Five Days After Black and Red Collide
5
Mikaelson Compound, New Orleans
2nd May
Breakfast was an uncharacteristically quiet affair for the date. Freya poured coffee for herself and her guests, worried that her boiled eggs were going to turn out as hard as rubber, and tried to dislodge the sleep from her eyes with balled fists. Every moment physically hurt, with Hayley never far from her mind, and Hope's absence at the breakfast table also notable.
The birthday girl should have been bouncing around the dining room of the compound, hyped up on sugar and post gift excitement, when instead she was squirrelled away in her room refusing to let anyone inside. Freya had tried religiously since waking, and even Vanessa had taken a turn sitting outside the door and attempting to coax the silent teenager over the threshold. Nothing seemed to work, and short of having one of Klaus' men break down her only barrier to her niece in order to drag her out by her hair, Freya wasn't entirely sure what could be done.
And so, she admitted defeat, staring into another mug of coffee, which was probably too bitter to drink since she had never truly gotten the hang of using the all-singing, all-dancing coffee machine that Hayley had practically lived for.
At Freya's side, Reggie sat pouring over the morning paper whilst munching on a square of toast that Freya was ashamed to admit she had burned. For an all-powerful witch who could whip up some of the most complex spells and potions the world had ever seen, she was a shockingly terrible cook.
"I'm sorry breakfast is…" Freya began, shooting glances at Vanessa and Ethan, who were both rather gallantly attempting to chew their way through overcooked eggs and blackened toast. Freya neglected to finish her sentence and instead chose to punctuate it with a hefty sigh. Vanessa's kindly smile wasn't nearly enough to renew her spirit, but when her friend reached across the table, seized her hand, and gently squeezed it, Freya found her mood lifting just slightly.
"No need to apologise," Vanessa declared, deciding to drop all pretences as she pushed her plate away with her free hand, "breakfast was never my favourite meal of the day. Now dessert on the other hand…"
Freya chuckled and shook her head as she replied, "Thank God for canned pudding is all I can say. Klaus is better in the kitchen than me, strangely enough."
Swallowing a sip of coffee, Ethan shrugged then picked up a slice of slightly charred toast which he bit into with little concern. Vanessa peered over the rim of her china tea cup, smiling when Ethan sat back and rested his arm around her chair.
"I figure I've always been more of an accomplished eater rather than a chef," he remarked, "and I confess that I'm mighty keen to see what other culinary delights this century has to offer."
He smiled almost dreamily at the recollection of the new, gloriously cheesy concoction they had eaten for supper the previous evening. He had already made a mental note to revisit 'pizza' again in the near future.
Freya was poised to reply when one of Klaus' day walkers appeared in the doorway of the dining room, a bright pink box clutched in his hands and an almost pensive expression on his face.
"This was just delivered. Figured I should bring it straight to you."
Biting on her bottom lip, the blonde witch gestured to the table and offered a tight smile of thanks as the vampire placed the offering down beside her then bid a hasty retreat. Whilst the day walkers Klaus had charged with guarding the family compound lived in a perpetual state of fear regarding upsetting their hybrid employer, neither were they keen on the prospect of getting on the wrong side of his spell casting sister.
Vanessa peered at the box, which she considered somewhat enormous, a look of open curiosity spread across her features. A glance at Freya and the sadness washing over her alerted Vanessa to the fact that the mystery delivery was perhaps an unwelcome one. Sensing her friends' eyes upon her, Freya gathered herself quickly and drew in a breath that she hoped would sustain her throughout her explanation.
"It's Hope's birthday today," she explained, barely managing to blink back her tears as she added in a rush, "Hayley ordered the cake weeks ago. We were supposed to have a big party tonight here at the compound. All of our friends, some of the kids Hope goes to school with, the wolves…"
Understanding dawned and Ethan nodded at Freya with a sympathetic smile, which was mirrored on Vanessa's face. Freya felt herself internally cringing, however, when she registered the sound of footsteps entering the dining room. She shot a look at the treacherous box, which was emblazoned with the name of the bakery in gold letters. There was nowhere to conceivably hide the cake before Hope swept into the room, although Freya momentarily gave serious thought to attempting to toss a napkin over it and hoping for the best.
