p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"Ch.1: Loss and Heartbreak/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center" /p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAfter she'd gotten used to being human after Elena had shoved the cure down her throat, she'd gotten herself well acquainted. Shortly after being turned back into a human, she'd left Mystic Falls. Hadn't heard a thing from them ever since then. She now was renting a beautiful white house in Georgia. She hadn't wanted to be too far away in case anyone in Mystic Falls needed her. And that led up to right now./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanShe answered her phone, only to hear that it was someone she hadn't seen in centuries./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Freya?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hey. I know you're probably still dealing with your own dilemma, but something's about to happen. I'm going to need you to look after Hayley and Klaus' daughter, Hope. Despite the history between you three, you're the best person to handle her right now. Hayley's been killed, everyone else is going to be leaving town, and I have somewhere else other than New Orleans to be. Human or not, you're good with control and you can probably relate to her more than anyone else right now. She's half hybrid and half witch, so she's going to need your help with control more than anyone else."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What's going to happen?" she wanted to know. "You know I'd do anything for you and even for your siblings, but why does it have to be me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"The Hollow. None of us can find a loophole. It wants her power. It can't be controlled or even put back where it belongs, so Klaus is going to make a sacrifice. And we've talked. This is what he wishes."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'll grab some things I need and head to New Orleans then. If I don't make it in time, tell him I forgave him a while ago, and to make sure he's making the right choice. I'm not going to stop him. If it were Nadia, I'd do exactly the same thing he's about to do."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'll relay that to him, then," Freya assured her./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWhen she entered the compound, only Freya and a little girl she assumed had to be Hope, were the only ones there. No moral Original or even a badass one. Not even her former enemy. And she knew she was too late. She could tell how upset the kid was, and she remembered a worst feeling than her. No one deserved to become an orphan. There was a big difference between finding your parents killed, and being told what happened to them, though. But she'd never grieved for her father. She'd always hoped that when he died, he'd rot in hell for what he'd done to her, to Nadia when she was born, and to her mother. But she knew when it came to Klaus, they all would and did grieve. She missed him already, too. But there was still one unanswered question she needed to know before Freya left this city./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hope, this is an old friend of mine. Katherine's going to take care of you now," Freya introduced and informed her, knelt in front of her, a hand on her arm, as the human approached from behind Freya./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No. I want to stay with you," she pleaded./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I know this is hard, but I can't stay here. None of us can. I'll always be one call away if either of you need me, but I have to go back home. This isn't our home anymore. Katherine will keep you safe. She knows what to do. Your dad wanted you safe and protected, and he agreed that Katherine's our best option to make that happen," she tried to explain and reason with her niece./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanKat knelt not far from them, looking at her./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Look, your dad and I didn't really get along throughout the years, but once he made up his mind, he was a lot like me. You couldn't talk him out of it. When he thinks something is best, especially if it's his last wish, you go through with it. I know what it's like to lose your parents at a young age, but people like us. We don't always get happy endings. I was like you when mine were killed. I was close to my mother like you were with your father, so when I found them killed, I thought that was the end, but it wasn't. I'm here, still surviving, even if I don't feel like a survivor all the time. I know it's hard to trust someone you never met before, but this is what's best for you. Your family is different. They need time away from each other to grieve." She then added, "Can you at least trust that your Aunt Freya wouldn't hand you over to just anyone?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFinally, Hope went over to her, defeated and knowing she wasn't going to get what she wanted./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanKat looked at Freya./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do I dare ask where Elijah is? I know he spent a thousand years trying to redeem him," she finally asked, but wasn't sure if she was ready for the news. She didn't want to lose him, despite him having left her a long while ago./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"He's probably already done it. Let's just say that. He didn't think he could endure existing without him. His purpose, as I've come to know, was Klaus. With him gone and Elijah leaving you a while back, he felt like he had no purpose anymore. And he loved Hayley, just as I'm sure he'll always love you in some form."