Chapter 17

Hope sat up with a start, she was in her bedroom in New Orleans. Freya was in the corner,

"That seemed stupid. I have warned you of what can go wrong when you time travel. Not to mention that it was dark magic, you could have gotten killed." Freya immediately began, frustration clear in her voice.

"I did it to save him!" Hope answered, desperation in her voice.

"And how did that work for you? Last time I checked, they have all been gaining new memories, and he hasn't changed. The hollow is still inside him, he still is planning on dying tonight."

"I know! I went to bed, and the next thing I know, here I am. They bloody tricked me!"

"Truthfully, you never should have thought that they wouldn't have. You really thought you could get past them?" Freya asked, trying her best to figure it out.

"Where are they?" Hope demanded.

"Downstairs." Freya replied, following after Hope when she left the room.

Rebekah, Elijah, and Kol were standing in the courtyard, all of them had been receiving new memories since Hope left, they had just stopped gaining them the previous night, so they had gathered to talk. Neither Kol nor Elijah knew why they had stopped.

"... Obviously it means she is back." Rebekah was explaining.

"Of course it means she is back, that is not the question. I personally would like to know how and why. Last I knew, she had returned from the kidnapping, and we were nowhere with convincing her to give up." Elijah answered his sister.

"I admit I am curious as well." Kol smirked.

"Have you ever thought about the fact that there are quite a few other witches in the world than the ones in our family?" Rebekah asked,

"Of course we have, Elijah dated and then killed one." Kol sarcastically replied, pouring himself a drink from the cart.

"Thank you for that, Kol. Rebekah, even if there was a different witch, we had already tried overpowering Hope's spell. It was impossible." Elijah answered.

"Well then, I guess it couldn't have been a different witch if that is the case." Rebekah smirked before leaving her brothers, she heard Hope coming down the steps, and she wasn't about to tell the story yet.

"She is up to something, I can tell." Kol spoke to his brother, earning only a raised eyebrow in return, before their very upset niece came storming down the steps.

"What did you do!" Hope yelled, her gaze fixed on Elijah.

"Nothing. I'm afraid someone else messed with your plan, I had no part in it." Elijah replied.

"Don't lie to me! I know you did!"

"Hope, I promise you, whatever it was that sent you back here, I played no part in it. I wasn't even at the house, I promise you there were other things on my mind." Elijah answered. Freya and Kol just watched the two, curious as to what both of them were thinking.

"What were you doing then?" Hope asked, earning a smirk from Elijah.

"Well, my dear niece, I'm afraid that isn't something you need to know. I have somewhere to be, if you would excuse me." With that, Elijah left, leaving a shocked group in his wake.

"Where the hell is he going?" Freya asked, confused that her brother would be leaving after everything that had happened.

"No idea, best to leave it, though." Kol replied, not really caring to try and get in the way of his older brother.

"I want to know who the hell pulled me out of my spell." Hope spoke, her voice showing how upset she was. She had planned on never coming back to this day. She couldn't lose her dad, but she was quickly running out of options.

"No idea, I was dead." Kol answered.

"I was in a casket asleep." Freya replied, neither her nor her brother giving Hope's frustration much attention.

"Where's aunt Rebekah?" Hope asked.

"No idea, she left before you came down the stairs. She also was being very secretive." Kol replied, a smirk on his face.

"I hate this. I was so close, and you all had to ruin it!" Hope yelled, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. She was beginning to realize that she was about to lose her dad, and that she could do nothing about it.

"Yes, yes, we know, my dear. You were so very close to successfully writing yourself out of existence. I do not exactly see that as something to be celebrated." Kol smirked, he was having a hard time holding back from snapping at hope for what she tried to do.

"None of you get it, I was trying to save them!" Hope replied, her frustration bursting forth.

"No. You were giving up on dealing with living the life you have been given." Kol replied.

"What?!"

"You were given a life, things happen. Bad things, they happen to all of us, we have to live with them. You were giving up. No other way to say it." Kol replied, finally letting his opinion show.

"I am not giving up." Hope snapped.

"That's enough. Both of you. Whatever your reasons, your mission is over now. We have more important things to deal with." Freya cut in, separating the two before going to check on Klaus.

