Chapter 23

Stefan looked at Klaus and Rebekah as his memories began to resurface.

"I remember you. We were friends," Stefan said quietly, gazing at them both.

"We are friends," Klaus smiled.

"We can still be friends, but other things have changed, Stefan," Rebekah said with a little smile from her perch on Henrik's lap, kissing him after she spoke.

"Oh, we'll have so much fun, Stefan." Klaus smiled contentedly. Then, he shifted his gaze from Stefan to Rebekah as Gloria approached them. "And now, the reason we're here. Gloria tells me you know how to contact the original witch."

"The original witch?" Rebekah gave a sarcastic chuckle upon hearing those words.

"What do you need, Gloria?" Klaus asked, looking at the witch.

"I need her necklace as a medium to contact the witch who cast the spell," Gloria said, her eyes expectantly on Rebekah, who was sitting on Henrik. If she couldn't have Henrik's blood, the next best thing would be to have that necklace to gain more power.

Rebekah touched her neck, hearing them, and found nothing. "Where's my necklace? What did you do with it? I never take it off!"

"I don't know. I didn't touch it," Klaus said, uncertain.

"We need to find it, Nik. Now! I want it back!" Rebekah snapped at him, angry about the missing necklace.

"Baby, did you see a necklace back at the warehouse?" Rebekah asked Henrik hopefully.

"Sorry, Rebekah. I didn't see any necklace on you or around the place," Henrik said with a wry smile, amused by her fixation on the necklace.

"Tell me that's not what you need, Gloria," Klaus asked, almost growling with impatience.

Stefan looked concerned as he listened to the conversation. Meanwhile, Megan and Alicia remained unfazed, leaning against Henrik. Katherine watched the events with amusement but also caught Stefan's worried look, already knowing where the necklace they were talking about was but didn't say anything.

"That's exactly what I need. I can't just contact her out of thin air," Gloria explained, silently cursing. She needed the necklace, not to help the damn hybrid create more hybrids, but with so many dangerous beasts around, she had to play the role of a helpful witch to stay alive. "To contact the dead witch, I need a physical item that belonged to her to make the connection."

"Dammit," Klaus cursed, annoyed.

"What you're saying is partially true. But you can still try to contact the dead witch with other methods, like a spirit connection, a bone—better if it's the head—or a significant location tied to them, like their place of remains," Henrik chuckled, seeing Gloria's faltering look.

"Excellent," Klaus said, smiling. "Well, you heard the man, my witch. What do we do?"

"Nik, I still want my necklace back," Rebekah insisted, still fuming about the missing necklace.

"Now is not the time for that, Rebekah," Klaus dismissed her request nonchalantly.

"Let's not rush into other options just yet. We can try to locate Rebekah's necklace first," Gloria quickly interjected, all eyes on her. She cursed the special hybrid internally for talking too much, realizing he might become a problem when she got her hands on the necklace. "I will try to do a spell to locate where the necklace is."

"Fantastic!" Rebekah exclaimed delightedly from Henrik's lap, enthusiastically moving her hips over his cock.

"Fine, how long?" Klaus asked, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"It's not that simple; these things take time. Come back later," Gloria rolled her eyes at him.

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A few hours later, in an upscale boutique in Chicago:

Klaus, Stefan, and Henrik lounged in the seating area, sipping champagne as the girls disappeared into the fitting rooms. The atmosphere was a mix of boredom and amusement, with Klaus growing impatient and Henrik clearly enjoying himself.

The curtain to one of the changing rooms was flung open, revealing Rebekah in a black dress that hugged her figure. Following her were Megan, Katherine, and Alicia, each wearing equally stunning outfits designed to turn heads.

"There has to be more to this dress," Rebekah declared, spinning slowly to showcase the outfit, her tone dripping with disapproval.

"There isn't," Klaus replied with a sigh, tilting his glass of champagne.

"So, women in the 21st century dress like prostitutes, then?" Rebekah quipped, raising her arms in exasperation.

Henrik, sprawled comfortably in his seat, smirked. "If that's the case, I'd say they've perfected the art."

Klaus arched an eyebrow, barely stifling a laugh, while Stefan remained uninterested, sipping his drink without comment.

"You know, I got dirty looks for wearing trousers," Rebekah continued, undeterred. "And what is this music? It sounds like a cable car accident."

"You wore trousers so women today could wear nothing," Klaus shot back dryly.

"I think that dress is fine; there are more slutty ones out there," Henrik chuckled, his eyes roaming appreciatively over the quartet. "You look incredible, Rebekah."

"Henrik is right, Rebekah. What you have is pretty normal," Megan said, smiling. "Look at this one I'm wearing; you'll say I'm naked then."

Megan twirled playfully, her dress swishing around her knees. "If I can pull this off, so can you."

"I love it," Henrik gave a playful whistle.

Alicia chimed in, leaning against Henrik's chair with a teasing grin. "Besides, Henrik hasn't taken his eyes off you since you walked out. I think he approves."

"Well? What do you think?" Rebekah turned her gaze to Henrik, her irritation softening into a warm smile.

