Klaus wasn't going down without a fight.

"Now, that's just cruel," said Maddy when she got his text, letting him know that he had taken Freya to see Esther to 'ask about how to resurrect Kol in his witch body.' Thankfully, Rebekah had gone with them, but Maddy still found that incredibly mean. Klaus was just trying to make Freya miserable.

Elijah had been most worried that something bad would happen. So, he'd decided that he would go and try to find them while Kol went to consult Bonnie about the spell, so they could brainstorm a potentially outline for it in comparison to whatever Esther provided (if anything).

Maddy was left alone, which had been fine. She felt better relaxing and letting her frustration towards Klaus die down when he wasn't there. She knew that she couldn't be too harsh with him for how he felt towards Freya— he was just trying to make sure she didn't stab them all in the back and deliver Maddy and the baby directly to Dahlia. Still, she wished he could be just a tad more open-minded.

She'd heard a knock downstairs, and had gone to peer out of her balcony discreetly to see who it was. She rushed to open the door when she saw it was Ansel.

"They're all out of the house right now," she said, surprised that he'd come to see her. Sometimes she caught sight of him watching the house to make sure all was well, but it had been quite a long time since he came to speak with her. "How are you? How are things in the Bayou?"

"All is well," he said simply. "The wolves have all been doing well since the wedding."

"You didn't come to that. You didn't get the blessing."

"I would have had to acknowledge Jackson and Hayley as my Alphas."

"And you didn't want to do that because you're... your own Alpha?"

The look he gave her suggested that he just hadn't wanted to bow down to wolves younger than him. "I can already control my abilities. I turn painlessly each full moon. It is a gift, being humbled every month."

"Sure," she said, thinking that if she was a wolf, she'd do everything in her power to be free of that obligation to turn. "Anyway... do you want food, or something?"

"I've already eaten."

"Well... then walk with me to the kitchen, because I haven't."

He ended up munching on some apples while she snacked on some tangerines. He didn't seem to know what to say to her. He clearly just wanted to keep her company since he knew that literally everyone was busy and unable to pay any attention to her.

"Are you well?" he asked, noticing she kept massaging her stomach.

"I'm fine," she promised. "She just kicks a lot. Specifically when I eat and when I'm trying to sleep. Once she dragged her whole elbow over my belly. I swear, Klaus nearly had a heart attack thinking she was going to bust her way out of there."

Ansel's lip twitched. "And it does not hurt you when she does it?"

"Some discomfort if she kicks for a long time in the same spot. But I think she can sense that it's hurting me because she usually stops after a while. The thing that's worst is the fatigue. I'm always tired and drowsy no matter how much I sleep. Kol and Bonnie make me these teas that are supposed to help but since they're witch herbal remedies, the Traveler magic sort of cancels it out and renders it useless. At least they taste good."

"I know some herbs that witches do not tend to use, as they are harder to obtain. They may help, as they might not be counted as part of Spirit Magic. I could bring them to you tomorrow."

"Ansel, you don't have to do that."

"I wish to. I recall my wife would have very difficult pregnancies, and it always helped her. You may not be petite but you are incredibly frail, and this labor will take a toll on you. Best this is fixed now so that you may conserve your strength. When will you be giving birth?"

"In two months, around Christmas probably."

"And what's the earliest it could survive? In the event that the Traveler magic were to fail and you needed an emergency C-section?"

Maddy was surprised he knew that term. "Um... I think at twenty-four weeks is the earliest that they can survive... not entirely sure, we never really discussed that. She's been so normal that Jo is certain I'll be giving birth very close to full term. Twenty-four weeks is around... the start of the sixth month, give or take a week to account for when the pregnancy weeks actually start being counted. I'm at around thirty-one weeks, and I'll probably give birth at week thirty-nine so... yeah, around exactly two months to go."

He didn't respond to that, so she changed the subject, "Any idea what I should dress up as for Halloween?"

He blinked. "I'm not familiar with what 'good costumes' are for that."

She just forced a smile. "That's okay. Where will you be on Thanksgiving? I know it's still far away, but we can start planning."

"We?"

"Maybe we could get together. I don't know what the others will be doing, but it would be nice if you could join us, or at least join me, for dinner. My brothers will be coming to stay here around that time so that they're here before the baby is born."

"Why haven't they come to live here?"

