So I started writing this story before I found out who they were gonna pick to play Hope and I thought she was gonna grow up to be blonde-haired and blue-eyed but apparently, she's brown-haired and I think brown-eyed too so...lol. Because I already made her blonde I'm gonna keep her blonde but I don't think I've made any specific comments about her eye color yet so she's gonna be brown-eyed from her out. Just FYI


Chapter 15

"Still hasn't opened his eyes yet, huh," Kol mocked from the doorway of Marcel's bedroom. Rebekah was watching vigilantly over the unconscious man. Marcel had been asleep for a week with no change in his condition. Niklaus stayed by his side for three days straight. On the third night, Elijah practically begged him to return to his life before his kingdom fell into disrepair.

Klaus agreed only on the condition that someone was always there to watch Marcel in his absence and let him know the moment he woke. Rebekah spent almost as much time staring at Marcel's unresponsive face as Klaus did, wishing her lover would wake.

"Not yet," she muttered.

"I think we're wasting our time with this one. We don't know what's wrong with him. He could be in some kind of permanent stasis."

"Have a little faith," Rebekah growled. She didn't need him stating the obvious fear resting on everyone's mind. "Freya will find a cure."

"Would it really be so bad if she didn't? I mean, has the quality of our lives really been enhanced by Marcellus?" He said mockingly.

Rebekah was irritated by Kol's incessant jeering at Marcel's situation. She still hadn't forgiven him for the torture he'd put her lover through.

"Do not stand there and protest as if you didn't once too care about him the same as we do. His 'First Best Friend' is what he used to call you. Where ever the fracas was that's where we would find the pair of you."

"Dear sister, in all the time we've been alive I've found hundreds of rowdy mates to raise Cain with, and not once did I ever develop feelings for any of them."

"Well, you'd better learn to love this one because he will wake up and he will be around forever."

With a huff, Kol left his sister to waste her days like Niklaus.

-M-

The guilt of being the reason for Marcel's condition was too much stress for Hope. She was hardly ever at the Compound. All she could think about at home was Marcel lying in bed and Niklaus waiting hopeful beside him.

Instead, she spent most of her time at Sebastian's. In the back of Sebastian's home was a small garden in a room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Although it wasn't the biggest garden, Sebastian's family grew rare plants. Witches would come from all across the country to buy plants from the Dupeaux family.

It was from the Dupeaux family garden that Hope first got the Callum root.

Hayley didn't like Hope spending so much time away from home. She spent twelve years dragging her daughter around the country; she had hoped that once the Mikaelsons were restored her daughter would be able to live a normal life but hiding out away from home because your potentially deceased brother is lying in the bed down the hall from your room was not normal.

Hayley was looking to discuss this with Klaus when she found him surprisingly in the kitchen drinking a glass of tepid tap water.

"Taking a break from your usual post at Marcel's side," she ribbed. "Congratulations. Are you going to be at dinner tonight?"

"Not tonight. I'm watching Marcel."

"But you watched him last night."

"Your point is?"

"Do you know where your daughter is right now?" Hayley growled.

Niklaus put the empty glass on the counter and reached for a different one; a whiskey glass. "It's the middle of the day," he said while pouring himself a finger of Tennessee whiskey. "So my guess is...school?"

"It's Saturday, Klaus."

"Oh, is it now."

"This is unhealthy, Klaus. It's unhealthy for you and Hope. We have to move Marcel's body from the Compound."

"We're not moving him anywhere," Niklaus barked. "He's going to wake up!"

Hayley wasn't out to upset Niklaus, especially over a matter that was so dear to him, but she had to think about Hope too.

"I know he will Klaus," she said gently. "But he is immortal. He could live in stasis for a hundred years and if you spend every day waiting by his side you will miss all of Hope's life. And a little girl needs her father, Klaus."

Klaus downed the glass of whiskey and smacked the glass back on the counter. He stared down at it with intense contemplation.

"Where is Hope?"

"Where do you think?"

"Sebastian's?"

"Her home away from home nowadays."

"Then I will go get her right now and the two of us will…go fishing."

"She hates fishing."

"Then we will-"

"Go to a movie." Hayley's suggestion came out more like an order which is how she intended it.

