Chapter 72

It seemed Hope wasn't the only one struggling to sleep.

Beatrix was worried sick.

Klaus had gone to fetch Roman Sienna. Hope had gone to take a nap while she waited. Beatrix had attempted to sleep, since she had been knocked out several times and now she felt exhausted.

Of course, her thoughts were keeping her awake.

Worry.

Klaus was going to encourage Hope to be more violent than she naturally was. Aside from that, the darkness was going to eat her alive. Beatrix, more than anyone, knew how awful it would be for the tribrid, and she didn't want her to experience that pain.

Sadness.

This sucked. Hayley shouldn't have died. Hope needed her mother and it was absurd that she wouldn't get to have one during the most important years of her life. Beatrix wished there was a way to resurrect Hayley, but she knew it didn't work that way.

Anger.

Stupid Greta. Stupid vampire purists. Why did they deserve to exist when they just harmed innocent people? They'd crashed Hayley's funeral and it was so utterly disrespectful that if Hope hadn't been in danger, Beatrix would have let her blow up the other black van.

She spiraled down to more negative trains of thought. It was hard to stop herself from having morbid visions of Hope's hypothetical death running through her head. She wracked the depths of her mind for a solution. She tried to meditate. Do some spells. Cook up some teas. Nothing was working. She couldn't fall asleep and she couldn't figure anything out.

So naturally, her mind decided to make her remember the randomest thing it could.

Elijah.

"Dance with me."

She furrowed her eyebrows. She was practicing some spells while he played the piano. "If we dance, the music will stop."

"I can put something on the phonograph. We have one of the first Edison models either way. It'll be good for us."

Beatrix smirked. "Oh, alright. But I choose the song."

She went to the phonograph and put on a song similar to the one Elijah had been playing. He closed the lid of the piano and came over to her, delicately putting one hand on her waist and taking the other in his. He started to sway her gently. Beatrix leaned her head into his chest, inhaling his scent.

"I love you," she whispered. "So, so much."

He kissed the top of her head. "And I love you. So much more. I wish..." he trailed off.

She looked up. "You wish what?"

He bit his lip. "I wish I had met you first, instead of Niklaus," he said quietly. "I wish I had been the one to... to turn you. Since the day I first saw you, your beauty has had me transfixed. I should have made a move before either of my brothers had the chance."

She giggled lightly. "We're together now, darling, you know that, right? It doesn't matter what history I have with your brothers. I love you. And I want to be with you."

"I would have liked to be the first simply to protect you. I think, perhaps, if we had met first and I had sired you, I would have traveled the world with you, to keep you safe. I know you endured many things in that time. I could have kept you from being hurt by Niklaus."

"Shh, Elijah," she said, bringing a hand up to touch his face. "Let's not look back on the past so much. In the present we are together and that's what matters. I want you, not anyone else."

"And I want you and only you," he replied.

He kissed her hard. She gave a small gasp, because it was the first time he'd every done it so ferociously. There was a hunger that she knew he'd been holding back. He grasped at her waist, pressing her up against him and capturing her mouth close enough to suck the air out of her. He pressed her back against the piano and she squeaked.

"Not here!" she said, flustered as he began to kiss her neck. He grabbed at the front hem of her dress and tore right through it. "E-Elijah, your siblings—"

"Will learn not to meddle in matters that don't concern them," he said, lifting her skirt.

"But this room doesn't have a Silencing Spell—"

He sped back up and kissed her again, one hand against her throat, feeling her vampiric heart beating rapidly inside of her. "Here," he said, smirking as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. "Because tonight I'm not holding back."

It was the way that he was patient within that hunger that so enraptured her. He wanted and he took, but he never did it without first making her feel like she was a queen. He was oh so careful in every moment as he got her ready, causing her to whimper profanities that she'd never dare speak out loud. He'd say the dirtiest things so casually that it left her entire body shaking before anything had even begun.

And then he'd unleash.

Were it not for the fact she'd already been behind the red door, she'd have no idea where all that hidden emotion was coming from. She'd have been afraid that he'd break her, not knowing that he was in control despite how brusque his movements were. Right on the piano he pressed her face down and made her scream so loudly that the next morning, Klaus and Rebekah had neglected to show up because they could not stop laughing. They'd seen them at lunch and Klaus had not hesitated to make it a comedy show.

"Niklaus, it is so childish of you to be acting this way," scolded Elijah as Rebekah laughed while Klaus pretended to be Beatrix, mimicking the noises and the assumed faces she'd made.

The hybrid smirked and put his hands on his hips. "Well, I was concerned," said Klaus innocently. "The way she was screaming, I thought, perhaps, you came to your senses and decided to kill her."

