"So what's this about you and art I hear?" Freya asked kindly as they all sat at a table, enjoying their breakfast.

Well, some of them, that is.

"Hmm?" She asked through her breakfast that Rebekah had made for her. The same one that she had every morning.

"Rebekah stated that you're a artist last night. Something about carving little trinkets out of wood and some painting?"

Darla's eyes flicked to the woman who raised her, completely forgetting about the fact that she'd been yapping about her all last night, filling them all in on her life during the time she'd been gone.

"Something that she gets from her father, no doubt." Elijah smirked, drinking blood from a crystal glass.

"Am I the only one who seems to remember the fact that they aren't even biological father and daughter? What ever skills she has ― which are no doubt many ― didn't come from Nik, never mind the fact that she wasn't even raised by him." Kol chimed in, taking a swig of what Darla could only presume to be blood from his mug that read 'World's Handsomest Uncle'."They came from natural, god-given talent, and anything more is simply coincidence."

Darla laughed and rolled her eyes, taking a bite out of her toast whilst grumbling under her breath about Rebekah 'never being able to keep her mouth shut'.

"What? Is it so bad that I'd like to inform the world of my little moon's talents?"

At the familiar nickname, Darla's mind flashed back to the night before with her father, and looked around.

"There's a difference between informing and showing off, Bekah, one that you never quite grasped." Darla said absentmindedly, eyebrows furrowed. "Where's dad?"

"Handling some business." Kol shrugged off, waving a hand through the air as if it were nothing. "Which, in a way is a blessing, because this way we can actually talk to you, as opposed to him being the oh-so-appreciated filter."

"But, he did tell us to pass on his apologies for not being there when you woke." Elijah added on sensibly, making Darla nod.

"Now, back to the art!" Freya said excitedly. "I don't know that much about it, but after hearing and watching Nik these past few years, I think I know enough to hold a somewhat intelligent conversation with my niece about such."

"Darla's a self-taught artist, actually," Rebekah chimed in. "I tried to put her through some sort of schooling or a class or two, but she simply refused―"

"You're bragging again." Darla interrupted, rolling her eyes at her aunt's behavior.

If you hadn't already guessed, Rebekah was an absolute hit with the PTA and at parent-teacher conferences. Was the sarcasm heavy enough?

"Why didn't you take lessons?" Elijah asked in wonder, tilting his head at the brunette before him.

Darla shrugged and picked at the fruit that was in the bowl beside her toast, feeling the familiar creeping of a blush rise up her neck.

"I never liked the idea of someone else telling me how art should be made. If someone is telling you how to express yourself, then it really isn't art anymore. It's an assignment."

"I look forward to seeing some of your work then, love." A familiar deep voice sounded from the entrance.

Turning around, Darla saw her father and smiled.

"Most of it's back at home, but..." She muttered. "I'd be happy to show you."

At Darla's words, Klaus almost flinched. He'd forgotten that Arkansas was their home, and that her whole life was there. She may have been born Louisiana,  but she Louisiana wasn't raised.

"And the filter is back!" Kol said sarcastically, taking another sip of his drink as Klaus planted a kiss on his daughter's head and sat down next to her. "Ladies and gents, you may now resume the walking on eggshells."

"And if you don't shut your mouth, I'll resume that dagger in your heart."

Darla dropped her fork and gasped, not knowing that this was a common occurrence between the siblings. Of course she'd heard things about Klaus committing such acts, but Rebekah had assured her that Klaus was a changed man upon her entrance to the family.

"He's joking, love." Rebekah said reassuringly, shooting daggers of her own at her half-brother.

"Yeah, he'd be lost without me, and my niece would miss her favourite uncle way too much for him to get away with it. He'd have to dagger her as well."

"I would never lay a hand on my daughter out of anger or spite." Klaus growled out immediately after, slightly scaring Darla, but also reassuring her. "Never in a million years."

Out of impulse, Darla reached across the table and grabbed her father's hand, giving it a little squeeze.

"I know, daddy." She said softly. "Kol was just joking."

