Following Klaus' scent, I busted through the doors of the church, my stomach growling and snarling with hunger. My mouth was dry wanting blood but right now but only concern was Hayley. She was gone and I had to get her back. My head pounded like a hammer on an anvil and I couldn't seem to breathe fast enough or hard enough to get enough oxygen into my lungs. My wounds were healed but my muscles screamed and ached from the attack. Elijah was in worse condition though he did not lag behind as he followed me to the church.
"Hayley!" Elijah's voice echoed through the empty church. I peered down the aisle to see Klaus sitting on the floor with his back against the altar and holding Hayley in his lap. His eyes were sad and empty, full of grief and sorrow. My breath hitched in my throat as I slowly made my way down the aisle. My chest clenched as I strained my ears to pick up a heartbeat when I noticed that Hayley's skin was unnaturally pale. Elijah's heartbeat next to me. Klaus' heartbeat in front of me. But there was no heartbeat coming from Hayley. As I got closer, I let out a strangle, guttural cry when I noticed her throat was slit. My world began to crumple around me as I collapsed to the floor next to Klaus and pulled Hayley from his arms and into my lap. I pressed my forehead to hers as tears streamed from my eyes. An emotion so strong and so sour grew inside my chest and the only way I could release the energy was letting out a roar that rattled the church's windows before it dropped into a whimper. I would never see her beautiful brown eyes again. I will never see her smile or hear her laugh. I barely noticed Elijah as he sat down next to me, panting, and gasping for air as the werewolf venom continued to course through his veins. Klaus actually looked hurt and sad and broken. I continued to cry and held Hayley's limp dead body against my chest, sobbing into his hair.
"Oh, God." I sobbed. "Hayley. No, no, no, no, no." I choked on a sob. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"She's gone." Klaus whispered gently to me and I noticed a tear fall from his eye as he looked at his older brother. "You've been bitten." Klaus bit his wrist and held it out to Elijah to drink to heal his werewolf bites and cure the venom. I picked Hayley's dead weight up and gently laid her down on the altar, resting her hands on her still stomach and brushing her hair away from her lifeless face.
"How?" Elijah questioned Klaus softly.
"I was bested." Those three little words changed my mood instantly as my blood boiled.
"You were bested?" I snarled under my breath as I took a couple steps away from the altar and turned my back to Klaus. "You… were bested?!" I was snarling rabidly as I rounded on him, my eyes glowing yellow and veins appearing under my eyes. My fingernails and fangs extended as I was on the verge of shifting. "The great, undefeated Original hybrid, Niklaus Mikaelson, was bested?!" Klaus and Elijah stood up and Klaus looked at me with sad eyes.
"They took the baby, but there's still time. We can save." I pivoted on my heel allowing my anger to fuel me and give me energy. I was going to avenge Hayley. I was going to kill every single last one of them. Even if that meant that I would die in the process. Nothing was worth living for now. My immortal life now meant nothing to me.
TO
We walked hastily through the cemetery. My lungs burned and ached as I panted, sprinting from tomb to tomb checking every crook and crack. My heart beat wildly in my chest and at one point I thought it was going to jump up my throat. The baby was still nowhere to be found and there were no signs of the witches. My fear and panic began to transform into anger and frustration, and I spun around in a circle, searching for any clues but we've been over this part of the cemetery a dozen times already.
"The tombs are empty; the grounds are deserted." Elijah growled, looking around. "She's not here."
"This is the only place they can be." Klaus insisted. "We'll keep searching."
"They are not here, Niklaus. We're wasting time."
"Their harvest was here; the reaping was here. They are about to perform a ritual which will feed their ancestor for centuries, ancestors who are buried here!" I sighed heavily as Klaus looked up at a statue of a crouched down angel on one of the tombs. "This statue. We've passed by this three times all whilst going in the same direction." I panted slightly, placing my hands on my hips as Elijah looked around with realization. He touched one of the stone walls casually as if trying to figure something out.
"You want to share what's going on in your head, Elijah?" I snapped at the original vampire.
"They have fabricated some kind of illusion." Elijah realized and Klaus vamp sped up to the top of one of the tombs and looked out over the cemetery. He let out a groan that was border lining a snarl, his shoulders sagging.
"That's one word for it." He groaned and I jumped up to his side to see that the witches had turned the cemetery into a maze that went on for miles in all directions.
TO
We walked through the maze for hours until the sun broke through and it became daylight. Time was running out. We only had a few hours left before the moon fully disappeared from the sky. I raked my claws down one of the stone walls, the stone crumbling like dirt beneath my force.
"It's ingenious." Klaus muttered. "I can see them, I can feel them, and yet they are not real."
"There has to be a way." Elijah breathed, running his hands through his hair in exhaustion and frustration. "Even if we could just push through."