"Oh, very funny," Beatrix snapped, though her cheeks remained crimson.

Klaus wiggled his eyebrows. "I wouldn't question his motives, love. You can get rather obnoxious."

"You never complained when it was with you," she said scathingly.

"Arguably, love, I don't have a hidden dark side. I'm rather overt about it. Elijah, on the other hand... it's a miracle you're walking."

Rebekah smirked and drank from her wine glass as Beatrix covered her face. "It's not my fault, I knew we should have gone to one of our rooms, at least they have Silencing Spells—"

"Elijah likes to put on a show," said Klaus. "After all, don't you remember how he used to listen to you and Kol going at it?"

"Well that's because he was jealous, Nik," said Rebekah pointedly. "Now, I think he wants to make you jealous."

"I do not," said Elijah firmly. "Beatrix and I have never complained when either of you are being loud with the partners you choose. And might I remind you that each of you are going for a different person each time? Meaning we hear a great variety of noises every passing day and neither of you have the courtesy to try any Silencing Spells of your own even when some of your partners are perfectly adept witches."

Rebekah and Klaus shared mischievous looks. "Forgive us for fueling your ire, good sir," said Klaus, bowing playfully. "Next time, might I recommend gagging or choking her? I really don't need to hear her saying such filthy things about you. Oh wait, you already do that. I suppose perhaps you'll need something a bit better. Try placing something a bit deeper in her mouth."

She awoke flustered, sweaty, and still exhausted.

It was strange to think back on those times. Klaus could be so immature and he always liked to make fun of her because the truth was, he really had been jealous. They were like a gang of immortal teenagers back in those days. They laughed at the most inappropriate things.

Beatrix went down to eat and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Elijah was there.

"Hi," she said a bit shakily, acting as though she hadn't just relived one of the most passionate memories between them.

"Itza, you're awake," he said. "I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to speak with Vincent. He is... currently dealing with a predicament. Several of the witches were fed vampire blood and killed. They are in transition, but I need to speak with him and I believe it will be better if you are there."

She nodded a bit too quickly. "Yeah, sure," she said. She walked past him to get to her food and he touched her hand to try and get her to sit next to him, but it opened a doorway for him to see into her mind, which made them both tense.

"I won't ask," he said after a very pregnant silence.

"Thank you," she said, mortified. She was an idiot, she shouldn't have gone anywhere near him until she'd cleared the vivid memory from her mind.

She noticed he was smirking as she ate. She wanted to slap him, but she didn't blame him for being amused. If it were the other way around, she'd be teasing him as well.

"We should go," she said bluntly the instant she'd devoured her meal. She stood quickly and Elijah followed.

"Vincent," said Elijah as they arrived to the Lafayette Cemetery. "We must speak."

"Elijah, I really don't have the time for this right now," said Vincent, not turning to face him.

"It's about my niece."

Vincent whirled around. "It's too late for Hope. It's too late. Eventually, the darkness is gonna overtake her, and the kid you know is gonna be no more."

Elijah frowned. "I don't accept that."

"You know, she barely survived this when she wasn't even eight years old. Now, she's a budding adult and she's one human kill away from triggering her werewolf side. Now, you think she's angry right now, you wait until those claws come out and the eyes turn yellow. We've seen how bad it's gotten with Beatrix and she's much more mature and in control. Not to mention she naturally had more resistance to it. Hope doesn't have that."

Elijah pointed a finger at him. "I need you to fix this."

Vincent sighed in exasperation. "I don't know how to fix this, Elijah! Look around! All of these witches just woke up from the dead with vampire blood coursing through their veins. Now, as soon as their grief gives them one second's pause, they're gonna have to decide whether or not they're gonna feed and live forever, or end it all. They're my one and only priority, Elijah. That's it."

Beatrix tugged at Elijah's arm. "Let's go," she said quickly. She nodded at Vincent. "Thank you for your time. Good luck with this."

Vincent nodded respectfully to her, but glared at Elijah.

When they returned to the Compound, they were greeted by the sound of panicked voices.

Roman.

"So this is the new parenting style?" inquired Elijah as he watched Klaus sitting on the stairs with a glass of bourbon. "Allowing your daughter to mercilessly torture that boy?"

Klaus shrugged. "That boy held her, Hayley, and Beatrix hostage. He almost killed Hope and Beatrix and succeeded with Hayley. So, if my daughter decides to end his life, then that would make her someone who vanquishes her enemies, following in the footsteps of her father and her uncle."

Elijah rubbed his forehead. "She was supposed to be better than us, Niklaus."

"She's ill!" Klaus snapped. "If this brings her some relief, then nothing else matters."