Henrik set down his glass and stood, closing the distance between them. He trailed a finger along the fabric of her dress, his gaze lingering on hers. "You look stunning. But you knew that already." Then, he took her into an embrace, grabbing her nice ass with both hands and giving it a good squeeze before kissing her.

"Mhmm~~," Rebekah moaned into their kiss. After they separated, she panted slightly, her cheeks rosy as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, looking at him with loving eyes. "It's good to know."

"Good girl, Auntie," Henrik replied with a sly smile. "Your dress is fine. I like you wearing it."

Katherine sidled up to Henrik, resting her arm on his shoulder. "Alright, your turn. How does this look?" She posed dramatically, the daring cut of her black dress leaving little to the imagination.

"You're all trying to kill me, aren't you?" Henrik chuckled, clearly amused by Katherine's desire for attention. "You look ravishing, baby. There are no more words to it."

Alicia leaned closer, her voice low and teasing. "And here I thought we hybrids were supposed to be invincible."

Klaus, meanwhile, groaned audibly. "Are we done here? Some of us have more important things to deal with than Henrik's little fashion parade."

Rebekah shot her brother a glare. "Why are you so grumpy?"

"Because I needed one thing from you to fix my hybrids—your necklace. And you lost it," Klaus rolled his eyes, sipping from his glass.

"I didn't lose it," Rebekah snapped. "It's just been… missing for 90 years."

Klaus gave her a look that said he wasn't buying it.

Rebekah turned her attention back to Henrik, her expression softening once more. "Do you think this dress is the one?"

"It's perfect, but I wouldn't mind seeing a few more options," Henrik answered with a wink, fondling her perky, soft ass.

"Ah~~," Rebekah moaned, playfully rolling her eyes before removing herself from his embrace and returning to the fitting room. Katherine, Megan, and Alicia followed, tossing knowing smiles at Henrik as they disappeared behind the curtains.

Klaus looked at Stefan, who seemed utterly uninterested in the theatrics. "Nice to see you're as useful as ever," Klaus muttered.

"You're the one who pulled the dagger out of her," Stefan shrugged.

From inside the fitting room, Rebekah called out, "I heard that!"

"I'm going to get some fresh air," Stefan sighed, setting his glass down.

Henrik leaned back in his chair, a smug smile playing on his lips as Klaus shot him an unimpressed glance. Smirking, Henrik raised his glass in a silent toast.

After a moment, the girls emerged again.

"I think this will do," Rebekah said contentedly, showcasing her new selection of clothes—a comfy and classy white t-shirt and pants.

Klaus rolled his eyes and sighed. "Please, tell her she looks fine with that already," he said to Henrik in the chair beside him.

"You're being mean," Rebekah said angrily to Klaus. "And why are you being mean? You used to love me,"

"Well, if we had the damn necklace right now, I might be happier and more chipper about boring things, little sister," Klaus said with a smile.

"Give it a rest, Klaus. It isn't her fault that she didn't have it when you staked her," Henrik said, taking Rebekah's side as Klaus vented his grievances on her.

"See? My dear nephew gets it. He knows it wasn't my fault," Rebekah happily sat on Henrik's lap and gave him a wet, tongue-filled kiss.

Klaus sighed as he watched them both getting cozy, noticing Katherine's amused look before pausing for a moment. Katherine gave him a signal with her head, and Klaus understood her meaning.

"So, Henrik. I think I got it," Klaus said, adjusting his position in the chair and steeling himself for what was about to happen.

"What do you mean?" Henrik asked between kisses with Rebekah before taking her lips again.

"Mhmm~~," Rebekah enjoyed their moment, running her hands over his chest.

"Can't you both stop for a moment?" Klaus asked, slightly irritated as they were more into devouring each other's lips than listening to him.

"Sorry, it's just that my dear aunt is so mesmerizing," Henrik smiled innocently at him, caressing Rebekah's sweet ass cheek. "What were you saying?"

"Doing this is better than seeing your grumpy face, Nik," Rebekah panted sweetly against Henrik's neck, looking at her brother while enjoying Henrik's touch as he played with her ass, making her body weaken as she leaned into him.

"I said that I already know what you're hiding," Klaus said, looking into Henrik's eyes expectantly and unsettled.

"What? Can't you be clear?" Henrik asked doubtfully.

"Henrik, you don't need to be cryptic anymore. I already know," Klaus said firmly.

"I'm your father, isn't it?" Klaus spoke these words with certainty, already accepting their meaning. "That's what you would have told me in a few months, right?"

Rebekah gasped.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Henrik asked quietly.

"Well, now that it's certain you're related to us, there aren't many possibilities, you know," Klaus said with a smile. "Either you're my son, my brother by the same father, or my twin. There's the possibility of you being my nephew, born from my other brothers, but that possibility is almost null compared to you being my son, which is already close to impossible."

"Add to that what you told me before, during our little trip, that you were a kid compared to my age; it only leaves one option. You are my son," Klaus continued, his expression serious. "So tell me, who is your mother?"

