Hey guys And we left for a new chapter of my story of Hope in Vampire Diaries season 4.
In this new chapter, Connor is on the run planning to kill vampires. Those who have seen season 4 know what it is about. Hope will intervene in the events and her involvement will endanger her future.
Good reading.
Chapter 5: An uneasy alliance
"Do you have any idea what I've been through?" Connor muttered to the teacher. "I've spent the last two days chained up by an Original vampire."
Professor Shane looked stunned.
"So, you met Klaus? I only know him by reputation. Apparently he's a real monster."
"He's a vampire-werewolf hybrid. Do you know how hard it is to kill them?" resumed the hunter in a great fury.
"From what I gather, you have to remove their head or their heart. That is according to lore. I'm just speculating."
"I had to figure out how to do it on my own." retorted Connor still furious. "I could have used some of this occult Professor knowledge of yours. Then again, you've always been slow when it comes to providing answers."
"We had a deal." Shane reminded her firmly. "I'll give you answers about your hunter's mark when its grown to completion."
"In other words, kill as many vampires as possible." the Hunter spat disdainfully.
"Come on, Connor, why do you think I sent you to Mystic Falls?" Shane said, getting up from his desk. "There's no shortage of vampires. That town is practically infested. Listen, there's a witch mixed up in all of this. She's important to what I have planned. I want her to be kept out of harm's way."
But Connor kept his hateful gaze as he retorted:
"Anybody gets in my way. Anybody. They're dead."
"Okay," Professor Shane replied, sighing wearily. "Sure, I'll occupy her myself."
"This witch you're talking about, isn't her name Hope, by any chance?" Connor asked, frowning.
Shane remained confused and frowned.
"Hope? No, I don't know her. The Mystic Falls' witch I'm interested in is Bonnie Bennett. Who is this Hope?"
"She's the witch who hangs out with the Original who locked me up. She's a kid, but she's very strong and experienced. She seems to have done magic all her life. And she bonded with that hybrid monster."
"Really?" wondered the teacher. "A young witch who bonded with Klaus? It's amazing! In principle, witches hate abominations like him. This is very odd."
"This Hope is a kid, but as a witch, she is very strong," Connor insisted. "If she gets in the way, I'm gonna have a hard time killing vampires."
Professor Shane nodded.
"Okay, I think I may have something that might help you stop her magic for a short time. Without her magic, this Hope will be defenless to you."
Connor smirked.
"Just do what you do. The less I know about it, the better." the professor ordered him with a scathing tone.
The next morning, Hope woke up quietly in her bed. Her father had gone to Italy to dig up the sword of the Hunter of Five. She had the Mansion to herself for a while. Connor was locked up in Hybrid custody. She intended to use her free time to find a way to enter her future. She had never done a spell that allowed time travel, which was why she was planning to use her father's resources to do so. The Mansion was filled with spellbooks belonging to Esther, her grandmother and also the one who had created the spell of immortality. Using her knowledge, the Tribrid was certain to find a way home. Although she enjoyed spending time with her father, she wanted more than anything to go home and find her had to find Landon, Lizzie, Josie, MG, all the others… And even Dr. Saltzman, hoping he's still alive in the future, despite her presence in Mystic Falls a year before her birth.
Once dressed, Hope went to look for Esther's books in Klaus' library, avoiding crossing a few Hybrids. Knowing what was going to happen to them in the near future, Hope was determined not to get attached to them. She had magically concealed her research, not wanting her dad or one of his Hybrids to get their hands on it. She knew how the Sire Bond worked. If a Hybrid found out about her plans, he would rush to tell Klaus, and for Hope, that was not an option. She wouldn't be able to explain to her father that she was working on a spell that allowed time travel.
Searching through magical affairs, she found a few books that interested her. Then she found a chest full of magic items that must have belonged to her uncle Kol. Intrigued, she glanced at it and to her amazement, she found a crystal that she knew well. A prism. The same prism she had in the future that allowed her to talk to her subconscious. She could thus communicate with herself, perhaps in the form of Landon Kirby. The certainty of speaking with Landon, even if it wasn't quite him, filled her with happiness. She could finally talk to someone without her having to hide anything. She was looking forward to having a moment to herself so she could use the prism. She immediately put it away in her belongings. She was sure her father wouldn't notice. He had to keep his brother's magical belongings without using them. Then, with the search for the cure for vampirism, Hope didn't have to worry about Klaus noticing the absence of a few belongings belonging to Kol.
Once she had searched for what she wanted, she put everything in her room. But before starting anything, she wanted to go see Connor, wanting to check that he was indeed locked up under the guard of the Hybrid who was supposed to watch him. She hadn't been to see the Hunter after her father had driven her back to the Mansion. She went straight up to bed.
Hope quietly returned to the room where Klaus had locked Connor. To her amazement, she discovered the empty torture table. She ran immediately, and noticed the disappearance of the Hunter. His shackles were on the ground. She also saw a decapitated body on the ground. His head was missing. Probably the Hybrid that was to keep him. Judging by the amount of blood on the shackles, Hope surmised that Connor must have used his restraints to chop off the Hybrid's head.
Oh no! Connor ran away! And now that he's free, he's going after the vampires in Mystic Falls! He could go after Elena, Stefan, Damon or Caroline! Which puts my future in danger! If anything happens to them, even one of them, my whole future will be gone!
She had to find Connor quickly as quickly as possible, praying that there were no victims except the Hybrid.
There's not a minute to lose! Immediately, Hope rushed to use the blood of the dead Hybrid for a locating spell in order to find Connor. But to her surprise, she couldn't find him. How could he be masked by her locating spell? Either he had someone with him who was hiding magic from her or he was holding a magic item. But assuming anything wasn't going to help the Tribrid find Connor. She needed help. She couldn't ask the Hybrids for anything. They belonged to her dad. It was him they were subjected to, not her. So she couldn't order them anything.
Reluctantly, she ends up calling Klaus on her phone. There was a moment before he answered her.
"Do you miss me already, my littlest wolf? I arrived in Brienno. A charming town. I'm sure you'd like it. What's this phone call for?"
"Hi, I'm calling you because we have a problem," Hope told him alarmed.
But to her surprise, she heard amusement in her father's voice on the phone.
"Let me guess… You invited boys to my house? Were they wise or did they wreck something? They got drunk, didn't they? And they set the house on fire?"
Hope heard him chuckle with pleasure, but she quickly resumed her anxious tone. In other circumstances, she would have found her father's antics amusing, but this was no time for fun. Everything was in stake right now.
"I'm serious! We have a big problem! Connor's gone!"
"What?" came the voice of Klaus, who this time was no longer amused. (He had become serious again at the sound of his voice.) "What happened?"
"Apparently he ran away last night," Hope replied. "I just found it out."
"Where's Nate?" Klaus shouted furiously. "I had asked him to watch him. How could he be negligent?"
Hope glanced at the decapitated corpse of the Hybrid while talking to her father.
