Chapter 70

How does a person tell someone that their mother is dead?

The entire time that Freya and Beatrix waited for Hope to wake up, they asked themselves that question over and over in their heads.

It was already the next day. Hope was sleeping, and had no idea what'd happened. Klaus had gotten them out late in the night, once Elijah had left with Roman. He'd gone to New Orleans, and Beatrix had taken her niece to the Salvatore School, waiting for Freya to arrive.

Hope shot awake, and the dreaded moment arrived. "Mom?" she gasped as Freya and Beatrix moved forward. "Mom? What— what happened? Where is she?"

"Breathe," coaxed Freya gently. "You're safe now."

"Where's my mom?" Hope demanded, looking directly at Beatrix.

The Heretic's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Oh, my sweet girl," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"No," whispered Hope. "She... no..."

Beatrix nodded slowly. "She's gone," she whispered.

Hope shook her head wildly. "No— no... no..." Freya and Beatrix immediately pulled her into a hug as she began to sob, words of denial continuing to spill from her lips.

How could they comfort her? Freya had already overcome the loss of her mother— an event she barely remembered. It was more fresh in Beatrix's mind, but she too, had already grieved. What could they say in this day and age that would bring their niece any comfort? How could they understand how she felt? She was certain she was to blame.

It seemed Hope didn't want any words. She kept sobbing, and when either woman attempted to speak, she motioned for them to cease speaking.

"Hope," whispered Beatrix for the fourth time. "We're here for you, no matter what. Anything you need..."

"I need to be alone," said Hope, facing away from them as she dried her tears. "Can you like... wait outside or something?"

Freya and Beatrix shared a worried look but nodded, and respectfully left the room. The door shut behind them and they sat down, leaning against it.

"I always felt guilty for my mother's death," whispered Beatrix. "But I was so much younger. Things changed so quickly. I-I recovered faster when I realized it really wasn't my fault. This situation..."

"It's going to be so hard to convince her it wasn't her fault," whispered Freya. "She'll feel guilty because she trapped you and Hayley in coffins to begin with." The Mikaelson witch held out her phone. "Oh, thank God. Vincent says the plan is a go to help Klaus astral project to the funeral..."

Beatrix sighed and rubbed her forehead. "At the very least, that will help a lot."

"This sucks," Freya said, shaking her head. "She shouldn't have had to lose Hayley. Klaus should be able to be there in person to comfort her. This wasn't supposed to happen..."

The Heretic put her head in her hands. "It should have been me. I should... I should have done more. I should have died instead."

Freya shook her head sternly. "No, no, don't you start. The point is that neither of you are to blame. Elijah isn't to blame. Nor Roman. He was manipulated. He had no idea what Greta was planning. This is Greta's fault and her fault only. Hayley... she made a choice, Beatrix. She chose to sacrifice herself just like you wanted to, seven years ago."

"Hope needs her mother, Freya. I-If I'd have just gotten rid of The Hollow the way I wanted, to have it be in me, and have me die, then— then Klaus and Elijah would have still been getting along. Hayley and Elijah would have reconciled. Hope would have her mother."

"And you are the closest thing she has to a mother figure now that Hayley is gone," said Freya. "You helped to raise her. You were there whenever Hayley wasn't. She needs you to be okay. You and Klaus will be the ones that can help her through this the most. She... she needs to know that she's not alone in her suffering. That you two will help her. No one will ever replace the gaping hole that Hayley left behind but you can help her not be ruined by this. She could lose her mind. You need to show her that she still has a family who cares."

Beatrix sighed numbly, not sure what to respond since she still felt that she should have died instead of Hayley. Freya's phone began to ring, and the blonde answered it.

"The plane will be there to pick you up in half an hour," came Klaus's voice.

Freya nodded, even though he couldn't see. "We'll be ready."

"Did you find a witch to help with our geographical predicament? I cannot miss the second line."

"Vincent asked Ivy to do it."

Klaus scoffed. "Ivy hates me."

"Well, all the witches hate you," said Beatrix into the phone, "but they liked Hayley, and they know that Hope needs you today."

"Well, astral projection is tricky magic. This had better work."

"It'll work," Freya promised. "You'll be there in the only way that you can."

"I should never have agreed to this. I should be there beside her, holding her hand."

"I know, Klaus," said Beatrix. "But the consequences of you two being together have been escalating. We can't bring that kind of danger into the city. She can't really put her magic away the way I can. It's different with me being a vampire."

