🏠 Hayley Marshall's Kitchen - New Orleans đźŹ
Hayley stood frozen in the middle of her kitchen, phone still pressed to her ear even though the call had long since ended. Her daughter's voice echoed in her head on repeat.
"She's having my baby."
Her eyebrows were still raised. Her coffee sat cold on the counter. Her wolf instincts warred with her mom instincts.
Finally, she muttered, "I need backup."
Twenty minutes later, the Mikaelsons assembled.
They met at the old family compound, now a hybrid of domestic peace and supernatural war-readiness. The long table in the main hall was set with coffee, wine, and bourbon—depending on who needed what level of coping mechanism.
Hayley paced. Klaus sipped bourbon with a brooding stare. Elijah adjusted his cufflinks for the fifth time. Freya was already flipping through old spellbooks. Kol leaned back in his chair with a smug grin. Davina next to him, hiding a smirk. Marcel nursed a glass of wine. Rebekah sat perfectly composed beside him, eyeing Hayley with narrowed curiosity. Keelin stood near the doorway, arms crossed, watching everyone like a field medic waiting for the first explosion.
Hayley ran a hand through her hair and let out a breath. "Hope called me earlier today... and dropped a bomb on me. She's having a baby. Well—not her personally, but the girl she, uh, impregnated." Rebekah's eyebrows shot up. Klaus leaned forward slightly. Marcel froze with his glass halfway to his mouth. Elijah looked mildly alarmed, while Davina blinked in surprise. Kol, of course, broke into a crooked grin. Keelin raised an eyebrow. Freya slowly closed her spellbook and tilted her head. The room fell silent, absorbing the gravity of Hayley's words.
"She what?" Rebekah asked, finally breaking the silence.
Hayley inhaled. "She knocked someone up. Or, well, got someone pregnant. Her words, not mine."
Klaus nearly dropped his glass. "Our Hope? Our Hope Andrea Mikaelson?"
"Yes," Hayley confirmed. "Apparently, she has a girlfriend. And now, they're expecting a child. She said she got someone pregnant—her words. Not exactly the phrasing I expected to hear from my daughter, but here we are."
Freya blinked. "Wait—she said she knocked someone up? Just like that?"
"That was my guess," Hayley muttered. "She said all of that, and then promptly hung up before I could get a word in. The way she was rambling—blushing, stumbling over her words, trying to sound casual but clearly in way over her head—it didn't sound like just a fling. It sounded serious. And chaotic. Very Mikaelson."
Kol let out a whistle. "Our little tribrid didn't waste time, did she?"
Davina elbowed him. "Kol."
"What?"
Elijah cleared his throat. "And who is this mysterious partner of hers?"
"She wouldn't say," Hayley said. "She panicked and hung up before I could get a name."
"Sounds familiar," Rebekah muttered. "She's still got Klaus's dramatic flair."
"Thank you, sister," Klaus said with mock pride.
Hayley leaned forward. "But she did say she likes teasing her girlfriend, called her 'a dork,' and went on a ramble about how adorable she is. Blushed the whole way through. It was actually kind of cute."
"So she's happy?" Marcel asked carefully.
"I think so. But she was also terrified. And trying not to show it. And I am officially panicking."
"We should meet this girl," Keelin said calmly.
"Has anyone else gotten a weird call or text from Hope lately?" Freya asked, her brow furrowed. "She messaged me last night asking about soulbonds."
Kol raised a hand lazily. "She texted me yesterday asking if a soulbond could be triggered by hot, supernatural sex. I told her she really needs to stop reading sketchy grimoires."
Davina nodded, a bit amused. "She messaged me too. Wanted to know if physical intimacy could activate binding magic. I told her it depends—but yes, under the right conditions, it's definitely possible."
Elijah looked thoughtful. "She asked me if soulbonds were considered binding in supernatural law. I found it curious at the time."
Rebekah arched an eyebrow. "She called me last week asking if a soulbond is 'worse' or 'better' than marriage. I told her not to skip the family introduction."
Freya glanced up from her spellbook, her expression more serious. "She texted me too—wanted to know everything I knew about soulbonds. I told her the bond is sacred, blessed by nature herself. It's rare, permanent, and not something to be taken lightly. The supernatural community avoids interfering with soulbonded pairs—Mother Nature doesn't take kindly to it. I didn't have much more than that, but I promised her I'd research further."
Marcel tilted his head, eyeing Freya. "Did she say if it was for herself? Or one of her friends?"
Freya exhaled. "She didn't name names, but the tone… yeah. I think it's her. And if it is, and that bond is with the person she got pregnant—or got her pregnant—this isn't like Klaus and Hayley with a one-night stand. This is soul-deep. Permanent."
Kol snorted. "Well, if the one carrying Hope's baby isn't her soulbonded, that's going to be one hell of a supernatural soap opera."
A few sighs and nods of reluctant agreement echoed around the table, each family member silently acknowledging the chaos that could unfold.
Klaus looked deadly serious now. "We protect our own—especially when it comes to Hope, her soulbond, and the child they're bringing into this world. Whatever chaos this stirs, we stand behind her. Always."
Elijah nodded solemnly. "Indeed."
Rebekah raised her glass. "To Hope. And her dork. May we scare the hell out of her girlfriend... and welcome her properly afterward."
They all drank.
Hayley smiled faintly.
Then pulled out her phone.
"Time to plan a trip to Mystic Falls."
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