"Uncle Elijah?" Hope muttered to the man she had been observing for the past minute. With his back to her, his posture straight as he went through the books on the shelf of the Mikaelson home in Mystic Falls, he looked exactly like she remembered.
She had convinced her father to let her speak to her uncle, to try to convince him to help her get her father to peace, to convince them both to cross that damn river. She was surprised when her father agreed to it, when he took her by the hand and guided her to the house she knew had belonged to her family for a short period of time. In limbo, it looked twice as creepy as it did in real life. She knew he was doing it because she had promised to go back if and only if he and Elijah found peace, but it didn't matter. She had waited for years for this moment, for a chance to make things right, and if she could get this one thing right, maybe it wasn't all hopeless after all.
Once they had reached the library doors, she had asked her father to give her some time alone with her uncle, and he had reluctantly let her hand go and placed a kiss on her forehead before he retreated to another room. Hope had stayed by the door, observing her uncle who went through old books unaware of her presence. She had had so many mixed feelings about him her entire life, and seeing him there, in front of her, brought them back all at once.
When she was a kid, her mother used to tell her stories about her family. And while her dad had always been the hero of the tales that involved her, her uncle Elijah was just as present and important. Naturally, her mother had never told her when she was little that her father had denied her existence when he first found out about her mother's pregnancy, it would have been highly inappropriate to tell that to a kid, especially considering the fact that her father loved her so much that the event seemed even out of character. But the story of how Hope came to be always counted with noble Uncle Elijah fighting for her since the minute he found out of her existence, and as a kid she had always been curious about him. Growing up, however, things had changed, especially when she had found out that he had erased his family from his memory after the division ritual. He had left, forever, and forgotten about them, and the one person that could have any influence on her father, to make him speak to her again, had been gone. And then, as if indifference and absence hadn't been enough, Elijah had stopped her father from saving her mom, and for some time she had tried to blame him for her death, she had tried to hate him. But at the end of the day who she hated the most was herself, and how much she could relate to her uncle.
She was ripped from her thoughts by Elijah's sudden movement, turning to face her with a surprised and confused expression at the sound of his name.
"Hope?" he answered, almost as a question, his eyes narrowing as he tried to decipher the reason why she was there, or how she could be there at all. "How are you here?"
Hope sighed and let out a small laugh as she made her way inside the library and sat on one of the chairs next to where her uncle stood.
"That is quite a long story," she said in an evasive tone. "And I'm sure my dad can fill you in eventually, but I don't have a lot of time. And I really need your help."
Elijah looked at her attentively, his eyes showing a mix of concern and curiosity as he slowly nodded at his niece and put the book he held aside, his focus entirely on her. He observed her features for a moment. She looked older, not the 15 year old teenager he had last seen anymore. She was taller, her hair longer and not as ginger as it used to be. She looked more like her mother than ever, if that was even possible. Except, of course, for the pair of blue eyes that looked so much like his brother's that it still amazed him. And it was in her eyes that he saw the biggest change in her. Her ocean blue eyes, captivating as always, no longer showed the innocent and wondrous child he had met, neither did they show the decided yet delicate teenager he had last seen. They were sharper, darker, and it pained him to recognize the accumulation of torment and sorrow that they expressed. It pained him because he had seen his brother's eyes change like that too, and because he (they) had never wanted that to happen to Hope. He knew her mother's death had changed her forever, and that her father's death wasn't going to be different, but he wondered what else had happened, what other afflictions had reached her for her eyes to demonstrate such exhaustion and despair, for her to look so much like a Mikaelson, so much like himself and his siblings.
"How can I be of any help, Hope? What do you need?" her uncle finally asked, sitting down on the chair next to her and placing his hand on top of hers, that laid on the arm of the chair, in an attempt to comfort her from whatever seemed to trouble her.
Hope closed her eyes at the touch, part of her wanting to give in again and break down in front of her uncle like she had in front of her dad. But she couldn't. She needed his help, she needed to make sure they were okay before she left, or before she was pulled out of limbo and back into the real world.
She opened her eyes again and took a deep breath as she fixed her posture, turning to face him directly.
