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Episode Thirteen, Part Two: Hope for a Life That is Calm

Hope feels impossibly small in the cavern below her family home, eyes staring wide at the floor as she avoids the imploring gazes of the vampire king, the witch regent, and the wolf alpha. After a seemingly endless silence, a loud, sharp laugh bubbles up out of her, startling the others. She claps a hand over her mouth, surprised by her own reaction, but her shoulders still jerk with the force of it. Removing the hand, she says, "You almost had me there."

The other three exchange side-eyed glances, before Rose says, "We're not kidding, Hope."

"Of course you are!" Hope's tone just shy of shrill. "I mean, Jesus, I've been eighteen for less than twenty-four hours and you think I'm going to be the queen of a city?" She starts to pace the width of the cavern, hands moving wildly as she speaks. "Of course you're joking, because that's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my goddamn life. I can't be trusted to keep a goldfish alive, much less stop a city from tearing itself apart—"

"We'll help you," Marcel interjects. "No one expects you to do this alone. Each of us will still speak for our communities individually, but you will speak for us as a collective."

"Have it all figured out, do you?" Hope snaps, still pacing.

Vincent sighs. "Look, Hope—"

Before he can finish the thought, there's a loud commotion heard from the party upstairs. Hope stops her pacing and looks upward. "What's going on?"

"Stay here." Marcel makes his way to the entrance of the tunnel. "I'll go check it out."

Klaus can't even see his own hand in front of his face. Whatever magic was used to kill the lights is also blocking the moonlight from streaming through the glass roof. The sound from the party is deafening, each guest talking louder than the next in a panicked attempt to figure out what is happening.

"Hope!" Klaus shouts down, gripping the fencing of the balcony. "Hope, where are you?"

"Hope?" Hayley calls, still beside him. "Hope!"

"We have to find her," Klaus growls. "Now."

"Find her? We can't see a damn thing in here; how are we supposed to find one person in this mess?"

"We're wolves, aren't we? Sniff her out!"

For a moment, Hayley is grateful for the darkness, so Klaus can't see the face she makes as she realizes he has a good point. The two of them start to feel their way around the balcony to head for the stairs when a loud, clear voice rings out, echoing through the compound and freezing them in their tracks.

"Bring out Hope Mikaelson."

Marcel ducks into the cavern, where the others are waiting for him. Hope, who had been leaning against a wall, pushes herself off and demands, "What's happening up there?"

Before Marcel can answer, River appears from behind him. Hope runs up to her and throws her arms around her neck. "River, oh my god."

"It's so dark," River breathes. She breaks the hug and grips Hope's arms. "Hope, my mom is still up there."

Hope looks to Marcel, who asks, "Did you hear it?"

She doesn't need clarification; she nods. "Who?"

"Theo." They turn to look at Vincent, who shrugs. "She must know."

Hope takes a moment to process. "Okay. Okay." She pushes River toward Marcel. "Marcel, take River through the tunnels and get her somewhere safe."

River's jaw drops. "Hope, no—"

"I can't help everyone else unless I know you're safe."

"And I'm not leaving this place until I know my mother is safe."

They glare at each other for a while before Hope finally relents. "Fine. But you are not going back up into that mess until it's over."

"Fine." River looks over and notices for the first time that Rose in there. "Hey…what're you doing here?"

"Um." Rose nods to Hope. "I'm trying to convince your girlfriend to become the queen of New Orleans."

River nods, shrugs as if that were the most obvious answer in the world. "Oh."

The Mikaelson siblings and Hayley manage to all make their way into the library, where Freya finds a single candle and lights it. "The spell on this building is strong," she informs them, her face flickering in the candlelight. "It's taking all of my energy just to give us this much light."

"What do these witches want with Hope?" Elijah asks, his hand on the small of Hayley's back. "Their Harvest ritual is complete, what else could they possibly need from her?"