"What we need to do is focus." I whirled around on Klaus, unkept and dried blood-stained hair flying.
"My only focus right now is that child and her safety, do you understand me?" I snarled at him. "She is the only thing that I'm thinking about right now because if I think about anything else, I am going to fall apart. This, all of this, if your damn fault, Klaus."
"Hayden—" Klaus tried to speak but I cut him off with a growl.
"All of your scheming, the enemies that you have made every single day of your miserable, pathetic life, what results did you expect? That your child would be born into a happy life, that the mother would be alive to know her daughter, that we could live and thrive as some sort of family?"
"That was Elijah's fantasy, not mine!" I opened my mouth and roared at him in rage and frustration, my canines clicking together and my eyes turning gold. So much rage rose up inside me in such a mighty wave that I had no thought in my head but wrath. Wrath of myself for not protecting Hayley. Wrath at the fact that I was forced to be turned into this thing that I am. Wrath at the fact that Klaus was trying to put the blame on his noble brother.
"Shut up, Klaus! Just shut the hell up for once in your thousand years of existence! She is gone! Hayley is gone and I'm blaming every ounce of it on you. Do you even understand how critical she was to me? She was my best friend, my sister, my family. Everything that I am, everything that I thrive to be was because of her. You turned me into this abomination, this monster, this freak of nature and she embraced it and taught me to accept it, to control it. You knew this and you've taken her from me. She was the only good thing in my life, and you've taken her from me." I slammed a hand into his chest, and he staggered back a step from the strength of the blow. I blinked. I'd forgotten—forgotten the strength in my panic. I'd forgotten how strong I was. Klaus was quiet as I crumbled to the stones. I didn't realize that there was tears streaming down my cheeks until a cool breezed chilled the water marks. Klaus slowly sat down next to me, but I didn't look at him. The next step to the grieving process from depression. And I felt like it was the end of the world in my mind.
"You can tell your niece how much you cared for her mother when we save her." Klaus whispered to me and for once, I actually believed him.
TO
We entered another crypt and looked around to found that this one was empty as well. My muscles were tense with rage and acting on that rage, I roared and slammed my fist into a pillar, the stone material crumbling into a million pieces and scattered across the floor. Dust from the rubble hung in the air.
"We've passed through here twice already." I snapped at the Originals. "We're running out of time." Elijah kicked a candlestick over in frustration.
"Then we move faster." Elijah grumbled as I raked my claws down the stone wall, directly over the first set of claw marks I made from the last time we were here.
"Or smarter." A female voice had my blood running cold and spine straightening as I recognized that voice. Holding my breath, I slowly turned around to see Hayley standing in the entranceway of the crypt. Her brown eyes were dull and distant as if she were still in another world and dried blood caked her golden skin. I let out a strangled gasp as I felt my heart break at the sight of her.
"Hayley?" I whispered as I walked over to her. I took her face in both hands and my eyes burned with tears of relief as I felt a solid form beneath my fingertips. For a second, I feared that she may have been a ghost. The cut on her throat was healed. Hayley looked disoriented but driven. Lost but determined. Different but whole.
"Hayley." I breathed again, still not believing that she was right her in front of me. "How are you here?"
"I woke up in the church." Her voice was raspy and gravelly, distant, and sounding like it belonged to someone else. "I felt this hunger. I knew what I needed. I can feel her. She's here." Hayley slowly walked past me and entered further into the crypt, looking around as if she was expecting to see her daughter in here. "I can feel my baby."
"You died with the baby's blood still in your system." Klaus murmured, mostly to himself before glancing towards Elijah and me. "She's in transition." My blood ran cold. The baby had Klaus' vampiric blood in her. That's why she was able to heal Hayley out in the bayou when she was attacked by the wolves. That's why she was standing her right now. Hayley had vampire blood in her system when she died… but she was a werewolf… my eyes widened, and my chest cleaved at the realization. She was in transition to be a hybrid.
"Which means she has to drink the blood of the child if she's to survive to be reborn a hybrid." I whispered.
"I don't care about me." Hayley snapped over her shoulder. "I'm gonna go find our daughter."
TO
Continuing our journey through the illusion of a maze and with the help of Hayley, we followed the direction of distant chanting. We rounded the corner to an aisle of crypts and on the far end at an altar was the baby in a wooden basket. Monique and Destiny were on either side of the altar with their arms raised above their heads, chanting an ancient incantation. Genevieve was behind the altar, standing over the baby with a gleaming, sharp knife raised, chanting alongside with the other witches.
"No!" Hayley cried out causing Genevieve to look up from the baby and stumble back a step-in shock. Before she could regain her senses and continue with the ritual, Elijah picked up one of the stone vases on the side of the aisle and chucked it down the row. It hit Genevieve and shattered into pieces, knocking her back from the altar. Side by side, the four of us raced towards the witches but before we could even make it halfway, Monique and Destiny stood in front of the altar, holding their clasped hands high and knocked us back with an invisible force.