"I think I found Nate. Well… what's left of him. Our hunter must have decapitated him using his shackles. But his head is nowhere to be found. He had to go with it. And in my opinion, he's not gonna make it a hunting trophy."
"He must have taken it to be able to extract werewolf toxin," Klaus replied.
"And he's going to use it to kill vampires," exclaimed Hope with dread.
Not only was Connor on the run, but he now had a deadly weapon to kill the vampires that live in Mystic Falls. This put Hope's future in grave danger.
"I swear you that I'm doing everything to find him," she added on the phone. "I tried a locator spell, but he couldn't be found. He must have something to camouflage him from my spell. Unable to locate him. I need help to find him. I had thought of your Hybrids. I can't ask them anything, they only obey you."
"I'll order them to help you find Connor," Klaus assured her. "I call them immediately."
"I would also need Stefan," said Hope. "He knows about the cure. He could help us find Connor."
"I'll send you his number."
In his House, Stefan was writing in his diary about what he had recently discovered and his fears about Elena.
…She's been spiraling since her transition and at times I barely recognize her. But now, for the first time in a while, there's hope. Somewhere in the world, there's a cure for vampires. If I can get it, Elena can be human again. I can give her back her life…
According to the Originals, there is a cure for vampirism. It seemed so insane or implausible. But for Stefan, it represented the hope he wanted for Elena. Unfortunately, this cure had to remain a secret from his loved ones. Klaus was clear about that. Not Damon, not even Elena. He was going to have to lie and hide things. But for Elena, he was ready to do it.
…So, that's what I need to do. No matter what Klaus asks, no matter what lies I have to tell or secrets I have to keep, I'll do it. No matter what it takes.
He had just finished his sentence in his diary, when his phone rang. He didn't recognize the number displayed on it.
Intrigued, he answered.
"Hello?"
"Stefan, it's Hope." replied the female voice on the other end of the line.
"Hope?" wondered the vampire.
"It's… Klaus who gave me your number. You need to come to the Mansion right away. We have a big problem. Connor's gone."
As soon as Hope had called Stefan, he had rushed to join her at the Mikaelson Mansion. The Tribrid had led him to the empty torture table and shown him the headless corpse of the Hybrid that was to guard him.
They were in communication with Klaus. Stefan had put the phone speaker in there so Hope could hear.
Once Hope had explained what seemed to have happened, Stefan asked:
"How the hell did Connor escape?"
"I'd blame my numbing incompetence," Klaus retorted in Italy. "But pointing fingers isn't going to help me, you're going to help Hope."
"Well, he could be anywhere now." Stefan said.
"No, he's still in town," Hope objected.
"How you know that?" wondered the vampire. "You said you couldn't locate him with a spell."
"Think, Stefan," Klaus pointed out. "He took the hybrid's head which means he wants werewolf toxin."
"Which means he plans to stay in Mystic Falls to kill vampires." admitted Stefan.
"To kill all of you," added Hope.
"Which is a pity, as I'm half the world away digging up a dead hunter," Klaus added. "You'll have no access to my blood and therefore, the antidote. Nevertheless, his tattoo is our only map to the cure, so your task is quite simple; find him, catch him, and above all, keep him alive. He's no good to us dead."
And Elena, Damon and all their friends are no good to me dead. Otherwise, my future will die with them.
If only Klaus knew how worried Hope was about stalking Connor. Especially since it was his future as well as that of everyone that was at stake, there, today. And it could well be that Connor's actions towards the vampires of Mystic Falls could also erase the existence of Hope Mikaelson.
"Damon's been looking everywhere for him, if they cross paths…" Stefan added.
"You'll need to keep Damon in check." Klaus ordered curtly.
"Be a lot easier if I could just tell him the truth." resumed the vampire.
Stefan's right. His brother runs after a hunter who has a deadly weapon capable of killing him. If he knew the truth, it would be easier. Because I'm not gonna be able to handle Connor and at the same time watch on Damon if I have to fear for his life. I'm a Tribrid, but I can't do two things at once. Because if Damon dies, there's no future for me.
"He would be useful to us if he knew about the cure," insisted Hope. "And it would make it easier for us to find Connor."
"Except that I don't trust Damon for the cure," Klaus resumed. "I imagine he prefers Elena the way she is."
"Nice try, Klaus," Stefan answered in a neutral tone. "But I trust Damon a hell of a lot more than I trust you."
"And I only trust Hope," the Original Hybrid retorted indifferently. "My sister is lying daggered in a box, because I can no longer trust her. The more who find out about the cure, the more who will go after it. Nations have gone to war over less. You mark my words, tell one soul and I will throw the hunter's sword in the Mediterranean and we can end this quest right now. Am I understood?"
The Tribrid sighed in exasperation.
Stefan's not asking you to warn the whole town about the cure. Just Damon. Just him... Come on, Dad, please...
But she ends up acquiescing… with great reluctance. Having Damon on her tail to find the Hunter was going to make it harder for her. But she had no choice. She would have to deal with it.
"Understand," she answered. "We won't tell Damon. We go looking for Connor. When we've get him, I'll lock him in the Mansion with a spell that will prevent him from escaping. I'll call you back as soon as we find him."
"Hope?" Klaus said with a worried voice. "Be careful. He has no reason to kill witches, but Connor is one of the Five. And as such, they are, so to speak, very tenacious and fearsome hunters. He won't hesitate to kill you if you stand in his way. Be careful, please."
The concern of her dad moved so much to Hope. He didn't know she was his daughter, and her father was worried about her. She couldn't help but be upset.
"I'll be careful, don't worry,"she reassured him, wanting to repress her emotions.
Then she hung up. She turned to Stefan.
"So we know what we have to do," he said.
"Connor knows about Damon." Hope said wanting to summarize the situation. "So there's a good chance he's his first target. Does he know about Elena and Caroline?"
"No, he doesn't know anything about them," Stefan assured her. "He only knows Damon."
Hope sighed, relieved.
"So we have an advantage. He only knows one vampire in Mystic Falls. And we can assume that he knows about you, also Stefan, since you spent the evening of yesterday with us. He probably has suspicions about you. We just need to watch you and Damon. If Connor attacks both of you or just one of you, we'll have a better chance of catching him before he kills another person."
"Except if Damon gets involved, it's gonna go bad," pointed out Stefan. "He wants to kill him. If we don't tell him about the cure, my brother will go all the way to kill Connor."
Of course, things had to be hard for Hope.
"Okay, I'll take care of Connor. And you take care of your brother. Deal?"
"Deal," approved the suspicious vampire to see that the Tribrid seemed to worry about everyone. "You seem to want to protect us, are you?"
"No one should die today. I don't want to hurt anyone," Hope replied hastily.
"Well, you're with Klaus," pointed out Stefan.
"I have my reasons for being with him and I can't tell you anything for now," retorted the Tribrid. "We need to focus on catching Connor before he attacks your brother or your friends."