The room grew silent, the tension almost palpable, like a thunderstorm about to break. Klaus's eyes were focused on Henrik's, a mixture of doubt, anticipation, and guarded hope flickering in his gaze. Rebekah, frozen on Henrik's lap, looked between the two men, her expression a blend of disbelief and yearning. She hadn't been sure of any of this and thought Henrik was joking when he called her "auntie," until Klaus revealed that Henrik was their family after he fucked her. Still, she knew nothing about it as they hadn't discussed it.

Henrik leaned back slightly, his usually playful demeanor replaced by a quiet seriousness. He met Klaus's gaze unflinchingly before sighing. "You're right," he said finally, his voice steady and soft. "I am your son."

The weight of those words seemed to hang in the air, as if time itself had paused. Klaus blinked, his breath caught in his throat as he processed the confirmation. For a moment, he looked almost vulnerable—a crack in the armor of the indomitable and fearsome Hybrid who was the nightmare of many.

"My son…" Klaus repeated, his voice barely above a whisper, carrying an almost childlike wonder tinged with disbelief. He stood abruptly, pacing a few steps thoughtfully, trying to cope with it before turning back to Henrik. "But how? Vampires cannot—" He stopped himself, his mind racing. "Who is she? Who is your mother? How is this even possible?"

Henrik shook his head, his expression calm but resolute, not intending to reveal more. Being known by them as his son didn't drastically change his plans. "Not today, Klaus. The answers will come when the time is right, but not today."

Rebekah suddenly found her voice, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Is it true? You're really our blood? My nephew?" Her hand trembled as she reached out to touch Henrik's face, as if needing to feel the truth beneath her fingertips.

Henrik smiled softly, placing his hand over hers. "Yes, Aunt Rebekah. It's true."

Rebekah's lips parted, but no words came out at first. Then, she lashed out, giving him a strong kiss, eagerly devouring him as if wanting to pour out her heartfelt feelings. After they separated, she blinked rapidly, shaking her head in disbelief. "But… how? I've wanted children for so long, Henrik. I've dreamed of holding a child of my own, but I'm a vampire. It's impossible."

"Maybe not as impossible as you think," Henrik said softly, gazing at her.

"Do you mean it? There's a way?" Rebekah's voice was almost a whisper, her breath caught as she clutched his hand tightly, filled with a fragile hope that seemed to light her from within.

"I don't know for sure," Henrik admitted, seeing her like that, softly caressing her back to calm her excited state. "But if I exist, then perhaps the impossible isn't so impossible after all."

Rebekah's face crumpled as tears spilled down her cheeks, a radiant smile breaking through. She threw her arms around Henrik, holding him tightly. "You don't know what this means to me," she sobbed, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

"So, would you like that, Auntie? To have babies with me?" Henrik had a splendid smile on his lips.

"Yes!!! Of course I do, it was my dream all this time," Rebekah excitedly called out quickly, taking his face in her hands and starting to kiss him forcefully and crazily.

Klaus stood frozen, watching the scene before his eyes with a mixture of awe and disbelief. Slowly, he approached them, his movements hesitant and slightly fearful. When Henrik looked up at him while kissing his aunt, there was no mistaking the emotion in his eyes.

"You're really my son…" Klaus repeated, his voice trembling. He reached out, placing a hand on Henrik's shoulder. "I—" His voice broke, and he closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath. "I've spent centuries believing I was alone. That I'd never have a legacy, never have someone to call my own."

"You're not alone, Father," Henrik said softly after separating from his kiss with Rebekah.

Rebekah was panting, with wet tears running down her cheeks as she emotionally leaned against Henrik. But seeing her brother Nik's emotional state, she left Henrik's embrace for a moment so they could talk more clearly from father to son.

The word "Father" seemed to break something within Klaus, who had never thought in his life that he would hear that word so heartfelt and emotively directed at anyone, let alone himself. He pulled Henrik into a fierce embrace, gripping him as if afraid to let go, not knowing how this was possible but eternally grateful for it nonetheless. For a moment, the mighty Hybrid wasn't the ruthless, fearsome creature of legend in the supernatural world but a man—a father—holding his son for the first time.

Rebekah watched them with tears streaming down her face, a radiant smile of joy and hope lighting her features. "Nik, I don't know how you did this, but well done," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion as she looked at her brother and her nephew.

Klaus finally stepped back, his eyes damp but resolute. He cupped Henrik's face, studying him with an intensity that spoke of both pride and protectiveness. "You are my son; I have no doubts about it anymore," he said again, this time with a note of conviction. "And nothing will harm you while I still draw breath."

"That means, that you won't try to stab me again?" Henrik smiled, making a dark joke.

"I will not," Klaus said, his lips trembling with a wry smile.

"I know you would never have done it if you had known at that time, Father," Henrik said, seeing him like that, releasing him from embarrassment with a genuine warm expression.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Niklaus Mikaelson smiled—a real, unguarded smile that held the promise of something he had long thought lost through so many centuries: family.

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🤯I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to approach this. See you in the next chapter—while we might be slow, at least they come faster! 🤪