Chapter 4 my lovlies!=)

See you at the bottom!

A few hours later

Hope had been delighted when Klaus had given her a very pretty ring. She had never gotten jewellery from anyone and on top of that he had given her something for the sunburn which was really nice of him, so yes, Hope did like him.

Klaus closed the door to her room, sent a text message and met Caroline in the kitchen.

He had plans for tonight.

"Caroline?"

She turned around to look at him and offered him a glass from the blood bag that she had prepared for herself. He smiled.

"Would you let me take you out tonight? It's the least I can offer as an apology and a thank you."

The words let her heart flutter with both fear and happiness. Would this be the end?

What was she going to do without Hope? Travel the world like Klaus had promised her?

Just that she would do it on her own instead?

"What about Hope?"

"Why not let her aunt babysit her for one night?"

"You are serious, aren't you?" She saw it in his eyes.

Klaus nodded.

There was a short knock on the backdoor before Rebekah opened the door unceremoniously. "What do you want Nik?"

"Caroline, would you please give us a minute alone?" Klaus asked and Caroline left the room.

Rebekah crossed her arms and stared defiantly at her brother. "What?"

Klaus clasped his hands behind his back and straightened. "I would like to apologise, sister."

"You…what? Did Elijah told you to do so?"

Klaus shook his head. "No, you can accept my apology or leave it, that it is your choice and you can make everything up to me by taking care of Hope for tonight."

Klaus' tone was neutral and hadn't wavered. Rebekah was speechless and didn't believe her ears.

"So? What are you saying?"

Rebekah swallowed. "Yes, I…thank you Nik."

He nodded.

"You know I never wanted to hurt you, right?"

Klaus didn't answer.

"So, why do you need a babysitter?" She smirked. "Are you going to take Caroline out?"

Klaus shrugged. "It is none of your business, but I might."

"Then you should know that Caroline thinks you are going to take Hope away from her." Rebekah added in a whisper and Klaus frowned at his sister.

Caroline had meanwhile got dressed and said good bye to Hope.

Klaus had to catch his breath at how beautiful she looked in her dress. He held the door to his car open for her and she smiled. "Thank you…Nik."

He grinned. "I have been told that it sounds cool."

"It might." She mocked.

They drove into town to have dinner in one of those really fancy restaurants and during the whole meal Caroline anxiously waited for that one sentence. For her sentence that would kill her past few years. But it never came.

Klaus laughed with her and she really enjoyed her evening with him. She found herself staring into his eyes and she noticed that she couldn't stop; that she fell deeper and deeper for him.

When Klaus took them home late at night Caroline decided to confront him about her worries. He parked the car and she asked.

"Klaus, what was this all about? If this was my payment for taking care of Hope then please tell me! I can't take it anymore! Please, let me off the hook and just tell me that this is the end!"

Oh no! What was she going to do now?

She waited but Klaus just stared at her with a soft seriousness that she wasn't used to. He took her hand into his. "Caroline." The word rolled gently off his tongue and Caroline's stomach churned with butterflies, but she was still waiting for her sentence. "I am not here to take Hope with me."

She blinked when his words reached her brain. "You are not?"

He shook his head leaning closer to her. "No." He breathed and his sweet breath reached her lips. She parted them invitingly and Klaus brushed his against hers. Her eyes closed and she felt his lips moving lovingly against hers.

But she put a hand on his chest and shook her head.

"I have to know that you won't just disappear again. Even though, I am not her mother. I feel responsible for her. And I just have to know…"

"I won't disappear again. I promise." He grinned and Caroline rolled her eyes.

He became serious again. "You are a great mother, Caroline. Even if you don't think so, but I have noticed the struggle you're going through."

Caroline sighed and smiled.

And he realised he didn't mind anymore that Hope called her mum. Maybe he never really had.

