I do not own TVD or TO.

There is one more planned chapter but it might turn into two. We'll see...

Issah - I'm glad you enjoyed the Landon and Elena scene. It was one of my favorite ones to write.

"You've got a lot of nerve," Klaus dropped a still warm heart on the corpse, "showing up now."

Kol stepped over a rapidly cooling body, cocking his head to the side. There was a heart hammering to his left behind the wall at the back of a fireplace.

"I thought I'd get a better reception than Elijah," he jammed his hands in his pockets. "You could have saved me the trip by answering your phone."

"Funny you should mention answering a phone," Klaus's eyes narrowed. "You couldn't be bothered with it." He flashed to the fireplace, pushing a hidden panel that opened the door. "Where the bloody hell were you…?"

Kol pulled the young man from his brother's grasp before he could end the human's life. His pupil's dilated when he caught the man's gaze.

"Leave now and forget everything you've seen or heard tonight." He watched the man run off and sighed. "Now to answer your question," he turned back to Klaus. "I was right there, standing on the other side of the spell."

"I think you'll find my memory is not that short," Klaus glared at him.

"No, it's not," Kol agreed, "but it has been magically altered. There is a very talented witch traveling with Elijah and Elena. She has removed and disposed of two pieces of the Hollow," he checked his watch. "As we speak she is extracting a third piece from Rebekah."

"You're lying."

"Why would I lie about that?" Kol smirked. He couldn't help it. Klaus's default setting was crippling paranoia, but his was arrogance. "Lexa, that's the witch, took the piece from me and locked it away. The place she put it meant that everyone forgot that chunk of the Hollow's soul ever existed. Now, if you're going to persist in doubting me that's fine, but I can prove myself. All you have to do is come back to the states with me. She'll fix you up during the next full moon and you can spend Christmas with Hope."

Hope tiptoed down the hall, tactfully avoiding the carpet that always laid in wait for students sneaking around in the middle of the night. She was pretty sure the teachers bunched up the rug at strategic corners after lights out because they were always smooth come morning. Everyone who tried to wander the school past curfew was always caught when they tripped and bumped into a wall or end table.

Hope had never been caught. Her eyesight was phenomenal and she suspected it was something she had gotten from her dad: a trait passed to her by her vampire genes. She could see every raised bump in the hall.

She hadn't quite memorized the squeaky floorboards yet. She knew the quiet path to the kitchens, the art room and the library, but her mission that night sent her in an entirely different direction, so she tiptoed.

Her heart hammered in her chest with each careful step into the boy's dormitory. She had been there during the day so she knew the door she sought, but this part of the school was in need of a few repairs.

Her left foot came down when she was in arms reach of the door. She cringed. Her toes made the worn floorboards squeak.

She stole glances over her left and right shoulders, expecting someone to come rushing out at any moment and scold her before sending her back to bed, but nobody came.

The only response to the squeak was a low howl coming up from the basement.

She hurried the rest of the way and rapped on the door as quietly as she could, but the sound seemed to echo in the empty hall.

A minute passed, two, three; the hair on the back of her neck was on end. She glanced over her shoulder again when she gave a second knock and stumbled forward through the open door. Her knuckles grazed something soft, and she had to bite her lip to keep from shrieking in surprise.

She stumbled into the room and shut the door, remembering at the last minute to be gentle so it wouldn't slam.

Her bag slipped to the floor with a soft thump.

"Hope?"

She turned to see Landon rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Wha…" he trailed off in a yawn and looked over his shoulder, peering blearily at glowing red letters of the alarm clock. "…s… two…"

"I know," she offered a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry, but I need your help." She flipped open the top of her bag.

Landon blinked at the contents, not quite comprehending what he was seeing until she started pulling out things that he had seen in the Chemistry of Magic classroom.

"You want to do a spell?" He slowly came awake. "Isn't that against the rules?"

"Only if I get caught," she smirked, tilting her head to the right. She spotted her reflection in the mirror behind him and her breath caught because her expression was so familiar and it tugged at her heartstrings.

"How am I supposed to help?" His eyes narrowed.

Hope took his question as his agreement and started setting up. She rolled up the area rug and tossed it on Raf's bed – at least she assumed it was Raf's bed because it was still made. Once that was done she knelt on the floor and placed a metal bowl in front of her.

"I need you to make sure the candle stays lit," she sprinkled herbs from a plastic bag into the bowl.

