The morning came quickly. Ava stirred awake, her eyes fluttering open to meet the empty space beside her.
“Morty?” she mumbled, getting out of bed. Heading downstairs, she found Katie preparing breakfast. Her expression soured immediately.
“Good morning, Ava,” Katie greeted cheerfully, but Ava only cleared her throat.
“Is my daughter down yet?” Ava asked curtly.
Before Katie could respond, Morticia’s voice came from behind.
“Mom.”
Ava turned to see Morticia standing beside Klaus. Both were dressed casually and comfortably.
“I went to call Klaus for breakfast,” Morticia quickly explained.
“Well, I’m not having breakfast here,” Klaus stated flatly.
“You said you would,” Morticia shot back.
“I would, but not a meal made by her,” Klaus replied, gesturing toward Katie, who simply smiled despite the tension.
“Please,” Morticia whispered. Reluctantly, Klaus moved to the dining table, ignoring his father’s greeting as he sat down.
Ava watched the scene unfold, surprised. She needed to clear her thoughts.
“Morty, let me have a word with you.”
Hearing her mother’s request, Morticia swallowed nervously. Did Ava notice her absence last night? Or worse, had she seen the hickeys on her neck, despite the makeup Morticia had used to hide them?
“Sure,” she said, exchanging a glance with Klaus before following her mother.
They stopped in the garden, where the cool breeze brushed against their skin. Ava’s silence twisted Morticia’s stomach with anxiety. She resisted the urge to undo the bind holding her hair and let it fall over her shoulders.
“Is there something I should know?” Ava finally asked, breaking the silence.
“Huh?”
“Is there something I should know? Like you and Klaus?” Ava asked again, her tone firmer this time. Morticia’s blood ran cold.
Her mother must have found out. There was no point in hiding it now, was there?
“Klaus and I… we’re a thing now,” she admitted, her voice trembling. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I was just scared that you…”
“Do you realize what you’ve done?” Ava interrupted, her eyes narrowing as they locked onto Morticia.
“I… I know… I just…” Morticia stuttered, at a loss for words. Her head lowered in embarrassment.
“You’ve changed him,” Ava said, and Morticia looked up in disbelief.
“Huh?”
“All my life, I’ve wondered if Klaus would finally heal from the past-if he’d let things go, listen, or open up. Josephine wondered that too. Even as his mother, he was hard to control, hard to reach because of the walls he built around his heart. He cares deeply about his family and friends, but he rarely shows it. But you…” Ava paused, tucking Morticia’s hair behind her ear.
“I would have thought you were a witch to pull off such a change in him if I didn’t know you better,” she added. Morticia didn’t realize her eyes were tearing up.
“Really? You… you’re not mad?” Morticia asked in a near whisper.
She had braced herself for yelling, scolding, or even a slap. She was ready to endure it all and argue that she loved Klaus until her mother accepted it. But Ava’s calm reaction left her stunned.
“Why would I be angry? You got him to attend the wedding and calmed the storm inside him so he wouldn’t regret it. You have no idea how loudly Josephine cheered when you managed to convince him,” Ava said with a small smile.
“Do you think Vincent will agree too?” Morticia asked worriedly.
Ava shrugged. “He doesn’t have much choice. Just be careful with Klaus. You know how he is.”
Morticia nodded. “Thanks, Mom.”
They returned to the dining table, where the tension was palpable. Klaus sat scrolling through his phone, acting as if no one else existed. Finn, Katie, and Gideon didn’t disturb him.
Morticia sat beside Klaus, prompting him to glance up from his phone for the first time in minutes.
“What happened?” Klaus asked in a low whisper.
“She knows about us,” Morticia replied in a whisper too. “She isn’t mad.”
A rare smile tugged at Klaus’s lips, and Finn noticed, stunned.
“I told you she wouldn’t mind,” Klaus said, his smile widening. But it quickly disappeared when his gaze accidentally met his father’s, and his face turned cold as he averted his eyes.
“Katie mentioned she has a solution for Josephine’s illness,” Finn started, and Klaus set down his fork, sensing where the discussion was headed.
“I just want Josephine to survive, so I hope we can all agree on this,” Finn continued.
Ava stopped eating and glanced at Katie.
“I don’t trust her,” Klaus interjected sharply.
“Klaus, we need to do everything possible to save Josephine,” Finn retorted. “She’s our priority.”
Though Klaus knew Finn was right, he couldn’t shake his mistrust of Katie.
“We should at least try,” Ava said softly, her voice heavy with emotion. If there was a chance to save Josephine, they had to take it instead of waiting for the inevitable.
“Will it work?” Morticia asked Katie directly.
“There’s only a slim chance,” Katie admitted. “A very slim one. But I’ve seen someone survive. Once the surgery is done, it’ll be up to Josephine to wake up. It’s risky and uncertain, but I believe she’s strong enough to make it. We just need to be there for her.”
“We’ll have the surgery done in Washington,” Finn added. “I’ve made all the arrangements.”
Klaus clenched his fists, trying to process everything.
–
Washington>>
Vincent woke up late, groaning at the throbbing in his head. He had drunk too much with his team the night before, laughing and chatting into the night.
“Ugh, feels like my head is splitting in two,” he grumbled, pressing his fingers against his temples.
His phone rang, displaying his mother’s name.
“Hey, Mom,” he answered in a lazy, husky voice.
“My sweet little cutie, Vinny.”
“Did you dream of ruining my morning with that nickname?” Vincent complained. “I’m not little anymore, Mama.”
“You’ll always be my little boy,” Ava teased, making Vincent chuckle.
“Am I?” he asked lazily.
“What’s wrong? You’re not sick, are you?”
“No, just had a few drinks last night with my te-uh, friends,” Vincent replied. “When are you guys coming home?”
“Tomorrow. Josephine’s strong enough to travel,” Ava replied.
Vincent smiled. He couldn’t wait to see his family. After chatting with his mother for a while, the call ended. Vincent’s gaze shifted to a strange message notification on his phone-pictures from an unknown number.
Curious, he tried to open it, but his phone died. Frowning, he realized he’d forgotten to charge it.
“Our leader is awake!” Aiden beamed as he stepped into the room.
Vincent rubbed his eyes. “Motherfucker, you made me drink more than I could handle.”
“Hehe… it was fun. Here’s a hangover drink,” Aiden said, placing a bottle on the table.
“Got a charger?” Vincent asked. Aiden handed him one, and Vincent plugged in his phone.
“We’re playing golf today. Our hangout isn’t over, leader.”
“No drinking,” Vincent warned.
“Alright, sure,” Aiden replied with a smirk. “Breakfast is ready; the team’s waiting for you downstairs.”
As the door shut behind Aiden, Vincent’s mind drifted to the message he’d seen earlier. He cast a glance at his charging phone but ignored it as his stomach growled in hunger. He got up and headed to the dining room.