An hour passed. Hope had managed to locate the Hunter with her locator spell. It had taken her to the woods where an old motor-home was. That of the Hunter. She had called Stefan to join her. Both were standing in front of Connor's motor home.
"It's Connor's RV," Stefan said.
"I'll go first," Hope said. "It's possible he rigged his trailer with deadly traps for you. I'm a witch. I can easily outsmart them. Wait here, I'll tell you when you can come."
Stefan nodded, as Hope walked cautiously past the RV. Once at the door, she waited a moment, expecting to see the Hunter come down to grab her. But nothing happened. Connor didn't show up. Either he wasn't there, or he was expecting vampires to come into his vehicle and be killed by his traps.
She waved her hands and recited a spell:
"Dissera Portus!"
The motorhome door swung open. Cautiously, Hope walked slowly inside, being careful not to step on a trap. But on penetrating inside the caravan, she saw nothing at all. Neither traps nor hunter.
"All clear, Stefan, you can come," called Hope outside.
The vampire joined her inside the vehicle.
"Connor's not here," he said looking around the inside of the RV. "You said you magically located him. Why isn't he here?"
Hope spotted a large bloodstained bag on the table in the vehicle. She opened it and saw with amazement and disgust Nate's decapitated head.
"It was the head of the Hybrid that my spell found," she said with a grimace. "This is Nate's head."
Stefan caught sight of the Hybrid's head, then looked down at the table.
"Hope, look at this."
The Tribrid spotted beside Nate's head some empty syringe wrappers.
"There were syringes here," Stefan concludes taking an empty syringe.
Hope was distraught. She concludes:
"So I was right. Connor left Klaus' Mansion with the Hybrid's head to take werewolf toxin from it. If he's not in his RV and he's left everything behind, that means he's up to something. He must have a plan to target the vampires."
Thus Connor had indeed a mortal weapon of which only the bloods of Hope and Klaus were the antidote. And Klaus was out of the country right now. And for Hope, her secret was in no way to be find out. So she couldn't offer her blood as an antidote. She had to find a way to incapacitate Connor without any of the vampires in Mystic Falls getting hit with werewolf venom.
Hope began searching every corner of the RV for a clue that might point to the hunter's location, when Stefan received a message on his phone. As he read it, he looked worried.
"Hope, I just found out about his new plan."
"What?" wondered the Tribride joining the vampire.
Stefan showed her his phone.
"I got this. It was sent from Jeremy's phone."
Intrigued, Hope read the written message: "Hunter at Mystic Grill with hostages. They all die at sundown." The Tribrid's fears for their future had just grown even worse.
"Oh no!" she exclaimed in alarm. "A hostage situation at the Mystic Grill! Of course, I should had seen that coming! Connor isn't just going to kill you all one by one! He intends to use Jeremy and the hostages to lure you all to him!"
Stefan nodded in agreement, replying:
"And I suppose I'm certainly not the only one he sent the message to. I'm sure my brother knows, and so does Elena."
Just great! I really needed that on top of everything else, right now! A hostage situation with Elena's brother! Besides having to deal with Connor, I'm gonna have to stop everyone from getting killed! I'm in trouble!
She knew Elena would do anything to save her little brother. Especially since Jeremy was going to play an important role in the search for the cure. If he were to die, the whole future would change, and Hope Mikaelson may not be born. So she had to save Jeremy.
Later, Stefan and Hope had gone to find Elena, Damon, Caroline and Tyler at the Lockwood Mansion. They had to stop them from entering the Mystic Grill. Knowing Connor, he must have tricked the restaurant with weapons lethal to vampires. Arriving at the Lockwoods, Hope could hear Damon giving everyone instructions.
"… So, we each take a different entrance; hit them at the same time."
Stefan joined them. At the sight of the vampire, Elena hurried to join his arms, relieved.
As he hugged Elena, Damon turned to him.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"We're coming up with a plan for Connor," explained Stefan.
"'We'? What 'we'?" wondered Damon intrigued.
At that moment, Hope joined them in turn.
"Hey guys."
But the arrival of the Tribrid wasn't appreciated by the others, because Damon turned to her, with a furious look.
"Klaus' witch! What is she doing here?"
Hope remained neutral, responding:
"I'm here to help you with your hunter."
Elena had also turned to the Tribrid.
"You're Hope, right? Klaus' witch?"
"Yup, it's me," replied the girl, shaking her head. "And I really want to help you save your friends. I don't want anyone to get hurt."
But Damon gave her a dry look.
"Thanks, but we don't need you, kid! Get out of here!"
"No. I'm staying," Hope insisted vehemently. "Connor is a very strong Hunter, you're gonna need help to stop him."
"Stefan, what the hell is she doing here?" Damon repeated wearily, to his brother.
"We need help, Damon," Stefan replied simply. "Hope can help us. And like I said, we have a plan for Connor."
"No kidding, we have a plan!" Damon retorted vehemently. "The plan is I'm gonna rip Connor's heart out and I'm going to feed it to him."
"That's not a plan." objected his brother. "We need to be careful. Connor has Jeremy and who knows how many other hostages."
"Hence, the open heart surgery." Damon chanted with a smirk.
"Damon's right." Elena added with determination. "Connor's strong, but he's not going to be able to take all of us."
Hope made an effort not to laugh at their arrogance. It made her wonder how the Mystic Falls' gang managed to stay alive too time.
"I called in the Hybrids to help too." added Tyler, ready to attack.
Then it was Caroline who joined them.
"My mom put squad cars blocking the streets. They're saying it's a faulty gas main…"
She paused when she saw Hope with them.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Hope," answered the Tribrid, shocked to find herself in front of the female vampire who will become her future headmaster.
"Well, Hope…" resumed Damon in a dry tone. "The door is right through there. Now get out of here!"
"I'm not going anywhere." replied Hope in a firm voice. "If you want to reach the hostages at the Mystic Grill, you need me."
"We don't need you!" declared Damon who was starting to get impatient. "Stefan, tell that girl to get the hell out! We don't need help from a witch who comes out of nowhere and we know nothing about. The sheriff blocked the streets… Good, great. No cops, no witnesses, no reason to wait around. Let's go!"
Hope was about to retort again, but it was Stefan who spoke in an authoritative tone.
"All right, hold on, you're not all going."
"He shot me like nine times." Tyler said grimly. "If we're killing him, I want in."
"He's got Jeremy," Elena added determinedly. "I'm going."
Hope threw her hands up in the air in a thin effort to calm everyone down.
"Guys, I understand you all want to kill him, but it's not that simple!"
"Why not?" Damon retorted his usual smirk. "He's alone, we go in and kill him, end of story."
"Think!" Hope insisted in exasperation, addressing everyone. "Connor sent you a message that he's holding hostages and threatening to kill them by sundown. So that means he expects you to come to the Grill to attack him. Jeremy and the other hostages are just bait. He uses them to attract you to him. Connor's a mad hunter, but he's not stupid. Do you think he's sitting at the bar drinking a cocktail right now waiting for you to show up and kill him? He knows about traps to kill vampires. If he expects vampires to land, there's a high chance he must have trapped all the entrances to the Mystic Grill with death traps. And so you can't rush into in there without knowing what's going on. If you enter it, chances are you'll all be killed before you can do anything."