"How are we going to find her?" Hayley's entire body is tense. "She's a Mikaelson, so we need to get to her before she does something stupid, like give herself over to them."

"There aren't many places she can be," Klaus insists. "What about the tunnels?"

Freya shakes her head. "If they know about them, which is likely, they're probably already crawling with witches. To go down there would be a death sentence."

"The nightwalkers." The others look at Klaus in confusion. "Marcel offered his nightwalkers as protection against threats such as this."

"Do you mean those nightwalkers?" They turn to see Rebekah by the window, staring down at the ground. They slowly make their way to her and peer outside. By the light of a streetlamp they can see the contorted bodies of vampires strewn about the sidewalk, some with pieces of wood sticking out of their chests, others with their hearts lying several feet away from their corpses, others still with their heads removed completely.

"Find Hope," Hayley breathes, voice still as death. "Find her…before they do."

Before anyone can move, a sharp, terrified shriek reverberates through the compound.

The three supernatural community leaders finish filling River in on their proposal to Hope. The girl in question says, "Isn't that the craziest shit you've ever heard?"

"Actually…it makes a lot of sense."

Hope throws her hands up in exasperation, as Rose says, "See, Hope?"

Hope's ready to argue her case further when the same voice from before, echoing and ominous, rings out. "We have your girlfriend's mother. Surrender in five minutes or we rip her heart out and descend upon these people like a plague."

All eyes turn to River, whose face has suddenly gone very, very pale.

The Mikaelsons tear their way through the courtyard, moving from guest to guest in a blur as they try to locate either Hope or River.

Hayley finds Mary pressed against a wall, figures out it's her only through scent. "Mary, are you okay?"

Mary clutches her arm. "Oh, there you are. Where's Hope?"

"I don't know, I was hoping you were with her."

"I ain't seen her all night. You know what she's gonna do, don't ya?"

"I know, Mary."

"They have her girl's momma."

"I know, Mary, I—" She gives a frustrated sigh. "If you find her, staple her to a table or something." And then she's off, diving in the fray once more.

On the other side of the courtyard, Klaus and Elijah crash into each other, both coming up empty-handed in their search. "She's not here," Klaus hisses. "That's it—I'm going to the tunnels."

Elijah grabs his arm to keep him in place. "Let me go, brother. If these fiendish witches truly have infiltrated the tunnels, it is better Hope lose an uncle than her father."

"No." Klaus grips Elijah by the shoulders. "Stay with Hayley. Should I be killed by witches tonight I will have my daughter know that I prioritized her mother's wellbeing over my own." And then he disappears into the dark.

"Breathe, River." Hope has her girlfriend wrapped in her arms, running a hand soothingly up and down her back.

"My mom, she has my mom—"

"I know, I know." Hope glares at the others over River's shoulder. "Why is she doing this?"

"She's pissed off," Vincent spits. "She thought she was gonna have that channel to the ancestors and now that belongs to a girl who she sees as an enemy to the witches."

"I have done nothing to her! And so far she's kidnapped my girlfriend and her mother, so where does she get off calling me an enemy?" Hope gently peels River off of her. Kissing her forehead, she murmurs, "Stay here, okay? I'm going to fix this." She heads for the exit.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Marcel barks, stepping to block her path.

"I'm going to save River's mother."

"The hell you are!"

"Listen, Hope," Vincent says. "You may be powerful, more powerful than any witch that's walked through this Quarter, but Theo's got numbers. Even if you manage to stop her, you'll never stop everyone behind her."

"You don't get to have it both ways!" Hope snaps. "You can't ask me to be in charge of this city one minute and not let me defend it the next." The two men fall silent. "This is what you're asking for, isn't it? Someone to stand up and say enough? To put an end to the war that's been raging on and off for decades? But now you're telling me not to go out there and protect someone innocent? I can't do both. I can't hide away in the shadows where it's safe and be a good leader at the same time."

