*Sooo, who watches Supernatural? Don't get too excited, I'm not bringing in the Winchesters in this book*

Elijah and Kol had returned with Rebekah not long after they found her. Now that she's not being channeled anymore she's right as rain along with a very clingy Asher. 

Claire was happy Madelyn was completely oblivious to the horrors of the day as she read about dragons and princesses with Finn in the library. Claire had visited with them for a little while but it was obvious Madelyn was enjoying her time with Finn alone so Claire let them be.

It was near midnight by the time Klaus returned.

"Are you tired, Sweetheart?" Klaus asks slowly walking out onto the back porch where Claire is rocking slowly in one of the chairs.

"No, I'm alright" Claire says giving him a smile. He returns it and takes a seat beside her. 

Despite his best efforts he couldn't understand the feel of the atmosphere around them. He couldn't tell if she was upset, if she was tired or just relaxed. He got the feeling that she knew something but couldn't tell.

They sit in peace for a few moments until Claire speaks up.

"Did you take care of Papa Tunde?" 

Klaus sighs through his nose and doesn't respond right away. 

"He kidnapped Rebekah," Claire informed him. "Elijah came to me and explained what was going on so that I could help him find her"

"He's not going anywhere near you or either of our children" Klaus promised his eyes glancing at her swollen stomach.

"I trust you, Klaus" Claire says looking at him. He hesitates but eventually meets her gaze. "And I know you don't trust me anymore," She whispers trying to not get emotional but could feel her hormones get the better of her.

"Claire" Klaus whispers.

"I promise I'll get it back" She tells him softly. "I'll earn it back"

They stare into each others eyes for a moment longer. Klaus watches a tear slide down her face slowly. The tear doesn't fall past her cheekbone before Klaus whisks her out of her seat and onto his lap sideways. She gasps slightly at the suddenness. Klaus leans forwards and lightly kisses the tear away.

"I do trust you, sweetheart" Klaus whispers caresses her cheek. He looks deep into her eyes and presses their foreheads together. "You care so much that it blinds you sometimes. You're extremely intelligent but you can be impulsive and right now you're not in a position to be impulsive." He explains lightly. "I love you and I love what makes you you." He smiles slightly at her. "You just need to be more careful and let us handle the dangerous tasks, alright?"

"Alright" She agrees quietly. 

"I love you," He tells her sincerely. "You're my fiance, my mate, the mother of my children and the love of my life. I will always love you and I will always trust you."

"I love you, Klaus" She whispers hugging him tightly. Klaus rests his head on hers, holding her as close to him as possible. 

He rocks the chair slowly. He listens as her heart slows and her breathing steadies out. Not long after she falls asleep Elijah walks out onto the porch. He leans against the railing looking at Klaus and Claire.

"How's Rebekah?" Klaus asks quietly.

"She's fine" Elijah assures him. "She's with Asher at the Abattoir" Klaus nods placing a light kiss on Claire's head. "Maybe now you won't think about keeping things from her"

"As if I could if I tried, never seems to work out" Klaus mutters. He tilts his head so he can see her sleeping face on his shoulder. "She's remarkable, extremely smart,"

"That she is" Elijah nods in agreement.

"She always finds out, though, it doesn't help when you sell me out" Klaus says giving him a look. Elijah smirks slightly.

"You're my brother, she's my fiance. I don't care if you're upset with me" Elijah says with a small grin. Klaus rolls his eyes. "Papa Tunde?"

"Slipped through my fingers" Klaus growled in frustration. Claire squirms in his arms, sensing his unease. She subconsciously  moves her head from his shoulder to the crook of his neck successfully relaxing him. "Thanks to Marcel's garden of vampires he has all the power he needs to get his revenge"

"I don't think I need to stress the severity of this situation" Klaus gives his brother a look. "Especially with her pregnant with your child"

"I'm well away of the severity of the situation" Klaus growls. Elijah holds Klaus's gaze calmly before looking back at Claire. Her hand has moved from her lap to his shirt. Her fist grips the fabric. Klaus kisses her head forcing himself to calm down knowing she can feel his emotions more than his brothers at the moment.