"She's right," Stefan continued. "Nobody is going anywhere until Hope and I figure out what we're walking into."
Tyler crossed his arms, annoyed as Damon looked suspiciously at Stefan and Hope.
"Until Hope and you figure it out?" he wondered, frowning. "Is that where you've been all morning? Making friends with Klaus' witch out buying bossy pants? And since when do you obey an unknown witch who comes out of nowhere?"
"This guy is known for setting traps, right?" continued Stefan. "We'd be pretty dumb to walk into one, especially if he has werewolf venom."
"Does he?"asked Elena suspiciously.
"Oh yeah, he does," confirmed Hope with a nod. "He has werewolf venom that he picked up after decapitating a Klaus' Hybrid. And he certainly planned to use it against you all to poison you, if he can't kill you on the spot. And besides, Klaus isn't in town right now. This means that if you are affected by venom, you'll not have an antidote. All the more reason not to rush headlong to the Mystic Grill without knowing what Connor has planned for you."
Elena sighed with a defeatist look. Damon, though he still didn't trust the Tribrid, decided to take Connor's threat to him seriously.
"Fine. Fine, Miss Unknown Witch! What do you propose?" he asked in an irascible tone.
"Hope and I are going out to scout for hostages."suggested Stefan.
"And then we'll think about a plan of attack," added Hope, hoping that Damon was not going to complicate the task for them.
"Fine," Damon abdicated in annoyance. (Speaking to Stefan.) "If you want to take some time to do recon, you get one hour. But this girl's not our friend. We're gonna need some real extra help. So, where the hell's the Wicked Witch of the West?"
"She can't do magic."answered Caroline.
"I am a powerful witch and I can do magic," Hope insisted again. "I can be your weapon for Connor. If your friend can't do magic, she won't be able to do much for you."
But Damon looked despicably at the Tribrid.
"Except that I trust her more than you, Unknown Witch who works for Klaus."
Then Hope glared at Stefan's brother with the same look of contempt.
"I don't work for Klaus. I'm with Klaus. There's a difference."
"Who cares!" Damon retorted indifferently. (Turns to Caroline.) "Call Bonnie, tell her Jeremy's life is in danger; maybe that will bring her out of retirement."
And he left the room, shoving Hope by the shoulder. Elena stared at Stefan, worrying about her brother.
Damon's reaction, while understandable, seriously worried Hope. If he just did it his way instead of following Stefan, Connor's capture was gonna be complicated. And they all risked being killed and jeopardizing Hope's future.
Damon's really gonna get us in trouble! This guy's a pain in the ass! I can handle Connor, but not Damon. Stefan really needs to calm his brother down! None of them really know what is at stake! I hate time travel!
While Damon and Elena were busy finding the plans for the underground tunnels to go under the restaurant, Hope and Stefan could see the Mystic Grill, surrounded by police roadblocks. Everything seemed calm. The Tribrid turned to the vampire.
"If I want to be able to get Connor alive, I need to know the exact number of hostages. I need to know where I stand at the Mystic Grill."
"But if you come any closer, he'll see you," Stefan tells her with concern.
"No, he won't see me," Hope replied with a mischievous smile. "I'm a witch, remember? Invisique."
Immediately, she disappeared under the amazed eyes of the vampire, who began to look around him.
"Hope! Where are you?"
"I'm right here," she replied when he couldn't see her. "But you can't see me, I'm invisible. It's a camouflage spell. That way I can get close to the Mystic Grill and see what's going on without anyone noticing my presence."
Stefan looked both curious and pleased, even though he couldn't see the witch.
"Very nice! That's impressive!"
"Thanks," answered Hope still invisible. "I'll walk around the Grill for recon. Wait here."
Stefan nodded, while Hope, masked by her spell, walked towards the Mystic Grill. Once there, she inspected the premises from the outside. Outside a window, she peeked inside. She could see Connor setting traps with what looked like an explosive device in front of an entrance. Thus, she had been right: the Hunter had planned traps at each entrance to the restaurant. Then she looked away, through another window and could see the hostages. She saw that there were only three. She could recognize Jeremy Gilbert and the other two were Matt Donovan and April Young. The Tribrid was somewhat relieved. She feared having to save an entire restaurant full of people.
So Connor only has three hostages. It won't be that hard. If I can get the three of them out, I will easily reach Connor. But for that, I need a diversion.
She hastened to join Stefan and became visible again in front of him.
"So?" he asked her.
"So I counted three hostages. Just three," Hope replied. "In addition to Jeremy, there's Matt Donovan and April Young. Nobody else but them."
Stefan nodded, while she continued:
"And I was right. Connor booby-trapped all entrances with explosives. You can't get there without blowing yourself up. I have a plan to get everyone out and take Connor down."
"What's your plan?" asked Stefan.
"With my magic, I could easily thwart a trap without Connor noticing. I sneak into the Mystic Grill with my camouflage spell. I get everyone out by hiding them with my spell. Once Jeremy, Matt, and April are safe, then you and I can move in and capture Connor. I neutralize him with my magic and you can catch him. But for me to get in, I'd need a Hybrid to distract him."
"Why a Hybrid?" asked the vampire, frowning.
"Werewolf venom will have no effect on him. And I can walk in without Connor noticing I'm there. Even if he won't be able to see me, he could hear my footsteps and suspect something."
"Right," Stefan nodded.
"We have to call Klaus," said Hope taking out her phone.
"Why?"
"So that he orders his Hybrid to create a diversion," she answered, calling her father. "The Hybrids only obey him, I can't ask them anything."
There was a moment, then Klaus answered. Hope put the speakerphone on it so she could talk with Stefan.
"So you have Connor?" asked the voice of the Original Hybrid.
"Well, we have some good news, and we have some bad news." answered Hope. "The good news is that we found our hunter. The bad news is that he's at the Mystic Grill and he's holding three hostages. He threatens to kill them tonight, on the condition that all the vampires come there for him to kill them all."
She explained Connor's scheme to target vampires with explosives and werewolf venom.
When she had finished, her father answered them with indifference:
"You expect me to care about bloody hostages?"
"Well, you should." Stefan said. "Damon does. So does Caroline, Tyler, Elena. If any of them get to Connor, then you just wasted a trip to Italy. I can buy us some time, but Damon's getting antsy."
"And without explaining to him why Connor shouldn't be killed, it's gonna be hard to keep him away," added Hope. "And you should at least care about a hostage. Jeremy Gilbert. Because he's the only one who can see the Hunter's tattoo to draw the map for us. If he dies, the cure will be inaccessible to us, whether we have Connor or not, and you will have gone to Italy for nothing. If we want to save the hostages and capture Connor alive, we need to act quickly. And that's why we need your help."
"What should I do?" Klaus asked, showing concern for Hope.