He closed the distance between them again and suddenly everything disappeared. Everything disappeared into the warm confinement of his arms and Caroline let go. She clutched his shirt and buried her nose in his chest taking deep steady breaths. She squeezed her eyes shut. Klaus caressed her back and her shoulders started to tremble. He wanted to withdraw and take a look at her but Caroline wouldn't let go of him. "Sweetheart, are you crying?"

Caroline shook her head no but stayed hidden while all of the anxiety she had felt over the years manifested and left her eyes in a liquid condition ruining his shirt. Klaus tightened his grip around her and buried his face in her hair. He hadn't noticed how much he had really missed her until now.

Another two weeks

"Are you coming or what?" Klaus marvelled at how much energy Hope had. They had decided to go hiking and Caroline had subtly excused herself, because she wanted to give them some more alone time together and Klaus was silently wondering how much time it took until Caroline decided that it was safe to tell Hope the whole truth. Surely the girl wasn't that fragile…

Then again he had learnt to trust Caroline enough for her to make the decision.

"Hey Nik. Can I show you something?"

He frowned. "Sure."

"But you have to promise me that you won't freak out!"

He tilted his head. It would take a lot to freak him out. There was almost nothing that he hadn't seen so far. "I promise."

"Really?"

"Hope, what is it?"

She positioned herself under a tree and took a deep breath.

Within a blink of an eye she was gone. Klaus blinked because usually Elijah was the only one who could manage to escape him like that.

A pine hit his head and he looked up at the tree. Hope stuck her head through the branches and jumped down again. When she saw that he wasn't scared she stepped closer.

"I am becoming stronger and stronger. I thought it was cool, but I don't know anymore. But you're different too, aren't you?" She was very attentive and for a second there Klaus wondered if he should deny it, but he didn't see any reason to lie to her face when she asked.

"Well, yes I am."

"Show me."

Klaus knelt down in front of her. "Don't be scared." She nodded.

And his eyes turned yellow and his fangs elongated and his veins snaked out under his eyes.

The sight triggered something in Hope and she transformed too.

Yellow eyes. Hybrid.

Klaus gasped and transformed back and so did Hope.

"Mum is different too, isn't she? I have seen it, but she doesn't know that."

"You mustn't tell anyone, Hope, do you hear me?"

She nodded. "I know." Besides she had already told Flo, but adults didn't need to know everything, right?

"What are we?"

"Unique. We are half vampire and half werewolf; hybrids."

She laughed. "Ha, yeah, sure Frankenstein." She was totally Caroline's daughter.

Klaus looked utterly serious.

"Seriously? Hybrids?" Hope asked him.

"Your mum is a vampire, just like your aunt is."

"Oh my god!"

Back at home

"Mum, can I see?" Hope asked excitedly and seriously at the same time. She didn't really grasp the whole complexity of the consequences that would come to her yet. She just finally knew exactly what she was and she was excited that her wish came true and that her life would finally become more exciting, just like in the movies she was watching all the time.

"No! You told her?" Caroline turned to Klaus.

"I…" Klaus started but Caroline interrupted him.

"You told her!" She repeated accusingly. She was furious! He told her without talking to her beforehand. Had he even the slightest idea about what would happen to Hope's life now? How she would be trying to find out more about it? About vampirism and everything that came with it? She watched Supernatural, Buffy, Charmed and The Vampire Diaries for god's sake!

Caroline ruffled her hair.

"Why don't you want me to know?" Hope asked.

"Hope, please go to your room."

"But mum! It wasn't his fault! It was mine!" Hope tried to defend Klaus, but Caroline had other things on her mind right now.

"Now!" Caroline commanded.

Hope stomped her foot, but marched upstairs slamming the door shut behind her.

"She has a right to know!" Klaus hissed angrily.

"I am trying to protect her from people and from nightmares!" Caroline retorted glaring at him.

"She cannot protect herself without knowing!"

"She will freak!"

"Caroline you don't give her enough credit." Klaus shook his head. From what he had seen, he figured that Hope indeed was smart enough to keep it a secret. And she wasn't that easily frightened.