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'll take care of her and love her like she's my own," she replied, amazingly able to keep composed enough, as she and Hope hugged. "Let's go home, sweetie," she told the six year old./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center" /p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAfter she'd gotten used to being human after Elena had shoved the cure down her throat, she'd gotten herself well acquainted. Shortly after being turned back into a human, she'd left Mystic Falls. Hadn't heard a thing from them ever since then. She now was renting a beautiful white house in Georgia. She hadn't wanted to be too far away in case anyone in Mystic Falls needed her. And that led up to right now./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanShe answered her phone, only to hear that it was someone she hadn't seen in centuries./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Freya?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hey. I know you're probably still dealing with your own dilemma, but something's about to happen. I'm going to need you to look after Hayley and Klaus' daughter, Hope. Despite the history between you three, you're the best person to handle her right now. Hayley's been killed, everyone else is going to be leaving town, and I have somewhere else other than New Orleans to be. Human or not, you're good with control and you can probably relate to her more than anyone else right now. She's half hybrid and half witch, so she's going to need your help with control more than anyone else."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What's going to happen?" she wanted to know. "You know I'd do anything for you and even for your siblings, but why does it have to be me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"The Hollow. None of us can find a loophole. It wants her power. It can't be controlled or even put back where it belongs, so Klaus is going to make a sacrifice. And we've talked. This is what he wishes."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'll grab some things I need and head to New Orleans then. If I don't make it in time, tell him I forgave him a while ago, and to make sure he's making the right choice. I'm not going to stop him. If it were Nadia, I'd do exactly the same thing he's about to do."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'll relay that to him, then," Freya assured her./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWhen she entered the compound, only Freya and a little girl she assumed had to be Hope, were the only ones there. No moral Original or even a badass one. Not even her former enemy. And she knew she was too late. She could tell how upset the kid was, and she remembered a worst feeling than her. No one deserved to become an orphan. There was a big difference between finding your parents killed, and being told what happened to them, though. But she'd never grieved for her father. She'd always hoped that when he died, he'd rot in hell for what he'd done to her, to Nadia when she was born, and to her mother. But she knew when it came to Klaus, they all would and did grieve. She missed him already, too. But there was still one unanswered question she needed to know before Freya left this city./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hope, this is an old friend of mine. Katherine's going to take care of you now," Freya introduced and informed her, knelt in front of her, a hand on her arm, as the human approached from behind Freya./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No. I want to stay with you," she pleaded./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I know this is hard, but I can't stay here. None of us can. I'll always be one call away if either of you need me, but I have to go back home. This isn't our home anymore. Katherine will keep you safe. She knows what to do. Your dad wanted you safe and protected, and he agreed that Katherine's our best option to make that happen," she tried to explain and reason with her niece./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanKat knelt not far from them, looking at her./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Look, your dad and I didn't really get along throughout the years, but once he made up his mind, he was a lot like me. You couldn't talk him out of it. When he thinks something is best, especially if it's his last wish, you go through with it. I know what it's like to lose your parents at a young age, but people like us. We don't always get happy endings. I was like you when mine were killed. I was close to my mother like you were with your father, so when I found them killed, I thought that was the end, but it wasn't. I'm here, still surviving, even if I don't feel like a survivor all the time. I know it's hard to trust someone you never met before, but this is what's best for you. Your family is different. They need time away from each other to grieve." She then added, "Can you at least trust that your Aunt Freya wouldn't hand you over to just anyone?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFinally, Hope went over to her, defeated and knowing she wasn't going to get what she wanted./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanKat looked at Freya./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do I dare ask where Elijah is? I know he spent a thousand years trying to redeem him," she finally asked, but wasn't sure if she was ready for the news. She didn't want to lose him, despite him having left her a long while ago./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"He's probably already done it. Let's just say that. He didn't think he could endure existing without him. His purpose, as I've come to know, was Klaus. With him gone and Elijah leaving you a while back, he felt like he had no purpose anymore. And he loved Hayley, just as I'm sure he'll always love you in some form."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'll take care of her and love her like she's my own," she replied, amazingly able to keep composed enough, as she and Hope hugged. "Let's go home, sweetie," she told the six year old./p