"Get some rest, we'll deal with everything in the morning" Elijah says walking closer to him. He presses a gentle kiss on Claire's head before going inside wanting nothing more than to be selfish and steal his mate but he fights the instinct knowing it would only awake her from much needed sleep.

Klaus tightens his grip around Claire and stands. He walks into their home and up to their room. He stops by Madelyn's room listening for her soft snores before entering his own room.

He sets Claire down, gently prying her hand from his shirt. He lays her on her side and slowly takes her shoes off. He covers her with a blanket before stripping to his boxers. 

He climbs in next to her. She instinctively curls into his side making him smile down at her. His body begged for sleep but his mind raced in his head. He knew he wouldn't sleep any time soon and didn't exactly want to think about the new dangers in his city.

Instead, his fills his mind with thoughts of his mate and their children. He imagines what his future daughter would look like. He hoped she would take after her mother. He imagined her playing in the stables with her older sister, Madelyn.

A thought crosses his mind, a thought that makes him growl lowly. He thinks about the possibility of losing the child. If they did, it would surely destroy not only him but Claire. She still, and always will, struggle with the loss of Aaron and Theodore. With Papa Tunde running around he knew it was a possibility, a possibility he didn't want to face.

He thought about how Kol took the loss of his son. Families across America are still recovering from his wrath and even more fear when he'll strike again. Klaus knew if he lost this child his wrath would be unmatched, it would make Kol look like a child in comparison.

"I promise you, Claire" Klaus whispers too soft to wake her up. "And I promise you, Little Wolf" He adds caressing her stomach. "I will stop at nothing to protect the both of you" Klaus smiles softly as the baby moves within the womb. "I will burn this entire city down before I lose either of you" The baby moves again and Klaus grins. "Don't worry, the same goes for your sister" Klaus assures. "My girls, I'll protect all of you until my dying breath" He vows.

The next morning everything went smoothly. They had a family breakfast. A reminder of what was truly important and what they were fighting for. Each other.

Claire couldn't wipe the smile off her face as her siblings bickered and Kai pushed his luck with her mates. She watched as Madelyn raced around showing everyone her newest artwork, this time Finn falling victim to her wild imagination.

Finn had told her about Sleeping Beauty and how the prince saved the princess from a long sleep from a mighty dragon. She loved the story but twisted it to her own imagination. Instead of Prince Philip saving Princess Aurora she drew herself Princess Madelyn saving the mighty King Finn from the mighty two headed dragon. Madelyn looked very strapping in her armor while Finn looked... comfortable in his... 'tunic'. Of course, Kol and the others wondered where his tiara and high heels were.

When everyone began to disperse the only ones left in the house were Claire, Finn, Madelyn, Penelope and Kai. Rebekah and Asher had set out with Archie, Kaleb and Henrik in hopes of finding a lead on where Papa Tunde was. Klaus and Elijah were visiting Father Kieran with Marcel. Kol and Enzo decided to go 'ask' the French Quarter witches about their allegiance to the Mikaelson family and the Pleine Lune coven.

"Mommy" Madelyn spoke up after she finished giving one of the horses some oats. Claire hummed and turned towards her. "When can I go back to school?"

With all the dangers going around recently, Claire and the others weren't exactly comfortable with Madelyn going to school. They all agreed that she is much safer on the plantation. However, they also understood the importance of her education. Finn had stepped up in that department. He found that he rather enjoyed teaching her because he would have to learn the material first which is something he enjoyed immensely.

"Do you not like Papa Finn teaching you?" Claire asks. Madelyn shrugs and scoops out some more oats for the next horse.

"It's alright, I guess" She says simply.

"You miss your friends don't you?" Claire asks knowingly. Madelyn nods avoiding eye contact. Claire sighs and sits on a couple bales of hay. "Maddie, come here" She says softly.

"I'm sorry" Madelyn mutters sniffling.

