[Hayley's PoV]
"I don't like him." For the umpteenth time this week, I heard Klaus say these exact same words. With a quick movement of his head, his eyes fell on me. "Did you look at him? Feigning to be so cuddly and in love with my daughter after… after…"
Ah… here comes my moment.
"Come on, Klaus, say it." I taunted him, one of the things I most took pleasure in doing in this place after dying. "Say it, free yourself out of this torture you put yourself in everyday for the last week."
My words only worked to make him angrily glare at me. There was no real emotion behind those eyes but annoyance, which strangely brought some delight to me.
"I'd rather die a thousand more times than say it!" He gritted his teeth, snapping his head back to where he was looking at. "What does she see in him anyway?" He muttered, pacing in front of the door which was seemingly composed of light.
It was truly strange how the afterlife operated in relation and comparison to the material world. Here, we experience things normally, just like when we were on the other side. We can smell the fresh grass, feel the heat from the sun and taste whatever food we think of cooking. And the most intriguing of all of that? All it was needed for all of this to happen or change was a thought.
One thought, a flex of our will and we can create objects out of reality and with some effort shape the land around us. A truly fantastical feeling, one that I wonder if that's what witches experience when they simply override reality with magic.
However, the most interesting part about Peace–this place as people call–is how we can visualize the material world.
We could see mostly everything from out there. The shapes, forms and even features to the minute of the details of everything. The strange part was that everything we saw seemed to be composed of light. Everything around us whe peering into there was like a blur of black and white, like wind taking form and resisting its nature to disperse if it noticed our focus wandered off it in the slightest.
Personally, it reminded me of the night, with the lights of stars drawing over the sheet that was the endless void of space.
Despite years here, I wasn't still completely used to this. And sincerely, I think it still will take some time till I am used to it.
While I dove into my own thoughts, I felt a hand slip around my shoulder. "Please, Niklaus. You are too old to act like that." Elijah came in defense of the boy, someone he recently admitted to have taken quite a liking to. "To this moment, he has proved to be nothing but a good companion for my niece. I still have to see why you get so bothered by him." At the end of his words, I found myself leaning closer to him.
Who would've thought that the Afterlife would be where our relationship would totally flourish. Well, I won't be the one to complain.
"He gives me a feeling… One I am not used to. He feels too… different, even for us." Klaus continued with his paranoia. I pray to whatever gods out there that Hope doesn't inherit that.
But strangely, this time I had to agree with him a little. And as I thought, it was strange.
Even Elijah, who enjoyed the presence of the boy around Hope's, snorted deeply in some form of agreement with Klaus' words. "I can see why you think that way. He certainly seems to hide some secrets I wished to learn as well. But still, who hasn't parts of their lives they wish to remain hidden?"
I decided to add my thoughts as well. "Well, despite him also making me shiver one time or another, Hope is happy with him. As long as he does not turn out like that son of that crazy bitch, I won't search for much of a problem on him." My eyes stuck on the door, knowing pretty well Hope and him were sleeping together behind it.
Did I think it was too early? Considering the life I had, I don't think I'm the most optimal person to give an opinion on that. And I know my daughter, I've seen her mature in some aspects, I know she isn't going to simply rush things if she doesn't feel like it or anything.
And well, just a peek and I was able to say both of them were happy like that, so not really a complaint from my side.
"That's not enough to make me like him." Klaus growled, walking from one side to the other in front of the door. "I just got to learn what is this feeling that crawls up my nape every time I look at him. Then, I will see if he is really fit for my daughter."
"God, even in the afterlife you are paranoid." I rolled my eyes at Klaus. "Thought you would change that. Your progress was so good." I shook my head in false disappointment.
"No, darling. I didn't change." He said, crossing his arms. "And I probably won't since I am apparently the only parent here worried about my daughter." He huffed and turned around, making us face his back. "And it's not like there is something better to do here other than watching over Hope and make sure she is safe."
"Now, Niklaus. There are other things to do here. They might not be better than assuring Hope's safety but surely you could see yourself doing something else." Elijah sat by my side, making a chair out of the misty light that surrounded us. "Mother has recently asked me if you have ever shown the intention to visit her. It seems she is intending to ask for your forgiveness after… everything."
One more thing added to the list of things I didn't expect to hear in the Afterlife.
"Wow, miracles really happen in this place, hm?" Klaus said with an obvious act. But just as quickly as it came, he went back to his grumbling normal self. "I won't visit her. Even more so with that skunk of an aunt we have with her. I'd rather go meet father and risk having a fight with him."
