Klaus glanced at his surroundings - the room only looking vaguely familiar - until his eyes met the hazel of Hayley Marshall's watery own - but she looked.....different, somehow. Her near black, well kept hair now peppered with lighter highlights and seemed a lot more untamed, the additional piercings in her left ear and unfamiliar tattoo creeping out past her grey shirt collar also caught the hybrid's eye.

Klaus could tell straight away that she had been crying, vague hints of mascara trailing down her face and glassy eyes being a dead give away. As was her painful silence.

He looked just beyond her to see a large mirror mounted on the wall, and he took in his own appearance. His beard was more scruffy and grown out, and his hair more curly and unruly. He noticed pictures scattered around the edge of the mirror....he noticed himself and Hayley in some, but the primary stars were an unfamiliar pair of teenagers, a boy and a girl, their hair a dark chocolate brown and eyes an ice blue. The same hair as Hayley and eyes as him. Is the girl....Hope? And the boy....no, it couldn't be him.

There was no sign of that bastard of a husband of Hayley's, Jackson Kenner, in any of the photos, so why would his son be in so many of them? Including a picture with just him, Klaus and Hope?

Klaus was snapped out of his thoughts by a presence in the room doorway. The hybrid swore a witch must have been playing some sort of mind game on him or that he was completely smashed with whiskey - because there was no way in hell he was really seeing Finn Mikaelson of all people standing solemnly in the doorway of the room he presumed to be his daughter's.

It was made worse by the fact that Hayley seemed to have more hope in her eyes than surprise at the sight of the Original vampire.

His eldest brother took a slow step forward into the room, though the pained look on his face never leaving.

"I regret to inform you that I have no better news than an hour ago. Marcelleus and Elijah have every last wolf, vampire and witch in this city searching and Rebekah, Kol, Carlos, Elena, Henrik and I have been searching ourselves, and I've even heard word that Camille O'Connell has been compelling humans to assist but still nothing," he paused, taking a breath, "Jackson Kenner and his last two remaining loyalist wolves are still our primary suspects, along with Freya believing they may have a witch or two on their side that's interferring with any of her, Bonnie or Davina's attempts at a locater spell."

"What about Mary?" Hayley questioned shakily, on the verge of more tears.

"She's been as helpful as possible with our thorough search of the Bayou. It seems that despite....everything, she still sees them as her grandchildren. She was the first to officially declare Kenner a dead wolf." Finn responded.

"He damn well is!" The words just spilled out of Klaus's mouth in a growl as if he didn't have control over them. Everything was so strange. Why the fuck was Finn here, acting like his & Hayley's informant? And why did he mention the names Elena, Bonnie and Henrik? What did those two foolish teenagers from Mystic Falls and someone who happened to share a name with his centuries-dead brother have to do with what ever the hell was going on?

Klaus's train of thoughts was once again interrupted, this time by Hayley practically throwing herself at his chest, her sobs being muffled by his jacket.

Klaus instinctively wrapped his arms around her and began running his fingers through her hair. It had been the only thing to help with her bouts of insomnia when she had been struggling with her transition to a hybrid. Though Klaus was unsure if it would be of much comfort this time around.

Finn shot his younger brother an empathetic look. "We will bring your children back to you, along with Jackson Kenner's head on the end of a stake, brother."

He gave Klaus a slow nod with his words and then silently turned and left the room.

That was when the first crash of thunder struck. Finn was back in the room quicker than he had even left, though this time he was followed by an unfamiliar teenager sporting a head of dark curls and similiar shade of blue eyes to Klaus's own.

Hayley broke away from him and rushed to the nearest window and out onto the balcony, followed closely by Klaus, Finn and the boy.

"What the actual fuck...." Curls trailed off, "Nik, you've been alive like a gazillion years please tell me you've seen something like this before-"

He most definitely had not.

The sky was blood red, the flashes of thunder and lightning aluminating it were now the only thing lighting up the street below them as the city had gone blackout. There were people screaming and running for cover everywhere. A figure running out from the ground floor of the Abbattoir caught Klaus's eye.....and of course it just happened to be Elena Gilbert. Great, things just got even better. First Finn, now Elena. Who was going to show up next, Katerina?

Elena was nearly wiped off her feet by yet another teenage boy scrambling through the city - from what Klaus could tell, he looked like the boy from the photos. Elena quickly embraced the clearly terrified child as if she knew him and it was within a second that Hayley hopped the balcony railing calling out for her son.

