Part 15

...I'm sure she'll be alright when she wakes up. Hayley is beyond strong.'

'Alright sister. Take care of her.'

'MOM.' Hope jumped out of her bed, swivelling her head around the room. She was in her bedroom in the Salvatore Boarding School. 'Mom.' She called again. This time her voice cracked.

'Hope you're awake.' Hope turned her head to see her aunt near the window, a little behind her. 'That's my cue.' She spoke on the phone and turned the screen off.

'Mom?' Hope looked at her aunt with pleading, teary eyes.

'She's alright Hope.' Freya rushed to her only niece's bed, wrapping her in a warm hug. 'She's alright. She chanted over and over while caressing Hope's back.

Hope buried her face in the crook of Freya's neck while sobbing heavily.

'It's alright sweetie.' Freya pulled back yet kept her arms around Hope. 'I just talked to your dad. He took her home in New Orleans. He'll take care of her.' Hope could only nod as tears streaked her face.

⚜️

Klaus closed the doors fridge where the blood stash was kept while balancing three blood bags in his hand. He had brought Hayley home since noon and it was past 10 pm already. Yet Hayley remained in a deep slumber.

It was understandable, Klaus thought. Her body had gone through tremendous change while depraved of food. He had been an Original and the binding spell had hurt like hell. Klaus couldn't imagine what it must have been for Hayley's body to go through the spell all the while never losing consciousness.

The only thing Klaus could do was put blood in Hayley's body and wait. Walking into the room where Hayley slept, Klaus saw Marcel.

'You're here.'

Marcel didn't respond, he could only look at Hayley's seemingly lifeless body. 'I called Vincent. He should've been here by now.'

'She did the binding spell?' Marcel finally spoke.

'Yes. It has been very hard on her body. She needs the blood. Joshua healed enough to put an IV on Hayley?' Klaus lay the blood bags in the drawer beside Hayley's bed.

'Yeah, gave him my blood, healed pretty fast. I'll call him.' Turning on his heels Marcel left the room.

No more than ten minutes later Marcel strode into the room with Josh and Vincent on his tracks. Vincent's eyes immediately caught Hayley. Slowly he walked near the bed. 'She was bound.' Klaus spoke behind him while Josh started to put up the metal where the blood bags would be hanged.

Vincent nodded laconically. 'I'm going to need you to give Hayley a little check up. I don't know how they performed the magic and something about Hayley's...energy-for lack of better word, worries me.'

'Yeah, I can feel it too. Something, like a thick blanket lays over her. I'll see what I can do.' Vincent raised his hands while he began chanting. After what felt like forever but was only a few minutes, Vincent stopped. A line appeared between his brows.

'Something isn't right.'

'No, it truly isn't.' Vincent responded thoughtfully. 'She's there. But I just can't seem to reach her consciousness. Its like she locked it somewhere deep and now is in a passive state.'

'Locked it you say?' Marcel perked up, joining Vincent and Klaus by the bedside.

'I am afraid she's turned it off.' Vincent whispered yet it was heard all loud and clear in their vampire ears.

'And how can we turn her emotions on again?' Josh asked.

'I have no idea.'

A phone ringing broke the silence laying in the room like a thick blanket. Klaus picked up.

'Sister. How is Hope?'

'Better now after I told her Hayley is alive. Hope doesn't want to stay here. She wants to see her mother.'

Klaus hesitated. 'I understand. Convince Hope to sleep there tonight. She'll need the rest, this day was tiring enough and tomorrow will be even more emotionally draining.'

'How's Hayley?'

'Asleep. I had Vincent check on her. Doesn't seem very good.'

Silence fell on Freya's side. 'I'll tell you when we'll be in New Orleans tomorrow.'

'That would be good. I got too close with Elijah yesterday. I don't know what will happen if I meet Hope. I'll stay away as long as you'll be here.'

'Alright.' A door crinkled. 'Hope came from dinner. I doubt she ate anything though, I could barely convince her to go at the cafeteria.'

