Roman has dragged Antoinette to his dorm room, as he didn't want their conversation to be overheard by anyone in the library.
"You're joking, Roman. Please tell me that you're joking." Antoinette pleads with Roman to tell her that he's kidding once he informs her of a plan.
"I'm not. I'm the only person who knows what's going on. I'm the only one that can be remotely helpful to that family." Roman makes it clear that he isn't joking around and Antoinette seems horrified by this before she gets thoughtful.
"This isn't about the Mikaelson family, is it? This is about Hope." Antoinette realizes that Roman's determination is about Hope, not her family and he looks away evasively.
"It's about both, okay? Because I can't help them if I'm incapable of telling them things and I'm just powerless to help her because I don't even know where she is." Roman retorts that his plan is about both the Mikaelsons and Hope, which has Antoinette stare at him sympathetically as she comes to a new realization.
"Oh my god. Roman, are you in love with her?" Antoinette wonders if Roman is in love with Hope, even though a part of her seems to already know the answer and he just stares blankly at her.
"It doesn't matter. It's not like she ever felt the same before, and she most likely doesn't now." Roman evades the question, which simply answers it and this response keeps Antoinette staring at him sympathetically.
"You still do." Antoinette determines that Roman does love her causing him to look away from her evasively again.
"Let's head back to the library." Roman changes the subject by suggesting that they go back to the group then heads out of his old dorm room with Antoinette following him.
"Hey, where have you guys been?" Penelope is the first to ask where Roman and Antoinette have been after she greets them.
"I came to a conclusion and I needed her support with it." Roman answers the question in a mildly vague manner.
"And he should keep in mind that I am reluctantly supporting this idea." Antoinette takes the moment to remind Roman that she still isn't fully on board but enough to not stop his decision.
"I am of no help to you in the search for Hope, unless I die from fatal pain infliction or endure brain-frying. But since Hope is top priority for all of us, I have decided to let Freya inflict my mind until she fries it. Mainly because I want to be more helpful than I am now and to prove that I'm not a bad guy." Roman explains his decision, shocking all of them as well as leaving them unsure of this sudden change of heart.
"What's with the change of heart?" Rebekah immediately questions Roman on his change of heart but Roman simply casts her a knowing look.
"It's not a change of heart, it's a build of confidence. I am giving Freya, and Freya alone, permission to torture me. Preferably in an empty room, so I don't lash out at the other people in the room." Roman assures them that it isn't a change of heart then claims that he will allow Freya to torture him before quickly adding that it happens in an empty room.
"Why Freya?" Alaric steals this question from everyone else who clearly wanted to ask it.
"Because Penelope wouldn't bring herself to do so, the Saltzman twins were just too sympathetic simply siphoning a spell off of me and I don't know either of them." Roman gives his reason as to why he chose Freya, motioning to Vincent and Davina at his last reason.
"Emma, what are you doing?" Josie focuses her attention on Emma, who has just run a hand through her hair and is clearly contemplative.
"I'm still trying to figure out why these people would take Hope. If it were to simply get her family's attention then they got it but they don't seem to realize, or even care, that they're involved. I mean, if Lizzie has been right this entire time about us being watched and listened into, then they'd know for certain that her family is now involved yet outside of a singular body turning up at a gas station, there's radio silence and I'm entirely a huge fan of when kidnappers give out radio silence." Emma gives a lengthy explanation as her answer to Josie's question, her answer seeming to worry them but has Roman just sigh.
"None of you understand." Roman groans in a frustrated manner that has them all look at him in confusion.
"Understand what?" Rebekah stares at him expectantly and he sighs again.
"Let me just tell you that this is the only thing I can tell you because it compromises nothing." Roman adds that what he's about to say doesn't endanger or rat out their enemies.
"Understand what, Roman?" Hayley repeats Rebekah's question in a more stern tone, which has Roman sighing in frustration again.
"That Hope is not the goal, it's destruction that they want and they believe that Hope is the best way to do that." Roman emphasizes the words 'Hope', 'not', and 'destruction' as he tells them what they don't understand, this new information shocking everyone in the room.
"Which is why they killed a random man at a gas station. See, they don't care who lives or dies and all they want is to prove that. Taking Hope was to get her family's attention, in order to goad them into performing the destruction that they want to inflict on the world so they can find her." Roman reveals more information about the Mikaelson's enemies, this revelation seeming to horrify them.
"So, what you're saying is that just by us being here, we're technically playing into our enemies hands?" Kol stares at Roman for reassurance, still in shock by what Roman has just revealed.
"Technically yes, but none of you have acted out in violence in order to try and find Hope, so you aren't actually playing into their hands. It's a, 'you are but you aren't' situation." Roman clarifies exactly what the Mikaelsons are doing, agreeing with the technically but assures them that due to their lack of violence, they really aren't.