Elijah had gone to find a place to think. That was the one negative about New Orleans for him, it was always loud. He had spent the last years trying to find a way to save Klaus. He had visited witches, werewolves, even other vampires trying to discover the secret to the hollow. Yet, he had never found it. What he had found, though, had been far more important to him, he just needed to figure out how to make Hope see it.

"You always did want quiet when you were thinking." Rebekah's voice interrupted the semi-silence of the closed manor on the outskirts of town.

"Yes, it's easier to think. It reminds me of the quiet of the world we grew up in." Elijah replied.

"I can see that, although I find it unnecessary."

"I'm sure you do. Tell me, Bekah, why did you send Hope back?"

"I don't know what you mean." Rebekah lied, her voice like silk, perfectly controlled as she met her brother's eyes.

"You don't have to lie to me. I know it was you. Why did you do it?" Elijah replied, his eyes never wavering from his sister's even as she tried to cover up what she had done.

"I did it to save you. To save you all. Every day that past more what being taken from us, you were falling farther and farther and not one of us knew how to help you. Klaus was confused, struggling to understand why Hope wanted to give up, and struggling to deal with the fact that he was changing. Hayley, she was so lost, worried every moment for Hope, for Klaus, and for you. Everything I did, was to save all of you from what was coming." Rebekah replied, still not sharing what exactly it was that she had done.

"And what exactly was coming?"

"The same thing that came the last time all of you broke down; a bloodbath. You were already playing the game, it wouldn't have been long before Klaus followed, and then what? All of Mystic Falls pays the price? I couldn't risk that, they had already killed Kol and Finn, I couldn't risk losing you and Klaus."

"And breaking Hope's spell fixed that?" Elijah asked, trying to see his sister's side of the story.

"I never said I broke her spell." Rebekah said bluntly, her voice harsh and controlled.

"No, yet you did say you were the one that did whatever it was that sent her back. What did you do, Bekah?" Elijah asked, his hand reaching to grasp his sisters. There was something hidden that she had been carrying since before Hope was born. Something he had missed, and he wasn't about to let it go before he figured it out. Too much had changed since Hope had gone to the past. All of them had changed, and so had the outcomes of too many things.

"Don't." Rebekah replied, desperation in her voice.

"Rebekah, you can trust me. I should have seen it sooner, I should have helped you. What is it? What is wrong?"

"I did what had to be done to save my niece. To save my family…" Rebekah paused, lowering her eyes from her brothers. Elijah shifted closer, gripping her hand just a little tighter in comfort. Rebekah took a breath before continuing, "I met with Bonnie that night. After you and I had talked. She told me how to break the spell, the only way to overpower a powerful witch. It's a blood ritual. You overpower their very essence of magic, it makes it to where they can't do magic for up to a week."

"A blood ritual? That's dark magic, Bekah, tell me what you had to do." Elijah spoke, his voice comforting yet commanding.

"To do the spell, you have to sacrifice another's magic. If you are doing the spell to end a spell, the person who you use has to be connected. For a blood time spell, which is what Hope used, it has to be someone related, and someone who is from another time…" Rebekah explained.

"Who?"

"Bonnie helped me cast the spell. I told her it would get us all out of Mystic Falls, that it would put an end to your revenge game. We pulled from the past, Bonnie said it was safer to do that…"

"Bekah, who?" Elijah pushed again.

"Finn. He had the magic of a firstborn. He willingly gave it up, gave himself up, but it killed him. It took every bit of magic from him, he died as a human, never able to come back." Rebekah replied, tears falling down her cheeks. She had killed her own brother to save herself, to save the others. She had removed every chance he had at life. The only life he had lived since their turning had been rotting in a casket, never to see the world, and she had removed any other chance he had.

"Oh, Bekah." Elijah pulled his sister into a hug. They all held every memory, all the ones of what had taken place before Hope went back in time, and all the new ones that had come because she had changed things.

"I destroyed him."

"No, Bekah, he gave himself up for this family, just like Klaus is doing. That is what family is, what family does. We protect each other." Elijah comforted. So much had changed since Hope had cast that spell.

"It doesn't make it any easier. It won't make it any easier for any of us when Klaus dies, either." Rebekah replied.