"We will go see a movie." Niklaus agreed.

"Good," she smiled. "That should take your mind off Marcel for a while. And you can go out to dinner before it. It'll be just like a little date. How cute."

Klaus couldn't help but smirk at the thought.

"What are we so happy about?" Elijah asked as he entered the kitchen seeing his love so overjoyed.

"Klaus is taking Hope out on a date tonight."

"Really," A smile crossed Elijah's face as well. He was happy his brother was progressing further away from Marcel's bedroom. "How nice. Hope's first date."

"Is this her first date?" Niklaus questioned Hayley. He knew surprisingly little about the girl's social life except that she seemed to spend all of her time with Sebastian.

"Her first official date," she answered.

Elijah then asked, "Sebastian hasn't made his move yet?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Niklaus growled. "Sebastian isn't interested in girls. Why do you think I allow them to be alone together?"

"Um, Sebastian is straight," Hayley replied.

Niklaus's face fell. "Certainly not. He's so…flamboyant and…stylish."

Hayley's smile grew wider and she shook her head at Niklaus's archaic understanding of gender. "A lot has changed in 12 years, Klaus. Kids are far more fluid in their gender expression now. Sebastian is quite the Diva but as far as I know, he's smitten by the ladies. Hope, on the other hand, maybe in the midst of early experimentation."

Klaus gave a devilish grin. "So long as that experimentation does not include any hands-on experience, I'm fine with it."

-M-

Hope came running to the Dupeaux's front door as soon as she heard the knocking. Klaus called her and told her he was taking her out to dinner and she could barely contain her excitement. It had been too long since they had last spent any time together.

When Hope opened the door she was shocked to see her dad dressed in a stunning black suit with a stunning blue handkerchief that matched his eyes.

"Why are you all dressed up?"

"Well, your mother told me this was your first date. I just wanted to set the bar for the next unfortunate soul brave enough to ask my daughter out."

Klaus waved his hand out to the street to bring Hope's attention to the limo parked in front of the house.

"Your chariot awaits."

Hope sprinted to the limo. She'd never been in one before. She crawled around the inside of it amazed by the space. She found a mini-cooler with a bottle of Champagne underneath the partition.

Klaus immediately took the bottle out of her hands and said with a gentle smile, "Your mother would kill me."

The limo service offered a free bottle of Champagne with every rental. He'd asked the owner to leave it out but apparently whoever prepared the limo didn't get the memo.

Hope wasn't thinking about the Champagne. Like most thirteen-year-olds, she'd already tried her first drink. The experience was fun only because she was with a few of her friends but the bitter taste of alcohol was something she could definitely live without.

Hope bounced around the limo merrily as they drove to the restaurant.

Niklaus made reservations at New Orleans's most renowned French restaurant, Chez Henri. At first, Hope felt a little out of place in the restaurant, with everyone being dressed so formally and she being in a pair of jeans and vintage Hipster Tee that said 'this is not a pipe' with the image of a pipe above it. To make the girl feel more comfortable Niklaus took off his jacket and his tie, undid the first few buttons of his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves so he would look as casual as she did.

Klaus impressed Hope by ordering their food without a menu and in French.

"Dad, this is amazing," She exclaimed when the waiter left. "You have set the bar mighty high."

"This is the standard, sweetheart. You're a princess and deserve nothing less."

The waiter came back with their drinks: a glass of Red for Niklaus and a glass filled with a mix of lemonade and iced tea for Hope.

"Your favorite," Klaus said.

Hope chuckled, "Mom told you, didn't she?"

"Hey, I know a little about my own daughter." Hope glared at Klaus until he finally admitted that Hayley told him about the drink.

"So," she started lowly as Klaus took a sip of wine. "How's Marcel?"

"The same," Klaus answered curtly. "We're not here to talk about Marcel. We're here so I can get to know my daughter better so I don't have to ask her mother about her favorite drink."

"We can talk about him if you want," Hope said feeling guilty.

"Hope, we don't have to-"

"I'm sorry." She said staring down at the white table cotton cloth. "I didn't mean to hurt him. I don't know what went wrong."

