Klaus be alone.

"I-"

"If you are going to apologize to me then I don't want it-" interrupted Klaus. "It doesn't change what you did."

"I know-" Robert coughed- "I know I caused you the most pain."

"You think I'm angry because of what you did to me," Klaus spoke with an even tone, no emotion. "I'm angry for what you did to Gabriel, to the pack. When everyone needed you, you weren't there."

Robert frowned. "I know and it's too late for me to fix anything."

"It is," stated Klaus. "But-" as Klaus eyed his father on the death bed looking pale and sick. "I forgive you. Not for you to rest in peace, I don't care much about that. I forgive you, so that I can move on and begin a new chapter with my mate."

Robert's sunken eyes showed ease. "I'm glad to hear that," he smiled as he swallowed with great difficulty. "I didn't think I'd ever get to hear that." A moment passed when Robert looked at King with a sorrowful expression. "Your mate came to me," Robert revealed to Klaus. "He was going to kill me and I wanted him to do it. But he didn't, he said because you wouldn't approve. I thought if I angered him enough, he'd kill me. But it seems that I was wrong. You changed him to be a better person than that." Robert coughed and Cedric fiddled with the machine on the side calming him down. "I'm sorry for what I said about him. He's good for you and I'm happy that you found a mate that protects you, unlike me."

Why was he saying all this now? thought Klaus as his heart ached. "You're too late," Klaus's tone broke with the grief pouring out of his heart.

Robert looked out to the leaves falling off the trees. "I know, Klaus," he said. "But I am still sorry for everything."

Klaus froze. "You never-" his chest tightened. "You never used my name before."

Robert peeked a smile. "I remember when Gabriel picked your name," he said. "Your mom wanted you named after her father, so Gabriel named you in the memory of her."

Klaus's closed his eyes. "I didn't know that," he muttered.

"How could you. I wasn't there to tell you all about your grandparents," Robert responded. He leaned back against the pillow. It seemed as if the little strength he had to talk to them had dissipated and he had grown weaker by the minute.

"Gabriel's not mad at you," said Klaus.

"He has every right to be mad," Robert countered. "You all have every right to be angry with me. But I don't want that anger to haunt all of you. I need you to let it out because if the last thing I do before leaving is helping you all forgive me, then that's what I will do."

"Is it that important?" asked Viola. "Why does it matter all of a sudden?"

Robert's eyes lifted to King. "It mattered when he made me realize that I didn't deserve being with Rose," he pointed at King.

They all looked at King who knew exactly what Robert talked about. King didn't show any expression though, he simply stayed formal and unsympathetic in his attitude.

"The only way I know to be with Rose is to make sure I fix my wrongs," said Robert. "I need to know that all of you are ready to forget me and move on."

"We are," said Klaus confidently. "You never needed to worry about us because we can handle ourselves."

Robert smiled. "Then that's all I need to know," he said. "You can forgive me if you want. But I hope that after I die, so does the abuse I gave you."

"We heard that you weren't taking pain killers," said Vincent. "First it was liquor and now meds. Why are you torturing yourself again?"

Robert looked down at his thin enclosed hands. "It's the first pain I felt after your mom died," he said. "For the longest time, I wanted to feel again and our goddess made me feel this sickness. So, I shall feel it until it consumes me."

They didn't push any further. The doctor arrived and told them that it was time to clear out and let the patience rest now. Klaus, King and the rest of them cleared out into the hallway. They gathered in a circle, when they spotted Gabriel coming back with Sabrina who was holding his hand. River and Hunter rejoined the group and stood with their family.

Gabriel pushed open the door again and walked in alone this time. He closed the door and went to their father. But none of them knew what they were going to exchange alone in there.

"Is he doing okay?" Hailey asked Sabrina.

"He's just pissed," Sabrina smiled at them despite the grim situation, which plainly told Klaus that their brother was all good.

"If he's pissed then that means he's level-headed," remarked Ryder making them laugh. "When he's calm and collected, then you should be scared."

Klaus laughed. "He's really scary then," he added.

"Scarier than this guy?" King asked as he pointed at Hunter.

"Um, I, take offence to that comment," Hunter grumbled.

Hailey patted his shoulder supportively. "Don't worry, you're not that scary," she approved.

"Yeah, not to you, Hailey," remarked Vincent. "Hunter could kill the devil with one of his glares."

"And that's on a good day," added Ryder.

"Are you two going to stop or do I need to put you in one of these hospital rooms?" threatened Hunter.

"See what I mean," Vincent jested with a laugh. "You have to get a lid on this temper, brother."

"Look at my brother," Ryder pointed at River. "Never loses his temper, ever."

"Er- what about what happened last night," remarked Vincent.