"ARCHER!"

So the boy was indeed Archer then. Klaus immediately followed her by jumping down himself, because of course who needs stairs when you're hybrids?

"Momma!"

Hayley vamped over to Archer, nearly knocking the poor boy clean off his feet, holding onto her son for dear life.

"Oh my god are you ok!? What the hell happened where is your sister?-" question after question came spewing out of Hayley's mouth at the speed of light, but she wasn't getting any answers as a teary-eyed Archer just kept fumbling over his words.

Klaus had his own questions for the boy, but before the hybrid even had a chance to try and get a word in edgeways Elena began rapidly hitting his arm, "Uh Klaus-"

In any other circumstance Klaus would've ripped her audacious head right off, but there were far more pressing matters to be dealt with.

Such as the horrific sight the dopplegänger was gesturing towards.

Approaching the group intimadatingly, which had now been joined by Finn, Curls and a vaguely familiar blonde woman, there was a a figure covered head to toe in blood, striking yellow hybrid-esque eyes and ridiculously sharp fangs strolling down the middle of the street dragging what seemed to be the mauled remains of a human, leaving a trail of blood smeared behind them.

As the figure came closer Klaus was just about able to make out that it was the girl from the photos.....his daughter. This creature, basking in the blood of her victim - or possibly victims, it looked like way too much blood to be just one - was in fact his daughter.

"....H-Hope...???" Hayley's voice trembled a little bit as she put herself between both her children. Klaus moved closer to Archer and this was when he noticed a partially healed wound on his hand that looked like a vampire had fed from it.

Hope finally came to a hault about a short distance away from them, the borderline pyschotic smile never leaving her face as she tossed the mauled remains infront of them.

Archer immediately ran towards his sister and bear-hugged her, no doubt getting himself also covered in blood. "You're ok!"

Hope's face immediately softened, her fangs retracted and eyes stopped glowing as she whispered back a respone Klaus could only hear due to his enhaced hearing,

"Yeah Arch...I'm ok."

Once the two siblings broke apart, it was Hayley's turn to embrace her daughter, but she did it with far more caution, eyeing up the remains as she stepped over them. She slowly cupped her daughter's face, "Hope....who or what do those remains belong to...?"

A car comming to a hap-hazard hault was heard in the distance, and out jumped Marcel, Rebekah, Elijah and Kol looking worried. The sky had pretty much returned to normal, and the city's back-up generator had began to kick in and some of the street lamps flickered to life, allowing the group a proper look at Hope.

The young girl slowly pulled away from Hayley as the devilish grin returned to her face, and Klaus noticed the borderline evil gleam that shone in her eyes - something he was all too familiar with.

"Oh those? Let's just say Jackson Kenner got what he deserved for trying to 'sacrifice' my brother and I. He was surprisingly tasty actually. A bit chewy, particularly his heart. I can gaurantee he wasn't prepared for me to-"

"HE TRIED TO WHAT-"

Klaus suddenly jolted up from his position on one of the slightlty more comfortable chairs that were scattered around the ground floor landing of the Abattoir.

The hybrid slowly rubbed his eyes then suddenly vamped straight to the nursery, just to see his two year-old daughter sleeping peacefully, and Hayley standing on the balcony over-looking the street slowly rocking a sleeping three week old boy. The same balcony they jumped off of for that same boy in his dream. Or nightmare, Klaus wasn't quite sure which category fit it better.

Hayley immediately spun around surprised and came back into the room, setting the baby down in his cot then rushing over to Klaus concerned. "Klaus is something wrong-"

Klaus let out a deep breath that he didn't know he was holding, "No love I'm fine everything's fine....it was just a really weird dream....or nightmare. Not really sure."

Klaus could tell that Hayley wasn't entirely convinced, but decided that changing the subject was the best course of action.

"Hey has that mutt of a husband of yours returned from his little weekend holiday that actually turned into a month yet? Or even contacted you at all? You know, considering you literally gave birth while he was away and all." Klaus didn't even bother trying to hide the passive-aggressiveness in his tone. He placed his hands on Hayley's sides gently and shortened the distance between them.

"No, other than a text he sent two days ago saying he'd be back "soon", which at this rate I'm highly doubting," she paused, then moved even closer towards Klaus, biting her lip, "But I'm also not particularly mad about." A mischeivous smirk grew on the hybrid's face, which was reciprocated by a smile of Klaus' own, and he wrapped his arms around her fully.

