They soon returned to work.

"I'd rather stay in bed again," said Klaus dejectedly as Esmeray got up and started to insist that he needed to do the same.

"We've been at it for a week straight," she said, giggling lightly. "It's so much harder to stop when we've both fully tapped into our wolf sides. But Marcel confirmed yesterday that Finn's body disappeared from the morgue, so I need to do a Locator Spell on him and on Freya, who has to have been the one that resurrected him."

"I'd rather give it another go," he said, gesturing to the bed. "What if it didn't work?"

Esmeray's expression became sad. "I... I will take a test soon. I'm thinking the same. Anya made it pretty clear that everything about my physiology went irregular the day of the wedding. My hormone levels changed drastically and there's... a significant chance that we'll need to keep up our efforts for months before we get lucky."

Klaus got to his feet, wrapping the sheets around his waist before going over to pull her into a hug. "Do not grow discouraged, love," he said, regretting having brought up what was clearly a sensitive subject. "The point is that it will work, at some point. Perhaps not this week, or in the next month. But it will happen."

"I feel really... inadequate," she mumbled. "You and Hayley had a one night stand that lasted less than five hours and boom, you got a perfect little girl. We've been trying for a week for nearly the entire day each time and I don't feel different. I should feel different, I should feel an extra magical signal or something and I don't feel anything. What if I can't even get pregnant? I want to give you a child, and—"

"Hold on, love," he said, putting his hand up. "Don't get into that terrible biblical mentality. You are not obligated to give me, or anyone, a child. We decided, together, that we wanted one. As a couple and as co-parents. Do not think yourself inadequate merely because our first round of attempts did not work. It is a team effort and we will do what we must. Both of us wish to parent a child together and it will happen. I know you wish to be a mother and I know it is obnoxious that it cannot happen as quickly for us. I am not normally one to preach about patience, but it must be done. You're a wolf. You can get pregnant, just not right away, and there is nothing wrong with that. Your body is still normal because of it, and I still cherish you the same whether we can or can't have a baby. Even if we never manage to conceive a child, my feelings for you will never go away."

That's what she'd needed to hear, and she let out a quiet sigh before pulling back. "Let me get to my spells, then. Perhaps a bit of magic is what I need to make the right processes kick in."

"Disclaimer," she said about ten minutes later when she was staring in frustration at a map of New Orleans. "Even with the new power, it's going to take a bit longer than expected."

"Why is that?" asked Klaus, peering over her shoulder.

"Freya is thirteen years older than me, so her magic is just a teensy bit stronger than mine. Maybe a bit more than 'teensy' because she's been able to control it for longer. But I will find her."

Klaus's phone began to ring, and he sighed in annoyance. "Elijah," he huffed before going out into the hallway to answer it.

At that moment, Hayley came in, seeing Esmeray wasn't exactly in the middle of a spell, more like, preparing for a different one. "Hey," she said a bit awkwardly. "Can we... talk?"

"What about?" asked Esmeray, looking up at her.

Hayley swallowed hard and sat on the couch across from her. "The Unification Ritual. The whole, married couple thing. I um, mentioned to Jack how I haven't really seen him much. I guess I was so focused with Hope and he was so focused with the wolves that moved in that we... didn't get to chat much. And he mentioned he doesn't want me to feel obligated with anything, so he's been keeping his distance, and I realized that he means... intimacy. He and I haven't... you know."

"But you both want to?"

"He wants to, I'm sure of it, but he's too respectful to be upfront about it."

"Do you want to?"

Hayley blushed. "I do. He's a wonderful guy, and even with minimal contact, these past several days since the wedding have made me feel such... relief. Like I can relax, because I married the perfect guy who will never take me for granted or make me feel like I have to do things to keep him happy."

"So, why the hesitation? Is it because you're not completely over Elijah?"

She nodded. "I admit, I've found my feelings somewhat dissipating now that I know he's across the river and getting... very friendly with that Gia girl. But even so, there's a part of me that just can't forget him. Or what we did together. I worry that I'll say or do something that will make Jack feel like he's being compared to him. I know that you know about your inner wolf now, and mine is very... judgy. She's sort of the one that ties me to my bitchy side, and she's very prone to speaking up whenever she feels like it."