"This is her mother's funeral! I should let the city burn. I'm sick and tired..." he trailed off.

Freya frowned. "What's wrong?

Klaus's voice was softer. "If this houseplant gasping for life is any indication, there's another Mikaelson in New Orleans."

The two witches furrowed their brows. "That can't be right," said Beatrix. "Kol and Rebekah know to stay away and Hope is with us."

They could practically hear Klaus gritting his teeth. "Elijah." He hung up, and the two women had no choice but to wait until later to find out what had happened.

Hope was ready within fifteen minutes, her suitcase packed. She wore a black dress with red flowers— a frock her mother had bought for her. On the plane, both Freya and Beatrix changed into their own black dresses, sitting on either side of Hope, who was silent the entire flight.

When they landed, a taxi already awaited them. They rode to the French Quarter, arriving to the Compound to drop of Hope's bags before walking out into the already crowded streets where the casket had been prepared on a wagon, topped with flowers from the Bayou. Several of the werewolves were gathered off to the side, but the majority of those there were humans who knew Hayley vaguely based on her contributions to the city.

Hope shifted anxiously as the three stood behind the men who would be playing jazz and walking with the wagon. "Where's Dad?" she asked quietly.

"He'll be here soon," said Beatrix, taking her hand and squeezing it. "He's just waiting on Ivy to help him with the astral projection."

Hope continued to look around. "What about everyone else?"

Neither woman knew how to answer this. "Marcel is probably somewhere around with Vincent," said Freya. She nodded toward a nearby wall. "There's Josh." The vampire waved, and the witches nodded at him respectfully.

"What about Declan?" said Hope, which made Freya tense. "Please tell me someone told Declan..."

"H-He's in Ireland," stammered Freya as the music started to play to initiate the procession. "I-I was so focused on everyone else..."

"Seriously?" Hope said, holding her own chest. "How—?"

"I'll fix it," Freya promised, pulling out her phone. Beatrix held her niece's hand as the crowd walked with them, some dancing to the music around the casket.

Beatrix was used to this. Funerals were more lively to really commemorate what the person did. Especially with someone like Hayley, this type of send off would be seen as proper by the citizens of New Orleans.

But Hope was looking horrified. "This is all wrong," she whispered. "She didn't even know all these people."

"She didn't, but they knew her," said Beatrix soothingly. "She made a mark on this city. Everyone is here to honor her."

"But— but where are all of her friends? Where's Marcel and where's Vincent?"

Beatrix swallowed hard, looking back to where Freya was on a phone call, looking livid. Beatrix listened in, and heard Marcel say, "I'm with Vincent. There's something we got to take care of. Cover for us."

"They'll be here soon, I think," murmured the Heretic.

Hope wretched her hand out of her aunt's grip. "No, this is wrong," she said, clasping her own hands anxiously. "This—"

There was a screeching noise, and two black vans sped toward where the casket was, causing the people nearby to scream and disperse. Josh was the one who stepped forward, drawing back the curtains as the back doors of one of the vans opened. Inside were several of those who Beatrix recognized very vaguely as Greta's comrades.

"Emmett," said Josh. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Where are Antoinette and Elijah?" snapped Emmett.

Josh did not look happy. "Probably under a rock somewhere. Maybe you should join them."

"We're not going anywhere till they're returned to us safely."

Beatrix made to grab Hope's hand to speed her away, but suddenly, the tribrid witch thrust her hands to the side, and both Freya and Beatrix were tossed back into the nearest wall. Raising her arms again, the young witch walked menacingly toward the vans. "Bruciare supe terram, faciendo ignis ga praemium!"

One of the vans exploded. "Hope!" cried Freya as the men inside of the other van raised their weapons. Realizing she was going to try again, Beatrix sped forward, catching Hope and going straight to the Compound,

"Why did you do that?" Hope snapped when they landed in the courtyard. She pushed Beatrix off. "

"Honey, this isn't how you go about things," said Beatrix, following the girl as she stormed to her room. "Trust me, I have acted out like this numerous times and it doesn't help."

"You turned your humanity off, it was different!" Hope snapped. "You killed innocent people! They're the reason my mom died!"

"I know, but they want to kill you, and—"

Hope whirled around. "Stop nagging! I'm fine, and I don't need your help! I thought you would be more supportive."