With a sigh, Niklaus decided to indulge her conversation. "Freya looked at your spell. The structure was off. She said it looked like a blend of several spells with no real base. She also said you didn't have the power to support the Callum root."

"But…I'm powerful. I have more power than I know what to do with, Aunty Freya said so herself."

"You are extremely powerful, Hope, but your power is untapped. You haven't learned to reach into the source of all your power yet and until you do the only way you can reach that power is by accident. If the spell had held any longer than it did, both you and that Dupeaux boy could've been in the same state Marcel is in now."

"So…my cockiness got Marcel this way."

Klaus noted the look of disappointment on the girl's face. He motioned the waiter over to them and said something to him in French again. Hope waited curiously for the waiter to return soon after with a strawberry sundae big enough for two.

"I was saving this for dessert," Klaus started. "But I think you could use a little cheering up now."

Hope's joy returned as she dug into the sundae with her father.

"On the list of things I know about you," Klaus said, changing the subject from Marcel to a lighter note. "Is your favorite drink, your best friend, your favorite dessert, and your possible attraction to girls."

Hope's mouth fell open. She gasped. "Mom told you?"

Niklaus laughed at the girl's shocked reaction. "It's okay, sweetie. I like women too. Maybe it's genetic. Just remember that all sex is illegal for minors and you're not allowed to date until you're married." He laughed as he said the last part but Hope could tell he was serious.

She turned scarlet at hearing her father talk about sex and dating. "Can we not talk about…'it' right now?"

"Alright," Klaus said amused by the girl's embarrassment. "I won't bring 'it' up again."

The waiter came back with their entrées. For Klaus, he brought a beautifully seared lamb chop cooked to perfection with a side of steamed asparagus, and for Hope, a cheeseburger with lettuce and pickles and steak cut fries. It was a special order and Klaus had to pay extra for it but it was worth it to see the look on her face.

"My favorite," Hope laughed.

"That, I knew on my own," Niklaus smirked.

After dinner, Klaus took Hope to the theatre. Like her Aunt Rebekah, Hope was a sucker for romance and wanted to see the newest romantic drama featuring two of Hollywood's hottest actors. Klaus didn't argue with her as it was his duty to give her the best date possible but he had to feign interest in the movie and fight to stay awake.

"I can't believe Lee kept the napkin with Jen's kiss on it for all those years. That's so romantic." Hope exclaimed as they left the theatre in the crowd of doe-eyed moviegoers.

Niklaus faked a smile. "Yeah, that was…romantic, alright. Those two hours just flew by."

When they made it back out to the limo, he held the door open for Hope to get in. He was shocked to get a hug from her instead.

"Tonight was awesome. Thanks, dad."

Niklaus hugged her back immediately. "I love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too."

As the two piled into the limo, Niklaus decided to check his phone. He had to put it on silence in the theatre and restrained himself from checking it in order to seem engrossed in the movie with Hope.

He was surprised to see he had six missed calls from Freya. He checked the voicemail she left him with a look of apprehension on his face that worried Hope.

"What is it?" She asked.

Hanging up the phone, Klaus said, "Freya…thinks she's found a way to wake Marcel."

-M-

Marcel's still unconscious body laid in the middle of Freya's workshop. Underneath him was a chalk drawing of a circle much like the one Hope drew in the bayou with the exception of a few seemingly random lines drawn through it and the four candles surrounding the outside of it. The basin of ingredients sat on the floor right above his head.

When Klaus and Hope entered the Compound they ran directly to Freya's workshop where the rest of the Mikaelsons were already waiting.

"Is it true?" Klaus bellowed as they burst through the doors. "Can you wake him?"

With a proud smirk, Freya answered, "The answer has been right under my nose the whole time."

She went on to explain to them that it would take a tremendous shock to Marcel's system to wake him but she couldn't think of a spell that would shock him enough until she really examined the spell Hope tried to transfigure her spell from. She made a few tweaks to it, replaced the Callum root in it with Ancient Ginseng, and she realized that if used one of her brothers as an anchor to the spiritual world, she could reverse the aging process for Marcel sending his body and spirit back in time.

"That'll be enough to shock him awake?" Klaus asked.

"It should be," Freya replied confidently. "And once he's awake it's just a matter of using a counterspell to revert him back to his proper age."