"Comparing them will inevitably happen in your head— your inner wolf will want to contrast them to see which one makes you happier. It's sort of up to you what you choose to focus on. Sex wise, your inner wolf will probably prefer Elijah, and I don't mean to say Jackson is bad or anything, but Elijah's got a thousand years of experience, and trust me when I say— it makes a difference."

"Oh. I didn't know you could relate."

Esmeray bit her lip. "I can. The first time I was with Klaus, I immediately thought back to Damon. A young vampire, less than two hundred years old, but also very good with the ladies. And no offense to him, but it just wasn't as good with him as it was with Klaus. But another aspect that made it better— Klaus and I have this connection that just makes everything feel better with him. Damon's my best friend, yes, but romantically, he just didn't try hard enough. He didn't try to get over Elena to be with me even though he wanted to try for something between the two of us. Klaus devoted himself entirely to me, he changed his behavior to make me feel comfortable and to show he was a good man. Think about that."

Hayley understood what she meant. "You're right," she murmured. "Jack has one hundred percent backed me up since we met. Even knowing I'm a hybrid now, he respects me, and he never once made it seem like I disgusted him. But then, Elijah... he didn't speak to me properly for months, as if it was somehow problematic for him that I was a hybrid, and that I wanted a connection with my wolf side. He didn't make me feel like I mattered. Now... I'm wondering why I even slept with him. He didn't give me a proper apology. He didn't even bother to explain why he mistreated me, or make up for it. I guess I just saw him protecting Hope that day, and he was understanding when I told him about Jackson and I getting married... so I went for it."

She put her hands over her face. "Even then, it's hard to let go of Elijah. There's just something there... and I can't forget how it made me feel when I was around him. But Jackson, my husband, is the better man for me. I deserve that. And I think..." she bit her lip. "Not even think. I want to do this with him. I don't want to deal with the awkwardness." She looked up at Esmeray. "Do you think you and Klaus could watch Hope this evening?"

Esmeray grinned. "Sure. What time are you thinking?"

"Hmm... around nine. Does that give you enough time for the Freya and Finn thing?"

The werewitch nodded. "I'll find them fast and we'll get to them even faster."

It took a few more tries, but the spell worked, and Esmeray was able to sense Freya's magic in the Lafayette Cemetery.

"They're both there," she told Klaus as he drove them to the main entrance. "I'll go find her, you find Finn."

They parted ways when they arrived, and Esmeray made her way straight to the lycée, which was astonishingly empty.

"Oh, crap," she muttered to herself, looking around. "I guess I thought of the wrong—"

She was slammed into the wall, gasping for air as she looked up at Mikael. "I much prefer vampire blood," he sneered at her, the darkened veins appearing under his eyes. "But after so long a slumber, one needn't be so picky."

She thrust her hands out, and Mikael was thrown back into the wall. He got to his feet quickly, but looked mildly surprised with the change in power he felt. "So it is true, then?" he mused. "Niklaus's little bitch is really a full hybrid now?"

"I really don't like that nickname," she said, taking a step toward him. "Where are your two eldest? Roaming around causing problems?"

"That is none of your concern, beast," Mikael snarled before lunging at her.

She didn't even need to use her magic this time— she saw him coming and she dodged, ducking under his legs and tossing him over her shoulder, leaving him to slam into the ground flat on his back. He kicked her away from him as she made to pin him down and punch him, but she recovered fast enough to give a kick of her own, allowing him to catch her foot and using his own momentum when he pulled to knock the both of them to the ground, but in a way that Esmeray could yank his arms behind his back, breaking them as he broke hers, before.

"Much more to your level now, huh?" she said, digging her knee hard enough into his back that she felt a crack. "Where's Freya?"

"I'm right here."

Esmeray looked up to see a blonde standing by the entrance. "Kindly get off of my father," the witch said, and the silence that followed seemed to imply an omitted 'or else.'

The werewitch got to her feet, and Freya looked her over. "It is good to meet you, Esmeray Poldark," said Freya. "I've heard very good things about you, and it is clear that you are quite strong." She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Mikael. "Father, I would very much appreciate if you could procure these materials for me."

Esmeray had never seen Mikael appear so much like a normal dad. He nodded without a sneer, and had an almost loving look in his eyes as he acknowledged his firstborn's request. "Of course, my daughter," he said, and his voice sounded much softer.