There's a pregnant silence. Then, quietly, Rose says, "She's right." She shrugs. "She's right. We asked her to be a queen. Let her be one." Rose walks up to Hope, looks her straight in the eye. "If you do this, there's no turning back. If you go out there and announce to the city of New Orleans that you're in charge, you can't undo it. It'll be done. So you have to decide right now: are you willing to step up for all of us? Because if you can't, if it's too much, I understand. It's the hardest thing you'll ever have to do. But if you do it…" She raises her chin, straightens her back. "I will follow you."

All Hope can do is stare, dumbfounded. Before she can find the words, Marcel and Vincent come to stand behind Rose, a gesture of silent solidarity. Hope's eyes dance between all three of them, and then, slowly, she turns toward the cavern entrance.

*Just outside the compound, which is sealed shut with a boundary spell, Theo leans against the brick wall, eyes on her watch. "Her five minutes are up," she announces to no one in particular. She pushes herself off of the wall and stalks over to Rachel, who's crumpled next to a pillar. She grabs the woman by the arm and jerks her to her feet. "Let's go."

Theo storms the entrance, her small battalion of witches hot on her heels. They spill into the foyer to the darkened courtyard, where Theo tosses Rachel to the floor. "Your time is up, Hope Mikaelson!" she shouts as a hush falls over the crowd. At once, the Mikaelson vampires and the hybrid mother move in a blur toward them, but they quickly find themselves crippled over in pain, clutching their temples as multiple witches hit each of them with aneurysms. "I'm going to gut this bitch and then start pulling your family apart, limb by limb."

She extends a hand toward Rachel, who immediately begins to cough up blood. She clutches at her chest, nails clawing as she tries to prevent her heart from flying out of her body. Theo smirks at the terror in her eyes.

The deed is nearly done when every single light in the Mikaelson compound bursts to life. The light is blinding, crackling and electric, and everyone, witches and vampires and werewolves alike, cover their eyes, which had grown accustomed to the darkness.

When Theo finally regains her senses, she looks up, and the breath whooshes from her body. On the first floor landing, near the top of the stairs, stands Hope Mikaelson, arms outstretched. Her entire body is pulling long, her shoulders back as the energy rippling off of her ricochets throughout the compound. Her face is like stone as she surveys the scene below her. Eyes falling on Rachel, hands still pressed to her chest, Hope manages not to betray an ounce of emotion.

Slowly, Hope makes her way down the stairs, every light in the buildings still flickering brightly. The party guests stare at her in awe, parting silently as she cut through the crowd. Her heels clack like gunshots on the stone until she stops mere feet from Theo, who regards her cautiously.

"Let her go."

It's not a shout, nor a whisper. There isn't a moment's hesitation in Hope's voice, not a quiver to be heard. The command is simple, and when Theo doesn't move, she repeats it. "I said, let her go."

Theo's eyes narrow and she sets her jaw. "I thought you weren't coming."

"You thought wrong." Hope snaps her fingers, and the spells bombarding her family members cease. With a snarl, Klaus immediately moves to take Theo down, but Elijah grabs him by the arm and shakes his head, eyes trained on his niece.

"You never should have come back here," Theo hisses. "The witches have been preparing for our triumphant return to power for five years, and your infestation of a family has ruined everything. But I don't care about them. You…you're the bitch who stole what was mine. I was supposed to be the Advocate."

"But you're not," Hope snaps. "I am." Gasps ring out from the crowd, and even Klaus stops fighting his brother's hold to stare. "And now, I don't just speak for the ancestors." She takes a step forward. "I speak for all of New Orleans."

The sands of Baja California are warm, and they curve to the shape of Hope's toes. Her tiny hands keep pushing her long, red hair out of her face, but the gentle breeze blowing in off the ocean just whips them back again. She splashes out of the water, trudging up the dunes to her mother, who's sitting beneath a gargantuan red umbrella up in the softer sands. Hope plops down beside her with a sigh. "All the fish swim away."