"Exactly how young are we talking?" Kol asked, hoping there wouldn't be any infant diapers to change.

"I don't know. He'll get younger the longer the spell is held but if we stop the spell before it's through it might not work."

"What are we waiting for," Klaus grabbed Freya's hand and stood in front of the circle. "Wake him up."

Freya motioned for everyone to give them room as she took both of Klaus's hands into hers and began chanting the spell.

Marcel's body began to change before their eyes: his facial hair began to disappear, his face grew younger, his body smaller. The four candles lit one by one. As the last candle was ablaze, the spell ended.

Klaus looked down at Marcel in shock. He recognized his face. It was the face of his son. Marcel had the same 14-year-old appearance he had over two hundred years ago. His small body was swimming in his adult clothes. Marcel's eyes slowly fluttered open and the sight nearly brought Klaus to tears.

"P-poppa? What's going on?" Marcel stuttered as he sat up confused by the situation. He saw Elijah, Rebekah, and Kol and recognized them immediately but waking up with them and the three strangers looming over him was slightly frightening.

Niklaus was speechless. It had been years since the last time Marcel called him 'poppa'. He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around Marcel's narrow shoulders.

"What's wrong, poppa?" Marcel asked after feeling Klaus's tears fall to his shoulder. It was then that Klaus realized that by sending back his body and spirit, Freya meant that Marcel's memory would go back to that of his fourteen-year-old self as well.

"It's nothing, Marcellus," Klaus said with a satisfied smirk. "I'm just happy to see you."

He had gone from thinking Marcel would never wake up to once again holding his boy in his arms. He rarely felt such joy.

"What's going on, poppa? How did I get here?"

"It's a long story, Marcellus. The short version is: there was an accident that left you…unconscious and we had to use magic to send your body and spirit back in time in order to shock your system awake."

"Back in time? Is this…the future?"

"It is, but don't worry. Everything will make sense when we bring you back to your rightful age." Realizing that he couldn't have little Marcel forever, Klaus stood and turned his attention to Freya. "Let's continue, shall we."

"Um, we have a problem." Freya brought his attention to the charred remains inside the basin. "Channeling you must've been too much power."

"Can't you just remix the ingredients?"

"It's simple enough but I need Ancient Ginseng."

"I can get some from the Dupeaux garden," Hope said eager to help.

"What I used today was the last of the Dupeuax's." Freya hurried over to the black book on her desk that she kept a list of all the contacts she'd acquired since she woke. "Wait, I think there's someone…YES! There's an old witch in Mississippi who might have it. I can go there tonight and be back by morning."

"Or," Niklaus sang, bringing all attention to him and his broad smile. "It's been such a long day. I say we all go to bed and deal with this issue in the morning. Marcel is awake, that's all that's important."

Marcel wobbled to his feet and his pants slipped right down to his ankles. Luckily his shirt was long enough on his young frame to cover all the parts it needed to. That didn't stop the boy from being embarrassed, however. He quickly grabbed the pants and held them tightly up to his waist.

"Come on, Marcellus," Niklaus chuckled. "Let's go find you some proper clothes."

"I've got clothes he can wear!" Hope exclaimed excitedly. "Sebastian leaves clothes here all the time."

"Sebastian does what?" Niklaus growled, suddenly losing his genial spirit.

Understanding what that must have sounded like out of context, Hope elaborated, "He goes shopping so much sometimes he runs out of space in his closet so he leaves stuff here so his parents won't complain."

Niklaus was still upset but he couldn't find a logical reason why Hope keeping a boy's clothes in her room was wrong so he didn't say anything else about it.

Elijah gently grabbed Niklaus's shoulder, stopping him from leaving with Marcel. "Actually, Kol, could you help Marcel and Hope, please."

Kol let out a small grunt but left with the two teens away. He liked Marcel more when he was younger so he was willing to be decent to him.

"You cannot keep him like this, Niklaus," Elijah stated once the children were gone.

"I know," Klaus growled back. "But we can't finish the spell tonight anyway so what's the harm in keeping him like this for one more night."

"One night, Niklaus. First thing in the morning, Freya and I are going to get the Ginseng and Marcel will be restored to his rightful self by lunch."