"Remember that day when I collapsed before I turned?" she asked, her voice breaking a little as the memory of the day hit her. "When I told you I had dreamed of my mom?"
The original vampire frowned in confusion, but nodded, his mind trying to make sense of her bringing back that memory. He remembered well, after all it had been part of the reason why he decided to die alongside his brother. His niece's dream had helped him realize that whatever was reserved for him wasn't in the world of the living anymore, and even if it hadn't been true, even if Hayley hadn't been waiting for him, it was still worth trying.
"I went over that moment so many times in my head in the past few years..." Hope confessed, her eyes watering slightly. "I thought it was some wishful thinking, some delirium that I had invoked in order to process her death... But the more I think about it now, the more I realize it wasn't just that." she said with a sigh. "I did see her, uncle Elijah. I saw her just like I'm seeing you right now. I touched her like you're touching me right now. I saw her with Jackson, and grandma Mary, and her parents... She was at peace… And she did tell me she was waiting for you."
Elijah took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes for a moment as he processed her words. He had, of course, thought about the possibility of it being true. After all, no one but Hayley herself would've known about the dance they had promised each other if they met in another life. But since he and his brother had arrived in limbo, he had avoided thinking about it. He knew the woman he loved was probably somewhere across the river that separated limbo from peace, and the thought brought him relief, but neither he nor his brother had been ready to cross it. His brother refused to go without Hope, and he refused to go without his brother. After all, that was them, the Original brothers, and they stuck together Always and Forever. They had been together for a thousand years, and had faced their fair share of enemies and threats side by side. Afterlife wouldn't be different, and if they waited a thousand years to find peace, they could wait a while more.
"Well," Elijah said as he opened his eyes again and attempted to give his niece a reassuring smile. "It is good to know she is at peace."
Hope smiled briefly at the thought, but became serious again, biting her lip nervously. "But you're not." she finally stated, the guilt in her tone causing Elijah to frown once again. "You and my dad are in this wretched place. Him waiting for me, you waiting for him. And I can't allow this to continue."
"Hope," her uncle started speaking, his tone explanatory and reassuring. "Your father and I have been together for over a thousand years. We made a vow, we face everything together. Always. Forever. This place is no different."
The tribrid opened her mouth to protest, her eyes rolling in frustration as her uncle repeated the same thing her father had said just some minutes before.
"You're not supposed to be in this place, uncle Elijah." she contested. "Neither of you are. Especially not because of me."
"Hey," he looked at her compassionately. "You are the reason we even have the possibility of finding peace, Hope. You are-"
"Our family's hope, I know." she stopped him before he could finish his sentence, and received a confused look in return. The pain and agony in her tone had startled him. "I've spent the last three years blaming myself for what happened to my mom and dad. For what happened to you."
"Hope..." he started to protest, but she motioned for him to stop, to let her finish.
"I know it's not really my fault. And I've come to terms with the choice that my dad made when he sacrificed himself for me." she continued, looking up as her eyes filled with tears again. "But I can't live with myself knowing you are in this awful place waiting for me. Not after everything that's happened lately." she confessed, her eyes finding once again Elijah's confused ones, unaware of the gory details of her life. "I can't go back if you stay here. I won't. I promised my dad I would go back, but only if the two of you crossed the river. He won't go without you, so what I need is for you to go with him. I need you to find peace."
Elijah studied her expression. She was decided, there was nothing he could say or do that would change her mind about this. Just like her mother and father, when she wanted something, she wouldn't stop until she got it, and no one could convince her otherwise. He understood her agony, he had been the one to place that responsibility on her in the first place, and he regretted having given her that burden, especially when he knew well how heavy it was since he had been carrying it for a thousand years. What he couldn't understand, however, was why she was so concerned about it. He had never said they wouldn't find peace, her father was merely waiting for her, and he was waiting for Niklaus.
"Why are you so worried about us finding peace?" he finally asked. "We know we can cross that river, Hope. Waiting some time for you won't be the end of the world. We are not burning in hell after all."