"What? Why are you sorry, sweetheart?" She asks wanting nothing more than to pull Madelyn into her embrace but wanting to give her some space as well.

"I want to go back, I miss my friends but I don't want to upset Papa Finn" Madelyn whispers. "He always seems so happy when he's teaching me"

"That's because he enjoys spending time with you. But you want to know something?" Claire asks. Madelyn looks up curiously. "Papa Finn will be just as happy riding horses, coloring, cooking, anything as long as he got to spend time with you. You're not going to school right now because it's easier for us to keep you here at the moment but you can go back soon, ok? He's not going to be upset, sweetheart, you two can do other things together and he'll be just as happy, alright?"

"Really?" Madelyn asks skeptically.

"Yes, really" Claire laughs a bit. Madelyn begins to smile widely. "You're sweet, Maddie, don't ever lose your sweetness"

"I guess I'll just have to eat more ice cream" Madelyn shrugs. Claire laughs again.

"Oh, is that so?" Claire reaches out and tickles Madelyn. Madelyn squeals in laughter. "Hey, there's Papa Finn" Claire whispers pointing him out. "Why don't you go ask him to get you some ice cream?"

"Ok!" Madelyn shouted dashing out of the barn before Claire could remind her not to run in the barn.

"Queen of New Orleans watering horses" Kai says sauntering up to her. "You do know you have hybrids for that right?"

"It gives me something to do" Claire shrugs.

"Shouldn't you be running your city? I hear you have a witch problem" Kai points out.

"And I'm trusting my fiance's to handle it" Claire tells him confidently. "While they go handle business within the city I'm keeping things running on the plantation. Believe it or not there is a lot of work to do here. Horses to take care of, a 5-year-old to look after, and a lot of hybrids to keep in line."

"And may I say you're doing splendidly" Kai tells her. She turns to him suspiciously.

"You're kissing up to me, what do you want?" She asks. Kai laughs.

"Puddin did say you knew how to read people" Kai mutters. "I just thought I'd bring up that bit about my family"

"Ah, that's right" Claire nods. "Kai, you're apart of our coven now, our family" She reminds him. "We look after each other, we help each other, what are you planning?"

"I tried killing my family a while bad, figured I'd pick up where I left off" Kai shrugs nonchalantly.

"Are you asking for help or permission to go off and kill the remainder of your family?" Claire asks slightly confused. Kai scoffs.

"As if I need anybodies permission to do anything" He smirks. It fades slightly. "Although, Puddin's got a pretty good grip on me" He says smiling fondly of his mate.

"So, why are we having this conversation exactly?" Claire asks. 

"I just told you I wanted to kill my family, you're not gonna try and stop me?" Kai asks raising an eyebrow.

"Do you know who my mates are?" Claire asks frowning her eyebrows. "If I judged you for what you do and not the things they've done, wouldn't that make me a hypocrite? I may not agree with killing innocent people but a person is only innocent depending on who's telling the story" Claire points out. "If you want to settle some scores with some people, I'm not going to stop you. Although, I doubt I'll be able to leave New Orleans to assist you, however, I do have other resources other than being with you personally"

"Now, you're talking" Kai smirks.

"I'll give you three hybrids that you cannot kill" Claire says pointing at him. Kai pouts. "They'll help you with whatever you need. I'm assuming you'll be taking Penny with you?"

"Umm, obviously" Kai laughs at her question. Claire smiles and turns the hose off. She hesitates but turns towards Kai.

"I didn't find out I was a siphoner until I was a junior in high school" Claire says. Kai frowns his eyebrows not understanding why she was telling him this. "I didn't know anything about the supernatural world. I almost killed Bonnie because of my ignorance"

"Been there done that, although, it's never accidental" Kai grins winking at her. Claire smiles slightly.

"When I was siphoning from her, I felt so good. I didn't even realize I was killing her, I just wanted more" Kai nods understanding the feeling but wondering where she was going. "At the time Bonnie had a grandmother, Sheila. Sheila had stepped up and became a mother figure for me when my own mother wouldn't give me a second glance. We were quite close. Sheila was a witch, like Bonnie.  She knew all about witches, magic and siphoners. She walked in on me siphoning from Bonnie and shouted at me. She hated me from that point on, said I was an-"

"Abomination" Kai growled with a distant look in his eyes.