"I want to be supportive without encouraging violence, Hope, you know that I don't want that for you."

"Well, who cares what you want for me? You're not my mom and you're never going to be, so stop trying!"

The Heretic remained at the foot of the stairs as the tribrid ran up the rest of the way.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Klaus walk past her. "Relax, love," he said quietly, looking at her over his shoulder. "I'm not really here."

"I-I haven't taken back my magic yet, either way," she said softly. She didn't realize she had teared up until she saw him looking intently at her eyes. "I'm sorry— I should go. You need your time alone with your daughter."

"Cease those negative thoughts," he said. "If I could have saved all of you, I would have. Freya tells me you were wishing it was you instead. Neither Hope nor I wish that."

"Klaus, she needs her mother," she replied weakly. "I'm not enough for her. I need to figure out how we can fix all this so at least, you can be here in person for her."

He half-smiled. "And I trust that you will, my little witch. If you'll excuse me... I need to speak to my littlest wolf about my little wolf."

She watched him ascend. She sat down on the stairs, holding her head in her hands. Freya came in moments later, and pulled her up. "Marcel and Vincent are with Elijah," she said. "They're going to restore his memories."

"Are they really?" whispered Beatrix. "Do you think they'll manage?"

"They should. They took the memories away to begin with." She pulled Beatrix toward the study. "We've been hearing about a prophecy while you've been gone. It's all the things that've been happening when the Mikaelsons are in the same city as each other. It goes, 'And thou shalt know the signs of blood from water, vipers from the rivers, larvae from the soil, ice rain from the skies, fire across the water, monsoons from the sea, the death of all first borns.' As far as I can tell, it's completely real. Every moment our family spends together leads us one step closer to our deaths."

"So we're all in blatant danger," muttered Beatrix. "All the firstborns. You. Me. Hope. Vincent. Marcel, I'm pretty sure, and Josh. Davina. Declan. The list goes on."

Freya nodded. "We need to find a solution to this, Beatrix."

The Heretic clasped her hands together. "I'll research what I can. Maybe you should take your turn talking to Hope now..." she nodded toward where Klaus was walking into the room.

Freya nodded and left. Klaus came over to Beatrix with a grave expression on his face. "The decision we made to take the power from her was to save her life. To save your life, as well. I had no idea it would ruin her in this way."

Beatrix sighed. "I know. I wish there would have been a better way, Klaus. I really do." She checked her watch. "We'll be heading to the Bayou right at sundown. You—"

"Will need to be gone by then," he finished. "Yes, I am aware. I'll check in from the road."

"There's something you should know," said Beatrix as he turned away. "Freya told me that Marcel and Vincent are going to restore Elijah's memory."

Klaus swore. "I explicitly said no..."

"I-I think it's the right thing to do. Elijah needs to know who he is. All of this happened because he had no idea who he really was."

"Well, that's the point, Beatrix. He doesn't know. He doesn't have any idea of the damage he's wrought. If he finds out, it'll destroy him. Either way, we've lost him. I was trying to save him from himself."

Beatrix looked down. "I'm sorry, Klaus. I should have fought harder to make things end up differently.

"We both know what you mean by that. And the last thing I wanted was for you to take in that magic." He turned back to face her. "If it meant I had to be away from the two of you... I was willing. Because it would keep you both safe. I'm not blind. I see those blackened veins. I know that Freya made you one of her herbal teas. You are unwell, and it wasn't even caused by The Hollow's magic. I do not wish for you to be destroyed."

"If it meant that you and Hayley could raise your daughter together, I would have done anything," said Beatrix firmly. "I will always be willing to lay my life down for that girl. She means the world to me even if she's not my daughter."

"I know. And that is what I have always admired about you, Beatrix. I saw that stubborn, fighting nature the day I met you. Feeble and near death you fought, and I chose to help you live because I knew you deserved it."

She half-smiled. "It's good to see you again, Klaus," she whispered. "Even if it's not... as a couple anymore. You were always, first and foremost, my sire. My friend."

He offered her a smile in return. "And you, always, first and foremost, one of the closest and most trusted friends I've ever had. I wish for you to be happy. I will aide you in that in any way that I can."

"What if it would make me happy to die, if it meant you could raise your daughter?"

"Don't speak nonsense, Beatrix," he muttered before walking out.

Freya and Beatrix spent the day crying as they tried to research about the prophecy. Hope was in her room, likely doing research of her own.