'Maybe telling her you'll be coming will calm her a little. Thank for taking care of her.'

'We're family.' Freya responded and hung up.

'Hope will be coming here. Vincent I'm going to need your help.'

⚜️

'The plane will be there to pick you up in half an hour.' Klaus spoke while rummaging through his closet with one hand. Everyone, at least from the supernatural world, knew that Hayley had been saved although they didn't know the severity of her condition.

'We'll be ready.' Freya's factual voice was heard on the other end of the line.

'Did you find a witch to help with our geographical predicament? I can miss the werewolf celebration if Hope decides to go but at home.' Apparently the wolves were throwing a damn party on the streets to celebrate their alpha's return. Vincent had already made a sort of peace treaty between the factions, only for the day, and the New Orlean's streets were buzzing with excitement. Everyone was happy for Hayley.

'Vincent asked Ivy to do it.'

'Ivy hates me.'

'Well, all the witches hate you, but they liked Hayley, and they know that Hope needs you today.' Freya responded.

'Well, astral projection is tricky magic.'

'This had better work.'

'It'll work.' Freya reassured her brother. 'You'll be there in the only way that you can.'

'I should never have agreed to this.' Klaus responded, frustration oozing from his voice. 'I should be there beside her, holding her hand.'

'I know. But the consequences of you two being together have been escalating. We can't bring that kind of danger into the city.'

'This is about her mother, who just came from death's door. I should let the city burn. People singing and dancing in the streets...imagine how that will make Hope feel. I'm sick and tired...' Something caught Klaus' eyes on the mirror.

'What's wrong?'

'If this houseplant gasping for life is any indication, there's another Mikaelson in New Orleans.' Freya couldn't find the right words for one moment.

'That can't be right. Kol and Rebekah know to stay away and Hope is with me.' Freya trailed off.

'Elijah.'

⚜️

'We'll be there in fifteen.'

Klaus read the text over and over while pacing around Hayley's bed. She was, of course, asleep. Yet her cheeks had a little color. Her body had accepted all the three bags of blood Josh had IV-ed in her and even some amount of Klaus' blood.

He couldn't stay home but he also couldn't bare to leave Hope alone, so he had a plan. He'd be at the Bayou with Ivy, conducting a spell that would allow Klaus to be there but only as a shadow. Klaus shot a text to Freya before going out.

'You're free to go there.'

⚜️

People danced and sang and laughed yet Hope didn't find anything so amusing. All the factions knew that Hayley was alive. There was even going to be a festive gathering in the Bayou tonight. She was expected to go there. No one was forcing her of course, but she owed it to the wolves who had been her family for the past seven years.

Hope had been so eager to come to her mother in New Orleans. She thought she'd run to the house straight to her mother's room but now she hesitated. She'd rather prowl the streets of the city with Freya by her side because going home would mean to see the consequence of her action. The one meant to bring her family in New Orleans. The one that had failed miserably and could've been the death of her mother. Heartbroken as she was, Hope felt like she was having an out of body experience. She could see all the cheerfulness in the streets and it ached. She could see it but not fully register it. Like fleeting moments. It felt so...flippant how the world would just go on even though her mom lay almost lifeless. Relief that Hayley was alive and anger directed at both herself and the people around her. Fury that her attempt for a family reunion failed miserably and her dad couldn't even be beside her. Couldn't even hold her hand because hell would rain over.

"Wait. Where is dad?" Hope looked around frantically, the daze in her mind starting to clear up. "Where is everybody?"

"He'll be here soon. He's just waiting on Ivy to help him with the astral projection." Freya reassured her. "Marcel should be here. Vincent. There's Josh."

"This is all wrong. She didn't even know all these people."

"Your mom made a mark on this city. Everyone's here to express their love and goodwill for her."

"But where are all of her friends? None of them are here. I see no wolves either." Hope takes a look around continuing forward while Freya spoke on her phone. "This is so wrong. So so wrong." She muttered to herself.