"If you want Connor alive, you better get your hybrids on board with Hope's plan." answered Stefan.
"At least, a Hybrid which makes diversion," added Hope. "I free the hostages with a spell. And then Stefan and I can step in and capture Connor."
Elena and Damon were looking at the plans for the underground tunnels, when they got Stefan's call. Elena answered it by putting on the loudspeaker:
"What did Hope and you find out?"
"Hope was able to go around the Mystic Grill," answered Stefan.
"Does she know how many hostages there are?" Damon asked.
"Three," Stefan replied. "It's Matt and April Young."
"What?!" Elena wondered.
Damon replied nonchalantly:
"Those two idiots, they're like danger magnets."
"We have to get them out of there." Elena declared with determination.
"Hope and I just need a little more time." answered Stefan.
"Well, the clock's ticking, brother." Damon says. "Tell your new girl to hurry up!"
"You know, I could do without the colored commentary." Stefan retorted dryly.
A moment passed before Klaus sent a message to Hope and the vampire that he had ordered a Hybrid to create a diversion at the Mystic Grill.
"We need someone to pick up Jeremy, Matt and April while we manage Connor," explained Stefan.
"I already think of someone who can help us," answered Hope. "I know who to contact."
"Now we have to make sure that Elena and Damon are willing to follow our plan."
"What if they don't want to follow us?" pointed out the Tribrid.
"I can handle Damon," Stefan assured her.
They joined Elena and Damon at Alaric Saltzman's old apartment. Elena was relieved to see Stefan arrive.
Damon grew impatient:
"When are we going to be able to oppose? How about we get this party started."
"We still have to wait," Stefan told him softly. "Connor booby-trapped all entrances with explosives. If we go in there, we're dead. Fortunately, Hope has a plan."
The Tribrid added confidently:
"Our priority before Connor is to free the hostages. With my magic, I can thwart Connor's traps and enter them easily. With a spell, I get Jeremy, Matt, and April out without the hunter's knowledge while a Klaus' Hybrid distracts Connor from suspecting anything. And then we can handle our guy. I'm a witch, I can do it."
Hope was so used to giving instructions to her friends in her future, that she was thrown off when she saw Damon's negative attitude.
"And why should we follow your plan, Miss Unknown Witch Of Whom We Know Nothing?" he retorted with a hostile look. "Why would we trust a witch working for Klaus?"
"I don't work for Klaus and my plan's good," insisted Hope desperately trying to convince Damon to cooperate. "If we want to save everyone, there is no other way."
But that made Damon even angrier and turned to his brother.
"Stefan, since when did we team up with Klaus, his witch and the Lollipop Guild?"
"Damon, Connor has werewolf venom and he has explosives with him," his brother replied. "Hope's right, that's the only way to do this. The Klaus' hybrid is immune to toxin so he's our best bets. So we need him while Hope frees everyone."
Damon shook his head in disbelief and annoyance.
"Are you kidding me? Do you trust Hope? You believe everything she says? How can you be sure that Connor has venom on him? How do we know she's not working with him to fool us?"
"I have no reason to lie to you," answered Hope who started to get angry.
"I'm talking to my brother. Not you, girl!" Damon yelled, glaring furiously at his brother. "Why is Klaus involved, Stefan?"
"Stop being paranoid, Damon and leave Hope alone," Stefan replied in a neutral tone, taking a syringe out of his pocket which he hid behind his back.
"Start telling the truth, Stefan. Why is Klaus involved? Did he compel you?"
"I am telling you the truth. Hope's plan is the best way to get everyone out." Stefan answered with anger.
But that made Damon even more pissed off. He looked up at the ceiling, grumbling:
"Hope! Hope! Hope! Enough now! I'm sick of Hope! Why do you trust her? She's with Klaus! And last I heard, we're not friends with him! Why are you letting that unknown witch tell us what to do? Klaus compelled you again?"
"Connor placed explosives in front of all the entrances to the Grill," resumed Hope angrily. "You want to get yourself killed? And get the hostages killed?"
"Did I ask you, Miss Unknown Witch? I don't know what you did to turn my brother's brain upside down, but you won't confuse me with your bullshit! And you won't make me believe that you care about those idiots taken hostage." Damon said more and more furiously.
"Damon, that's enough, we have no other means," Stefan got angry.
Then it was Elena, as furious as Damon, who intervened in turn.
"Okay, what is with you two? We're wasting time."
"You know what, Elena's right." Damon asserted, pointing to Elena as if she were an impartial judge in this case. "Screw your Hope's plan. I'll kill Connor myself."
He was about to leave, when Stefan stuck the syringe filled with vervain into his back. Immediately, Damon collapsed. Hope came in front of him to grab him.
"Stefan!"cried Elena stunned and furious.
Hope watched as Damon passed out.
"I'm sorry, but we can't let you do that!"
He'll be pissed when he wakes up, but at least I won't have to fear for his life if I have to fight Connor and preserve the future.
Once his brother was unconscious, Stefan laid him down on a couch.
"Why are you doing this?" wondered Elena amazed and intrigued.
"Hope's plan is good, but, I'm not gonna go in there if I can't count on him to do it our way. I don't want to risk the hostages," Stefan replied.
"If you can't count on him? You just vervained him."
"Do you think he cares about April or Matt?" Stefan resumed. "He'll get Jeremy out for you, but then he'll go right after Connor, no matter who gets hurt."
"Then I'm coming with you two," Elena said, joining them.
"Huh, this is a bad idea," objected Hope. "Connor doesn't know you're a vampire, and it's better that way. And you risk putting your brother in danger."
"You're not coming with us, Elena." added Stefan.
"You need my help, Stefan." insisted the young vampire.
"What if Connor attacks and you have to defend yourself?" Stefan continued in an alarmed voice. "And what if you kill him? The guilt will wreck you."
But Elena remained panicked, retorting:
"You don't think that I… I… I'm afraid of that? Of course, I am. Stefan, I'm barely holding it together. If Jeremy gets hurt…"
"Hey, Elena, we're gonna save Jeremy and the others, I promise." Hope told her confidently. "I know you don't know me and you have no reason to trust me, but I know what it's like to be afraid for your loved ones. I, too, have people I care about. I've been in dangerous situations before and I've always managed to get out. I'll save the hostages, I promise. But you can't come with us, because you're too important for…"
… Important for the future, for MY future…
She paused when she discovered that she was about to reveal her future. Then she noticed that Stefan and Elena stared at her curiously, wondering why she had stopped talking.
"Important for what? What did you say?" wondered Elena, frowning.
Hope knew how to stay calm, despite her anguish, then managed to pull herself together:
"I mean… You're too important to Jeremy, to Stefan, to everyone you care about. So stay alive for them. Connor is a very experienced hunter. It won't take him long to kill you. If you want to help your brother and your friends, you have to stay alive."
Then it was Stefan who took Elena's face between his hands, speaking softly to her:
"I'll get Jeremy out, okay? I promise you. Listen to me, I'm not asking you to trust Hope, but can you trust me? This is the most important thing that I have ever asked you to do. I just need you to trust me. Please."
