Chapter 74

They spent a week trying to find any solution.

But nothing was working.

They had been in the bell tower working on spells. Researching. Kol had contacted witches in other parts of the world, tracing the origins of Covens that might better know how to deal with dark magic. Beatrix had contacted Bonnie Bennett and Valerie Tulle for any input. They agreed to be on standby, but there was nothing anyone seemed to be able to come up with.

And so Beatrix started to put her affairs in order.

"What are you doing, Itza?" Elijah had asked the day after the wedding when he found her sitting on her bed surrounded by papers.

"I'm fixing up my legal documents," she said. "Settling anything I need to from Medical School and work. I've made my will so that anything I own— which isn't much— will go to Hope and any children that the others have."

He sat down at the edge of her bed. "Why? What are you planning? Be honest with me."

"I'm going to get The Hollow out of Hope," said Beatrix. "And I'm going to put it into myself."

"Itza—"

"I'm telling you this because I know that you'll understand. I have to do this, Elijah. After all this time, I know this is the right thing to do. This is my firm redemption after all the pain and suffering that I caused."

It was clear Elijah did not want her to go through with it, but after their conversation, he knew there was no stopping her. "What help do you need?" he asked quietly. "How can I assist you?"

"I need to enter Klaus's mind and give him a dream. An idea."

"What of?"

"We know that Hope likely won't survive the full moon. In that transition, she will lose her life. The Salvatore School knows how to help werewolves with their first transformation. I want him to think it was his idea to take her there. And I want him to think that he's going to put The Hollow into himself."

Elijah flinched. "You have lost your mind."

"No, I haven't. Think, Elijah, if he knows what I want to do, he'll subdue me and he'll sacrifice himself, and we can't have that. I know he's already thinking about it. In order to do the transfer, we need siphon witches. The Saltzman twins are our best bet, and I already proposed the idea to Valerie Tulle. She'll be in Mystic Falls to help. The four of us are the last siphons left in the world and together, we can safely remove The Hollow from Hope and put it into me. I want to make Klaus think that he'd be asking Caroline to get the Saltzman twins to help Hope. He'll help the plan move along. He'll need to help Hope transform first, and by then, The Hollow will be out and inside of me. I just need you to help keep this a secret from him."

Elijah had teared up. "Why... why would you..."

"You know why. I have to do this, Elijah. Please don't try and stop me. This is the right thing."

He sighed. "So be it. When are we going to do this?"

"Tonight."

And so, when they found Klaus in his bed, tossing and turning, they did it. Elijah let Beatrix channel him as she entered the hybrid's mind, crafting a very simple vision. He saw himself taking Hope to the Salvatore School. Helping her transform. Speaking with the Saltzman twins. Feeling a blue light entering his body.

The instant Beatrix had put the dream in, she sped herself and Elijah back to her room. "It's done."

"What now?" asked Elijah.

"If he says anything to you, act like it's absurd. It'll only make him want to do it more, and if you agree right away, he'll be suspicious."

The rest of the week flowed in the direction that Beatrix wanted it to. Elijah was the only one who knew that she was settling all her affairs. She had Davina and Freya help her with some Soothing Spells that would prepare Hope's body to have The Hollow removed from it. Klaus still had no idea, but Beatrix could tell that he was thinking about the dream every waking moment.

She had succeeded.

The night before the full moon, she had been sitting beside him, channeling him as she waved her hand over her niece's forehead to help her have some peaceful dreams. Unbeknownst to her, Klaus had been overhearing a conversation between Elijah and Marcel in the other room. He suddenly stood and stormed out, and Beatrix followed.

"Niklaus," said Elijah when they passed by him.

"Get in the car," said Klaus gruffly. "You, Beatrix, and I are taking Hope on a little trip."

Elijah acted as though this was news to him. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Hope can sleep on the drive," said Klaus as he pulled a jacket off of one of the nearby hangers.

"Surely you heard Marcel."

"He doesn't know anything!" Klaus snapped. "Hope's school knows how to deal with a werewolf's first transformation. They have a facility."

Elijah and Beatrix refrained from looking at each other. "Mystic Falls?" asked the elder Original. "I take it you have a plan?"

"I do," said the hybrid. "And while I execute it, I need you to look after her. To make sure she doesn't exert herself."

"Wouldn't it be better for you to just take Beatrix? Someone Hope doesn't despise?"

"How Hope feels about you is of no consequence. I have until the crest of the full moon to save her life. We've defied the inevitable for a dozen lifetimes. I am not about to surrender to it now. Please, Elijah. You two are the only ones I trust."

They nodded. "I'll get Hope," said Beatrix, daring to smile a bit at Elijah as she walked out.

She gently cradled her niece as she took her down to the car. Elijah had lowered the seats in the back so that Hope could sleep comfortably. Beatrix sat beside her, stroking her hair, as Klaus drove, and Elijah rode shotgun.