"She's too young to know." Too innocent, Caroline added in her mind. She didn't want that sweet girl to get caught up in the crossfire of the darkness that lay ahead of her. She wanted to keep her a little longer.

"I didn't tell her everything."

"Does she know that you are…"

"No."

"She'll figure it out…now that she knows that you two are the same." Hope was too smart to not figure it out. "…we will tell her!" Caroline decided.

"What?" Klaus was taken aback and maybe even a bit shocked. He had not thought that the moment would come this soon. He had wanted to ready himself for the moment. He thought he would be relieved, but suddenly he just wondered: Would Hope be disappointed?

"We have to now!" Caroline urged, not wanting Hope to find out on her own.

Half an hour later

"What's going on?" Hope asked when she entered the living room at Caroline's request. It surely had something to do with her future.

"Niklaus and I need to tell you something." Caroline started and motioned for Hope to sit down.

"Tell me what?" She asked indeed sitting down opposite of the adults.

Caroline bit her lip and looked at Klaus. How to tell her?

He stared indifferently back at her.

"Mum, you're scaring me!" Hope said when she was only met by their cryptic glances.

"Sorry, honey. Look, Klaus, I mean Nik, he…" She took a deep breath. "He is your father."

"What?" Hope's mouth dropped. This was the last she had expected.

"It's true." Klaus confirmed calmly and waited for her sentence.

Hope just stared from one to the other with wide eyes and an open mouth, while she tried to figure out what to say next. "Wha…What? Then why didn't you tell me!?"

"Honey…" Caroline started but Hope shook her head stopping her. Her stare met Klaus'. She just looked at him while her jaw ticked and suddenly Caroline was reminded of Klaus. There were tears in her eyes, when she yelled with an edge in her voice. "Where have you been all the time?"

Hope remembered all the times, when she had wished that she had a dad; the times she had imagined her dad to be some James Bond agent and the times when she had wanted Matt to be her dad.

"I…" Klaus wanted to answer, even though he didn't know what.

Hope screamed. "Why now? Why did you decide to come now?"

"There is so much you don't know." Klaus said in a low voice shaking his head, which only disturbed Hope even further.

"Then what else didn't you tell me? What other lies did you tell me?" She asked looking at Caroline.

Caroline had tears in her eyes. This was the time to come clean. "I am…"

But Klaus cut her off and took her hand. "Nothing. Rebekah is my sister and your aunt. We have another brother; your Uncle Elijah."

Hope suddenly ran out of the room and out of the house.

"Hope." Klaus called, but Caroline held him back.

"Let her calm down." She sniffed.

"She hates me!" Klaus said feeling like he had lost everything, a feeling that he had never ever anticipated. How could this girl mean so much to him?

Caroline noted his distress. She had assumed that this would hit him harder than he had ever suspected. She felt the urge to reach out to him and sooth him, despite her own guilt. "No! She's upset! That's normal! I promise you that she'll calm down! But we should have told her everything!"

"No." He cupped her face. "If I realised anything it is that family is not only about blood ties. You are her mother, Caroline." For the first time he really wanted his words to be true.

"She will figure it out." Caroline sobbed.

"But she has enough to chew on for now."

"I don't want to lose her." She said and Klaus brushed her tears off her cheeks.

"And I promise you that you won't, because I really wish she was yours." He admitted silently and he was surprised that the words had slipped his lips so easily. He swallowed hard. Since when was he wearing his heart on his sleeve?

But it felt right to do so in the confinement of Caroline's small house where no one but her would hear it. Besides he didn't feel like he had to hold back anything with her. She gave him a feeling of security and home that he had never felt before. Maybe that was what made it so easy for him.

"What about Hayley?" Caroline sniffed.

He gently pushed her hair out of her face. "Did you forget? She died giving birth. Let's not think about that now, okay?"