"That's it?" He frowned, dropping to sit across from her. He watched her place a candle and pull a glass bottle from her bag.

"For the first spell," Hope nodded. She poured iron powder over the herbs.

Landon watched her prep the spell for a few more minutes, marveling over how much his life had changed during the last few months. Never in his wildest dreams would he have pictured himself sitting with an actual witch in the middle of the night while she did some sort of spell that was clearly against the rules.

"Hope," he ventured after a few moments of quiet, "what exactly are you doing?"

She hesitated before glancing up. He saw something he hadn't seen before in her eyes. There was an intense vulnerability in her gaze coupled with fierce determination.

"I'm scared if I tell you…" she chewed her bottom lip, "… you won't help me."

"I'm your friend, Hope," he smiled encouragingly, "I'd help you commit arson if that's what you wanted to do."

A small laugh bubbled up in her throat.

"That's not it though, right?" He laughed with her. "I'll do it, but I happen to like the school and you and Raf, plus it might upset Elena."

"It's not arson," she pushed her hair behind her ears, "I promise. I just… I think my mom is hiding something from me."

Landon tilted his head.

"I overheard something the other day in Caroline's office," she ran her fingers over her crossed legs. "I wanted to 'borrow' her phone and call my dad, but then a witch came in and they were talking about Elena and my uncle, and trying to find my dad and she took my painting."

"She stole your painting?" A line appeared between his brows.

"I'm hoping she borrowed it," her bottom lip trembled. "She wanted something to help find him, and the painting was the closest thing next to using me."

"Why didn't she just use you?"

"Because they're doing something," she swallowed and clarified: "the witch and my uncle, and Elena. They're doing something and as soon as someone knows about it – even the smallest detail – they can't contact him, they can't contact my dad. The witch…"

"Curly blonde hair and green eyes?" Landon met her gaze when she nodded. "That was Lexa. I met her when I met Elena and her brother. I think I might have meant your uncle too."

Hope reached into her bag and pulled out a notebook. Inside the front cover was a photograph that she really needed to get a frame for, but she liked having it nearby. She flipped it around so Landon could see it.

There were seven people poised in front of a tree. Blue glass bottles hung behind them from the branches. She saw his eyes land on her first and then lift to the row of people behind her; there was recognition when he passed over her aunt.

"I know him," he pointed, careful not to touch the glossy paper.

"That's my uncle Elijah," Hope nodded. She then pointed to the woman standing behind her in the photo. "That's my mom, and that's my dad." She pointed out the rest of her family quickly.

"Lexa," she tasted the name on her tongue, deciding she liked the sound, "said my mom had something to do with my dad having to leave, but she didn't know everything and when I called my mom she said she wanted me to meet her outside of the school and she'd tell me everything."

"So why didn't you go?" He tilted his head.

"Because of what Caroline said…" Hope trailed off. She had forgotten about the rules of the school and been addressing Caroline as her dad had that one time she had met her. "And what Lexa said to. She got Caroline to spell the school so my mom couldn't enter because uncle Elijah was scared she'd try and take me away."

"I want to know what she's hiding from me, so can you please watch the candle?" She smiled hopefully.

He nodded and watched her extend her hands over the bowl. She started to chant in a language he didn't know and the candle lit. He heard her inhale sharply and he knew she wasn't in her mind anymore.

Hayley paced over the leaves that crunched beneath her boots. She had learned from Vincent and later Davina that the time between spells was a month as the extraction could only be done on the full moon. For the life of her she couldn't remember why Davina had called or how she had even known about it and a second call to the young witch had only managed to muddle matters further. All she knew was that Kol had left her and Davina was not happy about it. She had gone back to her vampire hating ways – with the exception of Hayley – and had flown to meet her in Virginia.

She cast the brunette a glance but maintained her furious pace that threatened to break through the earth and into the network of tunnels that ran the length of the town.

"Anything?" She bit out the word. It took every ounce of strength not to pounce on her ally. Davina was the only one she had left. Freya had made it clear she would not help, and Vincent claimed he had a sense of self-preservation that would not allow him to aid her.

She rubbed her forearm and waited. It was a moment before Davina looked up and nodded towards the iron gate.

Hayley flashed over and gripped the bars, fingers curling around the metal. She didn't get a chance to try and push open the gate. A great burning sensation moved through her, blistering her palms.

She jumped back and turned to glare at Davina as her hands healed.

"I thought you had it," she gritted her teeth.

