"! Come on, get up!"

Mercy Mikaelson groaned, stuffing her head underneath the pillow to try and muffle the sounds of her older twin sister. Hope was currently shaking the girl as she tried fruitlessly to fall back asleep, but was unable to considering the nagging voice right at her ear.

"Hope, stop," she whined, blindly pushing the girl away from her. She could practically feel Hope pouting as a response to her retaliation. Mercy felt slightly bad, but the wish of sleep was too great to worry about how her sister felt for taking it away.

"No," Hope denied, and suddenly, the pillow that had acted as the barrier between Mercy and the outside world was ripped away, the abrupt light making Mercy clench her eyes shut. Hope stood over her and her hair was looking even more red than normal in the sunlight as she looked ready to take on the day. She had changed into her nice clothes and her hair was done with a braid across the crown of her head. She looked like a princess. Mercy, in comparison, with her pajamas askew and her hair a mess, looked like a lowly peasant. "Don't you remember? Dad's here today."

That made Mercy wake up quicker than anything. She sat up on the top bunk of the bunk-bed that Hope and she shared, looking wide-eyed at her twin. She had completely forgot about their family returning to them after the nightmare that she and Hope had shared last night. It was the nightmare that they've been having for a few days now, and they were scared. Mercy, in her fear, hadn't remembered that she would meet her father for the first time in the morning. Now that she recalled it, she threw off her light green blanket, staring at Hope expectantly.

"Well what are we waiting for?" She asked as her lips turned up into a smirk, just to get on Hope's nerves. Like she expected, Hope glared at her, rolled her eyes, and hit Mercy with the pillow she had previously stolen. Mercy laughed as Hope descended the top bunk on the wooden ladder, quickly followed by Mercy. The younger twin rushed to the closet, her green eyes looking through all of the clothes there before picking out jean shorts, a comfortable flannel that was perhaps a little too big for her, and brown combat boots.

"You really aren't going to wear something nicer?" Hope asked with a high voice, probably trying to convince her little sister to pick something else.

Mercy sent a look her way, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously? You're judging me now of all times?" She questioned incredulously. It was no secret that Hope had always had grace that Mercy lacked. Where Hope looked pristine and proper in her silky shirts, Mercy always looked awkward, and preferred looser and more comfortable clothes, like the flannel that she was wearing now. Grabbing her brush, she started to try and get the tangles out of her hair as Hope watched with slight amusement from the bottom bunk.

Hope shrugged at Mercy's question, losing the amused look and replacing it with a frown. "I just want to make a good first impression," she said, but Mercy rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"Hope, they're our family," she told her softly, wincing when the brush took out a chunk of her hair in the form of a stubborn tangle. "No matter whether or not we make a good first impression, they'll love us the same."

"You don't know that," Hope replied, looking troubled. Finally finishing with her hair, Mercy eyes grew soft and turned around to approach her twin. Because of their bond through their magic, Mercy could actually feel Hope's sadness reflected in her own body, and she hated the feeling of knowing her sister was sad.

Mercy came and sat down on the bottom bunk next to Hope, draping an arm around her shoulders. "It'll be alright, Twin," she said, giving her a small smile. "I'll be with you the whole time."

That seemed to reassure Hope's nerves, because the sadness leaked away from Mercy's heart, and a smile appeared across Hope's lips. Before either of them could say anything else, their bedroom door opened slowly, and Mercy looked up to see their mother enter the room. Hayley leaned against the threshold, sending her two daughters reassuring smiles as she nodded to behind where she stood.

"You guys ready?" she asked gently, probably understanding that they—or at the very least Hope—would be nervous to meet their fairytale knight in shining armor that their mother had told them so much about. Mercy looked to her sister, seeing her twin take a deep breath before nodding.

"Yep," Mercy answered for both of them, grabbing Hope's hand in her own for comfort as they stood. "We're ready."

Hayley smiled and then gestured for them to follow her. The two of them did, walking toward the front of the house as Mercy wondered briefly what their father would look like. She had a strong feeling that he had blue eyes, because Hope's eye color definitely didn't match Hayley's hazel or Mercy's green, so it had to be from their father.

But as they walked closer to the front door, Mercy could hear shouting coming from the porch. Hayley, who had grabbed one of each of her daughter's hands in her own, stiffened at the sound, looking annoyed.

"—And I'm not asking!" Mercy heard the second before Hayley opened the door to the porch, leading the two girls into a suddenly very tense and awkward atmosphere. Mercy glanced up to see a group of people that she had definitely not been expecting but probably should have. Hayley had always said that she would bring back their family, not just their father.

There were three boys and two girls, and all of them were beautiful. The girls both sported pretty blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, while two boys had brown hair and brown eyes. Their facial structures were all similar to each other, even as they had their own differences.

Mercy could sense Hope's apprehension at the group of people as the only man with dark blonde, curly hair stepped forward toward them. He was looking between Hope and Mercy with a look of awe, and to be frank, it was kind of creeping the girls out even as they were excited to see their father. Mercy knew it was him before they said anything, something inside of her calling out toward his presence.