Caroline nodded and Klaus pressed his lips to hers in a small but comforting kiss.

Caroline sighed and put her hand up to his cheek. "Let's wait until she gets back."

They sat down on the small couch in the living room, where Klaus pulled Caroline onto his lap and held her close to his chest. He had realised that he wanted to have this family and that he would do everything for it to work out, even if he had to step out of his ways.

Caroline fell asleep quickly and only woke up after an hour. Klaus had not moved the whole time. He had simply held her and tried not to look at the clock every minute.

Caroline stirred and stretched now. She looked sleepily at Klaus.

"What happened?" But as soon as she had said the words she remembered and straightened. "Has she come back?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Let's go look for her." Caroline decided and wanted to stand up, but Klaus held her back.

"Caroline."

She looked questioningly at him. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know if I can do this." He admitted silently.

"Do what?"

He took a deep breath before he laid bare his soul. "Being a father." He avoided her eyes knowing exactly what kind of look she was wearing.

Caroline put her hand against his cheek. "Don't give up yet, Klaus! You hardly know her."

He stood up to put some distance between himself and the heavy feelings he felt when he was close to her. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. He didn't need pity, but he didn't know what to do. He was torn. "I have not had the best example myself." She suddenly got now where this was coming from remembering Mikael. "What if I cannot reach her expectations? What if I fail?" Klaus asked and Caroline had never seen him like this. This vulnerable. This helpless.

Caroline shook her head. "You won't."

"How can you be so sure about that? How can you say that when my own father detested me and I have no idea how to be different."

She remained calm and walked towards him. "Because I won't let you!"

He swallowed staring at her.

"I will help you as good as I can." She extended her hand towards him. "Let's go talk to her."

He took her hand without hesitation then and leaned in to plant a kiss onto her forehead. She was too good to be true.

Later

"She always comes here when she is angry." Caroline explained while they made their way through the back yard of an abandoned house. Caroline let go of his hand now afraid that Hope would see and only get more worked up.

They came to stand in front of an old tree. Klaus looked up and saw a small tree house up in the branches.

"Matt helped Flo and her build it." Caroline explained and Klaus gulped wondering if he would have ever thought about something like that. "Hope!?"

"She's not here!" Flo stuck his head out of the small hole that functioned as a door.

"Flo, tell her that we just want to talk to her." Caroline said knowing exactly that Hope was there, because she could hear her breathing just as well as he could.

"But she doesn't want to talk to you." Flo replied.

Caroline quickly squeezed Klaus' hand who became rigid. She knew that he would usually do something totally inappropriate if she let him, but she needed him to stay calm now or he would ruin it forever. She pleaded with him with her eyes and Klaus bit down hard on the inside of his cheek until he drew blood. He tried to draw steady breaths in order to remain where he was and Caroline acknowledged it pleased.

"Okay, but do you think we can at least tell her that we're sorry and explain everything?"

"I don't want to hear it!" Hope yelled.

"Honey please! You cannot stay out here all night!"

"Yes, I can!"

"Hope please." Caroline pleaded.

"Hope?" Klaus suddenly spoke up and Caroline looked at him and hoped that he wouldn't lose his temper. She prayed that he would stay calm and not say anything stupid now.

"What!?" She sounded really aggressive.

Klaus took a deep breath and Caroline anxiously mirrored his breathing as if she could somehow influence him. "I am sorry, but it was never my intention to abandon you! I had no choice."

"Please Hope come home!" Caroline said.

Hope stuck her head out of the tree house and glared at both of them. "Why did you have no choice?"

"I would rather not talk about this here, honestly. Can we agree that you come with us and I will tell you everything?"

At Home

Hope crossed her arms defiantly the minute they walked through the door.

"What was so important that you left us alone?"

Klaus sighed. He did note the use of the term 'us' that she had thrown in there and Caroline did as well. She was nervous about it. She was nervous about what Klaus was about to say.