"Damon's too attached to the Boarding House, and besides, he hates Klaus, so he just stays connected from afar, which I don't mind. I prefer him be where he's happiest instead of here, complaining. And it gives me a break from us fighting all the time. Stefan is actually between Mystic Falls and other places. He and his girlfriend have been traveling a lot, but he always likes to return home. Enzo is just sticking by Liv while she graduates but he's probably going to come and live here long term after that. Liv wants to be closer to Jo, and he wants to be closer to me."

"They seem like good brothers."

She smiled. "They are. It's weird to compare my relationship with them with the one Klaus and his siblings have. They fight a lot more often. Still, we would all die for each other. On both sides."

Ansel hummed, which she took as him being happy to hear this. Honestly, it was so hard to understand what he was feeling at any given time. "What will you be naming her?" he asked, gesturing to her belly.

"We're not set on anything," said Maddy. "I like Eliana. Klaus has no preference, he just doesn't want her to be named explicitly after someone we know. He says he wants something short and meaningful, because Mikaelson is already a long name. I think we'll know when the birth actually happens. It'll come to us then. And if not then we'll accept suggestions from people only after she's in my arms."

"Where will you be giving birth?"

"Probably at the hospital. I'll need to be turned immediately after. Jo's predicting the last of the Traveler magic will exit my body shortly after, so Kol or her would scan me for any remaining magic, and then I'd just be fed Klaus's blood and turned."

"Will your mother not be there?"

Maddy tried not to show how sad this made her. "Um, no, I expect she'll be busy."

"Well, who will be in the room with you?"

"Aside from Jo, just Klaus and Elena. Elena's studying medicine so it's a good learning experience. Plus, she's my best friend and practically my sister, so...."

"Why not your brothers?"

"Stefan can't handle the blood. Enzo will be cracking too many jokes. Damon can't stay serious long enough."

"So... there won't be anyone in the room who has been through it before? No one who has witnessed it from the patient's side? Has Jo ever delivered a child?"

"Only a few times before but not in awhile, she's studying up on it. I guess I could see if Liz Forbes or Carol Lockwood could come for it but they're not really that close with me, it might be weird to ask it of them."

Ansel clasped his hands together. "I have obviously never given birth but I helped my wife through her labor, for all of our children. As Alpha, I assisted all the midwives, to ensure I acknowledged every new member of the Pack personally. I have been through it, as a father and as a guide to the mothers who have never done it before. If you would like, I could be there to—"

Maddy silenced him by pulling him into a hug. Which wasn't very tight considering her belly got in the way. She hoped he didn't mind. At first, he'd squirmed, not sure what to do. But when he realized that she'd started crying, he brought his arms up, rubbing her back.

"Thank you," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut as her voice cracked, and she buried her face in his shoulder. "I know I should be grateful that Klaus and Elena will be there but it honestly doesn't feel like enough. It's been so hard to do this without my mom. I try not to think about her but I always find myself wishing she was here. I'm surrounded by people who are amazing to me but none of them are her. They can't do what she would do."

Ansel, who had managed to learn all about the situation just from observing, heaved a sigh. "It's her loss. She's missing out on seeing you grow into this wonderful mother. Already I can see this baby is changing you. You are far more considerate of others than you ever were when you were a vampire. I know that when you turn you'll behave better than you did in the past. You and your brothers used to bond through murder but now, I don't think you'll do that. You're valuing the lives of those you don't know in a way you didn't before. And that is a good mother. Someone who cares about those who they have no connection with. You are persevering despite having had awful parents. Your daughter will never have to suffer that way. You will teach her to feel compassion, just as you encouraged Niklaus to feel it, without being ashamed. He's still learning, but already he's a more generous man than he was before. You're doing an amazing job, honey. And I'm proud of both of you for working to be good parents despite the experience you had."

She whimpered, keeping her eyes closed as more tears started to flow out. Ansel continued to massage her back, tensing when he felt like someone was watching them. He craned his neck back a bit, seeing Klaus had been around the corner the entire time.

He walked Ansel out once they'd gotten Maddy to take a nap. "You helped her today," mused Klaus, feeling a mix of emotions in that moment. Annoyance that Ansel just showed up without informing anyone. Frustration that he couldn't stay away, when Klaus explicitly had told him to leave. And appreciation that he was stubborn enough that it could help Maddy when she needed it.