But just as Klaus leaned in to kiss her the pair was interupted by Rebekah clearing her throat. The blonde vampire had seemingly magically appeared in the doorway.

"Sorry to interupt you two.....lovebirds, but Nik, you still haven't decided what to do with Finn, Freya and Henrik."

Klaus sighed. At first he wanted to lock them up and throw away the key, despite Finn and his supposed sister Freya saving Hope, but now after that dream there was something deep inside him telling him otherwise. Telling him to give them a chance...perhaps to even trust them.

"Give me a minute to handle this little wolf." Klaus pressed a kiss to Hayley's cheek and followed Rebekah out of the nursery, and downstairs into the room where they were keeping Finn, Freya and Henrik.

"Rebekah love could you give us a moment?"

Rebekah silently exited the room as Finn & Freya rose up from their spots sitting on the couch, but the young boy, Henrik, stayed curled up with his chin on his knees.

"Against my better judgement, I have decided that due to a recent incident and your aid in securing the safety of my daughter, I'm going to give you a chance to prove yourselves loyal to this family," Klaus paused as Finn waited with bated breath, "If you fail to earn my trust you will find yourself in a coffin for another nine hundred years, you understand me brother?"

A small smile formed on Finn's face, and he nodded, "I understand. And I must admit, I very much admire your love and dedication to the safety of your children, and perhaps-"

Klaus cut him off. "Children? What do you mean by children?"

"Oh well....I assumed that Hayley's boy was also yours-"

Klaus took a step closer to him. "And why exactly would you assume that?"

Finn swallowed, his voice barely above a whisper, "The eyes.....he has your eyes....."

Klaus shook his head. "Forget it....don't speak of such matters ever again," Finn meekily nodded as the hybrid cleared his throat, "Your first test, you're going to go to the Bayou and snuff out Jackson Kenner, and drag him back here."

Freya smirked. "Dead or alive?"

Klaus chuckled slightly. "Alive. I'm certain Hayley would wish to deal with the bastard personally."

Klaus pulled a set of keys out of his jacket pocket and placed them in Finn's hand. "Oh, and if you happen to come across a short elderly blonde woman by the name of Mary Durmas, do inform her of her grandson's recent transgressions and the birth of her great-grandson. Fair warning however, you may need to restrain her from killing the mutt herself."

Finn gingerly took the keys and placed them in his own pocket. "And if we run into any trouble? The Bayou isn't exactly the most vampire friendly place on Earth and doubt the wolves would recognise me in my natural form."

"Tell them that you're there on behalf of the queen, Hayley Marshall."

Finn nodded again, and he and Freya left to go find the car. Henrik got up to follow them, but Klaus put his hand out to stop him. "On the contrary, I believe you should stay here, little brother, and get some rest. You and I will have much to discuss later." He gave the boy a smile, which seemed to ease Henrik's nerves slightly.

"Alright, Niklaus...."

"You can just call me Klaus. Or Nik, if you want to be special like Rebekah." Both brothers chuckled at the sound of Rebekah's offended shout from outside the room.

Klaus gave his youngest brother one last look before exiting the room himself, and heading back upstairs to the nursery.

Both children were sleeping peacefully in their cots, while their mother stood out on the balcony with her arms folded and leaning against the railing, overlooking the bustling and very much alive French Quarter.

Klaus slowly approached and stood beside her, carefully placing his own hands on the railing, though Hayley didn't move a muscle.

"I think you and I need to talk, little wolf...." The hybrid's voice was quiet.

"Is it about what Finn said?"

Klaus paused, a slight look of surprise on his face.

"I still have hybrid hearing, remember?"

The silence between them fell again.

"I'm sorry, Klaus....." Hayley swallowed.

"Be honest with me Hayley."

"Klaus please-"

He turned to face her abruptly. "Is Archer my son? And you better tell me the truth right now-"

Hayley turned around and put her head in her hands, sliding her back down the railing until she was sitting on the balcony floor.

Klaus slowly crouched down beside her and placed a soft hand on her shoulder. "Please Hayley...."

"I don't know why I even bothered.....of course he had to get your fucking eyes-" Hayley choked out between sniffles. Klaus cautiously wrapped his arms around her, and sighed.

"I suppose I have my answer then...."

Finally got this posted! Hope you guys enjoyed it, the first act will be fairly short and will just act as background for the fic's main events :)