"I am not a good man, Hope. You may be aware of the fact that vampires…hybrids…are almost immortal and I have made a lot of enemies over the years of my life. Vampire, werewolves, witches."

"Werewolves? Witches?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Yes."

She didn't say anything.

"Many of them want to hurt me and they could easily have, if they knew you existed. So, we faked your death and brought you far away, we hid you hoping that no one would ever find you."

She scoffed. Great!

"Sweetie?"

"When did my life turn into a freak show?" Hope suddenly yelled. "Someone call the Winchesters! This is insane! All I worried about was my High School graduation and now my father is some high and mighty hybrid whose enemies want me dead? Wow!"

She went to her bedroom and smashed the door. That was just a tad too much!

Klaus looked at Caroline who shook her head.

"She'll be fine." She assured him. "She has to let everything sink in." She was glad that he hadn't gone into any details yet.

"I shouldn't have come." He said.

"No! It's good that you came! Don't leave her now!" Caroline quickly assured him and a big part of her winced adding: Don't leave me. But she didn't dare to say that out loud.

"I cannot do this! I am ruining her life!"

"You have ruined so many lives Klaus! How can you say something like that now? You are her father and I did everything I could, but there is one thing that I can never do."

He looked at her.

"I cannot replace you."

"You are better off without me."

"Who is better off without their parents? Please Nik don't!"

Suddenly Hope was back. Her hearing obviously got better and better.

"I swear to God if you walk through that door now then you are dead to me!"

Klaus stared at her defiant stance that again reminded Caroline of either Klaus or Rebekah. Klaus noticed it too and it rendered him speechless.

"I am not leaving." He finally said and she nodded before she went back to her room shutting the door loudly.

About an hour later

Caroline knocked at Hope's door and opened it quietly.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Hope was lying on her bed about to go to sleep.

"Yeah."

Caroline tried to smile. "We'll talk tomorrow then, okay?"

"Okay." Hope mumbled.

Caroline turned around to leave again, but Hope called her back.

"Mum?"

"Yes?"

"I…" Hope looked at her and struggled for words. She couldn't say whatever was on her tongue, but Caroline knew what she meant.

"I know, honey. Me too. Everything will be fine, I promise! Now, go to sleep, I'll see you in the morning."

Silently, she closed the door behind her.

On her way to her bedroom she met Klaus in the hallway.

"She'll sleep now."

He nodded and looked softly at her, not really knowing what to say.

"Good night Caroline. I'll see you tomorrow."

He wanted to walk to the only guestroom in the house that he was currently occupying.

"Nik." Caroline stopped him.

He liked it when she called him that. It sounded less hostile and more like she was already a part of him, which for him she was.

She fiddled nervously with her hands. "Uhm, you don't have to sleep in the guestroom, you know. Uhm, you could…well, you could stay with me, er, if you like, uhm…" She sighed and dropped her hands admitting. "Honestly, I don't want to be alone tonight." But to be utterly true she didn't ever want to be alone again. She was tired of not having anyone around. She had dated a few men, not many though and never at home, because of Hope and, and also because of Klaus if she was honest, even though she bet that he has had other women himself. And who knew how many.

But right now Caroline forgot about all that, because his eyes looked so unspeakably gently that she forgot to breathe.

"Are you sure?"

He stepped closer and Caroline nodded.

A small smile ghosted over his lips. "Truth be told, me neither." He neither wanted to be alone.

Caroline took his hand then and led him into the bedroom.

Klaus gently put the covers over her and slipped underneath it himself.

He placed his arm over Caroline's stomach and scooted closer, spooning her. The butterflies in her stomach went wild. How long had she waited for this?

She breathed in his scent.

"It's good to have you here." She mumbled and Klaus pulled her closer. Maybe they could make it, she dared to hope. Maybe.

"It's good to be here."

She snuggled deeper up against him. He gave her strength. Strength she sometimes thought she didn't have, but he always proved her wrong.