"Yeah" Claire whispers. "Kai, this entire coven, our family, to everyone on the outside, we're all abominations to them" Claire explained. "To the humans, to other covens of witches, to other vampires and werewolves, we're just abominations"

"You're point?" Kai growled struggling to control himself from lashing out.

"Own it" Claire told him. "If they think we're abominations, so be it" She says strongly. "They should be afraid of us because we're stronger than them. Not just physically or magically but our bond to each other. Our family bond is stronger than their hatred. We stick together and we cut down those who try to harm us and those who have harmed us in the past"

"I'm uh... not good with emotions" Kai says shifting uncomfortably. Claire smiles gently.

"I know and that's fine but I just want you to know that those people may share the same blood as you but they're not your family. We are" Claire assures him. "And we take care of our own. We protect out own" Kai holds Claire's gaze. Claire gives him a small nod before walking away allowing him to think about what she's said. "Oh, and Kai" He looks back at her. "All of us have blood on our hands but the only thing that matters is our loyalty to each other" Kai slowly nods trying to process her little speech.

"Thank you" Penelope whispers as Claire passes her. Claire smiles and hugs her sister.

Penelope felt touched that Claire had said all of that. To those who didn't know Kai, they would think he loved being at the Plantation and that he fit in like the rest. Only, he didn't feel as if he belonged. He was simply waiting for them to turn on him and for him to be forced to kill everyone. The only reason why he wasn't killing anyone was because of Penelope. He didn't need full understanding of his emotions to know he hated upsetting Penelope and would avoid doing it at all costs.

Hopefully, this would be a start to Kai settling in more with the family. Hopefully, he would become more comfortable and maybe even start trusting them like he trusts Penelope.

"Mal?" Penelope asks standing in front of him. His eyes focus on her and like a flip of a switch, his face lights up.

"We're getting three tag alongs on our trip" Kai says mentioning the three hybrids that were coming with them on their journey to hunt down his old family.

"The more the merrier right?" Penelope smiles. "Ready to go?"

"Born ready, Puddin" Kai says picking her up by her waist and spinning her around. Penelope giggles and clings onto him.

"He sure does make her happy" Caroline says as Claire enters the house. Claire turns around and watches her younger sister interact with Kai.

"Yeah, he does" Claire nods.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Caroline asks skeptically.

"I do" She nods confidently. "His true loyalty will always be to Penny, just like ours are with our mates. But he'll follow her anywhere and we're her family which makes us his"

"Great, because I was just thinking to myself, we're short a psychopath in the family" She says jokingly knowing fully well her own mate is one of those psychopaths.

"I'm sure more crazies will join our family before our time is up" Claire tells her.

"Remember when we thought that nobody could be worse than Damon?" Caroline asks. Claire laughs and nods. 

"So, you're not interrogating witches with Enzo and Kol?" Claire asks.

"No, I'm not much of an interrogator like those two" Caroline says. "And besides boys need their boy time just like girls need their girl time" Caroline grins at her sister.

"Girl day?" Claire asks excitedly.

"Girl day" Caroline confirms nodding. 

"I'll go get Ryan Reynolds" 

"I thought the boys destroyed out Ryan Reynolds stash?"

"I saw that coming and created a secret stash" Claire says winking at her sister. Caroline laughs and shakes her head. 

"Hey" Caroline calls after her sister before she could go dig up their celebrity crush. "I heard what you told Kai... about Sheila"

"Even after all this time... thinking about it still hurts" Claire whispers. Caroline sighs and walks up to her. Claire looks at her curiously. Caroline grins and holds up her pinkie.

"BTBFF?" She asks softly. Claire grins and wraps her pinkie around Caroline's.

"BTBFF" Claire confirms pressing her head against Caroline's.