"I was wrong," she sat back on her knees. "The spells keeping you out are strong, and I don't exactly have a coven to draw on up here, and most of my energy is spent maintaining the other spell you wanted from me."

There was a rustle of wind that stirred her dark hair. Davina tugged the locks into a messy ponytail and frowned at the space behind Hayley. There was something off about it, but she shook off the feeling; magic clung to the air around the school so it wasn't out of the question for it to have wandered outside of the gates.

"How is the other spell?" Hayley sighed, leaning over the map.

"Still in effect," she started packing up her other ingredients. "The hollow is cloaked and anyone who knows what Elijah is doing and goes looking for someone holding a piece can't find them."

"Good," Hayley nodded. She glanced back at the gate but it didn't hold her attention long.

"Yes and no," she sighed. "My spell shifted. There's only one piece of it left."

Hayley's heart leapt into her throat.

"Who?"

"Rebekah," she folded the map. "According to Kol," her lip trembled for a moment before steadying, "she was residing in New York, and she just came back on the map."

"What happened with you and Kol, anyway?" Hayley frowned. She knew she wasn't going to get into the school that night so she could focus on Davina.

Her companion chewed her cheek and got to her feet, starting towards the car.

"He found out that you were responsible for what went down with the Hollow," she clenched her teeth, eyes hardening, "that you deliberately separated the Mikaelsons when there was another way. It seems that when push comes to shove he'll always choose family."

"But…" Hayley opened the driver's side door but braced her arms on the roof rather than climb inside, "… how did he find out? And why would he care? He didn't care enough to show up when we did the spell."

"I don't know," Davina huffed. "The point is that he found out I knew about it – somehow – and that caused a fight. It's a bit of a blur – arguing about you, and my part in it, and how I feel about vampires – but all I know is that by the end of it we had broken up, and he had taken off. I'm assuming to join in reuniting his family." She shook her head and dropped into the car. "I give it three months before he's got a dagger in his back."

"But how many months before they take the Hollow from Klaus?" Hayley started the car.

"They have to find him first," Davina reassured her. "We've still got time to get Hope out and for me to put a cloaking spell on you."

"Hey," his voice was too loud for the early hours of the morning, "hey," he repeated shaking her shoulder.

Landon gave Hope one last shake before admitting defeat. No amount of shaking or talking was going to pull her mind back to her shaking body. He didn't know anything about magic. He didn't know how to pull her back.

All Landon knew was that tears were streaming down her cheeks, and he couldn't help her if she couldn't hear him. His eyes landed on the candle, flickering in the middle of his floor.

He swallowed and prayed to anyone that might be listening before leaning down and blowing out the flame.

For one long moment nothing happened and he held his breath.

He was just getting ready to jump up and race for one of the older students or any teacher when she slammed back into her body with a gasp.

"Hope," he took her shaking shoulders, "are you okay?"

She shook her head and tried to reign in her tears but it was no use. Her body shook with violent sobs. She let Landon pull her into a hug and stared at the discarded family photo, her eyes drawn to the woman she wasn't sure she knew anymore.

Her tears subsided after a few minutes. She reminded herself that she was a Mikaelson and that Mikaelsons did not cry.

"I have to do one more spell," her voice wavered over the words.

"You look exhausted," he tried to reason with her. "Could it wait until tomorrow night?"

"She could get into the school by then," Hope shook her head. "She could take me away." She took a shaking breath before telling him what she'd heard outside the school gate. "I've gotta find my dad," she whispered when she was done.

"Okay," straightened the candle she had knocked over, "what do you have to do?"

"Steal some supplies from the chemistry lab."

Five minutes later the two of them were sneaking through the corridors and slipping into the classroom. Ten minutes later they were back in Hope's room. Landon took a minute to look over the half-finished drawing on her nightstand while Hope readied her second spell.

He knelt on the rug when she said she was ready and frowned at the page she had opened to in her book.

"That looks complicated," he traced a spiral with his finger.

"It's an astral projection spell," she took a knife from her bag and saw Landon pale. "I have to add a few drops of my blood to the herbs to help me focus."

"Where do I come in?" He swallowed when she pricked the tip of her finger.

"I don't know where my dad is, and I can't use a locator spell to find him so I'm gonna be wandering the astral plain searching for my family. I need you to ground my body." She held out her hands and took a deep breath when his palms met hers.

Closing her eyes she began to chant.

"Demitte moi, demitte moi…"

It never ceased to amaze her, no matter how many times she made the trip, it was always the same. Day or night, the other side was always bathed in blue. She was looking at the world through a camera lens.