Next Morning

They opened the door and ran directly into Hope in the hallway.

She raised her eyebrows.

Caroline sighed. "Let's not discuss this in the hallway, okay? I'll get dressed." She quickly disappeared into her bathroom leaving Klaus and Hope alone. She had her arms crossed and stared at him. Reminding him awfully lot of Elijah.

Why was he never sure of what to say to her?

"Well…how about breakfast?" He asked but Hope kept staring seriously at him, as if she was about to dagger him.

He walked downstairs and puffed his cheeks. Kids were more straining than he had thought.

Hope followed him quietly.

Klaus started to make coffee, which was what he needed right now and also the first thought he had in mind.

But then he looked at the girl at the counter and realised that he wasn't alone anymore and that he shouldn't put his needs first anymore. "Pancakes?" He asked.

Hope tilted her head. "Okay."

He was glad that he had something to do, but he was still glad when Caroline arrived 15 minutes later.

Witches, warlocks, werewolves, vampire: no problem.

His own daughter: scary as hell.

Caroline pulled her hair up into an untidy bun and looked amused at Klaus when she saw that Hope was munching on a pile of pancakes. He shrugged at her and instead offered her a mug.

"Coffee?"

"Thank you."

Hope watched their interactions and swallowed the rest of her pancake. "What is going between you? Are you together now or something?" She frowned.

Klaus and Caroline looked at each other. Were they?

"Are you?" Hope pressed.

"Would you be okay with that?" Caroline asked carefully.

Hope shrugged. "Why did you separate in the first place?"

"Well, that's…complicated…" Caroline started and Klaus grimaced. Yes, love, considering that we have never really been together in the first place, you could consider it complicated.

Hope snorted. Complicated.

That was the lamest Facebook status ever. Relationship? Complicated.

Please!

"So, are you just together because of me then?" There was venom in her voice. "Did you even want me? Or was I just an accident?"

Caroline gasped. "Hope, you mustn't think that! Don't even think that for one single moment!" She commanded in her motherly mother-knows-best tone.

Even though she knew better, Caroline tried to do everything for Hope to feel loved and Klaus loved her even more for that. He wouldn't have known how to do that and in the end she would have turned out to be like him. Resentful, cruel, temperamental, harsh and heartless.

Klaus spoke up and shocked Caroline with his next words.

"Hope, you were not a mistake. Your mother's relationship with me might not have been easy in the past, but rest assured that I always loved her."

Caroline's eyes were watery when she caught his look. There was a big lump in her throat that made it hard for her to swallow. "Took me too long to realise that I did too."

She mumbled and there was a flash of something in Klaus' eyes. Hope. Maybe beatitude.

Hope frowned at them. There was something they didn't tell her, but it was obvious that they loved each other.

Caroline wiped her eyes. "Hope, we will do this at your pace." She told her and sat down next to her. "At whatever pace you are comfortable with."

Hope put her fork down. She looked at Klaus and then at Caroline. "Well…"

"What honey? You can say anything you want, don't be afraid."

Klaus nodded and agreed with Caroline silently.

Caroline took her hands and stroked them with her thumbs. "What is it?"

"It's always been just the two of us."

"Nothing between us will change. I will not have less time for you or even love you less. I couldn't!"

"I am not here to take your mother away from you." Klaus said. "But maybe you will allow me to spend some more time with you?"

Hope nodded slowly. "I guess, that's okay. There's another thing."

Klaus raised his eyebrows.

"Vampires can have kids?"

Caroline pursed her lips. "Not exactly."

"It was a loophole." Klaus said. "You are the first. One of a kind."

Hope blinked. "Wow."

Later that day

"So, did I get this right? You were the first vampires?" Hope asked and Klaus and Rebekah nodded.

"Yes."

"And you are like a thousand years old?" She scrunched up her nose. "So, will I become that old? Will I stop growing at some point? How does that work?"