Beatrix stepped forward. "Klaus, you know as well as I that the darkness is just going to return. It took me years to expel what I siphoned off of all of you when you were poisoned. And the kind of spell I had to do was very dangerous. It may be a fuel for her anger but it would take hundreds of instances of performing very dark magic for her to get any sort of major relief. And even that won't slow it down."

"Listen to her, Niklaus," insisted Elijah. "We have known her for centuries and there is no one I trust more when it comes to dealing with dark magic."

Klaus glared at his brother. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask, as much as I enjoy your withering judgment, do you really have Hope's best interest at heart?"

Elijah frowned. "What are you accusing me of?"

"I'm not blind, Elijah. If you love that woman so much, go be with her. I have my own family to worry about and that boy is collateral damage." He looked at Beatrix. "You should ask him about her. Antoinette. See what he tells you."

Elijah gritted his teeth. "You are leading your daughter down a path that will erase her humanity. And if she loses that, Niklaus, the consequences will be devastating for everyone."

"Just don't!" snarled Klaus.

"Don't what? Counsel you against your worst instincts? A thousand years, I have desperately tried to sway you toward some kind of reason."

"And for a thousand years, I've trusted you."

"So now what?"

"Our lives may be forever, but our allegiance is not."

Elijah did not choose to stay. Beatrix rubbed her forehead. "Must it always be this way?" she muttered. "Seriously?"

"Forgive me if we're not meeting your standards of a functional family, love," Klaus muttered. "I have greater things to worry about."

"You know that we're both right. This isn't going to help—"

There was a scream of fury from below. It was Hope. Klaus and Beatrix moved toward the entrance to the underground as Hope emerged, grabbing her arm and showing that she had blackened veins, just like Beatrix.

The Heretic swore internally. "Here, let me—"

"No!" Hope withdrew her arm. "I know it's bad, I know I need to get rid of the darkness, I know that, but I won't let you siphon it and I-I can't kill him. I won't."

Klaus looked surprised. "Hope..."

"Dad," she said, "he's no more guilty or responsible than me."

Klaus sighed. "All that power, still merciful. You clearly didn't get that from my side of the family."

Hope faced Beatrix. "This is only gonna get worse, isn't it?"

"I can slow its progress if you just let me siphon," Beatrix insisted.

"I'm not going to let you hurt yourself because of me," said Hope as Klaus walked off. "I just— I need to get it out. There should be spells I can do."

"There are, but they are not things I would even want you involved in by yourself. Just give me some time to gather some darker spells that won't hurt anyone. You can get it out. But this will only be a temporary fix. I need you to know that the truth is that at this point..."

She then stopped, hearing a conversation taking place in the next room.

"Niklaus, I think I have a solution," said Elijah.

"You really think you can act as counsel when you're sleeping with the enemy?"

"I am not sleeping with Antoinette. Nor am I speaking for her or Roman. This is about Hope."

"Oh, so this is about Hope, now. How touching you remembered her plight."

"She's faltering, isn't she, Niklaus? That rage, consuming her from within. It's progressing faster than it ever did with Beatrix. You might not trust me right at this moment, Niklaus do you really have any other choice?"

Klaus swore. "Hope! Beatrix!"

The two witches walked over to the other room. Elijah looked at the two. "Antoinette is feigning taking leadership of those purists who followed Greta. She does not believe in their ideas any more than I do. We'll use that gathering to get the magic and rage out."

Hope frowned. "What do you mean?"

Beatrix bit her lip. "He means... it's a chance for you to use that magic to kill all those purists who helped Greta kidnap us."

The young witch looked away. This, of course, seemed more appealing than hurting Roman. "I'll do it," she said.

"Good," said Klaus. "Fine. We'll do it. Beatrix, tell Marcel to meet us there." He grabbed onto their arms and sped them all away to St. Anne's, where Antoinette was standing at the altar, speaking with the group.

Klaus, Hope, and Beatrix waited in the shadows as Elijah walked in, making a grand entrance as per usual. "I must confess," he told the stunned group, "that I myself have recently had a change of heart."

He went to stand beside Antoinette. "Today, we go to war. But those of you who are not resolute in the belief that we are the one and the only true species— the time for you to leave is now."

No one wavered. "We're with you," Beatrix heard Emmett say. The others nodded their agreement.

Elijah nodded. Beatrix saw how Antoinette looked up at him in admiration as he continued to speak, "Now, Greta died in the name of purity, and thanks to the unwavering conviction of her followers, particularly those of you who chose to lead when she was gone, her message lives on. So now, for those who stood by her, you will share her fate."

Klaus threw open the main doors and walked in, Hope behind. Beatrix lingered, awaiting Marcel's arrival.