"Fine. Are you through? My son needs me."

As Elijah strolled calmly over to Hayley, Klaus sped out of the workshop.

"Think he's gonna let him go?" Hayley asked.

"He better," Elijah sighed. "Marcel deserves his life back. Klaus can't use this as an opportunity to try and fix past mistakes."

-M-

Klaus entered Hope's room happier than when he left Freya's workshop. He was happily surprised to find Hope, Kol, and Marcel running around the room firing Styrofoam darts at each other with Hope's Nerf guns. Marcel was shocked to see such a carefree side of the man that once seemed so diabolical to him but he accepted it, for now, knowing that his poppa was only a call away should anything go wrong.

"Now, now, children," Klaus chastised lightheartedly. "Playtime is over. Now it's time for bed."

As their laughter died down, Klaus heard the unmistakable sound of Marcel's stomach growling loudly.

"Marcellus, are you hungry?"

"Awfully hungry, poppa." Just as he spoke, Marcel's teeth grew long and sharp and black veins pulsated around his eyes.

Everyone was shocked by this discovery, especially Marcel.

"Poppa….am I…like you?"

Niklaus didn't answer. He had hoped that reverting Marcel's body back to that of a child would mean he would be without his vampirism but even going back in time could not cure the ailment.

Klaus forced himself to keep smiling to keep Marcel calm. "Looks like you are," he said. "Well, come on. Let's go get you a bite before bed."

Hope followed Klaus and Marcel to the dining room. Although she wasn't hungry, she was excited to have her brother back; especially now that he was fun.

While Marcel was busy chowing down on roasted chicken and vegetables, Klaus was in the kitchen draining the blood from one of the servant's wrists into an aluminum tumbler. He thought perhaps if Marcel couldn't see the blood he had to drink it would preserve his innocence.

"So you're my sister?" Marcel asked with a mouthful of chicken. "I've always wanted a sister…or a brother. Either, or. Wish I could've had you growing up. I mean, growing gup before...now. If this is 'growing up'. Poppa says vampires don't age so I probably won't be 'growing up' anymore, huh? I wonder what being a boy forever will mean? I could-"

Marcel was taken aback by Hope's sudden hug but he leaned into it anyway.

"What was that for?"

"I just…missed you. It was my fault you got hurt. You've been asleep for a week. I thought you were never gonna wake back up."

"Well…I'm alright now." Marcel laughed as he crammed a forkful of roasted potatoes in his mouth. "And I'm awake."

"Don't talk with your mouthful, Marcellus." Klaus scolded lightheartedly as he came in carrying the tumbler.

Marcel swallowed everything in his mouth and said, "Sorry, poppa, I'm just so hungry. It feels like I'm never gonna be full."

"Here," Klaus put the tumbler on the table beside him. "Try this."

"What is it?"

Klaus considered lying to protect Marcel but he figured the boy deserved to know what he was putting in his body.

"It's blood," he admitted sorrowfully. "You need it now to survive."

Marcel's eyes lit up. He remembered many evenings sitting by the fire with his family, him with a chilled glass of milk and the rest with their crimson nectar. He wished every day he could be like the rest of his family and now he was. It didn't even occur to him to wonder where the blood came from.

After struggling to open the strange container, Marcel drank every ounce of blood in it down to the last drop.

"That was…wonderful. I'm not hungry anymore."

All of Klaus's fears were washed away by the child's smile. He always feared that if Marcel became a vampire at such a young age he would become a monster but Klaus couldn't believe that someone with as loving a smile as Marcel's had at the moment could ever become a monster.

"Okay, you two. Off to bed," Klaus herded the two teens towards the staircase leading to their rooms. "We have a long day tomorrow."

-M-

Flashback:

Hayley drove through the night to Nashville. She had gotten a lead about a witch there who had something she needed. Six-year-old Hope slept soundly in the back seat through the night wrapped in a warm, brightly colored quilt, her stuffed bunny cradled in her arms. When Hayley first told Hope she planned to drive all night, the little girl tried to stay awake with her but as the night began to fall, so did her big round eyes.

They made it to Nashville just in time for breakfast. They ate at a retro 90's diner across from a cheap motel. Too drained to look for a better place, Hayley checked them into the hotel for a few hours so she could get a little sleep before finding the witch.