"Talking about me?" Hope demanded, a definite edge to her voice as she lingered for a few seconds at the head of the table before deciding on a chair at Freya's side.
"Good mornin'," Ethan rumbled, bobbing his head politely at Hope, who only barely glanced at him for a fleeting moment.
"Not really," deflected Hope, her meaning clear. She reached for an empty glass with one hand and the jug of fresh orange juice with the other, her lips pursed as she poured. She kept her eyes to the table top as best she could, the slight tremble of her shoulders betraying the fact that she was barely managing to keep it together in front of their guests.
Her eyes freezing on the cake box, Hope blinked rapidly in a desperate attempt to dismiss the tears that she had awoken to that morning. It was as if opening her eyes on the new day had ushered in a fresh wave of grief and guilt, and she felt the back of her throat burn with the effort of keeping it together.
"Throw it in the trash," Hope demanded, reaching out and shoving roughly at the box, as if all of her anger was directed at the four layer raspberry and white chocolate cake that lay inside the carefully wrapped parcel.
"Hope..." Freya began, her eyes widening as the teenager rounded on her, slamming her glass down onto the table despite the polite company she found herself in.
Shaking her head wildly, Hope interrupted her, "I don't want to talk about it, Aunt Freya, okay? Just... Just throw the damn cake away. It's not like we're gonna light candles and sing 'Happy Birthday', right? I just... I just want to forget it's my birthday. Can we just do that, please?"
Freya, uncertain of how best to respond given the circumstances, found herself powerless to do anything else other than nod her head in agreement. Sliding his paper across the table, Reggie rose to his feet and wordlessly beat a hasty exit, perhaps sensing the rising probability of an argument. Ethan watched the man go with an almost envious look upon his face, perhaps wishing that he too could retreat from the line of fire.
"I'll get rid of it after breakfast," Freya assuaged her niece, swallowing hard as she watched Hope attempt to shut down her emotions again. It was as though a curtain descended in front of the girl's face, masking her grief and anger.
"Hope, if I may be so bold," Vanessa started, her voice ringing out clearly across the room and causing Hope to snap her head up in surprise, "Ethan and I have made a vow to your aunt, and indeed to you, that we will not rest until we have been able to ease your pain, even if but a little. I can't promise that I can return your mother to you, but I do believe that I can at least vanquish the evil that is keeping your father away."
Surprising all of those seated around the table, Hope appeared to mull over Vanessa's words for a moment before replying with a tentative, "Okay."
Vanessa, sensing that she might perhaps be making some headway in reaching the girl, ventured further, "Perhaps you and I might finish our breakfast outside? I believe I spotted a bench out in the courtyard. Personally, I feel it an absolute crime to let perfectly good dessert go to waste."
Managing to coax a brief, uncertain smile out of the youngster, she narrowed her eyes as if conspiring over some great secret, "And you know in my experience nothing starts the day off quite like a slice of cake."
Ethan chuckled discretely, hiding the gesture behind the rim of his coffee mug as he watched Vanessa pluck two unused forks from their place settings at the table. She held them up as if posing the question to Hope and, with a shrug of feigned disinterest, the girl nodded.
"My favourite is Funfetti," Hope said almost meekly, pushing back her chair and tilting her head in Vanessa's direction. A tiny smile, fuelled by a memory, weaved its way across her lips as she explained, "Mom used to wake me up with cake, every birthday."
"And perhaps she will again," answered Vanessa softly. She didn't miss the way Hope stood up a little straighter at the suggestion, renewed by even the possibility of being in her mother's arms again. Vanessa dearly hoped that she could give her that.