"She just needed to hear a parental figure telling her that she's doing everything right," said Ansel quietly. "Had her mother been here, she would be constantly reassuring her and assuaging her fears."

"Her mother is a fool. Preferring to spend her time with a band of misfits instead of her pregnant daughter. It's negligence at its finest."

Ansel stopped in the doorway. "I am sorry that I did not seek you out," he said simply, despite the way Klaus's jaw clenched to indicate he didn't want to hear this right now. "I truly am sorry that I abandoned you. Neglected you in that way. I will always regret it. All I advise is that you do not do to your daughter what I did to you."

He acknowledged the way Klaus averted his gaze from him. "My absence caused you to feel paranoid that you will always be abandoned. And so, you take down others before they can leave you. You kept your family daggered to keep them close. Then, when it becomes more overwhelming, you disappear. Do not do this to them. I am aware that Madeleine has given you the option to retreat if you decide you no longer wish to be involved. While it is kind of her to do so, I advise you not to do it. Your daughter must grow up knowing you, or your chance at mending your relationship with her, if you choose to return in the future, will be very slim. You are going to be a good father, Niklaus. I see the love in your eyes when you look at her and when you look down at her belly and listen to the heartbeat of your child."

"And yet there will always be a chance I will be as Mikael was with me," said Klaus coldly, looking back up at him.

Ansel shook his head. "No. Because you know how awful it feels to be on the receiving end. You will break that cycle of abuse, I know it. And you will be the healthy, loving father that he wasn't. The father I never was to you because I was too much of a coward to claim you. You are already far better than Mikael. When you see that in yourself... you ought to take a moment to be proud, too."

He walked off without another word, and Klaus did not try to pursue.

When Maddy awoke from her nap, she found that she was in his arms. "How did it go with Freya?" she asked sleepily. "Was it as torturous as you wanted it to be?"

"For the most part," he admitted. "Rebekah and Elijah's interference was unwarranted and obnoxious."

"I'd hardly call it unwarranted. Unwanted, by you, maybe. But their worries made sense."

"Are you cross with me?"

"No. Am I mildly annoyed that you can't be a bit more patient with her? Somewhat. But I understand where you're coming from. And I admire how hard you fight to keep us safe. I just think that if Freya wanted to hurt me, she would have already. It wouldn't have been hard for her to do it. Obviously we shouldn't trust her immediately. But a probationary period where you at least don't try to hurt her emotionally might be nice."

Klaus shrugged, and she drew back to cast him a significant look, making him huff. "If she betrays us—"

"Then you'll rip her head off, I know." She scooted closer, putting her head on his chest. "I'm scared, Nik. I really am. Is Freya going to be able to bring Kol back in his body? I feel like we need that to happen, or else, we won't be able to defeat Dahlia."

"It will take a few more days of planning to know for certain. And then, we must wait two months for our daughter to be ready to be born. Apparently, she's quite comfy in your womb."

Maddy smirked. "Did she tell you that?"

"Yes. We have conversations constantly when you're asleep."

"I bet you complain about me to her."

"What would there be to complain about?" He tucked his hand under her chin, tilting her head up to make her look at him. "My beautiful wife, who is carrying our child, who constantly accompanies me in my art room, who listens to me speak of trivial matters, and who always has an interesting remark... I find nothing worth complaining about."

"Why the art room mention? That's such a simple thing."

Klaus shook his head. "It isn't. At that point, I am at my most vulnerable. You are the only one who has never once judged me for it. Mikael despised when I painted. My siblings, at one point, have all grown frustrated with the way I act when I am in the mindset of an artist, and have complained. You have always appreciated my art. Appreciated who I am in those moments and what versions of myself I represent on the canvas. You've modeled for me, given me ideas. And simply been there to hold me while I paint my troubles away. You have loved me for... me. The true me. You don't seek to gain anything from it. You are there because you wish to be."

Maddy kissed him firmly. "Because you're so happy when you paint," she murmured. "And I like seeing you at your happiest. Watching you paint is therapeutic to me." She kissed him once more, brushing her hands against the stubble on his cheeks. "Plus, you look so hot when you're in art mode."

Klaus raised a brow. "Oh? How so?"