Before they left for the Bayou, the young witch came to see them, wringing her hands together. "I-I know how much you both have lost over all these years trying to get this family back together. And... I know that you think that there's nothing else that we can do. But I believe that there is. There has to be. We have to save each other. We have to save always and forever. You've taught me most of what I know about magic, and... if you're up for it, I'd really like your help figuring it out."

"Anything you need," said Freya.

Hope bit her lip. "I want to take The Hollow back into myself."

The witches were silent. "Hope," whispered Beatrix. "Why...?"

"I-I need to get them together, Aunt Trix," she said pleadingly. "And it's my choice. This is what I want. I-I may have already sent the hybrids my dad made for me out to get my Uncle Kol and Aunt Bex. We'll bring them to New Orleans. I have a spell I can do. I know you won't like this, but I need you to respect that this is what I feel needs to be done. I know the prophecy. I will die either way if we don't solve this."

"I can take it," Beatrix said, going over to her and taking her hands. "It shouldn't be you, Hope. It shouldn't be. You have barely lived. I'm a firstborn too, and I'm in just as much danger. You know I will always help you with anything, but I would really, really prefer that you let me do this. You and your Aunt Freya can do the spell, and I'll take that magic in."

It should have come off as suspicious to Beatrix when Hope slowly nodded. "If... if you're really willing," said the girl quietly.

The Heretic nodded. "Yes, I am. That's what I wished to do before. If it means you get to live and have the family united, then I will help you."

"I can create a Chambre de Chasse," said Freya. "If your hybrids are going to retrieve my siblings..."

Hope nodded. "Yes. I would need you to get... Elijah. Aunt Trix can help me get my dad after the werewolf send-off."

The two witches nodded. Beatrix felt good, for the first time in awhile. This was what she wanted to happen. She knew this was the right thing to do. Retrieving the piano key, she took back her magic, a rush flooding through her veins. This was it. She knew this was going to be her last day.

They left for the Bayou as the sky began to darken. Beatrix and Freya cast blessings on the casket once Lisina had had the werewolves put it on the canoe, covering it with a white sheet, as was customary.

"Mou sé li la paix. Mou sé li la paix. Mou sé li la paix. Mou sé li la paix."

"Aunt Freya," whispered Hope from behind them.

Freya stopped as Beatrix continued to chant very quietly. Keelin had come through the crowd, and the two women ran to each other, embracing. Beatrix smiled to herself, humming and waving her hands over the lid as she finished the blessings that would help Hayley find her peace.

They began the short service within ten minutes. This felt better. The Crescent pack was gathered together, hands linked as they paid tribute to their Alpha. Marcel, Vincent, and Josh waited to the side. Freya chose to be the first to speak, and Beatrix stood beside Hope.

"People will forget the things you said," began the Mikaelson witch. "Forget the things you did. But no one ever forgets the way you made them feel. Hayley Marshall... made me feel like I was part of a family. And when the realities of this life became too much to bear, we shouldered them together. We laughed, we cried. When I failed, she lifted me up. And when I succeeded, she danced by my side. And she did that for all of us. No one will ever be able to replace her, or heal the pain we feel at her loss. But we can honor her with our actions and with our words... We can love each other the way she would've wanted us to love."

Freya wiped some tears from her eyes and walked toward Keelin, the two going over to Hope as Beatrix stepped onto the platform nearest the edge of the water.

"The day I met Hayley," started Beatrix. "I knew she was a badass."

She heard footsteps, and saw a beautiful woman with hazel green eyes walking toward her. "Who are you?" she said immediately, with a fierceness that surprised Beatrix.

"A friend of Klaus and Elijah," she said simply. "Where can I find them? Or Rebekah, that'll be nice too."

"Klaus just left," the woman answered. "We're having a bit of a dilemma with Elijah. If you're up for helping, I'll tell you what's going on."

"Sure, I'll help. But what's happened to Elijah?" she asked immediately. She sounded agitated, and the woman stopped.

"Who are you?" she asked her again. "How do you... know them?"

"If Elijah is in trouble then there's no time to explain. My name is Beatrix," she answered.

"Never heard of you," the woman said bluntly. "But I'm Hayley. Now come with me."

"We had to go out into the Bayou to find someone. We'd been talking and out of nowhere, someone fired two arrows at us. She caught them before I could even react."