"No, I dare say it won't, not for us. But I think it does for them. I think Finn would have found peace in that decision, maybe even joy. And Klaus, I think he finds quite a bit of peace in the fact that in doing what he is doing, he is protecting his family. He is protecting Hope, and he is protecting Hayley. It makes it easier for them, and I know it would for me if the roles were reversed." Elijah answered, placing a kiss to his sister's forehead. The family had fought through so much, but the spell Hope had cast had changed one crucial thing. They all chose each other, above everything else. When they had to separate with the hollow, they had kept in touch, calling each other, writing letters. They had watched from afar while Hayley raised Hope. Then, when Hope had tried to get her father back, they had all come to the rescue of Hayley, each one working as a team. Their family hadn't been broken. Elijah assumed that by this point Hope would have gained her new memories, and wouldn't be so mad at them, but he also knew that just because her mother had lived, it didn't mean it would make it any easier to lose her father.

"Do you think Hope knows yet?" Rebekah asked, it was almost as if she was reading her brother's mind.

"I think so. Although I'm not sure, I want to be the one to check." Elijah smiled as he separated from the hug, earning a laugh from Rebekah.

"So, you didn't tell me, why did you need to think?" Rebekah asked.

"I'm sure you would love to know, but alas, I have to go check on Klaus, it's my turn and I'm late."

Hope had gained her new memories quicker than she thought she would have, and when she found out her mother was alive, she had barely thought before racing through the house towards where she had been told Klaus was being kept. She had watched while her mother took care of her father, who was fighting nightmares almost nonstop. Then she had talked with her, about all of it, about why she had done it, why she almost still wanted to. She had then watched as Hayley and Elijah switched places, the elder brother perfectly taking on the role of caring for Klaus. Elijah fought away the demons in her father's mind like it was what he lived for. He was calm and controlled, and he pulled his brother from them and protected him like he was a knight in battle. Her mother had taken more of a calm and motherly approach, she seemed to know some of what to do, but she hadn't been nearly as effective as her uncle was being.

"He really is good at that, isn't he?" Rebekah asked, as Hayley came to join Hope and her.

"Yes. I didn't want him to have to do it again today, but Klaus has been so bad lately." Hayley answered.

"Elijah will be fine, he wants to help. He is after all our older brother, and that's what older brothers do." Rebekah replied.

"He seems to really know what he is doing." Hope added.

"He does, he is the only one of us who truly does. He stays up all night with Klaus every night fighting away the darkness. He was supposed to have the days off, but Klaus is worse and has been asking for him." Hayley answered her daughter, pulling her into her arms.

"Freya said that tonight has to be it, he can't make it any longer." Rebekah said, sadness filling her voice.

"Does Elijah know?" Hayley half whispered, they all knew that when Elijah was focused on Klaus he heard nothing else. It had been for days that Elijah had given Klaus everything in him.

"Yes. Freya told us when we got back here. He didn't say much, but he knows." Rebekah answered.

"Did he tell you what has been on his mind these past few days?" Hayley asked, she was worried about Elijah. Everyone in the family knew how close Klaus and him were, she had seen it herself more every day.

"No, he didn't. He wouldn't talk to me about it." Rebekah said, she then squeezed Hope's shoulder before leaving the room. Hayley and Hoped followed slowly behind.

Freya had come up with a spell to pause the effects of the hollow in Klaus, and they had all gathered for a dinner. It was happy and cheerful, almost as if it wasn't a final celebration for them all together. At least that's what it seemed like until Hope looked at Elijah and Rebekah. Rebekah and Kol were joining in on the fun, but if Hope look close enough at Rebekah, she could see the red around her eyes, and the slight slump of her shoulders. Elijah was another story entirely, her looked like he was carrying the weight of worlds, his face rarely showing any of the joy around the table. The group had their fun, they enjoyed the company, and then they went to the fire and wrote their wishes to burn them. Klaus then pulled Hope and Hayley away from the group. The others talked and joked, but Elijah watched the other group. Hope was the first to walk away, while Hayley and Klaus had a moment. Elijah went and pulled Hope away from the others,

"I know you are not happy that you failed." Elijah began, looking at his niece she looked so very different than she had in the past, she looked like she carried far too much, and it saddened Elijah that it had happened to her so young.