"Because," Hope started, her voice denouncing the tears she was fighting back. "It will be a long time before I find peace, uncle Elijah... I have done horrible things, caused some permanent damage, and... Right now, I am practically the only living creature in the world that can't be killed."
She saw Elijah's face turn into a blank stare as he understood her words, figured out their meaning. She saw the same mix of concern and pain that she had seen in her father's eyes, but she was done talking about this, she was done talking about how the universe had been unfair to her once again. The universe had been trying to kill her since before she was born, and it was, once again, putting her in a position she had never deserved to be in, but right now she had only two concerns in her mind: her family and friends out in the real world who needed her, and her father and uncle finding their peace. She didn't want to talk about her mistakes, and her own peace. What her father had said to her had been enough to calm the turmoil of emotions that had been going on inside of her ever since she had turned her humanity back on. She had an eternity to come to terms with her mistakes, to try to be better, to live up to what she was meant to be. Right now, she just wanted to do what she could, and getting her father and uncle to peace was something she could do while she was still there.
"I know you didn't want this for me." she said before he could express his thoughts. "I know neither of you wanted me to go through this. But that is my burden to carry, uncle Elijah, not yours. And I will be okay, as long as I know that you guys are at peace, as long as I know you are where mom is."
As slowly as she had lost consciousness, Hope started to regain it. As she watched her father and uncle fade away into the bright side of the river, she closed her eyes, their reassuring smiles the last image she had seen before she felt the weight of the air around her change. She had felt her body first, lying down on what seemed to be her bed. Then, she felt her heart starting to beat once again, and felt the air fill her lungs. She heard and listened to the world around her, and identified a few heartbeats that seemed to be closer than others, along with the characteristic scents that belong to each one of those presences she knew so well. She opened her eyes little by little, allowing them to adjust to the light, the colors of the room around her, and stared at the ceiling for a moment before someone realized she had woken up.
"Hope!" She heard Marcel's voice first, and felt his hands touch her arm, concern filling his tone as he checked if she was, in fact, awake. "Hope, can you hear me?"
She swallowed hard, the worry in his voice making her wonder how much time she had been unconscious and causing guilt to take over her.
"Marcel." She said as she slowly sat up and grabbed his hand. "I'm okay. I'm here." Hope reassured him and looked as relief took over his expression and he smiled.
"You gave us quite the scare, kiddo." Marcel confessed and laughed shortly in relief.
Hope looked around, finding her aunts and uncle Kol sitting in her room at the Salvatore School, staring at her with a mix of concern and reassurance. Her eyes stopped at her aunt Freya, whose eyes were puffy from having cried, a reminder of what had happened to Vincent coming to her mind and making her sigh heavily.
"Auntie Freya..." she started in an apologetic tone, unsure of what to say. She knew how important Vincent was to her aunt, especially now.
"It's not your fault, Hope." Freya said before she could apologize. "I know you won't believe me, but I need you to understand that no one blames you for what happened. We're just glad to have you back, beautiful."
The young Mikaelson closed her eyes for a second, taking the words in. Her aunt was right, she couldn't help but blame herself for Vincent's death, for another death. But she tried to put the thought aside for a moment, before the feeling of guilt invaded her completely and caused her to break down again. She had to make sure everyone was safe and okay first, she had to find a way to get rid of Ken once and for all so he wouldn't target anyone else that she loved.
"How long was I out for?" Hope asked, turning to her aunt Rebekah and uncle Kol, who shared a cryptic look. "Where's Lizzie? Is she okay?"
"Your friend is alright, kid." Kol said, and walked towards the bed, sitting on the edge and touching her leg in an attempt to calm her down. "She's probably resting right now as well."
"I don't need rest, I need to find Ken and end this once and for all." Hope stated, making her way out of the bed. She was, however, interrupted by her aunt Rebekah, who sped across the room and stood before her, not allowing her to leave the bed. Hope raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Not so fast, little one." Rebekah said. "Not until we understand why you took so long to wake up and to heal. You're supposed to be stronger than all of us combined, yet you were out for almost an entire day. You're not going anywhere near that bloody asshole of a god until we understand what he did to you."