Every passing second made Beatrix admire Hayley more. She was so resilient and smart, tenacious and upfront. She led Beatrix into deep parts of the bayou, walking around like an expert.

Suddenly, there was a creak, and Hayley whirled around, catching two arrows in midair that would have hit her and Beatrix in their necks. "Is that your best shot?" taunted Hayley. "You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if you're gonna kill a hybrid."

"There was a time when Hayley and I didn't like each other very much. We fought a lot..." she trailed off and let out a forced chuckle to keep herself from crying. "We were acting like stupid teenagers and competing for the attention of a boy..."

Hayley seemed to have had it with people telling her what to do that day. Her eyes flashed amber and gold as she stepped toward Beatrix. "Don't tell me how to raise my daughter," she said coldly. "You're not a mother."

"I don't think I need to be a mother to give my niece's best interests in mind. May I remind you that it's me who understands magic, and not you?"

"She is not your niece!"

"But she is Freya's, and you ran her off!"

"Please stop," Rebekah pleaded in the background, but neither woman was listening.

"Don't chastise me for trying to keep my daughter safe!" snapped Hayley. "Just because I don't understand magic doesn't mean I'm an idiot!"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Marshall, I was never insinuating anything like that—"

"Then shut your trap, La Salle, I don't even trust you either!"

"Oh, no, why would I ever expect you to trust me? I've only been doing every little thing to protect her since I got out of a fucking prison world, with hardly any breaks!"

"And whose fault is it that you got imprisoned in the first place?"

"Please, we just fucking established that it's thanks to the idiotic New Orleans covens—"

"ENOUGH!"

Elijah had come back, and he was glaring at the two of them. "Clearly, I have fostered animosity between the two of you," he said, his jaw twitching lightly. "But we have established that we're all here trying to keep Hope safe. That will not happen if we don't function as a unit." He faced Hayley. "Beatrix has been kind enough to cast very powerful spells around this compound and your daughter's room to keep her safe from Dahlia. She may not be Mikaelson blood but she is family." He turned back to Beatrix. "Hayley is doing what any mother would do— what you would have done for Marcel— play it safe. While I would not have wished it to have happened as it did, I cannot say I blame her for the choice she made."

"You were just hounding her about it!" snapped Beatrix, livid. "Now you want to come and defend her just because she started an argument with me, to not seem like you're playing favorites?"

"You know very well that you were the one who started it, Beatrix— I heard your comment."

"I didn't think she was going to snarl at me for it!"

"I did not snarl at you!" spat Hayley. "Come at me again with smack talk like that and then we'll see how I snarl!"

"Oh please, I'd destroy your body from the inside out without much effort— before you could even lay a hand on me!"

"BEATRIX!" said Elijah angrily, pushing her back as she impulsively made to move toward Hayley. "That is quite enough."

"But like any teenager, we matured. Hayley became the person I needed. Someone who helped me be calm. She helped me want to be a good person consistently. Any of you who knew me knew exactly how violent I could be. Hayley was supportive in aiding me to be the good role model I wanted to be for her daughter. She became my best friend. My sister. A co-parent. She was a wonderful mother to a beautiful girl. She made me feel loved in a group of Mikaelsons who didn't have Mikaelson blood."

She swallowed hard and looked up at the stars. "I will never forget how loved Hayley made me feel. She helped me heal. Some people leave gaps in your soul that are too big to heal right away. Sometimes, you never quite recover from a loss like that. As someone I... I once mentored said, 'The worst day of loving someone is the day you lose them.' Hayley Marshall was so loved. And she is someone that we will never forget."

Lisina stepped forward with a torch. The casket was lit and sent out into the water. Beatrix returned to stand beside Hope, taking her hand and squeezing it. "Goodbye, Mom," she heard the young witch say.

There was a tap on her shoulder. Beatrix stepped aside when she saw Klaus, in the flesh. The Crescents looked worried when they realized Klaus were there in person, and they began to disperse, heading back to their homes.

Freya and Keelin started to make their way to Keelin's car. Beatrix went to acquire a hug from Marcel, Josh, and Vincent.

She had waited only because she thought to help Hope with subduing Klaus. She watched as thunder crashed onto the casket and fire began spreading toward the land. Klaus chose to leave, and Beatrix cast Hope a look. The witch nodded, and Beatrix went to walk alongside Klaus.

However, before he could ask her what she was doing, both of their necks were snapped.