After a moment, Elena finally nods. Hope walked away from the room as Stefan kissed his girlfriend.
"Stefan…" Elena wanted to say, but Stefan was already gone before she could say anything.
Hope returned to Lockwood Mansion, to find the Hybrid Dean there whom Klaus had called for the diversion. She was about to join him when Tyler came towards him, to dissuade him from going.
"Look, man, this guy is dangerous. He's highly trained. He's armed."
But Dean remained intransigent.
"I can handle myself. Besides Klaus asked me personally."
"This is a bad idea." Tyler said frustrated.
Then she saw in the distance… to her amazement, her mom Hayley Marshall listening. Of course, her mother had nowhere to stay in Mystic Falls except at Tyler's. Seeing her mother alive, even two days after seeing her again, was still a shock to Hope. She had tears in her eyes. But very quickly, she recovered. She had to stay serious. Her future was threatened by Connor, now wasn't the time to be emotional.
She walked towards her, having her plan in mind.
"Mom…"
But it was Caroline who blocked her way, when she showed up right in front of Hayley.
"Uh, who are you?" wondered the blond female vampire.
"Who the hell are you?" asked Hayley intrigued.
"Caroline."
When she heard the name, Hayley understood then.
"Oh, you're Tyler's girl. He told me about you. I'm Hayley."
And she's my mom.
Hope proudly stared at her mother who was addressing Caroline. But she seemed quite upset.
She snapped back:
"Well, Hayley, that's pretty crazy, because I haven't heard a thing about you."
"I've been staying here a few days." remarked Hayley surprised.
"Excuse me?" resumed Caroline, more and more suspicious.
"I needed a place to crash, Ty's a buddy, he was kind enough to offer."
Caroline took on an authoritative voice as she stared at the new female werewolf.
"I know all of Ty's buddies and I haven't heard about you. So, how about we cut the crap?"
But much to Hope's delight, her mother was unfazed by Caroline. Still very calm, she replied:
"Yeah, I don't do teen drama. Take it up with Ty. Excuse me."
Hope took the opportunity to join them.
"Mo… uh Hayley! Hi! Do you have a second? I want to talk to you."
Hayley smiles at the Tribrid.
"Oh, hey Hope, you couldn't have come at a better time."
Seeing that Hayley and Hope knew each other, Caroline looked at them both suspiciously.
"Hold on! You two know each other?"
"Yeah, we met here. The day I arrived at Ty's. Excuse me…"
She left Caroline and joined Hope.
"Hello beautiful. What are you doing here?"
Even chatting with her mother about the past was still a huge shock to Hope. But she knew how to contain herself by asking her:
"Do you know about the hostage situation at the Mystic Grill? The Hunter Connor?"
"Yeah, I know," agreed Hayley. "Seems this guy is a weirdo."
"I have a plan to save the hostages," Hope explained. "With my magic, I can sneak them out while Dean acts as a diversion. And I need your help."
Hayley quickly threw up her hands in disagreement.
"No way! Don't ask me to fight a crazy hunter!"
"No, no, no!" exclaimed Hope a little anxious at the idea of having her mother fight against a Hunter of Five. "I'm not asking you to go fight Connor. All you have to do is get the hostages when they come out of the Mystic Grill. Get them to safety while I take care of incapacitating Connor. I can't fight this hunter if I have to worry about hostages in danger."
"Are you going to fight that crazy hunter?" Hayley exclaimed, stunned.
"I've fought a lot worse than Connor," Hope assured her resolutely. "I can handle him."
"If you're a powerful witch, then why do you need Dean for this mission?" pointed out Hayley.
"I need Dean to distract while I release the hostages." Hope explained. "I can sneak into the Grill, but even masked by a spell, Connor could hear my footsteps and suspect something. That's why I need a diversion. Connor has werewolf venom on him. Dean will be immune to it. That's why he's the best volunteer for the diversion."
"I understand," nodded Hayley. "But why are you asking me about your plan? We don't even know each other. Why me?"
"I need someone to get the hostages," resumed Hope.
"Yes, I heard that, but why do you trust me? We don't know each other. Why me?"
Because you're my mom, because I know you very well and I will always trust you...
Hope looked moved again and replied in a simple voice:
"Because you and I are the same. We are ready to fight for the people we love. Today, many people are in danger, and I have to intervene… I have to. I have to do something. It's not about D... uh, Klaus. It's about me."
Hayley nodded, noticing the Tribrid's anguished face.
"Will you be able to get the hostages when I get them out?"Hope asked her.
"I will, I promise," assured her mother, shaking her head.
"Great," said the Tribrid, relieved. "Thank you Mo…uh Hayley."
She left quickly to reach the exit, when Hayley called her.
"Hope! Hope!"
The Tribrid turned to her.
"Yes?"
Hayley gave her a worried look.
"Be careful, please! I'm told Connor is a dangerous psychopath. He didn't hesitate to rip Nate's head off. He won't hesitate to kill you if you stop him. Be really, really careful."
First her dad and now her mom on the same day. Even Hayley was worried about Hope as she was unaware she was addressing her daughter. If she knew, she would stop her from going to fight Connor. Hope was totally moved and gave her a pleasant smile.
"You sound like Klaus. He told me the same thing you did."
"I'm serious, Hope," continued Hayley still worried. "You risk very big! Be very careful!"
"It's gonna be okay, don't worry." Hope assured her with determination.
Hayley nodded, but still worried.
At the Mystic Grill, Connor had trapped all the entrances to the restaurant. The hostages were huddled together in a corner, helpless and helpless. Then the phone in the bar started ringing. Jeremy wanted to answer it, but it was Connor who grabbed his arm in a firm grip and answered.
"We're closed."
"I want you to free the hostages." ordered Stefan on the other end of the line.
"I'll free them as soon as you give me what I want. You and everyone like you dead." Connor replied dryly.
"What? So your hunter's mark can grow?"
The Hunter was taken aback, not expecting this. And Stefan took the opportunity to add:
"Yeah, I know all about that. What it means, what you are." Listen, if you free the hostages then you and I can have a little chat. I'll even tell you about the Brotherhood of the Five."
But Connor just chuckled.
"That's a weak move. You must be desperate."
"Think about it, Connor!" Stefan continued. "Klaus and Hope saved your life. He needs you alive. Aren't you the least bit curious why?"
But Connor hung up the phone and smashed it to pieces with the strength of his hands.
Outside, Dean made his way to the Mystic Grill. Hope stood beside him. She saw Hayley coming across the street to pass unnoticed. They both stared at each other. When Dean was close enough, Hope cast her camouflage spell.
"Invisique."
And she became invisible behind the Hybrid which communicated with Klaus through an earpiece.
"There's no sign of anyone."
In Italy, Klaus gave him his instructions:
"Hope is right behind you and Stefan is coming at him from the other side. They'll free the hostages, your job is to get Connor out alive. And use caution, mate. He favors booby traps and ambushes."