"You do realize that if I fry your brain, you'll have amnesia right?" Freya takes the time to remind Roman that should she fry his brain, he won't remember anything and he nods.
"I'm aware, but I also have it all under control." Roman claims that he understands Freya's words then states that he has it under control.
"Well, you should also know that this isn't going to be pleasant." Freya warns Roman that the process of frying his brain won't be pleasant and he simply smiles at her.
"Yeah, I figured as much." Roman reveals that he already assumed that the process would be painful then lets Freya knock him out with magic.
"Alright, we will be in the basement, for who knows how long." Freya drags Roman out of the library after making the comment that they'll be in the basement.
Once they're gone, everyone begins processing Roman's words, with some of them wondering if it's true and others realizing that his words might be true.
"Wait, Antoinette, shouldn't you be able to tell us things about our enemies?" Marcel assumes that Antoinette should be able to provide them with information but she just starts shaking her head.
"I'm sorry, I can't. Despite the fact that I choose to live without a daylight ring, I walked away from my family's beliefs which means that although I don't have the same spell on my head that Roman does, none of your enemies talk to me. Roman keeps me updated on some things but nothing really substantial as he is physically unable to say anything that will endanger or expose your enemies. He can't even tell me about it." Antoinette denies the fact that she can inform, giving a lengthy reason as to why she can't, before admitting that Roman can't even share their enemies secrets with her, as she walked off.
"Of course, that doesn't mean I'm completely useless to you. Before I walked away from my family, and technically your enemies as well, they placed a spell on me that allows me to know when they're making a move. Needless to say, I knew that they were going to be doing something here in Mystic Falls but it wasn't very informative with the whole 'Hope' predicament." Antoinette adds that she isn't completely helpless then explains that she, herself, had a spell placed on her before she walked away from their enemies, implying that it's still intact on her currently yet claims that the spell isn't very informative.
"Why do I get the feeling that, outside the lack of information it gives, there's another problem with the spell on you?" Klaus speaks up on a feeling he has about Antoinette's spell and she tilts her head to the side awkwardly while she bites her lip nervously, as though to say 'there actually is another problem'.
"Um, it only works if I'm sleeping. I will get a bad feeling and look uncomfortable if they plan a move while I'm awake but I won't get any flashes of what the plan might be unless I'm asleep." Antoinette just adds more information to the spell placed on her, admitting that she needs to be asleep for it to work effectively.
"Hold up, what did you mean by when you walked away from your family, you walked away from our enemies?" Davina finally speaks, apparently having gotten stuck on one of her statements in her second confession, clearly confused and confusing the others.
Antoinette remained silent for a long moment, after she started to answer but hesitated, trying to figure out if she should answer the question.
"Yeah, that's the problem. Now Roman probably doesn't want me to tell you this but he can't really object. My mother, before she died, befriended quite the abundance of your enemies. She was working with people, as well as had people working for her. Roman was right, your enemies want to start a war, which is why they took Hope." Antoinette responds to Davina's question, hinting that Roman didn't want them to know what she just told them but the group looks more confused.
"Okay so, imagine all of the worst enemies that you've had or faced, whether they're deceased or still living. Now put them in a large group, most likely off the grid. They want war, bloodshed, and Hope. Hope is not the goal for whoever took her, that much I know, and I also know that one of your enemies, the worst of the worst, wants her for himself. Roman and I call him the boss and it's just a matter of time before he decides to kill my brother, now that Roman's back in the states." Antoinette has them imagine all of the enemies that they had faced then to put them in a large group before revealing more info.
"If he's the boss, that means he's in charge of the entire group, right?" Josie joins the conversation and Antoinette nods.
"Most of them. The people that follow the boss will do anything to keep Hope alive for him but there are others that acknowledge him as the boss and in charge, but don't follow his orders. Those are the people who just want to kill Hope. The major problem that we have right now, however, is that I have no idea which of those groups took her. If they work for and follow the boss, she's alive. If they don't follow him, well I hate to say it, but she'll most likely end up dead." Antoinette confesses that there are, in fact, two types of groups that are a part of the large one that they create but admits that she has no idea which of the two groups took her.
"So, there's a fifty/fifty chance that she's still alive?" Alaric questions this causing Antoinette to think for a moment before tilting one of her hands back and forth.
"Normally, yes. But from what you told me, the people responsible skinned her. As much as I hate it, skinning people was something both my mother and father did, especially if they were werewolves. So if anything, there might be a slightly higher chance that she'll end up dead. I'm sorry." Antoinette apologizes to all of them after she admits that there's a low chance she's still alive since the people responsible have now skinned her.
The entire room, Kaleb and Jed included, look so horrified by this revelation that they can't even seem to find words to speak.