I'm sorry for not updating sooner; I had some problems with this chapter.

Chapter 13

Klaus stared at the road and tried his best to concentrate on driving, but it was very difficult. His daughter didn't know who he was. Not to mention she was scared of him. More than scared, she was terrified. He could sense her terror so clearly that it cut him like a knife. Well, she had every reason to be scared, he have had to tie her up in order to stop her from hurting herself. Now she was sitting next to him, her hands and legs tied, trembling with fear. She hadn't said a word or looked at him after he had lifted her into his car. He had compelled a human to bring it to him and get rid of the limousine.

"Hope," he said, struggling to keep his voice calm. "I'm not going to hurt you. I swear. I would never hurt you."

Clearly she didn't believe him; she was staring at her tied hands.

"Please let me go then," she replied timidly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't."

She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"If… If you want money… Please, just let me call my father, I'm sure he will…"

"I don't want money," Klaus cut in tensely.

Hope swallowed.

"Okay… I… My father…"

"Don't call him that!" Klaus snapped before he was able to stop himself.

"I-I-I'm sorry," she stuttered. "What…what would you like me to call him?"

"Anything but that," Klaus murmured.

He was aware that he should have been able to control his feelings, the last thing he wanted was to scare Hope more, but he couldn't stand hearing his little girl calling that bastard her father. Except that Hope wasn't a little girl anymore…

Suddenly Klaus truly realized that Lucien had been her father for the last 13 years. He had seen Hope growing up. She called him daddy. He had stolen all the irreplaceable moments that should have belonged to Klaus. He had stolen the joy in her eyes. He had stolen her trust and love.

The thought made Klaus so furious that he let out a growl and hit the steering wheel with his fist. Hope flinched and tried to move as far away from him as she could. A tear rolled down her cheek. Klaus regretted his outburst immediately and reached out to her, wanting to give her comfort. His hand stilled when she let out a terrified sob and tried to cover her face.

"Please don't…"

For a moment he was unable to speak. She really thought that he was going to hurt her. That was just… His mind refused to accept it. Suddenly he realized something else.

"Has Lucien hurt you?" he heard himself asking. His voice sounded foreign. "Has he been violent toward you?"

Slowly Hope lowered her arms and looked at Klaus. There was anger in her eyes.

"My daddy… Lucien would never hurt me, sir. He loves me."

Klaus gritted his teeth; he had to really struggle to control himself.

"I see. How about Aurora and Tristan? Have they hurt you?"

"That is my family you are talking about, sir," Hope replied firmly. "Why would my mom or uncle hurt me?"

Klaus needed to digest her words for few seconds before he was able to reply.

"They are not your family. None of them."

"Yes, they are," Hope argued. "And they will find me, so you really should listen to me and let me go. If you do that, I promise to make sure that they won't come after you."

"Oh, I want them to come after me," Klaus snarled, unable to stop himself. He would kill them, all three of them. They hadn't just stolen Hope from him; they had stolen her from her whole family.

"In that case, you're not very smart, sir," Hope stated.

For some incomprehensible reason, Klaus couldn't help but smile.

"Perhaps not. Could you do something for me?"

Hope looked at him cautiously.

"What?"

"Do you think you could stop calling me sir?"

"Sure… What do you want me to call you then?"

Father. Dad. Daddy.

"Klaus."

"Okay… Sure."

"Thank you."

He would have wanted nothing more than tell her everything, especially who he was, but he knew she wouldn't have believed him. A man who had just kidnapped her would say that her whole life had been a lie and he was her real father. She would think that he was crazy. He needed to handle this delicately. That was certainly easier said than done, he wasn't exactly a subtle person. Right now he had to be. For Hope.

He bit his bottom lip and observed her while driving. She most certainly wasn't a child anymore, but she didn't really look like a typical teenage girl either. Her clothes were very old-fashioned and she didn't seem to have any makeup on. Not that she needed it anyway; she was a beautiful young woman.

"Your dress looks interesting," he stated after a moment of silence.

"Thank you," Hope replied cautiously. She was tense and was still trying to keep as much distance between them as she could.

"Is it some kind of costume?"

"No, my mom likes historical clothes."

Klaus frowned.

"Your mom? What does it matter what she likes, surely she doesn't choose your clothes."

Hope pressed her lips together; a flush was rising in her cheeks.

"She does?" Klaus murmured disbelievingly. He should have known, this was Aurora they were talking about. Aurora… Suddenly it all hit him. Hope had lived with Aurora for all these years. Dear Lord… Who knew what she had been through.

"My mom loves me, she wants me to look pretty," Hope murmured.

Klaus felt a sting in his heart, his poor girl sounded like an insecure child.

"You are beautiful," he said before thinking how that sounded.

Clearly his words made her even more nervous.

"No, no, I didn't mean like that," he added quickly. "As I said, I would never hurt you."

Hope was quiet for a moment before replying.

"What do you want from me?"

"It's…complicated," he murmured. "Right now I'm asking you to believe me when I say that you're safe. No harm will come to you, I give you my word."

"Right… Where are you taking me?"

"To a safe place."

As unpleasant as it was for Klaus to admit it, he had learned one thing from Lucien. He had arranged a place that was protected from all kinds of tracking spells. No one would disturb him and Hope there. He was determined to get his daughter back.