Hope sat in her car, parked in the grass by the road that led to Wickery Bridge. She listened to the water flowing underneath the bridge, the wind whistling through the trees. This bridge was the reason that two of the most precious people in her life were no longer there. This bridge almost tore her sister away from her. She used to refer to it as the death bridge, all those months ago when she had no idea about who she really was, who Elena really was to her. She could blame this bridge for all the pain she felt, but not this time.

She couldn't blame the bridge for this new grief that sat on her chest like a ton of bricks. There was only one person, one man, that could, and would, take the blame for this.

His name was Klaus.

But right now, Hope was battling a different kind of sadness. The sadness of what was to come, of pains that had not happened yet. She watched her passenger door open and Caroline slide in. The blonde swallowed the words that she had been about to say as she took in Hope's taut jaw and her white knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

"I know you don't agree with what I'm asking of you, but I just want to thank you for doing it anyways." Her voice was shaky, and a lone tear curved over the swell of her cheek. It dropped unnoticed to her collarbone, as her friend nodded her head.

Hope started the car and drove over the death bridge, turning the volume on the radio up to drown out the ringing silence in her ears.

Hope pulled up the driveway of the house, building her walls up as the two girls got out and made their way up to the house. With a wave of her hand, Hope unlocked the door to the empty house, knowing her family had left just moments ago. She stood at the heart of the house, the kitchen, and raised her hand and began to speak in Latin.

All over the house, any picture she was in began to alter as she faded from the image. Every picture of her alone vanished into the unknown. All of her belongings that had stayed behind when she went with her father began to pack itself in boxes and pile themselves by the door. Her room became a generic home office, devoid of any evidence that she had ever called it hers.

Once she was done, the girls began to pack her belongings into her car. They didn't speak as Hope packed away the last box, or as they went back into the house to wait for her family. The atmosphere was tense. Hope trailed around the house, remembering her life, how good she had it in those four walls, even though she couldn't see it back then. Caroline sat on the couch, crying silently for her hurting best friend. Her vampire hearing picked up the car pulling into the driveway and called out softly for Hope.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Caroline asked. Hope nodded, and sat next to her as they waited for the family to enter the house.

The door opened and Hope wanted to cry. Both of her siblings ran to her, hugging and kissing her all over. They had grown so much in the time she had been away. Her stepdad kissed the top of her head, and her mother cried. She hugged her mother hard and for a long time. It was, after all, the last time she ever would.

"Mom, I have some bad news." She whispered as she pulled away from her. She led her mother to the couch, and told her about her dad passing away. She fabricated the story, for her sake and the kids, saying it had been a car crash, and that Jenna too had died in the same crash.

"That's just absolutely terrible." Her mother had said through her sobs. Hope nodded and watched Caroline pull her younger siblings into the kitchen.

"Well, Jeremy and Elena can come stay with us. I'm their next of kin. It will be a tight fit, but we'll make it work. Jeff!" Hope laughed, but it came out as a sob. She would miss her mother so much.

"No, mom, that won't be necessary. I'm going to go stay with them. We'll be fine."

"What about coming home? Finishing up school?" Hope's heart began to break as she stood, and began to whisper the spell to her mother's memory. Once she had finished the spell, she touched two fingers to her mother's head. Hope could feel the magic taking her energy out as she moved onto her stepfather Jeff, who had come in as soon as she had finished with her mom.

"Hope, what are you doing?"

"You have been so good to me, I will never be able to thank you for being my dad when mine hadn't. I love you." She hugged him, and began to repeat the process. She touched two fingers to his forehead and walked into the kitchen where Caroline was coloring with her younger siblings.

"Caroline, can you go take care of my mom and Jeff?" Hope whispered. Caroline nodded and smiled sadly at her friend. Hope took her place at the table and grabbed each of her siblings' hands.

"You guys are going to grow up and be the most kind, beautiful people this world will ever know. You'll kick ass and be successful and all your dreams will come true. I love you both so much." She once again started the spell, watching her two siblings grow slack, their eyes glazed over, as she touched two fingers to their foreheads. Caroline came in and compelled them. They had all been compelled the same thing: they would only remember Hope when people they knew asked about her, and once the conversation was done, they would once again not remember that they had a daughter/sister named Hope.

The two girls left the house silently and Hope could not contain her emotions anymore as she slipped into the passenger side of her car. Caroline drove them back to Mystic Falls as Hope sobbed in her hands, the loss of almost her whole family in just two days weighing too heavy on her.

"I had to. I had to. I had to." She kept saying, over and over and over. Caroline was not sure if she was trying to convince herself that it was the right thing to do, but her heart was breaking for Hope. She too cried, and the car ride home was a solemn one.

I'm absolutely terrible. I am.

Well, here's another chapter for you guys! We are only just coming to season three and we still have so much more story to go! Please leave your reviews and remember to fave/follow this story if you want! I love you guys for reading and staying with me even though I suck at updating.

Until next time.