"You always start with your clothes completely on. Then, you always unbutton the top of your henley... and I can see a bit of your bird tattoo. When it gets really intense, you pull your shirt off, which is always a nice sight. Then, you get paint all over you and since you never close the bathroom door while you shower, I always get to see how you smooth the paint off of yourself. It's appealing."

The mention of the tattoos made him perk up. "I must add another to that."

"To the birds?"

"Yes."

"When did you get these tattoos?" she had asked him, tracing her finger over his chest, where he had a feather on his shoulder that burst into a total of nine birds. On his back, she recalled seeing a perfect equilateral triangle.

"After I activated my hybrid side," he said, tracing his fingers over her skin, which had no tattoos anywhere on it. "The triangle is supposed to represent how I transitioned into a greater state of being when I completed the ritual. The birds... one for each member of my family. As there are nine of them, one could believe that it represents my parents, as well as my six siblings and I. However, Mikael and Esther do not form a part of it. Instead, the final two are for you and Marcel. The only ones whom I do not share blood with, and yet, have become family to me." He cupped her face. "You are my family, love. I will always protect you."

"One more for the baby?" she asked, just to confirm. He nodded, and she smiled. "Maybe I should get a tattoo once she's born. For my family. I saw one on Pinterest of three small dragons behind the ear. Three, for my three brothers. Then, I could get two little birds on my collarbone for you, and for our little girl. Kind of matching yours, unless you don't want me to be a copycat."

"I'd like it if you copied me. I enjoy knowing that you admire my tattoos that much. You could, aside from the three small dragons, add four extra birds for yourself and your brothers."

"Hmm. Maybe a fifth one for Elena, she's like my sister. Oh, but then Lexi was like my sister, too..."

Klaus just smirked. "Stick with the blood for this one, love, or you'll end up with far too many birds on your collarbone."

"So maybe I can get only two dragons that can represent the two women who have been closest enough to me for me to consider them sisters. Lexi and Elena. I have other female friends who I've been very close with but none as close as them." She then gasped. "I just realized... you have a bird for each of your six siblings. Freya was one of them. You added her even though you thought she was dead."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't remind me, or I'll want it removed. I suppose instead the smallest bird will be for the baby. Freya can now be excluded from the count."

"Now, that's just mean."

"I adore being mean."

"I can tell."

He patted her hip, sitting up. "That reminds me, I finished my project in the nursery. I was only waiting for the paint to dry. It's time to show you."

"I'm surprised the curiosity never won me over," she said, smirking as she walked with him to the door by her closet. "Every day I pass by it and every day I'm tempted to open it but I don't because you said you wanted it to be a surprise..."

She trailed off as he swung the door open. The cracks had been fixed. The paint had been done over to reflect the original style of the walls but with more vibrant beige-pink tones than the dull grey it had had before. The lamps had been fixed, there was a changing table, a fine wooden bureau, a mobile with shimmering crystals, along with other accessories that made the room look absolutely lovely. Klaus had even added smaller versions of previously painted landscapes of his, hanging them on the wall to make the room feel more alive.

"Nik," she whispered, "it's so beautiful. I love it."

She pulled him in for a kiss. At that moment, the bells of the nearby St. Louis Cathedral started to toll, as they usually did to mark the hour. But instead of their usual ringing once to indicate each hour, they took on a strange tune, one that Maddy had never heard before.

They hadn't paid much attention to it, until they heard a knock on the door downstairs. Frowning, they both moved down, finding that a man was waiting for them.

"Who are you?" demanded Klaus when the man just stood there with his hands tucked behind his back.

"A promise made is a debt to be paid," he said simply, before bringing out his hand to reveal a black flower.

"Oh my god," said Maddy nervously, recognizing it. "Is that a... black dahlia?"

Klaus sneered, lunging at the man and putting him in a chokehold, causing him to drop the flower. "Show yourself, witch."

Suddenly, the people walking on the street behind him, who had initially been oblivious to their exchange, all stopped in their tracks and turned to face him. A random woman spoke in the crowd, "I am here."

"I am everywhere," said another man, a bit further away.

"And," finished the man, wheezing as Klaus continued to choke him, "I intend to take what is mine."

Klaus squeezed so hard, the man's head popped off. No one took notice. They all continued to go about their business.

Maddy felt a chill go down her spine as the bells stopped tolling.