Hope stood at the kitchen counter carefully folding together the dough she needed to make her mille feuille. The difficulty of the puff pastry and custard dessert kept her distracted from the fact that Ryan had a class and she couldn't have her wicked way with him. She didn't think the administrators would approve of her barging into his class to drag him off right in the middle of his lecture.
Across the kitchen, the school chefs worked, allowing Hope to do her thing. Having her take over dessert gave them one less job they had to do, and since she seemed to know what she was doing, they didn't seem to mind her being there.
A pair of high heels against the tile caught her attention and she glanced up just in time to see Rebekah entering the room
"Freya sent this spell," Rebekah said, handing a faded sheet of parchment over to Hope. "She said it's the original spell to create a golem and thought you might make use of it to help free Clarke from his creator."
Hope dusted her floury hands off on her apron before taking the spell and studying it carefully. "Thank you, and thank her when you see her."
"You can thank her yourself after the baby is born. She misses you, but she's not sure how to act since she doesn't remember you, so she does what she knows. She offers magical help."
"This is amazing though. "Where did she get it?"
"She had a version of it and used it when you were a baby to try to trick Dahlia, but she became curious about golems after we met your boyfriend. She knew there had to be more because this spell wouldn't have allowed for the creation of Malivore, so she started doing some digging. The spell that created Malivore is a bastardized version of this."
"Right, because golems are protectors, yet they created a monster."
"Exactly. Freya said that with the original spell, you should also be able to find a way to destroy Malivore that doesn't involve killing yourself."
"My blood weakens him."
"So," Kol joined the conversation then, "after you separate your toy boy from the pit, create another golem, one pumped full of your blood, and send it into the next portal. If it's got a heartbeat and simulates you, it should be enough to destroy him."
"Toy boy?" Hope paused what she was doing and looked up at Kol with a raised eyebrow, confused. Had he gotten the phrase turned around on accident?
"You know, because he was created instead of born."
"Please, Uncle Kol, no insulting him for being what he is. It hurts his feelings, even if he doesn't admit it, constantly being reminded that people don't consider him a real person because of how he came into being."
"I'm sorry, Bunny, I didn't realize. But, I will be sure to avoid teasing him about that from now on."
"Knowing you, you'll find something else soon enough to poke at him about." Hope turned the pastry one more time, then set it on the tray so she could return it to the refrigerator as she spoke.
"Of course. He's my niece's boyfriend. That practically makes him family. Why wouldn't I poke at him?"
"You're very accepting of him."
"I've seen the way you look at each other. That, coupled with the lengths he went to to bring you home, he definitely deserves it." Kol chuckled.
Hope smiled, but didn't look up from where she was working on another element of her dish.
"Where did you learn to bake like this?" Rebekah asked, eyeing her work.
"I had to do something during my down time that bored Agent Burr out of his mind if he was spying on me, so baking it was, and it had the added advantage of keeping me calm." Hope started whisking the ingredients together. "It's one of the few times I was happy."
"So you learned to make incredibly intricate desserts?" Rebekah stole a raspberry.
"The longer I could forget where I was, the easier it was to exist."
"Now you're making enough mille feuille to feed the entire school because your boyfriend is working? We should keep him busy all the time." Kol teased.
"You can have him during the day, but he's mine at night or heads will roll." Hope scowled, but she couldn't keep her expression serious for very long and she started laughing.
"As long as you cook like this while he's busy, I think we can give you some time with him," Kol pretended to concede.
"I have to be in the mood for it now. Cooking and baking were where I hid before, but I don't need to hide now."
"Fine, as long as there's a possibility of you cooking like this sometimes."
"If I ever get into the mood for something other than what your school chefs make, yes, I can guarantee that I'll be in here." Hope worked in silence for a moment, then what Kol said earlier caught her attention. "Did you find another portal?"
"We did. That's where Elijah is right now, guarding it so nothing slips out."
"So, the next full moon, I'll perform the spells."
"The moon will be full three days from now," Kol informed her.
"The sooner we free Ryan, the sooner we can kill Malivore, and we'll be free of him and his tricks."
"Perhaps we can prepare the blood we'll need for the sacrificial golem now, so you'll have time to recover by the time we're ready for the spell."
"Will someone else be creating the other golem? Or will I be doing both?" Hope asked next.
"Davina told me that she'd be able to help with the decoy golem. Because what you'll be doing for Ryan will drain you too much to be effective with any other major spells until you rest, and by then, the full moon will have passed."
"That will definitely make it easier for everyone."
"I'll get things set up for you to donate blood to the cause." Kol stole a berry on his way towards the door and Hope stuck her tongue out at him.
Three nights later found Hope standing in the center of a flaming pentagram, chanting a spell as she used magic to form a new body for Ryan out of a combination of earth and a little bit of her blood, binding his life force to hers.
Somewhere else, near the portal, Davina was performing a similar spell, but Hope forced the thoughts from her mind, focusing entirely on getting everything right for Ryan. This was his best chance at being freed of his father and she didn't want to screw it up.
Finally, the body was complete and Hope lowered the flames. Ryan approached her, then laid down beside the new body Hope created.
"Are you ready?" Hope asked him, brushing her fingers down his face.