"And Niklaus was just being overly sensitive. Again."

"Oh, hush up, Kol, or else I'll put the dagger in you."

"Well, congratulations, darling, you've played yourself. If you did that, you would basically be taking the only fun thing out of this house, thus killing yourself with boredom."

"I don't know, Kol, Rebekah is great fun." Freya chimed in.

"Yeah, I would know, I spent sixteen years with her."

"And it was time well served, little moon." Rebekah teased.

"Oh, come on!" Darla groaned. "I was not that bad, I did nothing wrong!"

"I once caught you sneaking a boy into your room!"

"A what?!" Klaus screeched in outrage.

Darla's cheeks went up in flames, a deep, scarlet blush covering her whole face.

"He was helping me with my homework."

"On a saturday? At eight o'clock in the evening?" Rebekah questioned.

"It was when it was most convenient for him!"

"Oh, and I take it that climbing through the window was convenient for him as well?"

"He liked to climb trees...?" Darla said in an unconvincing tone. "Besides, you're the one that let him stay!"

"You what?!" Klaus, Kol, and Elijah roared, their over-protective dad/uncle instincts kicking in.

"I let him stay only for further interrogation." Rebekah said to her brothers.

"And dinner, apparently."

"You let him stay for dinner as well?! He could have been a threat!" Klaus exclaimed.

"He was a fifteen year old boy, Niklaus, not a threat."

"All boys are threats." He said stubbornly. "I'm just glad that you stopped anything from happening between them."

At this, both Darla and Rebekah were silent, making Klaus' suspicions rise.

"Right?" He questioned further.

"Well, he was a very sweet boy―"

"He sneaks into young girls' bedrooms, sister, that hardly makes him 'sweet'." Elijah rolled his eyes.

"Well, she needed to have her first kiss at sometime, guys." Freya said, shrugging nonchalantly, sipping her coffee as if nothing was wrong. "I'd kiss him too."

"Yeah! And he was her first little boyfriend, as well."

"And last, if we have anything to do with it." Kol grumbled.

"No boys." Klaus said to his daughter sternly.

"No boys." She repeated, whilst her aunts sent her little winks, making her smile slightly. "I know, dad."

"Good. The only men in your life are us."

"And the flock of boys back in Arkansas wondering where their beloved Darla Hope has gone." Rebekah joked.

Which wasn't exactly a lie. Darla was blessed with the gift of beauty, and since she was a little girl, Rebekah would always be informed by the other moms or Darla herself that some boy had a crush on her.

"Well they're there, and you're here, so we shouldn't have a problem." Elijah stated factually.

"Yeah, until she goes out in public or goes to school."

"No. No schooling."

"What?!" Darla asked. "Dad, I want to be educated. That's kind of really important this day and age."

"I meant no public schooling."

"Why? I thought all enemies had been vanquished."

"They have."

"So what's the big deal?"

"I want you close to home at all times, Darla."

"And? There's probably a public school nearby that would allow that."

"I want you to have the best, and that isn't the best. I don't trust them. Especially after seeing what public schooling was like in Mystic Falls. They let anyone in at any time! Villains came in and out constantly."

"Those villains were us, brother." Elijah spoke up.

"Exactly. If you were home schooled, none of that would happen."

"Daddy, I love you, but I'm not Rupunzel. I've been going to public school all my life, and I'm fine."

"Yes, you just have boys climbing through your windows." Kol smirked.

"If that happens, you're grounded, and he's dead."

Darla just laughed at her father and uncles, finding them all to be ridiculous, but endearing. Rebekah had always warned her about them and their protective antics, but never did she ever expect this.

"You guys are too much." She laughed, standing from her position and collecting her plate, planting a kiss on each of her uncles' cheeks. "I'm gonna go get changed."

Disappearing up the stairs, the siblings looked between each other and sighed.

"Remember that time she swore when you giving her a bath?" Elijah asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, why?"

"I miss that day."

"And why is that?"

"Because she wasn't going around kissing boys."

"Amen."