Hope had just begun to collect the box from the table when her attention was drawn to the doorway, from which a great commotion could be heard emanating from the courtyard. There was a very loud and distinct scream of pain, and Ethan was on his feet in front of Vanessa before anyone could so much as blink. Freya rose and pushed Hope behind her, but the teen peered around her aunt's shoulder as she attempted to make out what was happening barely out of sight.
"You can't… you can't just…" a familiar voice – one of Klaus' soldiers – yelled gruffly, before he was silenced by a sickening sounding crack that may or may not have been his neck breaking.
The door to the dining room was flung open seconds later. It struck the adjacent wall hard, sending chunks of ancient plaster raining down from the ceiling, much to Freya's irritation. The compound was already in dire need of work, and it was just one more thing to add to her ever growing list of chores she could never possibly hope to get done.
"This is on you…" Lisina hissed from her position on the threshold of the doorway. Freya's eyes widened, taking in the wolf's dishevelled appearance and the blood dripping from her mouth, indicating that someone in the near vicinity had been on the wrong end of her teeth. Imagining Klaus' fury at such a development, Freya's blood pressure soared along with her own anger.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Lisina?" snarled Freya, her hair rising around her shoulders as though encouraged by the breeze. "I thought I made it clear that…"
"Frank is dead, and it's all because of this god damned family and their refusal to act," roared the irate wolf.
"Who the fuck is Frank?" Ethan interjected, tiring quickly of the back and forth that neither he nor Vanessa could possibly hope to comprehend.
"A Crescent," Hope spoke up, although her voice was small and shaky. It seemed to do nothing to deflate Lisina's rage, however.
"One of my pack," agreed Lisina, whipping her head around to face Ethan, who she evaluated with a mere glance, "a friend. At least, he was until he was murdered last night in his sleep by a guy he used to go bowling with."
Noting how Hope watched the back and forth with growing unease, Vanessa placed her hand on her arm, frowning as the young girl jumped at the sudden contact - an indication of just how much the appearance of the wolf had unnerved her.
"Come along, Hope," Vanessa said kindly, offering her a smile as she watched the girl's gaze dart furtively between her aunt and the woman she so clearly viewed as a threat.
"But... I should stay, I..." Hope began, feeling Vanessa's arm curl that little bit tighter around her shoulders as she cajoled her towards the door.
Vanessa shot Ethan a parting glance, and he nodded wordlessly at her inference as he moved to stand beside Freya, his body half blocking the blonde witch from the fury of the newcomer. Knowing the history of the Crescent wolves as she did - thanks to Freya's very detailed explanations of the city's residents the previous evening - Vanessa knew that Ethan's strength far outmatched that of his somewhat rowdy descendants.
"It will be alright, Ethan will not allow anything to happen to your aunt," Vanessa assured her, this time managing to successfully steer the child out of the room and away from the fray.
Lisina stepped forward, arms folded across her chest and a fire blazing behind her eyes as she glared with unchecked irritation at the man who had seen fit to interfere in the business of the bayou.
"Step aside, stranger, this doesn't concern you!" she snapped, glaring up into the handsome face of the man before her, who had the nerve to deflect her order with nothing more than an easy smile and a shrug.
Ethan turned to regard Freya momentarily, awaiting dismissal, before his gaze landed once more on the increasingly frustrated wolf.
"Well now, I'm afraid I can't do that," he countered, anticipating the response he knew would follow, if the indignation in the woman's eyes was any indication.
Lisina leant her head back, jaw tilted, "I said, this doesn't concern you."
Narrowing his eyes, a brief, self-assured smirk tugged at his lips as Ethan drawled, "You sure about that, darlin'?"
Almost immediately a flash of amber flickered in his brown orbs. The guttural growl that reverberated from his chest seemed to only brighten the deep yellow hue that coloured his gaze.
