A little later, Ethan had wandered into the room, Elijah sitting next to the bed with a book as he waited for Y/N to wake up. He looked up when he heard Ethan's soft steps coming down the hall. He gave a welcoming smile as he looked into the room and saw Elijah and his mother.

Ethan looked around as he entered the room and gave a small, shy wave to Elijah. "Hi." He said, his voice soft. Elijah set his book to the side and answered his son, "Hello."

Ethan fidgeted slightly, his camera resting on his shoulders as he fiddled with the straps. He stared at the bed where he mother laid, still not moving. Elijah started speaking to Ethan to distract him from her, he could tell how uncomfortable Ethan felt.

"You like to take pictures?" Elijah asked, letting his posture settle into a slight bend to make Ethan a little more comfortable. Elijah could tell that the straight posture he liked to keep was a little intimidating to Ethan at the moment, the confidence not matching well with his shyness.

Ethan looked down at the camera and nodded a little, his eyes still glancing to Y/N every now and then. His nodded and said, "Yes. We travel a lot, so I take pictures of the places we've been."

Elijah nodded, a little smirk on his face as he got to know his son. "Where are all the places you've been?" Ethan smiled a little, coming out of his shelf as he talked about what he liked to do.

"Well, we've moved around a lot. We've been almost everywhere. One of my favorites is France. And Mom's told me about home, she said it was in Virginia...but I've never been."

Elijah furrowed his brows, curious as to why she had yet to take her son to the place she was raised. "Why is that?" He questioned.

Ethan shrugged and looked at Y/N as he spoke, "She said it's because she doesn't know if it's safe."

Elijah nodded, understanding perfectly well. He smiled as he sat on the foot of the bed, patting the spot next to him for Ethan to sit. He climb on top of the bed and sat next to Elijah, awkwardly fiddling with the camera.

Elijah started speaking, his voice gentle as he said, "Many centuries ago, when your mother and I lived in Virginia, we used to have village gatherings. Some of the fighters in our village would talk about their adventures, others would dance around the large bonfire in the center of the village."

Ethan smiled as he listened to Elijah speak about their home. Ethan pitched in, "That's sounds like a lot of fun."

"It was. I enjoyed the ones I got to spend with your mother the most." Elijah said, looking behind him to see Y/N, and then looking back to Ethan.

"The place we lived is called Mystic Falls. And, yes, it can be fairly dangerous. which is why I can understand her reason for not taking you." Elijah trailed off.

Ethan suddenly asked, changing the subject, "How many siblings do you have?"

Elijah smiled and told him, "I have five. My older siblings, Freya and Finn. My younger siblings, Niklaus, Kol, and Rebekah. You've met Niklaus..."

Ethan looked down at the camera, fiddling with it as he asked, "Do you get along with your siblings?" Elijah stopped and took in a breath as he tried to choose his words carefully, "I wouldn't necessarily say we 'get along'."

Ethan looked down again and Elijah spoke up, "My family has a vow. 'Always and Forever'."

"What does it mean?" Ethan asked. Elijah began to say something when Ethan clarified, "I've learned that a lot of things have another meaning behind the words."

Elijah smiled. He was so much like Y/N and it shined in the way he behaved and the way his eyes shined. But there was also so much of himself inside of Ethan. It brought a smile to his face as he answered, "Well...it's a vow to be there for each other no matter what may happen. A vow to always be by each other's sides."

Ethan smiled to himself and looked away from Elijah and off at something else, his gaze never really locking onto anything. He sighed and glanced back at his mother. "When will she wake up?" He asked, a little bit of the shyness form before creeping into his tone as he tried his best to fend it off.

Elijah took a look at Y/N, sighing. 'She should have been awake by now.' Is what Elijah would have said if it wouldn't have stressed Ethan out upon hearing these words.

Instead, Elijah told him calmly, "It shouldn't be too long. The time varies depending on the person."

Ethan looked at his mother. He could tell Elijah was holding back a little bit. Truth was, Elijah didn't know when she'd wake up. Ethan sighed and slowly left the room, going to find something to do while he awaited his mother.

~

The next day, Ethan found himself walking around the main area of the compound, bored and wanting something to do to keep his mind off of his mother who was still unconscious. He had never really been separated from Y/N before, at least not like this. As he circled the fountain, walking on the edge with his arms spread out for more balance.