Hayley had just fallen asleep when Hope realized she left her bunny at the diner.

"Mommy," she called as she shook Hayley awake. "We left Fluffy Niki at the restaurant."

Exhausted, Hayley mumbled, "It's okay, sweetie. We'll get him after mommy's nap."

"What if someone steals him?!"

"He'll be fine, Hope, now let mommy nap, please."

Hope grew frustrated as Hayley fell back to sleep a third time. She decided then to take matters into her own hands. Once she was sure Hayley was fast asleep, she snuck out of the motel room. She thought that she could just walk across to the diner and get the stuffed animal without Hayley knowing but like most six-year-olds, she was afraid of crossing the street alone – especially the busy intersection she currently faced.

She stood out in the motel parking lot quietly psyching herself up to run across. She would always get really brave whenever there was a break in the traffic but never quite brave enough to actually go.

Deep within her dream, Hayley felt something was wrong. It was too quiet. She hadn't had a sleep this peaceful in five years. Her eyes shot open and she looked around at an empty room.

She called Hope's name and when no answer came she became afraid. She ran outside, heart racing and adrenaline kicking into overdrive, just in time to see Hope chicken out once again.

"Hope," She screamed.

Hope spun around to see her mother's face which was simultaneously covered with relief and anger.

"What are you doing?" Hayley asked as she marched over to Hope standing guiltily with her hands behind her back.

"I was gonna get Fluffy Niki."

Hayley's heart skipped a beat when she thought of her daughter trying to cross that street on her own. Hope's supernatural genes gave her the ability to heal quickly, it didn't make her indestructible.

Hayley grabbed the girl's hand and dragged her back to the motel room.

"You are not supposed to leave the room without me." Hayley scolded behind closed doors.

"I want Fluffy Niki!" Hope shouted. She was now angry with her mother. She was sure that she was just about to get the courage to cross the street before Hayley showed up.

"I told you we would get Fluffy Niki when I woke up."

Hope stamp her feet down and pouted. "I can get him on my own! I'm a big girl!"

Hayley saw that there was no reasoning with the girl at this point. The girl was as suborn as her father and if she thought she was right, there was no changing her mind. There was only one way Hayley could get the girl to bend to her will.

She picked the little girl up and sat down on the bed with Hope over her knees. Hope kicked and screamed as Hayley pulled her pants down around her knees, baring her bottom.

Hayley never had to use any force when spanking Hope. The embarrassment was always enough to bring the little girl to tears but Hayley was always sure to cup her hand so it made a loud noise with every soft pat so it would really scare the child.

Once her screams of frustration became tears of sorrow, Hayley stopped the spanking.

She stood Hope to her feet and held the girl in front of her as she looked into her swimming, brown eyes.

"Never leave the room without me again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes, mommy," Hope sobbed and Hayley's heart melted.

She righted Hope's clothes and picked the girl up in her arms. Sitting back against the headboard, she rocked the crying child to sleep before finally falling back to sleep herself.

End Flashback

Marcel jolted awake the next morning. Hope was smiling down at him, her smile as bright as the sun.

"Wake up," she announced. "It's time for breakfast."

Niklaus entered the room moments later. He found the stunned look on Marcel's face by the girl's loudness and disregard for personal space amusing.

"Alright, Hope," he said. "Let's get out and give Marcel a minute to get dressed."

"Okay," As Hope jumped out of Marcel's bed she said, "Clothes are on the dresser. Come right down for breakfast as soon as you get dressed, okay."

"O-okay," Marcel agreed although he still wasn't sure what was going on having just barely woke up.

-M-

Marcel entered the kitchen standing awkwardly in his bright, multicolored tights. He felt exposed in the tight clothing but he knew the long, black and white striped t-shirt Hope also left out for him was covering his important bits.

Kol, Rebekah, Niklaus, and Hope were at the breakfast bar eating their eggs and bacon when Marcel entered. Kol couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"Is this lady's undergarments?" Marcel asked blushing deeply.

"Looking good," All eyes turned to the doorway where Sebastian stood dressed as outstandingly as ever in his fluffy, faux Mink coat. "But if you're gonna wear sneakers with leggings, make 'em high tops. But those are cute. I have a pair just like 'em."