"I'm ready."
Pressing a kiss to his forehead, she started the spell to transfer his consciousness. A soft, blue glow rose from his chest and floated over to Ryan's new body. As the last words left her lips, the new body's chest rose and fell and he blinked a few times.
"Hello." Hope smiled down at him.
Instead of speaking, Ryan caught her wrist and kissed her palm, the corners of his mouth going up against her skin.
Was it just her imagination, or was his skin warmer to the touch than it had been before? She wasn't sure and it didn't matter to be honest.
"How do you feel?"
"Naked." He got to his feet, towering over her, and the expression on his face told her that he wasn't the slightest bit bothered by his lack of clothing.
"Aside from that, how do you feel?" Hope asked, suddenly breathless at the sight of her lover completely bared in the moonlight.
"I feel good. I feel free." He cupped her cheek and kissed her softly.
"Let's get you dressed so we can get back to our room." Hope ran her fingertips down his chest, suddenly desperate to feel him against her. This body wasn't bound to the monster who'd destroyed all memory of her. Instead, it was bound to her, wholly and completely.
"Patience, sweetheart. Unless you want to make use of these trees?" He tilted his head towards the nearest trunk.
"I don't want bark in my back."
"Pity." He smirked at her.
"Get dressed."
"I don't see the point of getting dressed if you're just going to get me undressed."
"While I don't mind, I don't think my dad would approve of you walking through the school like this."
Smirking, Ryan picked up the small bag she'd packed for the evening's activities and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Hope watched him move, distracted for a long moment by his perfection.
"What about my old body?"
His voice broke her out of the fog of her desire and she blinked hard to focus.
"We can't exactly leave it there for just anyone to find."
"While you're getting dressed, I'll deal with it."
With a flick of her wrist and another spell, the body that Malivore created disappeared in trails of dust. As the body faded, a weight lifted from Hope's shoulders. She no longer had to worry about Ryan dying when they killed Malivore and he no longer had a reason to feel guilty for being disloyal to the monster.
Once Ryan was dressed, he came up behind Hope and wrapped his arms around her, his hand sliding lower on her belly towards the top of her pants, then slid just beneath the band. It seemed as though she wasn't the only one who needed to get to their room.
"It's over. Malivore no longer has any control over you." Hope leaned back against him, her body molding into his.
"I'm all yours, sweetheart." He ran his other hand along the line of skin between her shirt and pants.
"Before we get too distracted, we do need to let Davina know she can send the golem into the pit." Hope pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent a quick text to Davina.
"Anything else we need to do before we go?"
"This." Hope cast another spell, that gathered everything together and filled the bag.
Her phone buzzed again and she opened the text.
"What's going on?"
"Davina says that the portal is closed. She's going to do a few spells over the next few hours, just to check if Malivore is really gone, but from what she says, she thinks he's dead."
"Good." Ryan nuzzled the side of her head. "Are we ready?"
"We are. Now, let's get going. I want to try out my handiwork." Hope kissed his neck.
When they arrived back at the school, they hurried through the foyer. Someone called her name, but she ignored it, choosing instead to tighten her grip on Ryan's hand and they ran towards the stairs, giggling when she tripped on a step.
"I'd rather you not be bleeding, sweetheart." Ryan caught her arm, pulling her flush against him.
Biting her lower lip, Hope wrapped her arms around him and flashed up the rest stairs to their bedroom.
Closing the door behind her, Hope pressed Ryan against it. Tearing his shirt over his head, she kissed across his chest, from one nipple to the other.
"I love you, Ryan Clarke."
Hope wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, tugging him down closer to her level as she stood on tiptoe, so she could kiss him. His tongue swept into her mouth and his hands slid down her body to her bottom, so he could lift her. In response, Hope wrapped her legs around his waist.
"I love you, Hope Mikaelson." Ryan cupped her cheek.
"Bed, now."
Ryan grinned and crossed the room in a few quick strides. Tipping Hope back on the bed, he pulled her shirt over her head, then undid her bra, freeing her breasts.
"You are so beautiful, Hope." Ryan tugged her pants down her legs and kissed her belly.
When Ryan crawled up her body, Hope flipped them over, straddling his hips. The feel of his erection pressing against her panty-clad entrance had Hope moaning and she cast another spell to strip them both.
"Not getting much of a test run, is it, sweetheart?" Ryan teased breathlessly.
"I need you. I need you. Now." Rising up on her knees, she took him inside her.
"I love you!" Ryan groaned, throwing his head back.
"You're mine, Ryan Clarke. All mine," Hope moaned as she started rocking against him.
"Yes, sweetheart." He gripped her hips, encouraging her to ride him harder.
The coil in her lower belly tightened faster than it had ever before and all too soon, she found herself crying out as she climaxed.
When she caught her breath, she draped herself across his body, burying her face in his neck.
"Is this how it's going to be for the rest of our lives?" Ryan whispered against her hair. "You and me, just like this?"
"That sounds like a dream, doesn't it?"
"A dream I never dared allow myself to have."
"You're a part of the Mikaelson family now. Dreams and nightmares are sometimes one and the same."
"I can deal with the nightmares if you're there."
"Always, Ryan Clarke. And forever."