The colour was meant to be relaxing, but there was something about this place that put a person in mind of the unknown depths of the ocean rather than the gentle lapping waves. There was danger around every corner, loneliness in every step.

She knew the other side would never collapse and even if – on the off chance – it did everyone and everything inside would be sucked into Hell or find peace. Either way, the Hollow would never break back into the land of the living.

She kept her head down on the path to the Hudson. She would have liked the ocean but that was a little too far to walk on foot and prolonged exposure to the other side was never a good idea. She had made sporadic visits over the last few years to finish learning everything she needed to know about Triad and the lost supernatural species, but everyone had been cut short. The longest she could stay was an hour before it began to take a toll on her body, seventy-five minutes and her mind began to follow, but the other side was the only place to learn it all; the golem's power did not extend to the dead.

On the pier she stared out at the choppy water for a moment that might have lasted seconds or precious minutes before shaking herself from the melancholy and ripping her eyes from the spot where the box was sinking beneath the waves.

The other side was the most dangerous location to leave a piece of it. She had no way of knowing how many doppelgangers might be lingering in the wings; it was unlikely any of them would ever think to release one of the world's greatest evils, but a witch might get the thought in their head and if they spun it right they might even get some willing blood, so she needed to be careful. That was why a walk that should have taken five minutes had lasted nearly thirty as she kept to the slow shuffle dead supernaturals seemed to favor so that nobody would rightly assume she was a member of the living.

"What's taking her so long?" Rebekah frowned at the witch on her living room floor.

Elena watched her friend's face. A muscle ticked in Lexa's cheek making her heart skip a beat. A glance at her watch had the blood draining from Elena's face; the blonde had been on the other side for nearly an hour.

"It's the only place where another doppelganger might be found," she met Rebekah's eyes, "she's probably just making sure nobody sees her." Elena was uncertain who she was attempting to reassure.

"What happens if she's there too long?" Marcel gripped the back of the couch.

"Physical and mental deterioration," Elijah hung up his phone. There had been no luck contacting Kol which led him to believe his youngest brother had found Niklaus.

"That would be bad," Rebekah's eyes narrowed, "since she still has to take the Hollow from Nik."

"She also happens to be a lovely person," Elena rolled her eyes. "How many other people would help Originals for nothing?"

Rebekah's eyes widened, turning on the young witch. She had assumed Elijah – or rather Elena on his behalf – had brokered some sort of deal with the woman that would hardly make a dent in the family holdings, or that involved some bloodletting on the doppelganger's part.

"She's not getting anything out of this?" She pointed a finger at Lexa, not quite accusing.

"Outside of life experience?" Elijah smirked.

"She hasn't asked for anything," Elena glanced at her watch. Five more minutes until they reached the one hour mark and she caved and called Bonnie to try and drag her newest friend back to her body.

Hope opened her eyes to the morning sun streaming through her bedroom window, and a friend nearly nodding off. He jerked up when she squeezed his hands.

"Sorry," his response came quick. He shook the beginning strains of sleep from his mind and focused on Hope. "Did you find him?"

She shook her head.

"I found Uncle Elijah and Aunt Rebekah," she swallowed, "and I found Aunt Freya, but I couldn't find my dad or Uncle Kol."

"Kol was the one you said had this… Hollow?" He blinked. His mind felt fuzzy from his sleepless night. "The one your mom said didn't show up for the spell?"

Hope nodded. From what she had overheard of her mom and Davina's conversation it had sounded like neither one of them remembered Kol coming forward for the spell that took the Hollow from her, but she knew he had been there; she had caught a glimpse of him before he ran off while she was still sleeping, and her mom had told her he was there. She had said they were all there.

"Maybe he's still got a piece… like your dad," Landon covered his mouth to hide his yawn. "Maybe that's why you couldn't find him."

"Maybe," she murmured.

Elena dropped to her knees when Lexa gasped, jerking upright from her slouched over position. She breathed a sigh of relief when the blonde nodded to indicate she was alright.

"You're not going back to the other side again, right?" Elena caught a glimpse of her watch; she had returned with a minute to spare. "That was a little too close for comfort."

"Can't go losing your prized witch," Lexa smirked.

"You're far too valuable to be lost," Elijah joked, offering her a hand. "You're the first person in centuries to keep Kol's ego in check."

"What did she do to Kol?" Rebekah frowned. "When did she even meet Kol?"