"You fools." Monique taunted us as we skidded back, the balls of my feet digging into the stone walkway as I forced myself to a halt. "To come against us in our place of power, in our strongest hour. You do not face three. You face us all." All around us, witches from another world began whisper and chant along with the living.
"Scatter!" Klaus ordered and we split up in unison. Hayley went left while Klaus went right. Elijah went head on down the aisle towards the witches while I took to the roofs. I ran along the top of the crypt and leapt at the girls. Monique held up her hand before I could tackle her, and I was hit with an invisible force that sent me flying into a stone wall. I crumbled to the ground, my chest heaving and my spine rattling with agony. As I began to get to my feet, my head erupted with pain causing me to fall back to my knees with a cry. I grasped the sides of my head as my blood vessels felt like they were popping over and over again. I screamed with pain and clenched my eyes shut. Through slitted eyelids, I could make out Klaus coming around the corner and using his hybrid supernatural speed, he flung an iron rod through the air. It went straight through Destiny's stomach with such force, it knocked her back and pinned her against the wall behind her. Monique gasped in shock but quickly picked up the knife that Genevieve had dropped and ran to the baby. Having a break from the pain in my head, I scrambled to my feet and tried to follow her up the steps, but flames shot up, blocking my path. "No!" Before Monique could plunge the knife down on the baby, a metal shard came flying past us and a ninja star embedded itself in Monique's chest. A thousand cuts began to slash themselves all over the little witch's body and blood poured out. As she bled out, she crumbled to the ground and the flames disappeared. I looked behind me past Klaus and Elijah to see Marcel standing there, panting. He vamped past us, snatched the baby off the altar and took off. Klaus didn't hesitate to follow him.
TO
The locks clicked tightly as Elijah chained Genevieve to the back wall of the crypt. I stood to the side with my arms cross over my chest as Hayley took her place in front of the witch with her eyes hard and cold. She twirled a knife in her hand. The same knife that the witches were going to use on Hayley's daughter. Genevieve was on the verge of tears, fear taking over her instincts. She knew that she was not walking out of this crypt alive.
"Why?" Hayley demanded from Genevieve.
"The ancestors left me no choice." Genevieve sobbed.
"You were willing to sacrifice an innocent baby for more power."
"Oh, not just power. It was the ancestors' decree. It was her decree." Elijah snatched Genevieve by the chin and forced her to turn her head to look at him.
"It was whose decree?" He growled lowly and the witch began to laugh hysterically.
"I'm surprised you have to ask. Ha ha! After all, you were the one who convinced your siblings to consecrate her in New Orleans soil." I looked at Elijah questioningly before piecing the puzzle together.
"Esther." I breathed and Elijah shoved Genevieve back in frustration. He took a step back away from the witch, seething.
"So not even death can stop my mother from seeking the annihilation of her own flesh and blood." Elijah muttered under his breath, mostly to himself.
"This isn't the end." Genevieve informed him. "As long as that child lives, the witches of New Orleans will never stop coming for it. Esther will never stop coming for it. It has been decreed. Your baby will be consecrated among her ancestors. She will not live." A bright substance appeared on the corner of both eyes as blood starting to trickle from her sockets and stream down her cheeks. "They're coming for me. I can feel it. I've failed them. Please understand. I just wanted to live. Tell Klaus… I'm sorry." She began to cough, and a gurgling sound emitted from her throat as she began to choke on her own blood. Not wanting the ancestors to have the kill, Hayley stepped forward and plunged the knife into Genevieve's stomach, sliding it up through her sternum as she leaned forward to place her mouth close to the witch's ear.
"I'm not." Hayley snarled lowly as Genevieve's body sagged against the chain and leaving the knife embedded in carcass, Hayley turned on her heel and left the crypt.
TO
Hayley sat in the rocking chair in the nursery, slowly rocking back and forth with Hope tightly in her arms. She never took her eyes off her daughter since the moment Klaus got the baby back from Marcel. Elijah, Klaus, and I were in the adjoining bedroom, whispering quietly amongst ourselves as we tried to come up with our next move. Elijah and Klaus sat in chairs across from each other while I stood between the two originals.
"We should have felt our mother's hand in this." Klaus growled under his breath. "We should have known she would not be bound by anything as obvious as death, and now she has control of the witches. They will never stop."
"No." Elijah agreed. "Nor would I expect the Guerrera wolves to back down."
"Hayley and the child are wolf royalty, and as such, they are a threat to Francesca's claim to leadership." I whispered hastily. "They will never be safe." Klaus looked up from his seat at me.