"Unfortunately, he is not very open for visits." Elijah thinned his lips. "I tried to search for him once or twice after he simply vanished after our arrival, but I couldn't find a trace of him anywhere." There was a bit of frustration in his expression.
Hmph, I still find it unbelievable. The idea that none other than Mikael himself has traversed to what is technically Heaven is a funny one.
I mean, at the beginning, I really thought this place was Heaven. The real one, but without angels at sight and the need to pass through the Pearly Gates to get into Heaven.
My arrival carried my doubts of asking myself why someone like me, someone who carried a lot of sins in life, had a place in heaven. But when I met Mary, Jackson, Josh and others here, I just imagined I was lucky and didn't cross much of the line and luckily God or someone else had pity and mercy on my soul.
It didn't take much longer for this picture I had in my mind to start to crumble when I met some unsavory individuals that I thought they would be in hell by now. I personally wish they were there and wouldn't mind sending them myself.
Theidea went down the hole when Klaus and Elijah showed up. For despite my love for one of them, I know their past and actions were enough to cast them down to hell and maybe the Devil himself would come out to ask for an autograph from both of them and maybe take a picture with Klaus.
But what surprised even more after their arrival was Mikael showing up as well. Shit, when he appeared I thought heads would he flying and hearts would be falling in the Afterlife–if that was even possible considering the intricacies of this place. Fortunately, to the surprise of us all, Mikael just appeared and made some comments on Klaus.
Some of them were his usual mocking, trying to get a reaction out of Klaus, which wasn't something hard to obtain from the big bad wolf.
However, the one that took us all by surprise was when he was just leaving, when he already had his back turned at us and his body was starting to blend with reality. And despite those words being so unexpected, I still remember them vividly.
You finally lived up to the name you carry, boy. Saving your daughter was probably the only thing you did right in your whole life. And after that, he vanished. He didn't run, his body simply dispersed and disappeared from our sight.
That got Klaus going silent for a few good days that I wished to have lasted longer, but life isn't that good even after death. Proof of that is that I'm still here, seeing him grumbling all the time and now considering loudly if he should go back to life just to pull that boy out of Hope's bed.
"Klaus." I called him out.
"What?"
"When did you lose your virginity?"
Under my question, he halted his steps and gave a look to me that begged me to laugh at him. "Excuse me?"
"You see, Hope is approaching that age. I just got curious about how you were in that aspect in your youth."
"I know what you are doing." He pointed at me. His nostrils flared at the thought that I secretly inserted into his mind. "Don't you dare put this thought into my head!"
Too late. "Elijah? You were there. How was Klaus' early love life?"
Following my lead, Elijah's lips burst into a smile that bordered a smirk. "It was… disastrous."
"Don't you dare, Elijah." Klaus stepped up to Elijah and looked down at him. "I'm not the only one with shameful memories here."
Elijah kept an unbothered expression. "There is nothing that you know that I haven't told Hayley, my brother."
"Winter of 992 and 1438."
Elijah slowly looked at me. "Sorry, Dear. He got me there."
"Hmph." Klaus just huffed with some pride as he crossed his arms. "Now, can we be serious for a moment?"
"Oh, I am being serious." I evened my tone of voice. "I am partially with you, Klaus. I can see John is… mysterious. We saw it first hand. I mean, he can fly. I didn't expect that kind of surprise after dying." A deep breath escaped my nostrils. "It also frights me that he apparently doesn't have a confirmed origin. But still, for the past few days you've been stalking him, did you find anything that could lead you to believe he is a threat to our daughter?"
"…No." He said while turning his look away.
"Then stop getting overworried about it." I stood up and the chair which I was sitting on just disappeared right after. "Be here for her, but don't start to chase problems that do not exist. If, and that's a big if from what we've been looking at, this boy poses some kind of threat to Hope… we'll find a way to break this veil and return to life just to alert her."
Under my words, Klaus went silent and his eyes just slowly wandered around for a moment before they settled.
A long sigh escaped his lips before he curtly nodded. "Okay. I will see… to not be so stressed over it."
"Good." My lips curled up into a smile. "Now, how about we leave the two lovebirds alone and go somewhere else to enjoy? Isn't your biological father tagging along with Jackson today for a campfire? We could join as well."
"Sigh… Only if you promise to not use that… word."
"Which word?" I innocently and ignorantly asked.
With a restrained annoyance, he just gave me a look and a smile that sent shivers down my spine.
Maybe I exaggerated and I will be just about to face the consequences of my actions.
Funnily enough, I could hear Elijah behind me holding a laugh at the bickering of me and his brother.
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A/N
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