"Just wait one moment, if you please," said Freya, gesturing for him to remain with Esmeray. "I sense my brothers are fighting, and I need to go separate them. I will return shortly."

Awkward.

"So," said Esmeray, not liking the silence, "it must be nice to know that your daughter is still alive. She seems sweet."

Mikael rolled his eyes. "Do not pretend to sympathize with me. You are still an abomination, and you and I have nothing in common."

"Don't we? I think you and my father were once friends. There was a time when you at least understood the power wolves held."

He scoffed. "Friends? For someone who claims to be at my level, you are still a childish little brat. Is it true that you intend to make more little beasts with that bastard?"

"Yeah," she said, shrugging. "You know, I'd be inclined to give you visitation rights if you'd set your pride and hostility aside. Technically, it'd still be your grandchild."

Mikael looked at her as if he considered her a colossal idiot. "Visitation rights," he snapped, "how utterly dull." He stopped to look at her, then laughed maliciously. "I see your attempts have been unsuccessful."

Her face paled, and she instinctively draped her hands over her stomach. How could she have forgotten that a vampire would be able to hear a separate heartbeat? She could have just asked Klaus to listen, earlier.

"It seems I've hit a soft spot," said the Original, relishing in seeing her so uncomfortable. "Perhaps you ought to think long and hard about what you're doing. I did respect your father, until the sniveling fool came to aid the man who slept with my wife. Now, I pity any child who would be born to you and Niklaus."

"It wasn't my father's fault that Esther cheated on you," Esmeray hissed. "Maybe I can't excuse Ansel for going for it even when he knew she was married. But I will not let you insult my father for being loyal to his own kind and for standing up to a man like you, who tore apart innocent families just to get two men. Only one of those wolves killed Henrik. Only Ansel slept with your wife. And yet, you killed children because they got in your way. Forget what I said. I don't want you anywhere near my child when I have it."

"Your child would be a weakling. The greatest favor you can do it is never letting it see the light of day. With a father like Niklaus, I won't need to be near it. He will ruin it on his own."

"Shut up!" Esmeray snapped, now livid. "Don't you dare insult him or insinuate that he wouldn't be a good father! Because he is. And that's a lot more than what can be said about you. You were the one who chose to abuse him. You were the one who made the lot of them miserable! I wonder if Freya knows about all the things I've seen through Klaus's memories. I wonder if she knows how you beat him for not being able to keep up with Finn in a fight, even though he was six years older than him. I wonder if she knows how you struck Rebekah for comforting him. I wonder if she knows how you nearly killed Elijah for protecting him. You sicken me, Mikael, and you are rotten to the core. You had no excuse for mistreating Klaus when you didn't even know he wasn't your son. You saw him as a weakling because Esther corrupted his strength. You call him a beast because he is part wolf. Really, the weakling and the beast is you. You weren't strong enough, mentally or physically, to be a good father to your other children after you lost your firstborn, even though they did nothing to deserve your cruelty simply because their mother gave away their sister. You were too much of a brute to show them even a speck of kindness after they had to live their whole lives afraid of you because you were dissatisfied with the fact that they weren't perfect replacements for the child you lost. You're the one they all despise. I'm so glad that Hope will never have to know you. You'd be the one to ruin her and any sibling she'll have, just how you ruined your own children."

Mikael seemed almost ashamed when she made to leave, because at that moment, Freya walked back in, and he knew she'd heard what Esmeray had said.

"It was good to meet you, Esmeray," Freya told her kindly. "I look forward to getting to know you, soon."

Esmeray half-smiled. "Goodbye, Freya."

She was annoyed once she got back to the car, seeing Klaus and Elijah waiting for her. She could see from the looks on their faces that they had heard the last bits of her conversation with Mikael.

"Say the word, and I'll kill him," Klaus said, opening the door for her to sit in the passenger's seat.

"No," she said, shaking her head and climbing in. "He's hateful, but he could have killed me if he wanted to, and he didn't. He's not going to be a threat unless Freya weaponizes him. He's kind to her. I just... want to go home."

As they were driving back (without Elijah, of course, since he wasn't heading back to the Compound), Klaus couldn't help but notice that she kept sliding her hand over her tummy. "Do you feel sick, love?"