"Look who's awake," Hayley announces, looking down at her two girls lovingly as the others processed just how much bigger the girls had become from the last time they had seen them.

"Hello," Hope greeted politely, and Mercy took that as her cue to raise the hand that Hayley didn't have a hold of and wave to the strangers that were apparently her family.

"Hello," the man with the curly hair and blue eyes said, looking nervous as he did so. Mercy guessed that Hope was a little uncomfortable, and her theory was proven when her twin sister looked up at their mother.

"Mom?" Hope asked quietly. "Can we go play in the garden?"

Hayley looked confused by the lack of enthusiasm coming from the girls after they had been so enthusiastic to meet their family prior, but nonetheless she gave a small smile. "Yea, of course honey," she answered, and Hope gave her a strained smile—if you could even call it that; it was more like a twist of her lips. Everyone watched her go toward the porch stairs. She lifted her dress slightly as she headed toward the table in the garden without even looking back at Mercy to see if she was following.

"Well, that was awkward," Mercy commented, causing some of the people to smile at her bluntness. She looked up at her mom, widening her eyes as she grinned. "Definitely not something to put in the family scrapbook."

Hayley shook her head at her daughter, ruffling Mercy's hair with a laugh. The little girl giggled before running from under Hayley's hand, passing their father and the rest of their family without a second look as she went after Hope. Her twin sister was taking a seat at the table that they had set up outside, the paints and supplies already there for her taking. Mercy walked up to the table, leaning against it in silence as she stared pointedly at her sister. Finally Hope seemed to sense Mercy's gaze because she looked over at her sister questioningly.

"What?" she asked, already pulling out a single piece of white paper; Hope knew that Mercy didn't really prefer painting, and would much rather play pranks or go around doing cartwheels in the yard. Even without asking, Hope knew not to set up a second sheet of paper. Her sister liked to be active and outside, while Hope was more reserved and quiet.

Mercy rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. "You're kidding, right?" She scoffed, only for her sister to look away at the words. "You've been excited to see him for the past month and now that you can, you're chickening out?"

"I'm not chickening out," Hope denied, pouting, but Mercy sent her a wink, walking to stand across the table from her.

"Oh yea, definitely chickening out," Mercy commented, and Hope's demure expression flipped to a glare like the shutter of a camera.

"He's just...different, is all," she tried to explain herself, fiddling with a few of her paintbrushes and looking confused on which one she should pick. "I mean, Mom's always said how he saved our family and he loves us so much, but he seemed just as nervous as I was, and it felt weird."

Mercy shrugged, shaking her head. "Maybe you're just crazy, and he's the normal one," she said, only for Hope to scowl at her. What Mercy wasn't expecting was a sudden, vindictive smirk to appear on her twin's face.

"Oh, really?" Hope asked, but before Mercy could even respond, the older twin flicked some of the paint on her brush, the color splattering all over Mercy's pale face.

She flinched away from the table, her eyes wide in shock and amusement as Hope burst into laughter, pointing at her sister through her giggles.

"Oh, it's on," Mercy said, and Hope squealed in response, jumping from her chair and running around the table to try and outmaneuver Mercy's reaching hands. The younger twin was faster though, and easily grabbed onto Hope's arm, causing the two of them to tumble to the ground in a fit of laughter. Mercy couldn't help but chuckle at the turn of events, holding onto her stomach and trying to regain her breathing as she and her sister sat in the grass, looking silly.

At this point, Mercy's dark hair was everywhere in tangles once more, but she didn't mind, simply brushing the strands behind her ear and away from her face. Hope looked flawless—no surprise there—but Mercy could still see a few specks of paint that she had managed to get in her twin's hair.

Mercy paused, staring at her sister while her wide smile slowly fell into a frown; she glanced down to tear out a few blades of grass. "You don't have to be nervous, you know," Mercy said and Hope turned toward her curiously. At Hope's movement, Mercy continued. "I could feel him, like the way that I can feel you."

Hope's eyes widened, surprise lacing every feature. It had been a long-time secret between the girls about the two of them being able to feel the other's emotions and feelings, preferring not to freak their mom out with the revelation. They themselves had just barely realized a year ago, but they hadn't mentioned a word since they pinky promised not to. "Really?" Hope asked, scooting a little closer as she became much more interested. "What did you feel?"

Mercy looked over her shoulder, briefly seeing their mom speaking to their father at this very moment, the two of them looking at the girls from the safety of the porch. Frowning deeply, Mercy turned back toward Hope, seeing that her sister had taken notice of their parents as well. "I'll tell you later," Mercy promised, standing up from the ground and offering a hand to her sister, one which she gladly took. Mercy walked back to the table of paints with Hope, but she found herself gazing longingly to the line of trees in the distance. She had to admit that she would much rather be out there then in the midst of new family drama.

Hope could feel her sister's want, and as she sat down at the table, she looked out at the trees as well. She didn't feel the same attraction to the trees as Mercy did, but she could understand her sister's need to be free, considering that she could feel the mirror emotion reflected just slightly in her own body, reserved in a place that Hope had come to think of as Mercy's connection. Ever since she could remember, Hope could tell that Mercy felt...different than her older twin. She acted differently, that was for sure, but she also had a different dream than Hope, and that was okay. To Hope, it didn't matter; whatever made Mercy happy would make her happy as well.

