𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆
family don't end in blood, and it don't start there either

EVER SINCE MELISSA found out that the Mikaelson's were coming over for dinner, and finding out that they were Hope's birth family, she wanted to make a spectacular dinner that will leave them satisfied. She had spent the next six hours cooking while the kids cleaned up the house, dressed up, and set the table. It wasn't a big enough table for all the Mikaelson's so they had to borrow a table from Lydia's place so they could sit all nine of them.

Melissa wanted to make a dinner she was used to making, but with fancy foods added to it. So, she made a turkey, mashed potatoes with brown gravy and some cute greens laid on it to make it look fancy. With that came macaroni, green beans, carrots, and a mushroom soup. For desert, she made a cherry cheesecake due to knowing how much Hope loves it.

And all the while she was cooking, she was worried that since Hope's biological family was in the picture, she was going to forget about her, and run into their arms. She ignored those inner and terrible thoughts as she saw the big smile on Hope's face as she helped bring the food to the table.

Once all the food was sat on the huge table that barley fit in their kitchen, the doorbell was rung, and they all froze in surprise. Hope nervously glanced over at her mother and brother before slowly walking towards the door. She reached forward, gripped the doorknob, and opened it quickly. "Hey!" She blurted out which made Rebekah and Kol to chuckle.

"Nervous, darling?" Kol questioned with a smirk, raising a brow which had Hope narrowing her blue eyes at him.

"Ignore him," Freya pitched in with a glare towards her youngest brother. "We all do."

"How rude," Kol puckered his lips and placed his hand over his heart. "You wound me, sister."

"You're annoying," Hope and Hayley spoke at the same time and they faced each other with wide eyes before Hayley softly smiled at her daughter. "Oh, erm, come in," she invited them in once she remembered they were vampires, and then stepped aside.

One after the other, the Mikaelson's stepped through the threshold, and took in the McCall residence. Soft smiles appeared on their features once they all saw the pictures of her as a baby all the way up to now. Some of them was by herself, some with Scott and her mother, and the others with the pack. But, throughout all the pictures, not once did they see a picture of a male figure that should've been there in her life.

Hope cleared her throat. "I was a chubby baby," she commented and then smiled softly as Melissa came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Hayley cleared her throat, as well as she saw Melissa, and held out her hand. "Hi. I'm Hayley and this is Klaus. Its nice to meet you."

Melissa looked over the whole family before taking Hayley's hand in here with her signature smile. "It's nice to meet you, too. Now, before the dinner starts, I have a question to ask of you both." When they nodded, she asked, "What kind of monster is able to give up a child?" She crossed her arms and glared up at them.

"Mom!" Hope exclaimed, her eyes prickling due to the tears in her eyes as she heard the anger and hurt in her voice.

Klaus took in a shaky breath. "It's okay, Hope." He looked down at Melissa due to the woman being way shorter than her. "We had no other choice, Mrs. McCall. Her life was in danger. Her life was threatened before either Hayley or I knew about her. Hayley was killed right after Hope was born because they didn't want her to stop them. But, we did, and we had to fake her death to keep her safe. I'm just so relieved that she ended up at a place with someone who loves her as much as we love her."

Scott walked up to Hope and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his body with a soft smile.

Melissa took a second before nodding, tears of her own prickling her eyes. "I appreciate you doing everything in your power to protect her. And I couldn't be more grateful to be the one to raise such an amazing person like her." She then cleared her throat and nodded. "Okay. Follow me, the table is over here."

"Thank you for inviting us inside your home, Mrs. McCall," Elijah said once they all took their seats.

Melissa narrowed her eyes and stared the older brother in the face. "It's just Miss McCall, and you're welcome."

"We couldn't help but notice there was no father figure in Hope's life," Freya said as she smiled softly over at the woman, hoping to not step any boundaries.

"Mom..." Scott trailed off as he saw his mother tense.

"He wasn't the best person to have around children," she told them before she started placing food on her plate, and everyone followed shortly after.

"Did he hurt them?" Klaus asked through clenched teeth and that when the McCall's realized that he must've been abused when he was younger. It was just the way he tensed, clenched his fists, and how his eyes darkened. The signs were all there.

Melissa took in a breath. "He was more dunk than helpful." She reached over and grabbed Scott's hand, giving him a small smile. She knew that he knew what happened all those years ago.

Hayley nodded and decided to change the subject. "This food looks delicious. I don't know how you did this in such a short amount of time."

Hope grinned and nudged her mother with a playful glint in her eyes. "She's super mom," she retorted and Melissa rolled her eyes. "She does everything in style and it's honestly amazing."

"Thank you so much for raising my niece," Rebekah stated with tears in her eyes as she finally realized that she missed out on seventeen years of Hope's life. "She is just spectacular. No matter what is going on, she's there for everyone. She puts everything aside to do what she thinks is right, and I couldn't be more proud of the person she is. I wish I had a mother like you growing up."

"Don't we all," Kol grumbled as he remembered his mother and father. Neither of them were kind to him or his siblings.

"And where is your mother and father?" Melissa asked after a second when she saw his reaction.

Elijah decided to be the one to speak up because he didn't know what the others would say. He didn't want Melissa to hate them or kick them out when they've barely spent any time with Hope. "They simply shall not be called those things. Our father — Mikaelson — hunted us down throughout our thousands years on this planet just because he didn't think we deserved to live, although him and our mother turned us into what we are. Our mother — Esther — kept coming back to kill us." He wipes his mouth with a napkin although he hadn't eaten yet. "Our family is a little complicated as you can already tell."

Melissa chuckled at that. "My daughter is a tribrid whose family is over a thousand years old, and my son is a werewolf, and they're both in a pack who protects the town we live in."

Hayley chuckled. "You have a point. All families are a little complicated."

Hope smiled as she saw everyone get along. Melissa noticed the smile, and decided to speak her mind, hoping to not ruin the night.

The mother of two turned to Klaus and Hayley with a pointed look. "Are you going to take my baby girl away from me?" Everyone turned to her with wide, surprised eyes. "If you are, I am willing to put up a fight for her. I might be a human, but I know some people."

"Mom..." Hope trailed off, frowning.

Melissa's eyes watered as she turned to face her daughter who she loved with her whole heart. "I'm just so scared you will pick them over me because you've been wanting to know about them for years, and now they're here." She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she tried to not cry in front of everyone. She couldn't help the way she was feeling.

Hope shook her head and reached forward, taking her mother's face in her hands gently. "That would never happen. You are my family, along with Scott. We might not be blood, but s special person I once knew always said 'family don't end in blood, and it don't start there either. Family is there for you through good, the bad, the ugly, all of it'. You both have been there since the moment I freaked out and hurt Stiles, you were there when I started my period, and you will be there at my wedding. They might be biological, but you're my mother. And Scott is my brother. Nothing is going to change that... ever. I love you both."

Klaus and Hayley gripped hands as they stared sadly at Hope and Melissa who were hugging now. Though they understood, they were still sad.

Hope wiped away both her tears and her mother's before turning to face the Mikaelson's. "You guys should stay in Beacon Hills so that we can all get to know each other... and later be a large family." Her eyes were then showing worry, and she quickly asked, "You guys do want to stay and get to know me, don't you?"

Klaus smiled at his daughter with fondness. "Of course, littlest wolf."