"He told me he didn't hear anything," she mumbled. "It didn't work."

"That's not necessarily true. Even a week in, it's very early. I er— took the liberty of reading a few things about it, and supposedly, they do not develop a heart until five or six weeks."

"You have to remember this is going to be a tribrid kid. Development is different."

"How so?"

"At least, what I sensed with Hope, she developed all her organs right away. Within the first two weeks, she had every single organ she needed, and the rest of the pregnancy was about growth of the entire body. Think about the power she has. She's too strong to be developing her organs at different times. It's hard to explain, but the power needs a place to settle in, and she wouldn't be able to handle it if her body wasn't completely ready to take it in. The fetal stage changes drastically to accommodate all this extra strength." She shook her head, not knowing how to word it any better, because she was too distracted. "The point is, Hope had a heartbeat very very early on, because she's a tribrid. Mikael should have been able to hear it if I was already pregnant, or he should have at least been able to sense something being there. And he didn't."

"How about we stop for a test?"

Esmeray sighed. "Alright."

They stopped at a pharmacy for a pregnancy test (more like four) before returning to the Compound. Esmeray only took one, at first, wanting to save the others for the future, but when it came out negative, she tore open the other boxes, and was greeted with three more negatives that significantly ruined her mood.

"It will work, love," Klaus said, trying to soothe her once evening came, and they were laying on his bed, with Hope babbling between them and playing with her various stuffed animals. Hope, who seemed to be able to sense that Esmeray was sad, went to lay next to her, giggling and handing her different toys to see if it would make her smile.

"It should have already worked," she said weakly, trying not to cry. "I'm telling you, the process is supposed to be faster because it's a tribrid kid. I'm just... damaged."

"You are not damaged. You are perfect. Perhaps it's my fault— the binding spell could have left me infertile for this first week after it was removed."

"Don't be absurd, the spell doesn't work like that, and even if it did do that, your vampire and wolf body would have fixed it right away."

Hope cooed, grabbing onto Esmeray's shirt and pulling it as if she wanted to be hugged. The werewitch put an arm around her, rubbing her back and looking down at her, her eyes unintentionally welling up with tears. "What if nature is against it, now?" she said shakily. "Before, the entire universe seemed to be shoving us together, and I resisted, and the tribrid baby was born to you and Hayley. What if nature only wants one to exist and won't let us make another one? Anya says that unless we use science to our advantage, the kid will be a tribrid."

"Perhaps that is the answer. Using science to achieve the pregnancy."

Esmeray sniffled, wiping her eyes with her other hand. "I don't want to have to resort to that! It should work without me having to do spells over a petri dish. That's embarrassing."

"There's nothing wrong with it, love, it doesn't mean you're abnormal. It just means we need a boost, and if it can help, then we ought to give it a go. You'd still be the one carrying the child once we ensured the procedure worked."

Hope started to whimper when she felt Esmeray trembling. She patted her chest and kicked her little legs against her belly, as if anxious that her presence was doing nothing to comfort her. "It's alright, princess," Klaus said, sitting up and picking Hope up. "She's not ignoring you, she just doesn't feel well."

"I'm sorry, Hope," said Esmeray, also sitting up so that she could wrap the blanket around herself properly.

Hope reached her arms toward her, and Esmeray plucked her up, holding her close and sighing. Klaus moved closer to her and put his arms around the both of them, giving each a kiss on the forehead.

"You two are my everything," he whispered. "And no matter what, I will love you."

Esmeray looked up at him immediately, and he cupped her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I love you," he told her outright. "I will love you whether we have ten children together, or none. I will love you if you're by my side or a thousand miles away. It will take time for it to work, love, but it doesn't mean I will love you any less simply because it takes longer than expected. Hope can wait to have a sibling, she's a patient little thing."

As if she could understand them, Hope giggled, nuzzling closer into Esmeray and letting out a soft sigh, her head once again resting over her heart.

Esmeray swallowed hard before bringing her hand out to hold Klaus's. "I love you, too," she told him, kissing his hand, and then leaning forward to kiss his lips. "Thank you for being here. For making me feel... secure, even when this is all making me really sad and anxious."

"I promise you, we will have a child one day," Klaus told her. "I will do whatever I have to do to make it happen."