Hope sighed, part of her wondering how fast she could get them all under a sleeping spell so that she could work on what really mattered: getting rid of the god that was threatening her and her loved ones. The other part of her, however, knew that if she did that they'd be pissed at her, and rightfully so. They were there to help, and if they were concerned it was because they had reasons to be.
"Auntie Bex..." the tribrid started, sitting back on the bed and taking a look at each one of them before continuing. "Listen, guys, I'm sorry I scared you. But that wasn't Ken's fault, it was mine."
"What are you talking about, Hope?" Freya asked first, expressing the confusion and concern that every one of them felt at her statement.
"What are you saying, Hope?" Marcel questioned, his voice calmer as he sat down next to her and put his arm around her in a protective way. "What do you mean?"
She closed her eyes at the touch and let herself relax in his embrace. Since she was a child, Marcel had always been one of the most important people in her life. From the day she had found him in that dungeon, she knew he would always do anything to protect her. And though he and Rebekah had stayed away because her aunt couldn't be around her as she grew up, he always found a way to visit her, to talk to her. She remembered, as a kid, she would ask him all sorts of questions about how it was like to be raised by their father. In the beginning, Marcel had been reluctant to answer those questions and to Hope calling Klaus his father. After everything that had happened between them, the title was a complicated one for both him and Klaus. But with time, he had started to grow used to her referring to Klaus as "our father", and while for the rest of the world he would probably avoid using that word to describe Klaus, with her he didn't mind, because he knew that she saw her dad the same way he did when he was her age, and because Klaus had actually earned the title.
Hope opened her eyes again and took another long and deep breath, her mind trying to find the words to explain what had just happened in limbo, what she was doing while she was asleep.
"I was with dad" she finally said and watched as Marcel frowned in confusion. She turned to the rest of the family to continue. "And with uncle Elijah."
Rebekah and Freya gasped, and Kol was left speechless, his mouth half open in surprise, unsure what to say.
"They're okay now," Hope proceeded, her aunts listening attentively, tears running down their faces. "They're at peace. And they're waiting for you." she stated, a smile forming on her lips and tears falling down her cheeks as she remembered their messages. "My dad was honored to hear your son was named after him." she turned to Freya, who tilted her head and mouthed a soft thank you. "And they were both happy to hear you and Marcel finally got married."
Rebekah and Marcel let out a soft laughter, and Kol rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, they forgot their youngest brother as always." he complained, making everyone laugh.
"No," Hope answered in between laughs and tears. "Uncle Elijah said something about keeping your promise or he'll come back and haunt you? And my dad asked me to thank you, for being there for me."
Kol gave her a soft smile in return, unable to repress the hint of joy he felt knowing his brothers remembered him. After all, he had spent a thousand years trying to be a part of Always and Forever, and even if that didn't matter as much to him now, it still felt nice to know he was, in fact, loved by his family. He didn't like, however, to show them that it pleased him, and so the smile disappeared as quickly as it had come, and was replaced by a sarcastic comment that Hope barely heard.
Her attention was now on her big brother, whose arm was still wrapped around her shoulder and whose eyes stared down at his wrist, where he had wrapped one of Klaus' many bead necklaces. It had been a small gesture, something no one besides the family would notice, but she knew how much it meant, because carrying around her family crest and the crescent moon necklaces meant the same to her. It was a way to keep her parents close, to always carry them with her. Marcel's relationship with their father had suffered many turbulences, but at the end of the day, both of them loved each other like father and son, and Hope was one of the few people that Marcel actually allowed to see that.
"Would you guys mind giving us a moment?" Hope asked, turning to Rebekah, Kol and Freya, who nodded and walked together towards the door, leaving her and Marcel alone for the first time since she had turned her humanity back on.
Marcel remained quiet for a moment, still absorbed in his own thoughts, but didn't move when Hope slowly and carefully unwrapped the necklace from his wrist and held it in her hands. He observed her curiously, trying to understand what she was trying to do.
"He left you a message too, you know" Hope said in a casual tone, her eyes looking for his eyes to see his reaction. He narrowed his eyes, waiting for her to continue, and she smiled in return. "As the martyr and drama queen you know he is," she started, and got a laugh in return. "He said he has infinite regrets regarding the way he treated you over the years."