"What was it you said to me earlier, that I've made enemies every day of my miserable life?" Klaus inquired. "Well, the worst of them are within these borders, brother. I have brought into the world a weapon they can use again me."
"Then, we will arm ourselves." Elijah tried to reassure him, but Klaus was not buying it. Nor was I. Deep in my gut, I knew that Hope could never be safe until this threat was destroyed and I wasn't sure how long that was going to take. "Brother, we've fought every adversary in this town, and we have won, and we'll fight them again, no matter who they are. We'll make this home a fortress."
"And wear ourselves down trying to keep them safe until one day they find a hole to slip in and attack." I told Elijah sternly. "I will not have her live her life as a prisoner."
"Then we leave here. Together, all of us." My shoulders sagged and I looked at him sadly.
"Elijah…"
"Wherever we go, however far we run, those who seek power and revenge will hunt us, they will hunt her." Klaus told his older brother. "She has inherited all our enemies with none of our defenses. So, whether we stay or we leave, we condemn her."
"There is a third option." Hayley's voice sounded behind me and I whirled around to see her standing in the doorway of the nursery, staring down at Hope in her arms. "I grew up in a war zone. My parents thought they could protect me, but in the end, they were slaughtered, and I spent my childhood alone and unloved." Hayley smiled sadly at her daughter. "I made a promise to my baby and to myself… that she would not grow up like I did, that she would grow up safe and loved, and yet here she is on her first day in this world with a grandmother that is bent on sacrificing her and a mother that has to drink the blood of her own baby to survive transitioning into a hybrid, and I'm the one that loves her the most." Hayley's voice cracked as she began sobbing and my heart clenched and tightened in my chest as I walked over to her side. The sides of my eyes burned with empathy tears as it felt like I am feeling her pain as well. Hayley took a deep breath to collect herself, her voice evening out as she spoke again. A tear streamed down her golden cheek. "I think the only thing to do is send her away while we stay behind and clean up the mess that we've made." Klaus dropped his head in defeat, silently agreeing. Elijah, however, abruptly stood up and scoffed in frustration as he turned his back on us. I nodded my head in agreement. It was the only way. We could wipe out the threat together without worrying about Hope's safety.
"No." Elijah snapped, turning back around, brown eyes hard and angry. "This is insane." The original vampire began to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace.
"Elijah…" I breathed softly, looking at him with sad eyes.
"You heard Genevieve, Hayden. So long as she lives, that baby will be hunted."
"Not if no one knows she lives." Elijah furrowed his brows in confusion.
"What is it you intend to do, Hayden?" Klaus mumbled from behind me and I turned to Hope. I ran the back of my index finger gently down her smooth cheek, my body sagging with exhaustion.
"I intend to keep her safe as I have done with her mother for so many years. I have an idea." I glanced back over my shoulder to look at Klaus. "They will be watching us, all of them. The four of us leaving together will draw too much attention. Klaus will go alone to Rebekah. Hayley, you'll take your mourning public while he's gone. I don't imagine that will be too difficult. Grief, after all, is grief. In what world will she be safe without us? Who can protect her better than we? I think it's time to call your sister."
TO
The plan was in motion and there was no turning back. Agreeing to our plan, Marcel allowed Klaus to compel him into forgetting that Hope was alive, and Marcel went off to find a stillborn baby from a hospital in upstate Louisiana. We staged it so that it would appear as if Hope had died during the Guerrera attack. After a heartfelt goodbye, Hayley gave Hope to Klaus who would take her to meet with Rebekah. A memorial was formed just down the street from the compound in honor of all those who died during the attack on the streets from the vampires and werewolves. Elijah and I walked side by side with Hayley behind us as we walked silently and swiftly towards the memorial wall. The crowd automatically stepped aside at the sight of us, allowing us to pass through. Many of the spectators bowed their heads in respect, the rumor of the Mikaelson baby's death spreading quickly. Hayley carried a bouquet of flowers as she slowly made her way through the crowd, her eyes never faltering from the path in front of her and from the part she had to play. She was struggling not to cry as she stepped up to the memorial wall and laid the flowers down. Elijah and I took a protective stance on either side of her as she stretched out her hand to run her fingers gently down a picture frame of a baby silhouette. The words In Memoriam Baby Mikaelson framed the silhouette in honor of Hope. Hayley clasped her hands together and hung her head as she struggled not to lose her composure here in public. She stood up and turned to face us and I bowed my head in respect, my heart breaking for my queen. Elijah held out his hand to Hayley and she took it, allowing him to guide her down the steps and back through the crowd with me closely at her back. Today was a day of grief and loss and with tears silently streaming down her face, Hayley kept her chin held high as she knew that there would come a day that our enemies would fall at our feet and we would bathe our path with their blood.