"You will speak to the Saltzman twins, Beatrix," said Klaus quietly when they were certain Hope was still asleep. "You brought them into this world, they will respect you if they see you. If Caroline gives me permission to ask their help, they will be more inclined to help."

"Of course," she said, looking at Elijah through the rearview mirror.

"You will take her into town," said Klaus. "Let her have her fun. Be there for her. She should not suspect what I wish to do."

"You are certain this plan of yours is the best way to do this, brother?" inquired Elijah.

Klaus nodded. "It is. I promise."

The instant they arrived in Mystic Falls, they dispersed. Klaus went straight inside to speak with Caroline. Beatrix wandered around for a bit, looking for the twins. She found them at a table in the library, practicing some magic.

"Hey, girls," she said, sitting down beside them.

"Dr. La Salle," said Josie, the brunette. "What are you doing here?"

"Just some business to take care of," she told them gently. "What are you two doing?"

"We're doing some practice for our spell class," said Lizzie. She looked quite a bit like Caroline even though she wasn't biologically her daughter. "Want to see?"

"Of course," said Beatrix.

The twins put their hands against the table. They concentrated, and the books in front of them began to levitate. The pages flipped on their own, and when the books came back down, they had opened to a chapter about transference spells. "We're learning to transfer our thoughts onto objects without speaking," explained Josie.

"We're the best at it," said Lizzie proudly.

Beatrix beamed at them. "That's expected. You're both very talented."

"Are you going to come back to work with Dr. Salvatore?" asked Josie. "She's been busy 'cause she and Damon Salvatore had a daughter. They named her Stefanie."

"Aw, did they? That's fantastic. We'll see..."

"You should work here!" said Lizzie. "Our dad says that we always need a new magic teacher, and you know a lot of magic."

"Yeah," agreed Josie, "you can be the doctor for the other students, too. Mostly everyone heals up by themselves but us witches could use some healing spells a bit more often."

Beatrix raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Why is that?"

"Well, sometimes it's hard to control our magic," sighed Lizzie.

"Lizzie especially," said Josie pointedly. Her sister made a face. "What? It's true."

"So your magic sometimes gets a little out of control and people get hurt," deduced Beatrix. "I can imagine that. I'm actually surprised that you don't have a supernatural doctor here already."

"I think our mom and dad wanted to leave that position for you. You used to help when you lived here, but then you went to New Orleans..."

Beatrix smiled. "Yes, well, New Orleans is my home."

"Do you not like Mystic Falls?" asked Josie.

"It's not that I don't like it. I just like Louisiana more. I have lived there for so long."

She couldn't just tell the two young girls that Mystic Falls didn't exactly bring back the warmest of memories.

"Hmm, I get it," said Lizzie. "It's like how Josie and I were born in Whitmore, and we grew up here. Living somewhere else would be weird."

Josie thought it over for a moment. "I want to visit somewhere else one day, too. Maybe Europe."

"I'm sure one day your parents will take you," said Beatrix reassuringly. "I've always liked Europe when I've gone there."

"Were you a doctor in Europe, too?"

"No, only ever here. But it might have been nice to treat patients in different countries, too."

She looked up as Caroline came through the doorway, beckoning for them to follow. Beatrix and the twins stood and followed the blonde out to an abandoned house in the woods which was covered in vines.

"Mom, why are we here?" asked Lizzie as Klaus stepped out from one of the covered rooms.

Caroline knelt in front of them. "You know Hope Marshall, right? Well, she's in trouble. She's sick. And you two have the power to help do a spell that will make her feel better. Remember how you once spoke at the assembly about how you liked the idea of being doctors? This is kind of your chance to do it."

Josie and Lizzie shared a look. "What do we get if we say yes?" asked Josie curiously.

Caroline stood back up. "The warm feeling in your heart that comes from helping a friend in need."

Lizzie pursed her lips. "Well, we are in need of new cell phones."

"And permission to go to the senior solstice dance!" added Josie. "And, you and Dad take the skirt-length rules out of the dress code. It's anti-feminist and oppressive."

"And not cute," Lizzie chimed in.

Caroline looked a bit surprised at their demands, as if she was trying to contain her laughter. She quickly cleared her throat. "No to the phones, maybe to the dance, and yes to defying the patriarchy one plaid skirt at a time. Deal?"

The twins shared a look and nodded. "Deal," they replied in unison.

The blonde vampire smiled. "Good. Now, Mr. Mikaelson and Dr. La Salle are going to explain exactly what they need you to do. Very clearly, and kindly, without even a hint of a temper or frustration."

Klaus stepped a bit forward as Caroline moved off to the side. "First of all, thank you," he said quietly. Then, he suddenly yelled out in pain, and Beatrix jumped back seeing a stake had been shot through Klaus. He fell to the floor, unconscious, and Alaric entered with a crossbow.