Hayley looks down at her seven-year-old. "That's because you're bigger than they are, and they're scared of you."

"That's silly. I'm not scary at all."

Hayley hums, and her eyes fall back to the papers in her hands. It's a small stack, with the manila envelope they came in at the back. Hope peers her head around to read what's written on the front: For H. Marshall.

She scrunches her nose. "Hey Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"How come your last name is Marshall but my last name is Mikaelson? We're related, right?"

Hayley slowly lowers the papers until they're resting her lap. Hope takes a sly peek, but most of the words are too complicated for her to understand. Hayley takes a deep breath. "Do you remember what I told you about your daddy?"

Hope nods. "He had to go away, but he loves me very much, and wishes that he could be with me all the time."

"Right. Well, Mikaelson is your dad's last name, so it's yours, too."

"Oh." Hope tugs on a pull in her Disney beach towel. "Katie's parents have the same last name."

Confused, Hayley asks, "Who's Katie?"

"That girl we met in Sas-Saska—"

"Saskatchewan?"

"Yeah, that one. The one with the big dog. Her parents are Mr. Jenkins and Mrs. Jenkins. Same name. "

"Right." Hayley sets her papers to the side, crosses her legs, and tugs her daughter into her lap. She hugs her around the middle, despite Hope's soaking wet purple bathing suit, and says, "Katie's parents have the same last name because they're married."

"So you and my dad aren't married?"

Hayley bites back a laugh. "Um, no. Your dad…your dad is very important to me, but…I don't love him like that."

"Okay…" Hope tucks her hair behind her ears. "But why do I have his name? I live with you."

"That's true. Do you know what it means to be adopted?"

Hope rolls her eyes. "I'm seven, not stupid."

With a laugh, Hayley says, "Okay, okay. Well, my parents, my real parents, died when I was very little, just a baby."

"That's sad."

"I didn't know them, so it's kind of hard to be sad about people you don't know."

"Well, I'm still sad for them."

Hayley kisses her daughter's cheek. "That's because you have the biggest heart of any person I have ever met."

"Alright, alright, get back to the story."

"Right. So, my parents died, and I was adopted by a family. The Marshalls."

"Hey, that's your name!"

"Hey! Look at that!" Hope rolls her eyes again, and Hayley continues. "I was a part of their family until I was thirteen, when I…moved out."

Hope's eyes nearly pop out of her head. "Thirteen? That's only…" She counts on her fingers. "Six years older than me!"

"I know! But that's a story for a different day. What I'm trying to say is…the name Marshall doesn't mean very much to me. My adopted parents weren't very good parents, and I don't have a lot of attachment to being a Marshall. So we decided to give you your daddy's last name because…it means something, to be a Mikaelson."

"Oh." Hope wriggles her toes in the sand for a few minutes, contemplating silently. Then she asks, "Well…what does it mean?"

Hayley sighs. "Well…Mikaelsons are…loyal. Sometimes too much, sometimes not enough, but more than anything, they are loyal to other Mikaelsons. They take care of each other. They love each other, and hate each other, but at the end of the day, Mikaelsons protect Mikaelsons. They have big hearts, just like you, and even though they don't always do the right thing, they always try their best. To be a Mikaelson is to be powerful, and strong, and, despite how it might seem from the outside, very, very human."

Hope gives a small, put-upon sigh. "I don't know if I can do all that."

Hayley smiles softly. "I think you're doing just fine. Do you know what your dad and his siblings used to say to each other all the time?" Hope shakes her head. "Always and forever."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that they promised to love and protect and be there for one another until the end of time. It's a promise that I made, too, when I had you, when I became a part of the Mikaelson family. That's why we move around so much. I'm keeping that promise to them."

"Always and forever," Hope says with a quiet reverence. "That's a lot."

"It is," Hayley agrees with a nod. "But you know what?"

"What?"