Having the good sense to recognise a stronger wolf, Lisina took a step back, at least some of the wind leaving her sales. However, her expression remained irate, features stretched taught in a display of her rage. Her entire body trembled and, had her supernatural link to Hayley not been severed with the hybrid's death, Freya was certain that Lisina would have erupted into fur and claws right there and then.
"You're not a Crescent," said Lisina stubbornly, arms tight across her chest in a gesture that was perhaps one of nervousness. Ethan watched her, waiting for her to make the slightest move against the witch he had sworn to protect.
"I understand that things in the bayou are bad," Freya interjected, her teeth gritted and her nails digging into her palms as she spoke, "I wish that I could help more, I really do."
Lisina snorted, and her response tumbled from her lips along with a puff of laughter, "You expect me to believe that you care a damn about the affairs of wolves?"
"I care," Freya bit back, her upper lip curling, "Hayley was my best friend, my sister, and you were her people, just like you're my brother's people and my niece's people."
"Your niece needs to step up to her obligations," hissed Lisina, shaking her head hard as though she couldn't quite believe Freya's protests or her gall.
Freya arched an eyebrow, her hand planted on her hip as she regarded the insolent wolf with a growing ire of her own. With all Hope had been through lately, there was no way she would allow the young girl to be subjected to the power plays and often underhanded politics of the bayou.
"My niece is still a child. A child who just lost her mother," Freya took a step forward, the menacing glint in her eye reminiscent of her younger brother's fits of often incandescent, homicidal rage. "Get out of my house before my brother finds out you were here placing demands on his daughter, and rips your goddamn throat out!"
Lisina looked between the witch and her protector, her breathing coming in short, sharp rasps as she felt her whole body consumed with frustration and anger. Hayley's death had heralded the worst societal unrest between the species within living memory, and the uncertainty of just who would rule over the wolf clans was causing almost as much alarm to the bayou residents as the actions of the scheming factions within it.
"I'm not leaving until..." Lisina started, her eyes growing wide as Freya lifted her hand and batted her wrist at the woman. Almost immediately, Lisina was swept clear off her feet then sent hurtling through the doorway and out into the courtyard with a scream of surprise that caused numerous day walkers to come running. The dining room doors slammed closed, forced by an invisible hand.
A smirk still in place upon his lips, Ethan drawled, "Well, she seemed nice."
x-x-x
Vanessa settled herself onto a bench outside, cake box still clutched precariously in both hands, whilst Hope was stared back towards the entrance of the compound. She wore her worry plainly on her face, and she held herself in such a way that her anxiety was clear; all hunched shoulders and taut muscles.
"Everything will be well, little one," Vanessa assured her, without glancing up from the cake box. She managed to manoeuvre it just so, ensuring its safety in her lap, and then she extended one hand to Hope. Within her fingers was clasped a fork.
"You really weren't kidding," observed Hope, a faint smile of amusement twitching at her lips as she sat down at Vanessa's side on the bench and then curled her legs up underneath her body. Her poise was still very much immature, and Vanessa was struck suddenly by just how young the girl beside her indeed was – almost fresh from the cradle.
"I never joke about cake, Hope," replied Vanessa with a twinkle in her eye, and Hope actually laughed in response. However, she seemed to catch herself at the last second, and her mirth faded away along with the colour in her cheeks.
"Every time I… if I smile or I laugh or…" Hope swallowed hard, and Vanessa pressed her shoulder against the girl's in a small offer of comfort, "it feels like I'm betraying her."
Vanessa sighed out loud, her brow creased into a frown as she stated, "I am certain that your mother's main desire in life was for your happiness, was it not?"
Not awaiting a reply, she added, "I believe that is all parents truly want for their children; their happiness. A child's sorrow is her mother's greatest torment. Perhaps even her father's, too."
Looking up and staring intently at the woman's face, Hope saw the loss and regret etched in her features. "Did you have kids? I mean, back then."
Shaking her head resolutely, Vanessa managed a smile that was somewhat tight and forced.