"Understood," Dean answered.
He slowly entered the Mystic Grill with Hope invisible behind him. He saw a wire going under the door connected to a bomb. Carefully, he stepped over her, while Hope cast a spell to stop another bomb hidden under her feet.
Dean walked cautiously through the restaurant, making sure to keep an eye on the surroundings.
Hope took the opportunity to find the hostages. She crawled and joined Matt and April who were in the storeroom. She camouflaged them with her spell.
"Invisique."
Matt and April could see her and were stunned.
"Hope?" April exclaimed, shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"Shh, keep it down." Hope tells her in a low voice.
"What's going on?" Matt wondered, stunned.
"Hey April, Matt," resumed the Tribrid while still remaining on all fours. "I come to set you free. I cast a camouflage spell. I made the three of us invisible. I'll get you out without Connor seeing you."
April shook her head, stunned and confused.
"A spell? Like magic?"
"Magic exists, April, I'm a witch," Hope answered abruptly.
"A witch?" April continued, still shocked and scared.
"April, I understand that you're upset about this," Hope resumed wanting to be calm and at the same time firm. "But I don't have time to explain everything to you. Dean's not gonna keep Connor busy for long. You need to get out of there right away. Where's Jeremy?"
"With Connor," Matt replied anxiously. "Hope, he's armed. If you go out there, he's gonna kill him."
"No one's killing anyone. Go." declared the Tribrid with firmness. "I release you and then I take care of Connor. Now don't talk, follow me, and don't make any noise."
"Are we really invisible?" April asked still confused and anxious.
"Connor can't see us, but he can still hear us. Follow me quickly!"
Still on all fours, Hope made her way out of the restaurant, with Matt and April right behind her on all fours.
Dean was making his way to the counter, when Connor appeared out of nowhere. He raised his pistol and fired at the Hybrid. After receiving several bullets, Dean recoiled somewhat in agony. He flashed his monstrous Hybrid face, but Connor brandished a rifle and fired a huge shot, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. Dean collapsed, dead.
Meanwhile, Hope took Matt and April outside. She made them both visible. Hayley, who was waiting outside, received the two hostages.
"Are you Matt and April?" she asked both of them.
"Yeah, and who are you?" April asked still shocked.
"I'm Hayley, a friend of Tyler, it's Hope who sent me to take you to safety," she told them. "You were three hostages. Where is the third?"
"Still inside," answered Matt.
Hope became visible again. She addressed her mother from the past.
"Take them away from here. I'll save Jeremy and take care of Connor."
"Hope, be very careful," answered Hayley worried.
The Tribrid nodded and walked back into the restaurant, while Hayley took care of getting Matt and April to safety. She urged them both to follow her.
Connor took off his shirt and watched his growing mark, as Jeremy looked puzzled. Hope came towards them. At the sight of the Tribrid, Connor grabbed Jeremy and pointed his gun at her.
"Don't take another step!" ordered the Hunter firmly.
"Let Jeremy go!" Hope said in a threatening voice. "It's over, Connor!"
To her surprise, the Hunter kept his grin.
"You think you can stop me, little witch?" he chanted, still holding Jeremy by the body and pointing his gun at Hope. "Are you going to cast one of your spells on me to stop me?"
"You are a little too sure of yourself," said the Tribrid sardonically.
"Really? Then try…"
Hope rolled her eyes and waved her hands.
"Corpori Impetu!"
But to her surprise, nothing happened. Connor wasn't immobilized. He was still holding Jeremy and his gun pointed at her. Hope was horrified. So she couldn't use her magic to neutralize the Hunter.
"No magic?" sneered the Hunter. "Yes, kid! I expected you to come! That's why I took my precautions to avoid your spells."
Hope watched Connor and noticed a shiny object clinging to him. Similar to a crystal. Certainly some kind of prism that neutralizes magic.
But she refused to be defeatist. She glared at the Hunter.
"I can got you without magic! Let Jeremy go!"
"You're not in a position to threaten me, kid! Don't move, or I'll kill him!" Connor replied pulling Jeremy hard.
"You don't want to kill him!" exclaimed Hope as she walked towards them.
At that moment, Stefan arrived in turn. He had passed through the underground tunnels to enter the Mystic Grill. Connor saw him and started shooting him. The vampire used his super-speed to dodge the bullets. Hope wanted to take the opportunity to attack Connor while he was distracted, but the Hunter quickly turned on her and started shooting at her.
Hope ducked down and was grabbed by Stefan who super-speeded her behind the counter. Not used to being the one to be rescued, Hope was grateful to Stefan for saving her life. She gave him a grateful look.
"Thanks… Stefan, he has a prism that restrains my powers. I can't use my magic to stop him."
"Then we'll have to use the hard way." answered the vampire.
Connor started shooting at the counter. Stefan quickly scooped Hope up and led her behind a table at superspeed across the room.
"Connor, you don't have to do this!" the vampire said raising his head slightly.
"Stefan," said Jeremy's voice.
Hope and Stefan looked up from the table and found that Connor had pushed Jeremy. Young Gilbert now stood above a pipe bomb. If he got out, it would explode.
Great, Jeremy is on a bomb! That's all I needed! And Connor can't be magically neutralized!
Hope watched the Hunter and Jeremy whose feet stood on the bomb. She could have stopped the bomb with her powers if Connor hadn't been standing close to him.
"Jeremy, it's going to be okay! Stay still! Don't move!" Hope told him wanting to be reassuring.
At Alaric's apartment, Elena was distressed. She was waiting to hear from her, but with her vampiric hearing, she had clearly heard several gunshots. She had seen Matt and April exiting the Grill and being escorted away. She was freaked out that she hadn't seen Jeremy, which meant he was still a prisoner at the Mystic Grill.
She tried to call Stefan, but without success. She left him a message.
"Stefan, call me back! I heard gunshots! Matt and April are out! Where is Jeremy? I need to know what's happening!"
She heard Damon who just woke up quietly moaning. Immediately, she joined him.
"Damon, hey. Can you get up?"
Damon groaned then spoke in a low voice without opening his eyes.
"Ohh, where's Stefan? I'm gonna kill him..."
He tried to get up, but when his arm brushed against a ray of sunlight, he got his hand slightly burned, immediately pulling him out of the glare of the sun.
Elena then noticed with dismay that Damon was no longer wearing his daylight ring.
"He took your ring? Why would he do that?!"
Damon scrambled to his feet, dodging the sunlight.
"Because he's playing us." he said, still moaning. "All this stalling, let him do whatever this Hope asks of him, getting Hybrids, taking my ring, add it up... He's either made a deal with Klaus or he's compelled."
Elena looked stunned. So Stefan was fooling them with Hope. But why? Then, remembering that Jeremy was in danger, she said resolutely:
"Then I need to get in there."
"No, Elena," Damon says still stunned by vervain. "This guy is dangerous!"
"So am I, Damon!" she added firmly.