Ryder groaned. "Oh, never mind," he took back his previous comment.

"Why? What happened last night?" asked Viola.

"He lost at poker against Bone," said Ryder, then he turned towards King. "Your bestie has killer skills at poker. I was blown away."

"Yeah, no one just beats River at poker," added Vincent. "It was awesome seeing River getting his ass handed to him."

King smirked proudly. "You should see him play blackjack," he added. "The man will wipe the floor with you."

"I think we need three rooms, Hunter," added River as he loomed over Vincent, Ryder and King. "These boys are getting out of hand."

King walked away idly and rejoined Klaus's side. "I warned you not to play Bone," he defended himself.

"Are we seriously discussing this while our father is dying inside the room behind us?" said Viola. "I can't believe this."

Suddenly, the door opened behind them and Gabriel reappeared. "Let's grab lunch before we go home," he said all of a sudden. "I'm craving pasta from Bobby's." Gabriel walked over to Sabrina and wrapped his arm over her shoulder and they left the group. Except the group was waiting for the details.

"Wait!" Viola called out making Gabriel turn around. "What happened inside?"

Gabriel looked at all of their anticipating expressions. "He said to live our best life," Gabriel answered.

"And what'd you tell him?" Vincent asked.

Gabriel grinned as his golden gaze gleamed joyfully. "We already are," he told them.

Klaus smiled and it turned into a laugh. "I'm craving Bobby's gelato more than anything," he announced and followed Gabriel with King by his side too.

"His pistachio gelato is my favourite," added River as he followed too.

Nothing brought them down when they stood together. As they all went out of the hospital and listed their cravings for this impromptu brunch, Klaus figured that his pack was doing alright now. They all felt like themselves again because they craved food.

The dark, fast cars glided down the busy streets toward their favourite restaurant, which was between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The cars came to a full stop at a street they all wholeheartedly recognized. It was Bobby's restaurant which was a safe, open place for all wolves to enjoy a good breakfast, lunch or dinner. The Centauri pack has always loved this place, ever since they were pups still in high school.

The restaurant was brightly lit and round tables were scattered around the large familiar room. There were booths lined up against the wall and had families gathered at every single one of them, even the round tables were occupied. Although, Bobby was very successful in his business, he never opted to sell this place and get a new one. But they all knew why, which was because his family owned this building. He had inherited it from his parents who got it from his grandparents and so on and so forth.

The moment they all stepped inside the cozy restaurant; the friendly and comfortable atmosphere shifted into a threatening influence, which always happened when the Centauri pack walked into any room. The wolves and humans lounging around the restaurant took notice and they silenced as they blatantly watched them move across the room. Klaus was used to this by now and he ignored it because he was too hungry to care.

Bobby rushed out from the kitchen at the back because he was always made aware of when Gabriel and his pack arrived. A thick and heavy voice boomed from the far back and they knew that Bobby had entered too. A lofty, full-bodied man with thick white hair strode out with a broad smile from under his snow-white beard. His Egyptian blue eyes were joyful and always full of spirit.

Bobby arranged their seats, which were always reserved for them. The whole family gathered around two booths, and the active restaurant got even wilder with their group filling the limited space. Bobby quickly set up their table with hot food and refreshing drinks.

"Thank you, Bobby," said Gabriel.

Bobby's blue eyes gleamed. "Enjoy and I don't want to see anything left behind on those plates," he instructed.

Klaus moved down the booth and sat beside King who was already eager to eat the buffet laid out before them. "Hungry," he said with a chuckle.

"Surprisingly, being a good person makes one very famished," King retorted making Klaus laugh more, and since they were the only ones sitting in the corner seat, King kissed Klaus's cheek.

Once everyone had filled their plates with spaghetti, salads, pizza and casseroles. The group had started digging in with their focus just on the food.

"I was surprised earlier," King whispered to Klaus. "I didn't think you'd get angry, so cold towards your father."

Klaus spun his fork in his spaghetti. "I didn't know I was being cold," he mumbled. "Was I too mean to him?" He lifted his eyes and he looked at King.

"I think you should get mad more often," King whispered haughtily. "It looks sexy on you."

Klaus frowned. "I don't think that's very healthy for a marriage, honey," he said.

"Oh, it's really healthy," King leaned in towards his ear. "I'd spend my time pacifying that anger by kissing every part of you."

Klaus peeked a smile underneath from his frown. "You're incorrigible," he hid his grin as he ate his food.

They finished brunch and went straight home after that. They didn't feel like they had just come back from meeting their father. It seemed as if it never happened. Maybe, that was a sign that they were all ready to move on with their lives. Well, Klaus knew that he was more than ready to spend the rest of his life being with King and with his pack.