Tires screeching two big black vans made their way in the middle of the happy mob. People scream as they try to move away and find shelter. "Josh!" Freya called. Josh made his way to one of the black vans, opening the trunk.

"Emmett. What the hell are you doing here?" He questioned.

"Where are Antoinette and Elijah?" Emmett responded darkly.

"Probably under a rock somewhere. Maybe you should join them." Emmett reached down pulling a dark cloth, revealing crossbows with wooden stakes on them. "We're not going anywhere till they're returned to us safely.

People chattered nervously, pointing to the black cars and panic filled the air. "Hope. We've got to get out of here." Freya grabbed her niece's arm. "No."

"Hope." Freya insisted again.

"I said no! This already sucks enough. Look, I'm not gonna let them ruin it more.

Bruciare supe terram, faciendo...

"Hope!" Freya called but to no avail. Hope was already making her way towards one of the cars.

- ...ignis ga praemium.

Fire engulfed one black van. Hope was making her way towards the next one, when Freya's voice was heard."JOSH!" In a blur Josh caught Hope sending both of them towards the side of the street just as Emmett fired his crossbow aimed at Hope. ⚜️

The festive wraped up soon after the whole charade with Hope setting fire to one of the cars. Emmett of course left after the wasted shot. Klaus had seen it all and he had a mind to take care of the vampire who clearly had a wish to die. But first he had to speak with his daughter and find a way to stay beside her after Ivy's revelation. She'd gone home and probably had seen Hayley by now. "Hope." Klaus walked slowly into Hayley's room. Hayley still slept, unmoving, pale though not as pale as the day it all had happened. Klaus had been mindful enough to put some of his blood in the bags of blood they gave to her, in attempt to speed her recovery. On the side of Hayley's bed, away from the door sat a little sobbing bundle with a red head. "Hope." Klaus called again rushing towards his daughter but her face full of tears made him stop abruptly a few steps away. "Go away.""I am so sorry. There's no magic that can fix this.""I said leave." Her shoulders heaved with each sob."Please don't push me away." Klaus' voice was filled with pain."You deserted me. You left me all by myself when you promised me that you would be there.""I wanted to be there. I only just found out how dangerous this is. I could kill you." "Then let me die! My mom is half dead.Look at her." Hope turned her red rimmed eyes towards her mother. The image was too much to bear as tears started streaming down her face with more force. Hope put her face in her palms. "And it's my fault. And I need more than some half version of you.I can't do this." Came her muffled voice."Dad, I can't do this anymore. I can't live like this. You're not here and mom's like this. Who konws if she'll wake up. I don't want to live like this anymore." If there had ever been a moment when Klaus felt like someone had ripped through his chest and left his heart open, out and bleeding it was heating these words come out of his daughter's mouth. But somehow the words hurt even more. "P... Please don't say that." He pleaded."You need to go." Klaus started shaking his head, trying say no, but his tongue felt thick and his throat closed. "Just go." Hope wiped her tears with hands, sniffing. With a flick of her wrist she send her father away.⚜️

The sun had long set when Klaus got to return home, only because Hope had already left. Klaus walked in the compound defeated, shoulders slumped. He felt beaten and helpless. Hesitantly he made his way to Hayley's room. After all these years away from the compound Hayley's room had become his little sanctuary. He liked her presence and her familiar face after staying away from family for so long. Slowly he sat on the edge of the bed and took her cold hand in his.

"I should've been there for you and for Hope. I should've tried to find a way out of this spell. I shoul've done better than the letters I sent to Hope. But...I was scared... of this very moment. This family, hmm? We're a curse to each other and to our home.And I know... she needs me. I see that now, more so than before. But loving her brings her closer to death. And I want her to live. I want her to grow up.I want her to love... and be as strong and beautiful a woman... as her mother.I don't know what to do." All the while Klaus had been stoking Hayley's hand. Memorizing the lines and shapes of her fingers, the inside of her palm, the scar where the moonstone had burned her. "And I really wish that you were here to tell me......little wolf." A drop of tear fell on Hayley's palm.