Klaus puffed his cheeks and shook his head. "I am sorry, but I cannot answer that question."

Rebekah quickly put her hand onto Hope's knee. "But we will figure it out and we will do anything to protect you." She assured and Klaus nodded.

"Everything."

Rebekah's phone rang and she smiled after she read the message. "Your uncle Elijah would love to meet you some time."

"You told him?" Klaus asked.

"Of course I did! He is our family Nik and he has a right to know now that Hope knows everything."

Klaus huffed. "That doesn't mean you can go blabbing it around. It is still a secret!"

"And Elijah doesn't know that? Nik, wake up!"

He was just about to retort something mean when he stopped himself, because Hope started to chuckle.

"Sorry, this is just too surreal!"

Klaus glared at her but Rebekah shook her head at him and he quickly struggled to calm down.

This would be harder than he had ever thought.

Caroline stood in the doorway watching everything carefully. "You will get used to their bickering."She addressed Hope and smiled lovingly forcing Klaus to drop his scowl towards her.

Caroline winked and Rebekah was grinning from one ear to the other. "Well, look at this. I knew you two would come around again."

"Indeed, aren't we one big happy family?" Klaus asked sarcastically, but the women around him just grinned.

One week later

"Are you going to watch a movie with me?" Hope asked.

Caroline was already getting the popcorn out instead of answering. "What are we watching?" She asked even before Klaus had said anything.

Hope grinned and Caroline dropped her stance.

"Oh, not again!"

"But, mum!" Hope made dreamy puppy dog eyes. "It's Rob…"

"Robert Downey Jr. I know!" Caroline finished her sentence. She sighed. "Fine!"

Hope left quickly to get the DVD ready.

Klaus frowned. "Who is Robert Downey Jr?"

Caroline grinned. "The other man in your daughter's life apparently."

Klaus raised his eyebrows and Caroline left with the popcorn for the living room.

"Are you coming?"

They entered the room when the Marvel logo just disappeared from the screen.

"Don't be too shocked to figure out that your dad is not into the really modern stuff." Caroline mocked.

Hope turned around. "You don't know the Avengers?" She asked and Klaus opened his mouth.

He glanced at Caroline. "Not really, no."

Hope grabbed the remote and jumped onto the couch between Caroline and Klaus.

"Then you missed something!" She decided making herself comfortable.

Caroline grinned amused at his expression and Klaus wasn't sure if he should laugh or not.

He was surprised at the taste of his daughter. It wasn't what he had expected but then again, what had he expected?

He actually laughed when Caroline repeated all of Robert Downey Jr's lines because she had already watched the movie about a hundred times with Hope.

"Mum, shush!" Hope complained and threw some popcorn at her which made Caroline laugh. It sounded like chiming bells.

During the end of the movie Klaus suddenly noticed that Hope seemed to scoot closer to him until her head rested tiredly against his shoulder. She could hardly keep her eyes open and Caroline wished she could take a picture of Klaus' confused face. It was cute how helpless he was.

The credits started rolling.

Caroline stopped the movie and looked at Klaus who watched his daughter sleeping against him. He smiled faintly and Caroline loved to watch the scene with the butterflies in her stomach going wild.

But it was late.

"Are you going to take her upstairs or should I?"

He quickly shook his head. "No, I'll do it."

He carefully grabbed her, afraid to break her.

Caroline leaned back. Maybe life wasn't that unfair after all.

Upstairs, Klaus gently laid Hope down on her bed.

She blinked.

"It's okay, go back to sleep." He whispered and Hope snuggled up into her pillows.

"Good night…Dad."

Klaus froze.

Dad.

It sounded strange, but at the same time he had never thought that such a small word, so few letters, could ever make him this happy and could mean more to him than anything ever had.

So this is it!=)

At one point I thought it is too fluffy, but I didn't feel like rewriting it again, so, whatever...;)

What do you think?

Thank you for all of your reviews and the support!=) It means a lot!

xxx