"Dad?" said Josie in surprise.

"Whatever the hell's going on here, no," said Alaric firmly.

Beatrix held her hands up in surrender. "I can explain. It's not going to hurt your girls."

"Look, Beatrix, you know that Caroline and I respect you, but the line is drawn when it comes to him."

"He's not aware of the real plan," said Beatrix.

"What?" said Caroline, blinking. "But— but he told me he wanted the twins to pull the dark magic out of Hope and put it into him."

"Dark magic?" said Alaric. "Absolutely not."

"It's not going to hurt them," Beatrix promised. "Just, let me get my point across."

Caroline held up a 'time out' sign. "I'm confused. Are we dealing with dark magic or not?"

"Yes, we are. Hope, in an attempt to reunite the family, let a very dark spirit called The Hollow into her body. It's killing her, and I... I put a dream in Klaus's head to bring him here, making him think he could have it put in him. That's not happening. It's going to be put into me."

Alaric made a face. "And why do my daughters need to be a part of it?"

"They're siphon witches. They're the only ones that can try to do this. I already spoke to Valerie Tulle— you remember her. She's here, and she'll come when I text her. The four of us are going to pull The Hollow out of Hope. We're the last four siphon witches in the world and the number four is very important when it comes to defeating this spirit."

"What will happen to them?" asked Caroline. "The dark magic— can it hurt them?"

"No. I wrote the spell out myself, and I will show them exactly what they need to do. They will be exposed to very, very minor traces of the dark energy, and once it's inside of me, they're going to have zero side effects from having helped. If the four of us do the spell, the twins won't succumb to any sort of damage."

Alaric and Caroline shared a look. "Okay," said the vampire, "but from what it sounds like, you're going to sacrifice yourself."

Beatrix bit her lip. "It's nothing to be worried about, alright? Everything is going to be fine. I just want Hope to live. And I won't let Klaus be the one that dies to save her. She needs her father. I know that he's caused many problems but that girl needs him. She already lost her mother and I can't stand knowing that it's either she dies, or he does. So please. I'm begging you. Just help me on this."

"No."

They watched as Klaus revived, pulling the stake out of himself. "Absolutely not," he sneered. "You lied to me."

"Yes, I lied to you, because you wouldn't have let me do it any other way," said Beatrix as Alaric and Caroline quickly ushered the twins out of the building. "Respect my decision."

"How am I meant to respect your decision?" he demanded. "How many times must I say to you, Beatrix, that I absolutely refuse to let you sacrifice yourself?"

"It's not about what you'll allow, Klaus—"

"Let it be me!" he yelled. "It shouldn't be you."

She slapped him across the face. "Do you know how bloody stupid you sound? You're her father! You're a hybrid! She needs you today more than ever, and I won't let you actually go through with this suicide mission. I put that dream into your head to bring you here but the last thing I wanted was for you to actually die. This is what I need to do. You can't judge me for wanting to sacrifice myself then turn around and insist the same thing for yourself. If you won't let me do it, I'll subdue you with magic, I don't care. But I'm not leaving that girl without a father. I'm going to take The Hollow into myself, and that's final."

She expected him to hit her back. To yell some more. To snap her neck. What he did instead surprised her.

He hugged her.

He pulled her into such a tight embrace that she could feel how hard his heart was beating within his chest. "I never deserved you," he whispered. "Never. I don't deserve for you to do this for me."

"I'm doing this for your daughter, Klaus," she said, rubbing his back. "That girl deserves to live and she deserves to be able to have her father at her side. She missed out on too much already, and it's not fair. Please. Listen to me."

He pulled away and cupped her face. "Only because I know Hayley would have wanted me to respect your choice," he said shakily, kissing her on the forehead. "You, my little witch, have become everything I hope my daughter will be. Everything her mother was. Unbelievably brave and selfless. I am beyond proud that I can say that I was your sire."

She smiled and brought her hands up to caress his hair. "Thank you, Klaus."

"HELP!"

They whirled around as Elijah sped forward with an unconscious Hope. "She just collapsed," said Elijah urgently. "I-I don't— I don't know why—"

Beatrix moved him aside and checked her pulse. "No heartbeat. Get the Saltzman twins, now." Elijah sped off. "Klaus, start CPR. I'm going to do a spell to try and revive her."

Klaus immediately began to press his fists against his daughter's chest, pumping just how Beatrix had taught him to before. The Heretic moved to sit near Hope's head, putting both hands on her forehead. "Come on, mi esperanza, don't do this to us." She began to chant, "Cicatriser despert vivifica, consano reveiller reviure, curar surgere relancer. Cicatriser despert vivifica, consano reveiller reviure, curar surgere relancer—"

Hope shot up, gasping for air, and immediately, Klaus brought her into his arms, hugging her tightly and cradling her head. He was crying. "You're okay," he whispered. "I'm here... you're okay."