"Hey, little guy." Someone suddenly spoke. Ethan jumped, losing his balance and falling off the ledge of the fountain. He caught himself before he could fall forward, landing on his feet perfectly.

He looked up at the woman who had greeted him and waved, gathering up his confidence and fending off his newfound shyness the bed he could. "Hi." He greeted, put his hands behind his back to keep from fidgeting with his camera.

The woman held a small baby in her arms as she looked at Ethan. "Whatcha doin' here?" She asked, her words were gentle but they didn't keep him from getting fidgety.

Ethan clasped his hands behind his back, taking a small step away from her in a way that didn't make it obvious.

"Waiting on my Mom." Ethan simply said. As the woman took another step closer to Ethan, she asked, "Who's your mom?"

He took a small step backwards and played it off by walking around in his spot for a few seconds. Ethan shrugged and muttered to the woman, he didn't really feel very good about the situation, "I not really supposed to say my Mother's name."

She gave a soft chuckle and a smile and said, "You can tell me. I'm sure she won't mind."

"How do you know? Have you met her before because I don't know you." Ethan played out. She rocked the baby in her arms and kneeled down in front of Ethan saying, "My name's Hayley. This is Hope."

Ethan nodded, looking between her and the baby and then moving to put more space between them, looking down at his camera to distract her from his movements.

"What's your name?" Hayley asked, standing back up.

Ethan answered, "I'm not really supposed to be talking to strangers." Hayley chuckled again, "Well, you know my name. I'm not a stranger."

He said, "Just because I know your name, doesn't mean you're not a stranger."

Hayley hummed, "Smart kid." Ethan smiled a little and said, "Guilty."

Hayley walked toward Ethan a little more and he was getting really uncomfortable. He didn't do well around strangers without his mother around. This was definitely no exception. Before Hayley could ask another question, someone popped in.

"Hey, buddy." A familiar voice spoke. Ethan turned around quickly and saw his mother standing in the doorway. He ran toward her with a smile and exclaimed, "Mom!" She caught him when he came in to hug her, pulling him close to her and hugging him closer.

She smiled as he let go. She looked up and saw Hayley and asked Ethan, "Did you make a new friend?"

He shrugged and Y/N could feel that there was something off. She looked up at the woman and her child and introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Y/N. This is my son, Ethan."

She shifted the baby in her arms to the other side as she introduced herself, "I'm Hayley, this is my daughter Hope." She shook Y/N's hand and took it back to continue holding her child.

"So what're you doing around here?" Hayley asked motioning around the compound questioningly. Y/N shrugged and answered, "How about you?"

"Taking my daughter to her father. Back to you." Hayley spoke, something didn't feel right at all. Y/N placed her hands on Ethan's shoulders, comforting him. She could feel the tension coming off of him.

She then realized what she had heard, taking her daughter to her father?

Y/N shrugged again, saying, "Son to his." She looked down at Ethan for a moment to see him fiddling with the bracelet around his wrist.

Hayley furrowed her brows and before she could continue to question the mother in front of her, Klaus had come down the stairs. "Ah, I see you've met someone who's apparently come back from the dead.

Y/N clenched her jaw. She was particularly fond of Klaus at the moment, seeing as he had snapped her neck. She spoke with as much calm as she could muster and told him, "Niklaus, I am not back from the dead. Dead and long-lost are two different terms."

He spoke, "Sure they are." She rolled her eyes and said, "I'm going to Elijah. We will talk later."

"Why not now?" Klaus pushed, turning around and placing a hand on her arm, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to make a point. She took in a breath and said, "Because I'm trying to take care of my son before dealing with his nonsense."

Klaus stared, his jaw clenching for a moment before he let go. Y/N took Ethan's hand and walked away from Klaus. When they were out of earshot, Ethan spoke, "He's mean."

She shook her head, looking to Ethan, "He didn't used to be like that. Something's changed. Your Uncle Nik was a sweetheart."

Ethan asked, "What happened?"

Y/N shrugged to her son, telling him, "I don't know. That's what I plan to find out. Come on." Ethan followed her away.

Klaus spoke, his cockiness evident in his tone, "Charming, isn't she?"

Hayley responded, "Pretty sure that was your fault. What did you do this time?"

Klaus walked toward her, holding his hands out to take his little girl in his arms. Hayley shuffled her over as Klaus said, "You mistake me for some of scoundrel."