Marcel pursed his lips and shook his head, the last conversations he had with Klaus coming to mind as he took in Hope's words.
"Yeah," he said absentmindedly. "I've heard that a few times."
"He said he misses you..." Hope proceeded, tilting her head in an attempt to see Marcel better. He closed his eyes, and she heard as he swallowed as hard as he could before opening them again. "And that he's proud of the man you've become. And that he doesn't regret meeting you, and calling you his son. He said" she paused for a second, the tears in her brother's eyes making her voice shake as her own tears fell. "He said he wished he had been a better father, but that despite his actions he loves you. Always and Forever."
Marcel repressed a sob, but let tears fall freely for the first time since Klaus had died. He looked at Hope, whose tears mirrored his own, and she gave him an understanding smile before turning her eyes to the necklace again. She moved away from his embrace, standing before his sitting figure, and put the beads around his neck.
"I was once told that family heirlooms are very important." she said as she fixed his necklace and held her own set with the other hand. "They remind us where we come from, and that, no matter what, our family is always with us."
Hope and Marcel stood quietly side by side at the deck by the lake in the Salvatore School property. The sun was warm, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, she let herself enjoy the feeling of the sunlight touching her skin, of the breeze flowing around her. She breathed in, and the smell of recently bloomed flowers and fresh water filled her up. After years, it felt like breathing again for the first time. Ken was gone and, while it hadn't been easy or without any losses, she could finally breathe again, knowing that her family was safe, her school was safe, her friends were safe, that Landon was where he wanted to be, even if that wasn't with her. Things were slowly falling back into place again. While Dr. Saltzman had left, Caroline Forbes had come back to take care of the school and its students, and Hope was happy to help with the newcomers. It felt like something she was always meant to do: be the one to unite all the factions, to advocate for them, to help them accept who they are and cohabitate peacefully.
Her family had left, Kol coming back to Davina in whatever beach city they were living at in the moment, while Freya and Rebekah came back to New Orleans, to their family home, where little Nik and Keelin waited for his mother, and where Rebekah and Marcel had built their little life together. They had promised to visit more often, and Hope had promised to stop by more frequently as well, even if it was just to share some beignets. Marcel, however, had stayed for a couple more days in Mystic Falls, knowing fully well that once everyone was gone and everything was back to normal, he and Hope had one last goodbye to say.
Hope looked down to the urn in her hands and smiled tenderly before looking at Marcel who stood next to her.
"I really wish he were here." she confessed, receiving an understanding smile in return.
"Me too, kiddo." he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and squeezing slightly, letting her know he understood, and that he was there for her. "Me too."
"Do you think he'd like this place?" Hope asked, her eyes staring at the landscape.
"I think he would like to know he is near you, wherever that is." Marcel answered, laughing when she gave him an unsatisfied look. "But as to the place itself: it's beautiful. He was a force of nature, it only seems logical that he remains free in nature."
"A force of nature" Hope repeated in a sarcastic tone, causing Marcel to frown. "That's an euphemism." she laughed. "But yeah, I think he'd like to be free, in the breeze..."
They stood quietly for a few more minutes, absorbing the smells and the sounds of the place, waiting for the moment in which it felt right to let him go, to spread his ashes.
"Isn't it funny?" Hope asked after a moment, turning to face Marcel. "The children of Klaus Mikaelson." she said solemnly. "The strongest in the world. And yet, we have taken this long to let him go."
"Well, everything has its own time. You weren't ready. None of us were." he explained, his eyes staring down at the urn she held in her arms. "But it's time, kiddo."
"Yeah" she agreed, resting her head on his shoulder. "He's waited long enough." Hope stated, slowly opening the urn and closing her eyes, picturing her dad's smile once again before she opened them and uttered: "Spera"
Slowly, the ashes that rested inside of the urn started to leave it, dancing with the wind as Hope and Marcel watched. She still had much to fix, much to do, and she was just starting her journey to find her own peace, but she was glad she had that moment, she was glad to know her father was okay, and that he would always be with her in a way.