"You're a Mikaelson. That promise is already inside you. So I wouldn't worry too much about it. I think it'll make sense when the time is right."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Hope stands up. "I'm gonna go try to make some fish friends again."

She starts to dash away, but Hayley quickly grabs her by the arm and tugs her back. "Uh-uh, not without some more sunscreen. You know what else it means to be a Mikaelson? Norwegian skin. I swear, you burn like toast every time you look out a window." She grabs the Coppertone from her beach bag, and Hope rolls her eyes again.

Once the murmurs quiet, Theo sneers, "Do you really think that the people of this city will follow some teenage girl who hasn't even been here since she was two years old? Especially if she's a Mikaelson? There will chaos in the streets."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe my family's legacy in this city will be too much to overcome. I don't know. But I can tell you what I do know: I am a Crescent, a child of the wolves of New Orleans. Once upon a time, my mother was their queen. And the Crescents have been silenced for so long I don't think they'll care very much how old I am if I'm the one who gives them a voice.

"I'm also the first child of a vampire in history. That vampire came to New Orleans when it was a port town that no one had ever heard of, and thanks to him and his family, it is now one of the most supernatural cities in the world. The presence of the vampires here is all thanks to that Mikaelson name you think will cause me so much trouble.

"And like you said," Hope continues, her red lips curled into a smile. "I am the Advocate for the ancestors of the witches of New Orleans. I alone can hear them. And I hear them—their plans, their fears, their advice, their anger. All of it flows through me. You plotted and you planned for five years and at the end of it all I'm the one with the ears of the ancestors. That makes me pretty crucial to the continued survival of the witches of this city."

"You think all of that means anything?" Theo spits. "It means nothing. There aren't any wolves left to matter, and if you think the vampires will abandon Marcel, you're out of your mind."

The crowd starts to murmur again, and this time when they part, it's Marcel, Vincent, and Rose who approach, all three in a line, to stand behind Hope. Hope stretches her arms out to the side. "The supernatural communities will follow their leaders, and their leaders have chosen to follow me." Her arms drop. "But that's what upsets you, isn't it? It's not about the witches. It hasn't been for a long time. Oh, I'm sure that your crusade to restore the connection to the ancestors started with the best of intentions, but somewhere along the way it stopped being about your community and started being about you, your power and how you could get it.

"Look around you, Theo!" Hope gestures to Rachel. "You almost killed an innocent woman, and everyone gathered here, because your plan worked, but it left you without a claim to power. Is that the kind of leader the covens really want?" The army of witches behind Theo, spilling into the street, look at each other nervously. "End this. If you walk away now—"

Theo straightens her back. "What? If I walk away now, you won't kill me?"

Hope clenches her fists at her sides, and the ground beneath them trembles violently, shaking the entire compound. "If you walk away now, we won't have to find out."

Theo and Hope stare each other for a long time, each unblinking in her conviction. Then, in a flash, Theo bends down and yanks Rachel to her feet, holding her up like a shield. Marcel tenses to move, but Hope holds a hand up to stop him. Theo breathes, "This isn't over," and shoves Rachel at Hope, who barely catches her. When she's managed to get her girlfriend's mother upright, she looks and sees that Theo has disappeared, her followers fleeing into the darkness.

Everyone starts moving. Hayley shoves people out of the way to get to Hope, Rachel is reaching for her daughter, who is rapidly pushing her way through the crowd, and Marcel makes for the exit, Klaus and Elijah hot on his heels. "Leave her!" Hope calls, moments before being crushed against her mother's chest. She manages to twist herself around to tell them, "Let her go. There's nothing we can do tonight."

Klaus opens his mouth to argue, but a hand rests on his shoulder. He turns to see Marcel beside him. "Listen to her," Marcel says. "Might as well get used to it now."

Rachel Monroe sits on her borrowed bed, her shoes abandoned a few feet away. She rubs at her wrists, still sore from where Theo had bound them together. She looks up when her daughter enters the room, glass of water in hand. "Thank you, baby."