"No. I believe I was the cause of great sadness for my mother. My father, too." Whilst Vanessa's thoughts drifted to the man whose name she bore, she also found herself contemplating the late Sir. Malcolm, and a lump formed in her throat at the raw grief such thoughts elicited.
Hope nodded, poking her fork at the edge of the frosting on the cake. "I don't see my dad much now... cos of the whole Hollow thing. Kind of feels like... like being an orphan, I guess."
Reaching out hesitantly, Vanessa brushed a stray tendril of hair from the girl's cheek, and the maternal gesture brought a quiver to the child's bottom lip that did not go unnoticed by the witch.
"We shall set about fixing that, and then your father can return home to you where he belongs," Vanessa stated, and the certainty in her tone brought a smile of acknowledgement to Hope's face, brightening her features if only for a second.
"Now, as it is your birthday, I think perhaps you should do the honours!" Vanessa peered down at the cake, watching with a growing smile as Hope ducked her head and somewhat hesitantly broke through the icing with her fork. Lifting a mound of cake to her lips, the girl chewed on it slowly and then pressed her hand to her mouth as a puff of laughter overcame her.
"It's really good," she said shyly, her smile growing - this time unchecked - as Vanessa dug a forkful of the cake out for herself.
"As I said," Vanessa replied, an almost snooty air about her, "it is always a shame to allow a good cake to go to waste."
Hope simply grunted, her mouth far too full to possibly consider speaking, which would have been much to her mother's chagrin she was sure. This time though, thoughts of her mother did not bring a sense of heaviness to her body, or cause her heart to stutter to almost stillness in her chest. They instead filled her with warmth. She loved her mother with everything she had, and had been loved by Hayley in equal measure; Hope was not prepared to let go quite so easily. She would fight with everything she had to bring her mother back, and she could be almost certain that the powerful witch by her side would do likewise.
Vanessa swallowed her bite of cake and tapped demurely at the corner of her lips with her fingertips to dispel invisible crumbs.
"Many happy returns of the day, Hope," she said, reaching out and capturing Hope's free hand in her own. She squeezed the girl's fingers tight, offering her comfort and also strength, for she would undoubtedly need both to make it through the trials of the day ahead.
"You talk kind of like my dad," answered Hope, looking somewhat apprehensive, as though she was afraid of offending Vanessa. The witch's responding chuckle was enough to assuage her of that, however.
"Your father and I are from a different time, although he admittedly a much earlier one than I," Vanessa said, returning her attention to the cake, which had improved vastly in the years she had been sleeping. The icing melted on the roof of her mouth and the sponge was the lightest she had ever tasted, although the cook at Grandage Place had certainly been an exquisite one.
Hope fell silent, toying with her fork and staring off into the distance at the fountain that bubbled away quietly.
"Tell me about your mother," Vanessa pressed, watching Hope for her reaction, "I think that I would like to know her."
Hope appeared slightly taken aback for a moment. Licking the frosting from the fork, she looked up at her new friend from beneath of fan of dark lashes, and then hesitantly she began to talk about her late mother.
The words came easier than she had expected, and the more Hope talked the more animated and bright her eyes became. For the next ten minutes, Hope painted a picture of the young, free-spirited, and loving mother she had adored for all of her short life; the songs they'd sung, the lullabies in the dead of night, the favourite meals she had cooked, the movies they enjoyed together, road trips, silly stories, the places they had planned to visit, and the hopes and dreams they had shared for the future. Soon Vanessa felt as if she too knew the vivacious young woman whose absence held so many grief stricken.
"She sounds like a wonderful mother." Her blue eyes creased into a kind smile, Vanessa watched the girl brush mournfully at the tears that tripped her cheeks. Her joyful tirade had come to a halt, and cruel reality once more began to take hold of her.
"We will do everything within our power to bring her back, Hope."