"Dad, I don't want to die," whimpered Hope. "I don't want to die..."

"I know," said Klaus. "Y-You're not gonna die." He held her face in his hands. "Sweetheart, you're not gonna die. We have a way to save your life. And everything is gonna be better in the morning. I promise you. I promise." He looked up at the sky, already dark. Hope's transformation would begin within an hour, at most.

"Get her to the rooms they have at the Salvatore School," said Beatrix sternly as Klaus picked Hope up. "Bring her out when she's ready."

Klaus sped her off as Alaric and the twins arrived. Beatrix pulled out her phone and texted Valerie to make her way there. "Alright. Alaric, make as perfect of a circle as you can in the ground, just however you can. If you have torches, get eight of them and put them around the circle."

"Got it," he said, jogging off.

Beatrix knelt in front of the twins. "This spell is something of my own creation. I made it a very long time ago when I was still the only Heretic in the world. It helps us siphoners be able to move things around without having to touch them. Repeat after me, 'Magia tollox de terras.'"

The twins recited, "'Magia tollox de terras.'"

"Very good. Now, we're going to say that over and over. Valerie will be here soon. There are four of us total, and we're going to stand at four corners within the circle, and we're going to rotate, taking a step to the right each time. We'll trap the spirit within that circle. When you see a blue light over us, continue to say the spell but stop moving. I'm going to step under it and you're going to concentrate on putting it inside of me. Understood?"

"Do we say 'Solvo' at the end?" asked Lizzie.

"Oh, yeah, they tell us sometimes big spells need to have that said at the end," Josie added.

Beatrix smiled. "Yes, you'll say that at the end, once the spirit is inside of me." She looked up as Alaric came back. "I'm pretty sure I got the circle as perfect as possible."

"We'll check, Dad," offered Josie as the twins went off to where he had been.

Alaric looked at Beatrix and half-smiled. "You've changed a lot, you know?" he said. "I hope that my daughters will one day be like you. This is probably the most noble thing I've seen someone do."

He pulled her into a hug, and she sighed. That was the first and last time they would ever embrace, and it made her happy to know that after all this time, he no longer held against her the person she'd been decades ago.

"I heard it was time?"

Beatrix turned and saw Valerie walking up. "Hey," she whispered, going to hug her too.

"This is it, then?" asked Valerie. "You're... you're really going to do it."

"Yes, I am," sighed Beatrix.

"They always told us how magnificent the Original Heretic was. I wish the others were here to say proper goodbyes. You'll see them again, I hope, when you find peace. It was an honor to get to meet you."

Beatrix beamed at her. "Thank you for this, Valerie. It's good to see you again. After this, you're going to be the last Heretic in the world, alright? Make the most of it."

And then it was time.

The full moon rose into the sky. Beatrix heard Elijah and Klaus bringing Hope into the woods. Elijah walked up beside Alaric and Caroline, nodding for the four to begin the spell.

Hands outstretched, the two Heretics and two siphoners began to chant, "Magia tollox de terras." A step to the side. "Magia tollox de terras." Another step. "Magia tollox de terras." Step. "Magia tollox de terras." Step.

They heard screams. Hope's transformation had started. Over and over again they chanted, not ceasing until there was the sound of a small explosion, and suddenly, lingering over them was a blue orb.

The Original Heretic closed her eyes for just a second, opening them to meet Elijah's gaze as she stepped under the light. The other three continued to chant. Beatrix looked as Klaus arrived, giving her a grateful look. He mouthed the words 'Thank you' just before the blue light tore itself into her.

She let out a pained scream, a lighting bolt crashing into her chest. It hurt like Hell, every fiber in her body burning. She shut her eyes as she collapsed on her knees, shaking and hearing the other witches say "Solvo," before they stepped out of the circle.

Her ears were ringing, and her vision blurred. She knew Alaric had led the twins away. Elijah rushed forward and helped Beatrix to her feet, pulling her out. She groaned and held her head, the whispering already assaulting her mind.

"Her arms," said Klaus shakily.

Already, her veins were blackened, and Beatrix could feel it had crawled up her face. Valerie came to stand beside her. "You have at most twenty hours," she said honestly. "It's going to overtake you by the end of tomorrow."

"Thank you, Valerie," whispered Beatrix weakly as Elijah picked her up bridal style. "Thank you... for everything."

Valerie offered her a smile and squeezed her hand. "Goodbye, Beatrix," she said before speeding away.

"What the hell?"

Hope had come back, dressed. She ran toward Beatrix. "What did you do? What the hell did you do?!"

"Hope," said Klaus more sternly. "Don't yell. It'll make her head hurt."

"We need to head back to New Orleans," said Elijah as Beatrix slumped into his chest, falling asleep. "We need to give everyone a chance to say goodbye."