consequence | inbox ] [ eudio

[At the thought of Hope being big enough to walk, her hand goes up to her mouth. Covering the gasp in surprise. She doesn't hide the sting of tears that threaten to spill.]

Walking? [She shakes her head, trying not to think of all the things she's missing out on being here.] I can't -- she must be getting into everything.

[ the bittersweet tears in her eyes cut him, make him ache with both guilt and that same longing. he looks away at the sight of them, though it does not help. and so follows the desire and impulse to comfort, somehow, anyhow; he tempers the eagerness. ] She's become quite the troublemaker. [ he says it with an almost smile of his own, his eyes sightless and on the floor. he's seeing hope, her trusting eyes and infectious laugh.

a pause, and the lump in his throat rises - ] Do you have it? [ his eyes find hers again. a veil has lifted for the moment; he misses his daughter, needs her just as hayley does. ] The picture? [ the one he gave her, of hope and them, before he left. ]

[Her fingers lightly sweep away any stray tears that might have fallen. Glancing to him as she nods.] Yeah, of course.

[She moves to the kitchen, allowing him to follow if he wants to, and she pulls the photo off of the fridge.]

I had it... [She offers it to him.] I had it in a frame, but then I kept taking it out of the frame to look at. [She lets out a breath that's an attempt at a laugh, even if it's mostly just a sound.] I thought it'd be nice to have it in a frame, like a normal parent, but it ended up on the fridge instead.

[ he follows and takes it, looks at the faces of them all: of rebekah and elijah, of hayley and hope. of him and them, all together, as a family. his thumb caresses the white of the polaroid.

it would be nice, wouldn't it? to have pictures in their frames, to have a safe, loving space for a safe and loving family. he knows the pain she speaks of; he had barely ever put this away when he had it. he would gaze at it for hours, thinking of hope and what their family could have been, and what it wasn't. isn't. ] I'd like to take it. I want to make a copy. [ for himself. he looks up at her. ]

[Hayley nods, glancing to him.] Of course. [She wouldn't hesitate to let him have the picture back. Of course, she does what's instinct to her at this point and retrieves her phone from her back pocket.]

Just let me... I know you'll bring it back, but just in case I want to look again before you do. [She gestures for him to place it on the counter so she can take a photo of the photo. Plus, then she actually can have it with her, no matter where she goes.]

[ (headcanon: klaus' home screen is definitely rebekah holding hope at christmas. send anyone to fight me on this.)

of course he does as she asks, setting it atop the counter. it's a good idea, and one he too sees the benefit of- ] Perhaps I should too.

[Hayley will move the photo to the center of the counter, making sure the overhead light isn't directly above it. No one wants a giant hot spot of light on the photo.]

Here, that should help. [She'll snap one and then move aside for him.]

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