Elena and Elijah exchanged a look, remembering that they were the only ones who knew of the fourth piece of the Hollow.

"I knew we forgot to tell her something," Elijah steadied Lexa.

Hope jumped when an elbow nudged her arm. Her head had nearly landed in her scrambled eggs before she'd been snapped out of her daze.

"I know why I'm so tired," Rafael smiled, eyes darting from Hope to Landon whose nose was precariously close to his pancakes, "why are you?"

"It's a long story," Hope sighed. Her eyes caught sight of blonde curls at the entrance to the dining hall. She jumped to her feet and mumbled an excuse before running down the aisle between the tables.

Caroline spun on her heel and fixed Hope with her stern look.

"There are rules against running inside, you know?" Her headmistress mask dropped instantly when she saw the look in the child's eyes. "What's wrong?"

Hope fidgeted. Her eyes dropped from Caroline's concerned face to the floor; she stared at the hardwood while working out what to say, unknowingly reminding Caroline of her dad. Her small mouth puckered in thought as her blue eyes clouded over.

The expression tugged at her heartstrings, more potent on a child's face.

"Hope," she knelt so she was on the girl's level and took her elbows, "has something happened?"

"I…" she peeked up through her lashes, "… I saw my m… my mom last night. She was… was outside the gates."

Caroline decided to bypass the question of how Hope knew that, already figuring she'd find the remains of a spell in the youngest Mikaelson's bedroom.

"She probably got here late and forgot the gates…"

"She sent my dad away," Hope interrupted. Her eyes met Caroline's in an intense stare.

She was surprised when they didn't glow gold.

"I tried all night to find him, and I couldn't."

"Hope…" Caroline tilted her head. "How did… how did you find out about any of this?"

"I snuck in your office," she admitted, "and hid under the desk."

"Was this when I had a visitor?" Caroline sighed when she nodded. "You weren't supposed to hear that. They've been trying to keep you out of it so you could talk to him."

"Now I can't," Hope blinked. Traitorous tears prickled behind her eyes and her sleepless night was not helping her to control them.

Caroline took a deep breath and nodded.

"Hope," she waited until she met her eyes. "I want you to go back to bed and sleep; I'm going to call your uncle and tell him what's happened."

"What about…?" Hope clamped her mouth shut before she could reveal her middle of the night companion.

"Somebody helped you?" Caroline cocked an eyebrow. She supposed it made sense; whatever spell Hope had used would have required an anchor, and the girl only had two real friends at the school. "Go back to bed. I'll send Landon to get some sleep too. You're both excused from classes today."

"How did you know?"

"Because Rafael was in the wolf cells all night," she sighed. "Go on now," she stood, steering Hope towards the stairs, "back to bed."

Hope made it to the bottom step before turning back around.

"Caroline," her voice was small, exhaustion keeping her from calling her headmistress Miss Forbes.

"Yes, sweetie," she paused at the entrance to the dining hall.

"Are we in trouble?"

Caroline's eyes darted from Hope to Landon – who was practically laying in his breakfast – and shook her head. How could she punish a girl who just wanted to see her father, or the friend who had helped her?

"Go back to bed, Hope," she closed her eyes for a second. "Just don't go telling anyone about your midnight activities."

Hope nodded and took the stairs to the dorms.

Caroline watched her round the landing before stepping into the dining hall and making her way to her newest students. Her hand came down on Landon's shoulder making the boy jump.

"It's alright," she kept her voice low.

"G'morning Miss Forbes," he tried to hide his eyes.

"Good morning," she chuckled, "and good night. I want you to head upstairs and go back to bed." She waved her hand when he hesitated. "Go on, before I change my mind and start issuing detentions."

He slid off the chair, a little unnerved by her knowing smile, and turned towards the door.

Caroline glanced across the table.

"Somebody must have forgotten to tell you," she focused her eyes on Rafael. "Werewolves are excused from classes the morning after the full moon. Upstairs with Landon and get some sleep."

She flashed from the dining hall into her office when the boys were gone and reached for her cell phone. The first call she made to Klaus didn't go through, but she was unsurprised.

Elena answered within moments.

Anyone ever wonder what would have happened if Davina had brought Kol back using Klaus' blood and Freya's blood?

Hybrid + witch?

They had an option there where they could have done a hybrid situation and Kol could have had his magic.

Ah well… an idea for a future fanfic

Anyway... leave a review :) We're getting to the end stages