Letting the fork fall into the box, her appetite gone, Hope peered up into the woman's face, finding a curious sense of comfort in her eyes. Shuffling closer, she let her head rest, at first hesitantly, on Vanessa's shoulder. Leaning her forehead gently against the child's, the witch allowed Hope to give in to her grief. She wrapped her in an almost maternal embrace and uttered soft, shushing sounds as she rocked the girl gently through her tears.
When her eyes were dry and sore, and she could cry no more, Hope cast her mournful gaze at the cake box beside her. She dabbed at her wet cheeks with the cuffs of her sweater.
"I think you'll be a pretty great mom too," Hope said almost absently. She realised that she didn't feel at all foolish or embarrassed for her emotional outburst. Despite the wealth of power she felt radiating from the brunette witch, there was also an inherent kindness about her that made the teenager feel at ease; safe, even.
"Maybe you can eat breakfast cake with your kid," Hope shrugged, "she'll like that."
Vanessa looked at the young tribid sharply, noting the confidence that resonated in her tone, as if her words were true and not only conjecture - as if she had a clear window to the future. Choosing not to question the teenager, and perhaps allowing herself to reignite an old dream, Vanessa merely smiled.
"Wouldn't that be wonderful."
x-x-x
Freya had managed to steal herself away whilst the vampires at her beck and call were far too preoccupied with scrubbing blood off the tiles to much notice her absence. Ethan was polite enough not to inquire as to where she was heading, and instead retreated back to his own room in order to do some reading since Vanessa was still occupied with Hope and a very large birthday cake.
Closing the door of the pantry behind her, Freya leaned her back against it heavily and allowed her eyelids to flicker closed for a moment so that she could gather her wits. Lisina's abrupt interruption of breakfast coupled with her revelations of murder in the bayou had set Freya's very last nerve on edge. She sucked in a few harsh and noisy breaths before she managed to slow the pounding of her heart. She forced her pulse to a more leisurely rhythm, repeating a soothing mantra in her own head in order to hurry along the business of calming herself. When she was certain finally that her voice would not shake when she spoke, Freya dug her cell phone out of her pocket and clicked on the Skype app.
The call rang barely three times before it was answered, and Klaus' concerned face filled her screen.
"Sister, how is Hope?" he began, clearly digesting the somewhat frenzied look in Freya's eyes, which were usually such an ocean of calm.
Forgoing all pleasantries, Freya blurted out, "There's been a murder in the bayou!"
Klaus appeared visibly taken aback, his brow creasing deeply into a frown. Whilst he couldn't have cared less about wolf clan politics, or indeed the unfortunately deceased Crescent, he immediately recognised the implications of such an event.
"And might I ask which unfortunate flea bag has met his or her demise?" he asked carefully, the disdain and irritation evident in his voice as he contemplated once again how problematic the Crescent wolves could be. It had been so much easier with Hayley as their leader; she'd commanded their respect and yet also somehow their affection, and Klaus doubted they would find another who could so effortlessly compel the wolves into easy submission.
"I don't know, it doesn't matter," Freya shook her head, unable to recall the name of the victim as her mind raced still as a result of her encounter with Lisina. "What are we going to do, Klaus? Lisina was here at the compound. They're demanding Hope..."
Klaus interrupted her, his voice more an audible snarl, "They're making demands of my daughter? Have they entirely lost their mange ridden minds?"
"Of course I sent her away," Freya replied, dropping her voice to a whisper in order to avoid being overheard, "but Lisina isn't kidding around, Klaus. I'm concerned about what the wolves are going to do if we don't act now."
Klaus considered Freya's words for a while in silence, his gaze cast downward and his lips twisted into a grimace that indicated he was at a loss, at least for the moment.
"There is nothing much I can do given my current predicament," he stated, raking a hand through his hair and then rubbing at his eyes, which seemed even more swollen and red than they had done the previous evening.
"I guess Ethan is our only option," Freya murmured, sagging against the shelves and accidentally disturbing packets of cereal and pasta. "What do you want me to do, Klaus?"