"I mistake you for you. What did you do, Klaus?" Hayley muttered. Klaus watched Hope as he bounced her in his arms, telling Hayley, "I merely did what a sensible person would do."

"Which is what? I don't know if you know this, Klaus, but you're not all that sensible when it comes to people." She told him, raising a brow.

"I snapped the intruders neck." Klaus smirked at Hayley. He still didn't believe any of this. Y/N wouldn't just magically be alive. It couldn't be true.

Hayley rolled her eyes and said, "No wonder." She had another question on her mind, one that was bugging her and standing out in the back of her mind as she asked, "Who's the kid's father?"

Klaus looked at Hayley, giving her a devilishly crooked smirk as he teased, "My, my, what a curious little wolf." Hayley rolled her eyes and said, "Nevermind. I'll go get the answer from Elijah."

Klaus smirked as she went down the hall in the same direction as Y/N and Ethan had gone.

~

Y/N had suddenly woken from her unconsciousness, gasping for breath as she sat up. Elijah was by her side in no time, steadying her. "Are you alright?" He asked her, his concern obvious.

She nodded as she asked, "Where's Ethan?"

Elijah answered, "He's keeping busy downstairs." Y/N nodded and began to sit up more, steadying herself up now. 'Having your neck snapped is no joke.' Y/N thought to herself.

"How long was I out?"

Elijah inspected her as he answered, "26 hours."

She looked back at him, shock ridden. She hadn't expected to be out for so long. Of course, this had never happened before, she didn't really know what would happen, but to be out for so long didn't seem exactly right.

Y/N rubbed her face and took a deep breath in. "I was hoping you'd be able to explain why it took you so long to wake up. It's not very natural to stay out all day." Elijah commented. Y/N shook her head and said, "At this point, I've learned to blame it on the necklace."

Elijah chuckled lightly then. She finally asked, "What the bloody hell is Niklaus' problem?"

Elijah's smile faded as he answered, "Niklaus is not the same as he once was. He's paranoid, distrusting, and angry a lot of the time. He saw you and couldn't help but call it a trick. But...he'll come around."

Y/N sighed and stood from her place on the bed. She placed a hand on Elijah's cheek, an action she used to do all the time. He closed his eyes, missing the feel of her hand on his skin. She took a content breath out and softly spoke, "I'm going to go find Ethan. He's probably worrying sick."

Elijah nodded after her as she left the room, leaving him to his thoughts. Y/N walked around the compound, realizing she had no idea where she was going. Y/N wandered, choosing to rely on her hearing to get where she needed.

For a few moments, all she was getting were the sounds of the city outside of the compound. People touring the city, people having somewhere they need to be, people laughing. She tuned the loud streets of New Orleans out and focused on anyone close by. When she heard the familiar heartbeat of her child, she rushed to the sound and found herself at the top of the staircase leading to the room where Klaus had snapped her neck.

She say Ethan at the bottom of the staircase, a woman holding a baby, talking to him. Ethan was clearly uncomfortable, she could tell by the way he fidgeted. He wasn't a fidgety kid in the slightest.

She came to his rescue, coming down the stairs and taking the attention to herself. "Hey, buddy." She said, holding her arms open to Ethan, who ran into them quickly, careful not to use his vampire speed in front of the woman.

"Mom!" Ethan yelled.

"Did you make a new friend?" She asked when Ethan let go of her. She placed her hand on his head, rustling his hair a little.

Ethan looked back to the woman, not sure if he could call her that. He shrugged, a clear display of something being off. Y/N introduced herself and her child, "Hello, I'm Y/N. This is my son, Ethan."

She shifted the baby in her arms to the other side as she introduced herself, "I'm Hayley, this is my daughter Hope." She shook Y/N's hand and took it back to continue holding her child.

When they finished their conversation, Y/N headed down the hall with Ethan to find Elijah. With the help of Ethan, the two made their way back to Elijah's room. When they entered, Elijah gave them both a warm smile.

"Ethan, did you show him the pictures yet?" Y/N asked, nudging his shoulder. He shook his head, slowly becoming more and more comfortable after what just happened downstairs. "Not yet, I was waiting for you."

She pouted and said, "Sorry, buddy."

"It's okay! Now we can show them together!"