So, taking that into account, Hope looked to Mercy with a small smile, nodding toward the forest. "You can go if you want," Hope said and gestured to the paints in front of her. "I'm alright here."

Mercy looked to Hope in surprise, shaking herself out of the daze that she had fallen into at the sight of the tall trees that she was itching to climb. "You sure?" she questioned, not wanting to leave her twin if she was feeling down.

Hope nodded kindly, grabbing one of her paintbrushes and dipping it into the blue color. "I've got it, Mer," she replied. "Just make sure you ask Mom first. With everyone back she might not let you."

Mercy rolled her eyes as a smirk, the one that always seemed to plague her face, appeared. "And when have I ever listened to Mom?" she asked sarcastically, but nonetheless turned around and began walking back to the house in search of her mother, knowing it would not bode well for her if she didn't ask permission to go in the woods first.

But before Mercy could take even a few steps, she noticed her father walking down the porch stairs, heading straight for her and Hope. While she had been excited at first to see her father, Mercy could tell that Hope really needed some alone time with him, and decided right there that she would not get in the way of that. Despite her own want to spend time with him, she knew it was best if Hope found a way to connect with their father more than just the connection they shared in their blood.

So, in all Mercy-fashion, she turned to her right and cartwheeled in that direction, immediately skipping toward the house when she was upright once again. She went around her father, noticing and feeling his sadness slightly before she sent him a small smile, waving her tiny fingers in a friendly way before finishing her journey to the porch steps. She ran up the wooden stairs, knowing that her father was perplexed at her actions but also knowing that he understood that she wasn't purposely trying to avoid him.

Running into her home, Mercy certainly made her presence known, stomping with her boots to find her mom standing in the living room across from one of the men she assumed to be her uncle. His brown hair was styled nicely, and with his sleek, black suit, he looked like he was about to leave for a party. Mercy scrunched up her nose, imagining having to wear a suit and actually look...nice. Ugh, what a tragedy that life would be.

"Hi Mercy," her mom greeted, sending her daughter a smile. However, it quickly turned into a frown when she noticed the paint in the little girl's hair. "What did I say about throwing the paint around?"

Mercy immediately moved her attention from the man to her mother, shaking her head with wide eyes. "It was Hope, I swear!" she told her, already seeing the laughter on her mom's face.

"Whatever you say," Hayley said, tilting her head. "Did you need anything, sweetie?"

Mercy's eyes briefly flickered back to the man, abruptly unnerved when she found that he was already staring at her intently, as if in awe. It was the same look that her father possessed, and if this was what it was going to be like with their family back together, she was already getting annoyed. But before she could awkwardly look away, she started talking to her mother rather fast. "Well, I was actually going to ask if I could go to the treehouse?" Mercy asked with her best begging face, beginning to speak even faster when her mom looked ready to argue. "Please? I really want to go."

Hayley looked to her daughter, saddened slightly that she wasn't even interested in getting to know her new family when an idea suddenly popped into her head, and she smiled. "Alright," she said, seeing Mercy grin widely. "But on one condition: somebody has to take you there. By the time you go there and come back, it'll be late and I don't want you out in the woods at night."

"But Mom-"

"No buts," Hayley cut her off, her voice stern. "And I won't be able to go with thanks to something I have to take care of with your aunt Freya, okay?"

"Then who will take me?" Mercy asked, sounding like all of her dreams had been crushed.

Elijah Mikaelson cleared his throat, reminding the two girls that he was still in the room. "I'm sure your father would be happy to accompany you," he told her, but Mercy was already waving his suggestion off.

"He's with Hope," she said as if that would explain everything. When it didn't, and Elijah gave her a confused look, she amended, "Hope's always been the more sensitive one. Figured she could use some alone time with our dad."

He looked at her for a minute longer, his expression surprised and impressed by her level of maturity at such a young age, before Hayley interrupted both of them, a small smile on her face. "How about Elijah takes you?" she asked her daughter, watching in amusement as Mercy narrowed her eyes at her uncle.

"Hm," she hummed to herself, tilting her head slightly before grinning widely. "You'll do fine," she finally stated, grabbing Elijah's hand and dragging him to the door. He allowed her to, smirking in bemusement at her actions while Hayley laughed at the sight of her little girl dragging the noble Original around by his hand.

"You two have fun!" she called, seeing Elijah give her a look over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner with Mercy.

The little girl payed her mom no mind, already having her shoes on and going straight to the front door. They passed the blonde headed girl, who gave them a surprised look, before they exited the house completely, Mercy leading the way to the trees.

"You're lucky we're related, you know," Mercy called, smirking in a way that reminded Elijah too much of his brother. "The treehouse is sacred."

Elijah nodded at her words silently, wondering what he had just gotten himself into.

>

if you could all just take a few moments out of your day to tell me what you thought about this chapter and the book in general, i'd really appreciate it!

-kay :)