River hands her mother the glass and sits beside her, the skirts of her dress swirling around her legs. "How do you feel?"

"I feel like kicking that witch bitch's ass, not that I'd ever find her in a city this big."

River smiles. "No, probably not."

After sipping some water, Rachel says, "We gotta get you outta this city, baby girl. It's way too dangerous for you, and all these vampires around here, you know I don't trust them."

"I trust them, momma. They're Hope's family."

"They're not our family."

River takes a deep breath. "No, they're not. But they've taken me in as if I were a part of their family, and that's not nothing. Besides, I can't leave forever. What about Tulane?"

Rachel grabs one of her daughter's hands and squeezes. "I wanna give you the world, River, you know that. But Tulane…we can barely afford to send to you to Florida State, and your daddy works there. Tulane's a private school, and with budget cuts at the county…"

"Yeah." River chews at her lip. "Yeah, you're right. I know that."

A throat is cleared, and both women turn to see Elijah standing in the doorway, still perfectly creased in his tuxedo. "Forgive me," he says. "I don't wish to intrude. I couldn't help but hear that our dear River is having some difficulty choosing the best path forward with regards to her education."

"Oh don't worry about it," River says quickly with a shake of her head. "I'll just—"

"I would like to offer you a full scholarship to any academic institution of your choice."

The Monroes are silent, staring at Elijah as if he has three heads. Eventually, River breathes, "What?"

Elijah smiles gently. "I have always been somewhat of a benefactor in the world of the arts and higher learning. I would consider it a great investment in the future of our nation if I were able to fund your time at university."

Rachel stands up, eyes narrowed. "I don't need vampire money to take care of my daughter."

"Mom!"

Elijah raises a hand to calm the mother. "Your daughter is important to my niece. Therefore, she is important to this family. And my family may be notorious for some…less than noble patterns of behavior, but we are also well-known for our devotion to taking care of our own." He steps into the room. "Allow us to do this as a gift for your daughter, as well as an apology for everything you have had to endure tonight."

Rachel looks down at River, who's looking back with pleading eyes. Finally, she says, "Alright, but you're comin' back to visit us often, you hear? I'm not gonna have you forgettin' 'bout us while you're lost in some big city."

River flies off the bed to hug her mother. "Thank you thank you thank you!" Then she turns, and, much to his surprise, gives Elijah a hug, too. "And thank you."

Elijah pats her back. "Remember, you are more than a wolf, and more than my daughter's girlfriend. Your dreams are just as important to this family as they are to you."

Marcel is just about to step into the lobby of his building when suddenly he's flying through the air, tumbling to a stop halfway down the alley to the east. He picks himself up with a groan. "This was a nice suit." Then he's pinned up against the side of the building, toes barely scraping the ground. "Is something the matter?"

Klaus's breath is hot on his face. "You did this."

"Look, Klaus—"

Klaus yanks him off the wall just to shove him back into it. "She is my child, Marcellus, and this grand plan of her becoming queen to the misfits of New Orleans absolutely reeks of your influence."

Marcel raises his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright." He pushes Klaus off of him, though the Original doesn't go far. Brushing off his jacket, Marcel explains, "You're right. I did propose this idea to Hope, along with Vincent and Rose Capitoline, the Crescent alpha. But we honestly believe that she is our best shot at fixing what's been broken in New Orleans for generations."

"This will get her killed!"

"It won't," Marcel insists. "We'll protect, guide her through this. But she's stronger than you think, Klaus. Don't forget, she's the one who got your ass out of that wall I was keeping you in."

"And what of Theo LeRoy?" Klaus challenges. "This woman poses a dangerous threat to my daughter, and she is nowhere to be found."

"Actually, if you had let me get back to my place, I was just about to call you. Some of my guys picked Theo up 'bout twenty minutes ago. They've got her locked down tight."