She smile and looked up at Elijah, who was watching the interaction curiously. Just as Ethan went to grab his bag with the album in it, there was a knock at the door. They all turned around to see Hayley standing at the door without her daughter, Hope.

She stood there awkwardly and said, "Uh, hey. Can I talk with Elijah for a moment?"

Y/N rubbed Ethan's shoulder to comfort him as the tension from downstairs settled in the room. Ethan wasn't very comfortable with Hayley and that was normal for him. Ethan was a very outgoing kid who grew fond of people very quickly, but with Hayley, he didn't seem to take to her as easily.

Y/N nodded slowly, looking to Ethan and saying, "Yeah, sure. Come on, Ethan." He looked up at Y/N and then to Elijah and walked with her out of the room.

As they left, Hayley walked over to Elijah, "So, what's the deal with them?"

Elijah sighed slightly, a little upset that his time with his very-much-alive fiancée and very-much-existing son was interrupted again. He told Hayley, "The 'deal' with them is something very...ancient."

Hayley pursed her lips, "What do you mean?"

Elijah answered with a sigh, knowing he would end up needing to tell her sooner or later, "Have I ever told you the story of...my first love?"

Hayley sucked in a small breath, not saying a word. Elijah sat down on the bed, Hayley following suit as she listened to Elijah speak.

"A thousand years ago, Y/N and I were together. She was the adopted daughter of a witch named Astrid, one of the witches who lived in our village. Before...the curse was set upon my family and me, Y/N and I were engaged to be wed. No one else knew, and we were changed before we told anyone. I believed Y/N to be dead, I hadn't seen her after the change because she had run off that night when... Mikael had kept her a secret from us, making us believe she had been killed. She had been pregnant with my son...and when she was turned, there was an enchantment placed upon her that let the child live through the curse."

Hayley's eyes widened as she spoke, "So...Ethan..."

"Ethan is my son." Elijah spoke, "And Y/N is my fiancée." Hayley stood from the bed as she processed what Elijah had just told her. When she couldn't come up with anything else to say to respond to that, Hayley asked in shock, "What?"

~

Y/N walked with Ethan around the compound. They wandered around and found the main area once again, this time Klaus sitting in a chair with Hope. She walked in and spoke, "Hello, Niklaus."

She played with his daughter in his arms and greeted her with a smile, not looking at her, "Hello, impostor."

Klaus wasn't going to let this go anytime soon, was he? Y/N rolled her eyes and, as she went to say something else, someone else spoke instead. "Y/N, Ethan, how are you? Nik." Rebekah said as she strolled into the room.

Y/N gave her a warm smile and walked over to give her a hug. Ethan exclaimed, "Auntie Bekah!" He ran over to her, meeting her in a hug as she picked him up and swung him around in the air, "Hey, Ethan!"

They laughed and Rebekah set him down. Klaus rolled his eyes, "Please, tell me you don't believe any of this."

Rebekah rolled her eyes right back at Klaus as she said, "Nik, believe it or not, but I know Y/N when I see her."

Klaus didn't respond for once, pursing his lips in slight anger as he continued to play with Hope. He spoke in a child-like voice as he played with her, "Aren't you getting tired of the idiocy being passed around? I am, too. You'd think your Uncle Elijah would know, but instead, he falls for the trickery as well."

Y/N stopped, "Wait...Uncle Elijah?"

Ethan turned back to his mother, and then back to his uncle. "Huh?" Ethan asked, just as shocked as Y/N.

Rebekah spoke, "Uh, Ethan, what do you say you and I go out for some ice cream?" Ethan cheered, easily distracted at the moment before falling Rebekah out the front. She spoke over her shoulder, "I'll leave you to it!"

Y/N watched them leave and looked back at Klaus, "Wait...Niklaus, how is Hope related to Elijah?"

Klaus smirked as he said, "This is my daughter." Y/N began to be surprised, well on her way to Shock Avenue, but decided to turn around and go right into Nevermind Drive. Her face dropped slightly, before shrugging a little and saying, "You know what? I'm not even surprised. With everything that's happened in the past thousand years, I shouldn't be. Congratulations, Niklaus."

Klaus almost chuckled, thinking back to the Y/N he'd known so many years ago. She would have had the same reaction. He stopped himself before he went any further. The Y/N he knew was dead. This was an impostor. He had to remember that.