It had been just a couple of weeks since Hayley's death. The town all fell to shock when they heard that the invincible hybrid, Hayley Marshall was bested. Some felt sorrow for the Mikaelson's. Others were happy to hear that they were one step closer to ending the Mikaelson throne.

I, myself, hadn't had much time to grieve the loss of the mother of my child. Elijah finally had his memories restored during Hayley's funeral. He hit rock bottom when he learned that he could have saved Hayley but didn't. He fled as soon as the news was broken and hasn't been back since.

Rebekah and Freya continue to weep over the loss of a woman they considered a sister. Rebekah sometimes blames me for the death of Hayley. Believing I could have done more to prevent it.

Kol, Davina, Josh, and Vincent, all grieved their own way. Kol bonded with Hayley over the seven years of our exile. Davina had always considered Hayley a friend of hers since the night Hayley helped her gain the respect of the witches. Vincent and Josh were close friends of Hayley. They have made it clear they will not let the guilty party of Hayley's death go untouched.

As for Hope… She is broken. She has night terrors every single time she closes her eyes. She won't eat. She won't speak. Every time one of us try talking to her she shuts us out. I know she blames herself for her mother's death. And it breaks me to know that there is nothing I can do to help her.

Freya has bought us some time, binding the magic of the Hollow. Although it won't last for long. Freya hopes she can hold it out for another week, for the sake of Hope. But I don't see Hope getting better by then.

And here I am. Looming over the city of New Orleans. A city I once thrived to control. But somehow, due to recent events, that doesn't seem to matter to me anymore.

"Can you believe it?" I jumped, startled by the voice of Kol's. I turned to face him. Looking perplexed at him.

He pointed towards the rest of the city. "The city just keeps going on…" he continued.

"And what do you mean by that?" I asked. He laughed cowardly, resting both his arms on the terrace. Looking out into the night sky.

"Only two weeks have passed since Hayley died and the town is already back to its regularly scheduled program." I nodded slowly. Clasping my hands together and leaning down to look over the city as well.

"Well they didn't know Hayley like we did." I added.

"You know… Around the second year of our little exile, I began to call Freya. As eager as I was to start a life with Davina, none of that seemed to matter without family. Anyways, one day Hayley had Freya's phone and she picked up. I was having one of my panic attacks, something I acquired after losing contact with you guys.-"

he stopped, smiling to himself for a quick second, and continued on.

"-After I asked where Freya was, she could sense the pain in my voice and demanded she know what was going on. When I finally told her. She began to coach me. Telling me to breathe and take myself where I feel safest. And before I knew it, I was starting to feel better… When I asked her if she dealt with panic attacks herself, she said she used to as a child. She told me how alone she had felt and how scared she would be, but whenever she thought about her safest memories, the pressure began to lift. She then told me that Hope was experiencing them too… Dealing with the loss of you… She asked me to talk to Hope, saying that it would be good for the both of us to talk about our panic attacks and learn how to cope with them together. Not too long after that I never had another panic attack. And ever since that first phone call me and Hope would call each other every other day. It was nice…"

My mouth opened and shut slowly… I never knew any of this.

"You and Hope had panic attacks?" I asked cautiously. He nodded sadly. Standing up straight and turning to face the door. He placed his hand roughly on my shoulder.

"And if it weren't for Hayley. I bet me and Hope would still be in a lot of pain." With that he dropped his hand from my shoulder and walked inside.

Just as I was about to head inside as well, a strong wind came blazing through. I turned around quickly and found a letter, drifting toward the ground gently. Running over, I picked up the paper and noticed it was addressed to me.

It read…

"Klaus,

I've written this letter about a thousand times and I still can't seem to find the right words. I should start off by apologizing. I'm sorry for leaving you alone to parent Hope. I know how difficult it is to parent her sometimes, especially now that she's in her teenage years. I would have loved, just for once, the chance to parent her together. Klaus, I never planned on having a baby with you, that's no secret. To be perfectly honest with you I still can't believe we brought that beautiful little girl into this world. I wouldn't trade it for the world. She has changed you and me in more ways than we can discover. She helped you realize that it's okay to put someone else above yourself. She taught me the true meaning of a family. I had my doubts about you being a father for a really long time. It wasn't until the day I told you this little miracle baby of ours was going to be a girl, that I realized you were more than capable of having a child. You have proven yourself every single day since then. I hope that one day you guys will be able to escape the evil that looms over the Mikaelson name. Please take care of our little girl. Be patient with her. She's still just a child. Compromise with her. I know you would do anything to protect her, and that's what I admire mostly about you. But sometimes her protection can blind you from what's right. Just make sure whatever you do, you do it carefully. Not only make sure Hope is okay, please make sure you are taken care of. As well as Elijah, Freya, Rebekah, Kol, Marcel, Davina, Vincent, and Josh. They've all done a pretty damn good job of keeping Hope safe. I will miss you all dearly. But this isn't goodbye. Just simply, "see you later". I believe that one day we will reunite. And we will finally be the family we were supposed to be. So until we meet again. Tell Hope I love her. And as always… Family, always and forever.

Love always,

Hayley Marshall (Mikaelson)"

Tears formed in my eyes as I finished reading the letter. I gently slid the letter into my pocket. This letter gave me all the reassurance I needed in knowing that Hayley was somewhere safe. Whether that be the other side, or heaven, or even hell. Hayley Marshall died to protect her family. She is family. Always and forever.