"Talk to him, beg if you have to," Klaus replied without missing a beat, his eyes almost frantic, "I can be of no service to Hope or the peace treaty at the moment, and we have no idea of knowing whether your witch's spell will be effective in changing that. Ask him to keep the pack in order, I don't care how he does it, I don't even care if he forces them to roll out the red carpet and crown him before the day is through, just… fix this… please, Freya."
Unaccustomed to hearing such pleading from Klaus, Freya barely managed to keep the surprise from colouring her features as she peered into the camera lens of her cell phone and emphatically nodded her head.
"I'll do my best," she vowed, and Klaus revealed a small smile that belayed he had absolutely no doubt as to the sincerity of his sister's words.
"How is Hope holding up?" he asked, his entire person seeming to somehow soften with the query.
"I think she'd feel better for speaking to her dad?!"
Klaus nodded, his expression brightening infinitesimally. "If only I were able to spend the day with her, instead of each of us languishing in our shared misery."
Pushing her way out of the pantry, Freya walked onto the balcony in search of the birthday girl. She glanced down into the courtyard, where she found Hope and Vanessa chatting away as if they were old friends, the half savaged cake abandoned between them.
Though Freya had only known her magical counterpart for little more than six months all those years ago, she was aware that it was typical of Vanessa to reach out to those in need. Perhaps it was that Vanessa felt a kindred spirit in the abandoned and unloved, but whatever could be held accountable for her nature, the woman of high birth had always been at home with the destitute and isolated in Victorian society. Now, it seemed she had found a way to relate to the grief that gripped so fiercely at a young girl.
"Hope?" Freya called down, forcing a smile as she held her cell phone aloft, "your dad wants to talk to you."
Almost immediately Hope appeared to brighten. She stood up and tore towards the stairs to speak to her father with childish exuberance. Seizing the phone without a thanks, she held it up to view her father's image and, as the two began to talk in hushed tones, Hope sauntered in the direction of her bedroom.
Freya looked to Vanessa, wringing her hands together as she contemplated her impending conversation with Ethan. He had made no secret of the fact he desired nothing but a quiet life this time around, free from the problems that often arose when one lived amongst the supernatural community. Freya could hardly blame him for harbouring such a desire, especially when it was vampires after all that had almost cost him so much.
Loathed to shatter the peaceful reverie she observed Vanessa in, Freya simply stared at her friend. She didn't hear the sound of footfalls behind her until a voice permeated her scattered thoughts. Gasping at the intrusion, the witch turned to find Ethan standing beside her, his gaze also resting on the dark haired woman in the courtyard beneath them. Ethan's hands gripped the edge of the stone balcony and he breathed out a weary sigh.
"You know, I realised something this morning," he began in obvious contemplation, "in all of the time I've known Vanessa, I don't think I've ever really seen her smile. Not an actual, honest to God smile. Not until now. And that's all thanks to you, and what you did for us back then. I'm no idiot, Freya. I know that given a little more time, the darkness would have worn her down, crushed what was left of her spirit... and I'm partly responsible for that. It pains me to even contemplate what might have happened back then."
His brow knit into a frown, and he averted his eyes so they fell instead upon the stone his hands gripped with increased ferocity. His mind had wandered down a path that he didn't much like to dwell on.
"I love her more than I've ever loved anything in my whole goddamn life… So I figure I owe you."
"Ethan?" Freya began, touched by the sentiment - and indeed the obvious adoration he bestowed on her friend. Yet the timing of his confession was somewhat unexpected, and most certainly a little too convenient to merely be down to coincidence.
Under the weight of his attention, Vanessa turned and sought out the eyes that she felt resting upon her. Her smile was instantaneous and, as she rose from the bench to make her way towards her lover, Ethan felt that swell of gratitude he had spoken of just moments before wash over him again.
The decisive tone to his voice imbued Freya with a sense of relief that she could not quite remember experiencing before.
"When exactly do you want me to meet with the wolves?"