The Vampire Diaries

"She never approves of anything to do with you unless it is Klaus murdering you." Astrid mumbled bitterly before replying, "She organised this… so she approves us talking. I reckon if you don't bother them she wouldn't mind."

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"Okay," Karl whispered.  "If your sure."

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Malvolio nodded and headed out of the house quietly, telling Trinity, "We'll be back later,"

Trinity smiled softly watching them leave as she went ahead to clean up the house.

Saffron ran head outside.

"Tell me then," Eri encouraged.

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"I do not wish to create a fuss, nor be the bane of people's problems."

"My daughter was the eldest, had a little bit of an attitude on her that when she married didn't please her husband very much, though after some stern words from me before my last voyage out with the others he stopped, from whenever we were given peeks at what was happening it appeared that he had stopped though and they looked happy. Her name was Kadlin." Karl began quietly, "My eldest son, Throst was brilliant with swords and weapons. On my last voyage he insisted to join me, said he should of went years ago anyway and he wasn't too pleased when I didn't allow him, which I'm glad I didn't do. Svein was loud, had a right mouth on him and found everything funny even when it wasn't, he was all talk though - tried to scare people with words but wouldn't harm a fly. Magnus, he was just a baby, I never got to watch him grow really, but when I was alive he was quiet which was a relief, a nice relief because of how loud all of his siblings were and had been, we spoilt him rotten."

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"Behave yourself, leave mother alone, and you wouldn't be…" Astrid whispered quietly.

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"Careful Saff, not too far,"

"I know daddy I'm just right here!" She called from maybe twenty feet ahead and jumping out from behind a tree giggling.

"They sound like good kids." Eri smiled a little, "Any of them look like your parents?"

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"Speak with your mother, I do not want to come back to have Niklaus slaughter me purely for existing."

"I know where you are," Malvolio laughed, "Just don't go further then that…"

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"Svein had mothers eyes, chin, nose and hair colour… Magnus looked like my father though when he died and I got to see him he looked more like me."

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Astrid made a small groaning noise and pulled her phone from her pocket, calling Tatia and putting it on speaker, "You talk to her…"

"I'm not daddy stop worrying so much!" She giggled sweetly.

"I highly doubt she will want to talk to me." Adam sighed, handing the phone back.

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"Ari looked like my mother and father, if I had been a boy I bet I'd have looked just like him, but Ragnar was his father in miniature form..." Eri said quietly.

"Well you are, perhaps it is you that needs to say goodbye to her, apologise or something. Since you seem so set against not coming back…. I want you to apologise to her." She told him hanging up the phone when it was handed back to her so her mother wouldn't answer and hear her asking him to apologise. "Then she can't make out like you were heartless…"

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Karl nodded a little bit.

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Malvolio just frowned at her.

"I have nothing to apologise for. Your mother was unfaithful, she saw another man, many other men, behind my back."

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"They were my boys, and they're the only children I want..." Eri whispered. "I don't want to replace them like people in this family insist on doing, replacing their dead kids. I just want them."

"And you hit her and they never shut up about it, and I have to hear it,  constantly and I get looked at like I have done something wrong when I defend you so please make me defending you easier and apologise, even though you feel you have nothing to apologise for just do it…. Please, daddy… for me?"

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Karl just gave a small nod of agreement, tightening his arms around her.

Adam sighed deeply. "If I am to apologise I will do it face to face, not using these contraptions." he pointed to her phone.

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"I hope for a little girl when I was pregnant the third time. I didn't want any more sons, I had a name picked out for her and everything..."

At his frown she stopped and looked at him. "What's the matter daddy?"

"What name?" Karl asked curiously.

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"I'll get her to come to my home then…. Witch said you can stay in the town and that the spell'll last until midnight or something. Think you coming to the house will be safer, I doubt you'd want to walk to her home and see Klaus…. Unless I ask her to come here. You decide what to do."

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"Nothing, Saff , I just worry about you."

"I shall go to your home then." Adam nodded.

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Eri was quiet for a good few minutes, before finally answering. "Dana."

Astrid just gave a small nod, glancing over to Kol and asking quietly, "Is that okay with you?"

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"That's a lovely name,"

"But I'm fine daddy."

"Sure," Kol nodded. "Just remember that Karl and Eri are at home."

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Eri nodded, "I thought so too, it was gonna be just me and her, since her father left on a boat just before our boys died, and never returned. I always thought he was lucky, being spared the pain that I went through."

"If they end up meeting him then they end up meeting him," Astrid replied with a small shrug before motioning for her father to follow and heading out as she text her mother to meet her at her home and that it were important.

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Karl just frowned.

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"Just don't go too far ahead ,"

Adam followed silently.

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Eri was quiet then, burying her face in his neck and curling up to him on the bed.

Karl rubbed her back gently to try and comfort her.

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About half an hour later, Astrid sat down on the sofa when they entered the house.

"I feel pathetic, crying about it now." Eri mumbled, "But they were all I had, you know?"

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Tatia was sat on the couch with Klaus, having asked him to come since she'd had a pretty good idea that Astrid was going to make her see Adam. At seeing the three of them walk in she tensed violently at seeing Adam, despite having anticipated it.

Astrid muttered something incoherent in complaint when she saw Klaus there, simply reaching across to grab her fathers arm gently. Both to keep him calm and to make sure he were still there.


Klaus pulled Tatia into his side when she tensed, kissing the top of her head and whispering in her ear, "It's okay, I'm here."

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Karl nodded, "I understand, don't worry, I understand,"

Eri was quiet then, closing her eyes and resting against him as she tried to think of something else.

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"Why Astrid?!" Tatia asked when she found her voice again, doing her best to look straight at Astrid and avoid eye contact with Adam.

Adam was watching Tatia and Klaus, having made an almost hissing noise when he'd seen him.