Klaus's eyes narrow, begrudgingly impressed. Still, he sticks a finger right in Marcel's face. "You will protect her, because this is your doing, and if any harm should come to her because of this arrangement, I will not rest until I have found a way to kill you."

Marcel nods in understanding. As Klaus start to stalk away, Marcel calls after him, "Klaus." The Original turns. "You know I was real proud of her tonight. She reminded me of all the things I once loved about being a part of the Mikaelson family."

Klaus stares at him for a long, long time, and then disappears into the night.

**She's standing on her balcony, shoes off, hair falling in loose waves around her shoulders. The air is still warm—early summer in Louisiana—but the dark of the night has taken the edge off. She taps a rhythm onto the railing, actively thinking about nothing, until she feels a presence beside her. "So, all in all, not the worst birthday party I've ever had."

Hayley lets out a low laugh. "No. No, that would be your sixth birthday. I should have realized that we both have a deep-seated fear of clowns." The mother and daughter stand side by side, the skirts of their dresses brushing against each other. "So…the Advocate."

Hope scrunches her nose. "I wanted to tell you."

"We don't keep secrets, Hope. And it seems like lately, all we have are secrets."

"I know." Hope looks anywhere but at her mother. "Things are changing really fast, and it's hard to know what the right thing to do is anymore."

"Well…I wouldn't say I'm particularly good at figuring out what the right thing to do is, but you know that you can always come to me, don't you? I don't want you to ever feel like you have to hide things from me."

"And I don't! I just…I don't know. I don't want to mess this up."

"You mean being the queen of New Orleans?" Hope nods. "Do you even know what that means?"

Hope eyes her mother sideways. "Honestly? I don't have a clue."

With a chuckle, Hayley wraps her arm around her daughter's shoulder. "That's okay. I wasn't much older than you when I was told that I was queen to a bunch of wolves I'd never even met."

Hope looks at her curiously. "Don't you think this is a terrible idea?"

Shrugging, Hayley answers, "You are wise and confident and powerful, and I think this city is lucky to have you. Am I scared for you? I'm your mother. Basically any time you're not in my direct line of sight I'm in a blind panic." Hope laughs. "But I trust you. And I know that this family will be here to make sure that you are safe and cared for."

"Yeah." She takes a deep breath. "This is a lot to think about." She rests her head onto her mother's shoulder. "Can we talk about it tomorrow?"

Hayley kisses the top of her head. "Sure thing, sweetie." Hayley pulls her daughter closer to her, wrapping both of her arms around the birthday girl, and the two look up at the moon, bright in its near-fullness, as it continues its arc through the black sky.

This two-parter is the end of season one of People and Rhythm, but I am already well underway in the process of planning and writing season two. I've learned a lot over the past few months as I wrote the first season. This has been my biggest writing project to date, and I'm going to take the multitude of lessons I've learned to make season two even better than season one.

In the meantime, I am not disappearing! I will be posting regularly on my Tumblr blog peopleandrhythm some deleted scenes, short pieces from the world of People and Rhythm that take place before, during, or after season one (but before season two). I'll probably also be posting some extra material, like wardrobe choices, headcanons, etc., things that aren't necessarily going to fit into the telling of this story.

I also have a question for you all. I have compiled the entirety of season one into a PDF. There's a nice cover page, a table of contents, some bonus material, and, of course, the season itself. My question is this: If I were to make this PDF available for sale, would you be interested in buying it? I would make it available for $1, with the option to pay more if you were so inclined (friendly reminder that I am a recent college graduate on the verge of applying to graduate school). I know that I love reading fics in a PDF format, but if you all aren't interested in having the PDF, that's okay. If you have opinions on the subject, please message me on here or on Tumblr.

With all that said, the first episode of season two should be posted in early to mid-October, so keep an eye out for it! If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to send me an ask or a message. I'd love to hear from you!

Thank you for reading,
M.