"What are they doing here?" snapped Emmett when he saw the hybrid and tribrid.

"The road to redemption is long and winding, but worthy," said Elijah.

Emmett seemed to be the first to realize what was about to happen. He made to run, but with ease, Hope raised her hand and trapped the vampire purists right in their tracks. Emmett faced Antoinette and Elijah. "You betrayed us."

Antoinette shook her head. "We told you what my mother thought."

"And we never said we agreed," chimed in Elijah.

Klaus smirked. "You can leave them to us now."

Beatrix felt a hand on her shoulder as Elijah and Antoinette sped away. Marcel had arrived, and she greeted him with a smile as the two walked up to watch.

"Go on, sweetheart," said Klaus to his daughter. "Let it all out."

And she let out a mighty scream. Blue light cascaded around the room, an explosion concentrated in the church and made of pure darkness. The vampires screamed, their eyes beginning to bleed as they were consumed. They tried to claw their way out to no avail. A minute later, they were all on the floor, lifeless.

Hope panted lightly. The blackened veins had disappeared from her arms. "Are they all dead?"

Klaus looked smug. "Immortality isn't for everyone. You should consider what you did an act of public service."

Marcel moved forward toward Hope. "Hey, kiddo, you okay?"

Hope nodded a bit. "I-I'm... um... numb."

Frowning, Beatrix pressed her inner wrist to the girl's forehead, then pressed her fingers against her neck. "It was a big release. You might feel dizzy because of it."

Hope nodded. "Yeah... it's that. I'm fine. I feel really good. Thank you."

She moved to stand beside Marcel, who had a forlorn look in his eyes. "You okay?" she whispered.

"Um, not really," he said honestly. "Do you think you can come with me?"

"Of course," she said. "Anything you need."

He took her hand and sped them away. They arrived at the place that used to be Marcel's loft, a place that now belonged to Josh. Marcel turned to face her. "He's dead, Beatrix," he said, tears brimming in his eyes. "Josh is dead."

She clapped her hands over her mouth. "No!"

"Those... those vampires kidnapped me. They were taking my poison. And when... when he came to save me..." he choked and shook his head. "My p-poison killed him. He didn't last more than a few minutes..."

Beatrix pulled him into her arms, and he began to sob. He shook his head as she rubbed his back, trying to whisper the most soothing words she could. But this hurt. Over the past seven years, Beatrix had gotten closer to Josh. This was unfair. This shouldn't have happened.

Beatrix promptly arrived at the Claire tomb, and found Davina already inside with Josh, one of Marcel's vampires.

"Oh, hey Trix," said Davina, looking a bit better than she had in past days. "Are you here because of Aiden?"

"Er— who's Aiden?"

"Definitely not," said Josh with a light chuckle. "I don't know if you remember the guy that was with me at Hayley's wedding? That's Aiden."

Beatrix furrowed her brows. "I think I know who it is, then. I don't talk much to the wolves. But why? Is he doing something important?"

"Told us he'd meet us here soon, he's retrieving something from the compound," said Josh. "He said he's got some idea about a way to protect Hope."

"Well, that's good news. I actually came to deliver some notes to Davina. I've been researching some things we can do to bring Kol back, and this is my research so far." She dropped the stack of paper on her table. "I thought you might like to look it over, pinpoint anything you'd like to try."

Davina smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate it. No one else has really been much help. But, at least, the dagger is made so I have my full attention on this problem."

Beatrix went over to look at what Davina was writing— some spell from an old-looking grimoire. "You're a hard-worker. Got to remember to get some sleep, though."

"That's what I've been telling her," sighed Josh.

"I don't need sleep, I need progress," said Davina in response. "I'll sleep soundly when I know Kol will be back."

"He's going to be at peace," she whispered. "I know that he is. He's... he's going to be with Aiden again..."

Marcel sniffled. "He b-better... better have... been there to greet him..."

They chose to do a tribute with drinks. Marcel brought out his best bottle of alcohol and he and Beatrix sat side by side on the floor, backs resting on the couch.

Marcel held up his glass. "You know, it's funny you brought up my whole loyalty thing. Truth is, you were always more loyal than I was. To your friends... to the city. To what you believed. Rest in peace, dear friend."

He drank, and Beatrix held up her glass next. "It's very rare to find a vampire who is so caring that he, without hesitation, will associate with the other factions. Josh had the best heart out of all of us. You will find peace, and I hope to see you again when I do, too."

She drank. Marcel leaned his head back and sighed quietly, though their silence was interrupted by the sound of Beatrix's phone chiming.

"It's Klaus," she murmured as she looked at the screen.

'Bad news. Hope's curse has been triggered.'