"Of course I'm not. He is going to die." Hope replied.

"You know, I tried to find a cure. I have spent your entire life looking for a way to stop the hollow. I've talked to witches, werewolves, even other vampires. I never found anything. The way your father is defeating it is the only way to do so. Yet, in all my searches I did find something. It may not have been what I was looking for, but it was what I needed, what I believe you need." Elijah began, hoping that his niece would find in this what he had. A reason to live.

"What did you find?" Hope asked, curious as to what Elijah was going to tell her.

"I met quite a few people on my travels and in my search. Each one taught me a piece of a bigger, more important lesson. You know, we as supernaturals are the only ones who take this much pain and struggle from death. For humans, those who have no idea that there is a way to live after death, it's a normal thing. It hurts them, they mourn, they cry, they remember, and then they move on. They remember and miss those they lose, but at the end of the day they grow from it. Maybe they are never the same, but they move on. They realize what supernaturals do not."

"And what is that?" Hope asked, curious as to where her uncle was taking this.

"That everything they experience in life has a purpose, everything they go through prepares them for something else, or it makes them who they are. Supernaturals are the only ones who try to cheat that system, who try to erase death. Hope, I found what I think we both need. Tonight, Klaus will die. I will lose my brother and you, your father. We must mourn, cry, and hurt. Then we must get up, remember but move forward, we must live as we would have before he was taken. We will miss him, yes, but all of this, every part of what has happened since you first cast that spell, was making us who we are. Klaus is ready, he wants to protect you and Hayley, he finds peace in knowing that his actions are saving you. Now you must find peace in remembrance, and you must live to honor him. To do that, though, you have to live." Elijah answered. Everything he had learned was that no matter what comes, the goal was always to live. Vampirism was created so that they could live. Spells and potions were made to extend life so that people could live. The goal was to live, and that is what Elijah knew Klaus would want for Hope above everything else.

Elijah and Hope had rejoined the group at the same time that Klaus and Hayley had, then the siblings walked out of the building together, leaving Hope, Hayley, Marcel, and a few others behind. Freya said her goodbyes first, leaving the group that had been together since the beginning. Kol didn't say anything, only hugging his brother before following after Freya. Rebekah, Elijah, and Klaus stood for a minute, none of them wanting to talk, none of them wanting to begin their final conversation. Eventually, Elijah took a breath, he was the oldest, he would lead the way.

"We've spent a thousand years as a family. We have lost before, Finn, then Kol. We have gained back, Freya, and yet again Kol. We have walked the hard roads, fought, made up, fought again. We were a family, we always have been. I find I cannot come up with words worthy enough to say just how much of an honor it has been to be a part of this family, to be your brother. I also cannot find the words to say just how much it hurts to lose you. I always felt like I should go first, that I had to protect you. Now, I can't. I promised Always and Forever, and I will keep that promise, to all of you."

"I hate goodbyes." Rebekah spoke, pulling Klaus into a hug and then Elijah into one.

"Take care of Hope, and Hayley. Don't let them slip." Klaus pleaded, tears in his eyes.

"Of course." Elijah replied. The three then drifted into silence, exchanging hugs and goodbye's once more before Rebekah and Elijah walked away, Klaus then placing the stake over his heart and giving one final push.

Hope was sitting in her room after the funeral, her family was downstairs, still hosting the many guests who had come out to honor Klaus. The circle of salt and herbs from her spell were still on the floor, the spell book opened. She found it hard to believe that it had only been four days ago when she cast that spell. Two days in the present locked in a spell had translated to weeks in the past, and more changes than she ever could have dreamed of. There was a part of her that still wanted to blame herself, that still wanted to try again. Yet, another part of her, the part that had been surrounded by family, that had watched her father say farewell with a peaceful smile and love in his heart, didn't want that anymore. Her uncle had been right, and Hope was almost surprised now that she had doubted him, from what she had learned he had lived through the most out of all of them. Four days ago, Hope had given up on all of it, but now she saw what she hadn't seen clearly before, the bond of strength and love that came with the promise of Always and Forever. She had finally come to understand that the family she had been blessed to become a part of was always going to do anything and everything to protect one another. No matter the cost. After all, that was the point of the vow of Always and Forever.