"What a coincident." Hope teased. Sebastian had so many outfits that he didn't even recognize someone wearing his own clothes.

"What are you doing here so early, Sebastian?" Klaus asked, slightly annoyed by the intrusion.

Sebastian invited himself up to the bar between Rebekah and Kol. "Well, when Hope told me Marcel had become young, I just had to see for myself. I didn't expect he'd become so fashionable too."

Elijah and Freya came in next but they were just stopping through on their way to Mississippi. Niklaus hated that his brother was so eager to return Marcel into the man he could hardly trust but he thought it was for the best. Not allowing Marcel to return to his rightful self would be like killing the man and although he was afraid to trust him, he still cared about the man he had become.

What Klaus refused to do, however, was let the only day he'd ever get to spend with teenage Marcel just pass with them waiting for Elijah to come back. He took Marcel and Hope out to spend the day together. They went laser-tagging, to the indoor bounce house, and they ended the day at the amusement park where Elijah (having returned from Mississippi successful in acquiring the Ginseng) found them all stuffing their faces with funnel cakes.

"It's time to go back home," Elijah said sternly as Klaus walked through the park ignoring his every word. "We need to finish the spell."

"What could possibly go wrong if we wait a few more hours? Look at him," Klaus pointed ahead of them. Marcel bounced as he walked between Hope and Sebastian, who had invited himself everywhere they went as if he didn't have a care in the world. "They're happy. Let them be happy."

When she saw the Ferris Wheel, Hope became ecstatic. Ferris Wheels had been banned from most Amusement parks for being too dangerous so she'd never been on one. It didn't take much for her to convince Marcel and Sebastian to get on it with her.

Marcel was a bit dubious about riding the giant metal contraption but his delicate 19th-century machismo forced him to do anything Hope was brave enough to try. The three of them squeezed into one seat. When the bar came down around their waist Hope started rocking the seat back and forth only adding to Marcel's fear.

Elijah and Niklaus stayed on the ground watching them as the Wheel started. Klaus waved to his children and they waved back until they were so high up in the air, Klaus became just a speck on the ground.

Once their car was at the top of the Wheel, it stopped.

"Is it supposed to do this?" Marcel muttered, holding on tight to the bar.

"Yeah," Hope answered confidently. "I think so. Hey, I bet I can climb to the top of this thing."

Before either of the two boys could object, Hope summoned her Tribrid strength and pulled the bar off them. Marcel held on to the now unprotective bar for dear life but Sebastian just laughed, accustomed to Hope's wild nature.

Hope climbed to the top of the Wheel and stared down in amazement at the park beneath her. The sun was starting to set so it was hard for the people on the ground to see her but the other Ferris Wheel riders began losing their mind at the sight. A couple of kids in the car behind them started rocking their seats and pointing at Hope until it brought everyone's attention to her.

The ruckus even got Klaus and Elijah's attention.

"What's going on up there?" Klaus asked as he focused his sights to the top of the wheel. His heart began to pound uncontrollably when he saw what Hope was doing.

The only person who didn't see the scene was the absentminded Ferris Wheel conductor, who started the ride again at the worst possible moment. Marcel and Sebastian's car began to rock as the Wheel moved. Having no form of protection, Sebastian slipped from the seat. Marcel caught his arm as he fell, still holding on tight to the broken protection bar with his other hand.

"Hang on," Hope screamed as she climbed down to them. "I'm coming."

She jumped onto their car and suddenly Marcel lost his grip. As he fell, his entire life flashed before his eyes. He closed his eyes and resigned to his fate, unable to scream from fear. His Memoriam had just made it to the day he met Klaus when he felt a thick arm wrap around his waist. He opened his eyes to see Klaus holding both him and Sebastian safely on the ground. A second later, Elijah jumped from the top of the Ferris Wheel to them carrying Hope in his arms.

"Let's get out of here," Elijah said. In the middle of an Amusement park surrounded by baffled spectators was not where he wanted to have the discussion he thought they needed to have.


This was an insanely long chapter and I swear there won't be anymore like this lol, I just couldn't find a good spot to split this one in.