Knowing that he was still weak and that he no longer had his ring to go out in broad daylight, Damon understood that he could not dissuade Elena from going.
"Then you need to be smart." he said, looking at the gleam of determination in Elena's eyes. "He doesn't know you're a vampire. You get as close as you can and you kill him."
At the Mystic Grill, Stefan was trying to avoid Connor's shots, while talking to him.
"Connor, we can end this right now! Just put down the gun and come with me!"
"Sure," he chuckled. "Come out, I'll hand the gun over."
"Think about this. No one has to die. I'll tell you everything you need to know!"
"I DON'T MAKE DEALS WITH VAMPIRES!" the Hunter raged, pointing his gun at Jeremy who was still standing on the bomb.
For her part, Hope tried to approach the four-legged Hunter gently. She was far enough away to use a camouflage spell, but as long as Connor stood too close to Jeremy, there was nothing she could do to save him.
Approaching and being invisible, Hope in turn tried to speak to him:
"Connor! Stefan and I are your only chance to get out of here! Klaus wants you alive, and there's a reason!"
Connor looked around, but couldn't see Hope.
"I can't see you, little witch, but I can still hear you walking. If you move too close to me, Jeremy's dead!"
But Hope continued to talk to him as she approached him.
"This prism that restrains my magic, someone gave it to you. Who? The one who sent you to this town? It's no accident you came to Mystic Falls. Who sent you here? Same person who pushed Young to have the Council killed?"
"I don't know anything about that!" Connor roared still menacingly.
"You are not going to tell me that you are not curious about this fire!" resumed Hope. "Pastor Young had the same goal as you: to kill all the vampires in town. And then he suddenly decides to blow up his farm with everyone who wanted to kill the vampires? Aren't you curious why he acted like that? Who is this person who sent you here? This fire and your arrival in town are no coincidence! Young kills the Council, you land in Mystic Falls right after. Coincidence?"
But Connor remained menacing.
"You think I'm going to trust vampires to find out? I prefer to kill you all, as many as you are."
From his hiding place, Stefan continued to talk to him.
"Listen to me, if you die right now, then your whole life, all that killing; it'll all be for nothing."
"Listen to him, he's right," added Hope with anguish. "If you stay here, you're dead. If you come with us, you will live long enough to know your story and your true purpose."
Outside, Elena came to the Grill, and could hear Hope and Stefan talking with the Hunter.
"Just put down the gun and let Jeremy go!"
Hope became visible again by standing close to Jeremy. But Connor was quicker and pointed the gun at them.
"Watch out, kid! If you move, I'll kill him!"
At that moment, Elena came back into the restaurant, and looked horrified at the sight of her little brother in mortal danger.
"Please!" she cried, her eyes wide with anguish.
Elena?! What the hell is she doing here? Stefan had told her to stay where she was!
Anguished, Hope stared at Elena and Connor. She hadn't anticipated that Connor would have a way to protect himself against her magic. And she had even less anticipated Elena's presence. The latter was a very young vampire. If she intervened, Connor would discover that she was a vampire and would not hesitate to kill her. Hope couldn't see how to save both Elena and her brother without her magic.
"ELENA, GET OUT OF HERE!" cried Hope horrified.
But Elena stayed where she was, pleading with Connor in a fearful voice.
"Don't hurt him."
"You come any closer, he's dead." Connor said, brandishing his gun at Jeremy.
"Elena, get out of here!" cried Jeremy desperately.
"He's the only family that I have left. Just… just let him go." she begged, still.
"You hear that?" Connor continued without the slightest empathy for Elena. "Your girl is watching. I will shoot the boy right in front of her!"
"He's bluffing!" cried Hope firmly.
Connor aimed his gun at Jeremy without looking at the Tribrid.
"What makes you think that, girl?"
"You don't want to kill Jeremy," Hope insisted again. "If so, you would have done it already. He is able to see your mark, which makes him a potential Hunter. And you won't kill one of your own, even if he's a young hunter. Let him go!"
"Are you so sure of yourself, witch?" Connor sneered.
Hope was distraught. If Jeremy Gilbert dies, her whole future changes. And if Elena intervened to save Jeremy, Connor would discover that she was a vampire and would kill her on the spot, which would also broke Hope's future. She had to do something.
The Hunter glared at Jeremy with his gun. Hope realized he wasn't bluffing. He was really going to kill Jeremy Gilbert and doom the future of the Tribrid.
"I gonna kill him! And no one will stop me! ON THE COUNT OF THREE! ONE… TWO…"
Stefan finally comes out of his hiding place, throwing his hands in the air. Connor pointed his gun at him. Hope took the opportunity to throw herself on him, trying to disarm him. A shot rang out from the ceiling. Elena stepped in and pushed Connor and Hope off of Jeremy. Another shot went off and hit Jeremy in the stomach.
Hope was pushed away, while Elena stood on top of Connor, trying to strangle him.
Jeremy bled and started to move. Stefan lunged at him and threw him off the trigger. The bomb exploded.
"JEREMY!" cried Hope.
She looked up and saw Stefan standing with Jeremy away from the damage caused by the explosion. Jeremy was injured, but alive. Hope sighed in relief.
Elena standing on top of Connor, was distracted by the explosion.
"Jeremy?"
The Hunter took the opportunity to push her away and stood over her. He was going to kill her, but Elena resisted him by hitting him with her fists. In her struggle, she caused him to lose his magic-restraining prism.
Hope, thrilled to be able to use her magic again, held up her hand and pushed the Hunter away from Elena.
"My turn!" roared the Tribrid with a fierce gaze.
She waved her hands, roaring:
"Patere!"
Immediately, Connor was knocked to the ground. Then Hope waved her hands.
"Vitae."
As she cast spells on the Hunter, her enemy was pinned to the ground, half groggy. Elena ran towards them, but Hope stopped her.
"Your brother is injured. He needs you. You got this."
Elena wanted to go after Connor first, but she heard her brother moan in pain. Immediately, she rushed towards him. Stefan joined Hope, and came to lift Connor by the body. Hope tied her hands with a rope.
"We've got him," Hope told the vampire. "Let's get out of here!"
Stefan nodded and took Hope and Connor with him into the underground tunnels under the Grill.
Outside, Hayley waited nervously for news. She wanted to wait for Hope to get the third hostage out. But judging by the gunshots she heard, she assumed that Hope was fighting the Mad Hunter, which drove her wild with worry.
"Come on, Hope! Please, come on, get out of there!"
Then she heard nothing more. No screams, no gunshots. Which terrified her.
"I hope you're still here," said Hayley nervous deciding to go back to the Mystic Grill.
Wounded by the bullet he had received in the stomach, Jeremy was being treated with Elena's vampire blood.
When she saw that her brother's wound had closed, she was relieved. But when she saw the blood on her brother's shirt, she felt the call of blood gnawing at her. Immediately, she looked away, afraid of hurting him.
"I'm sorry… I…" she exclaimed, shocked.
But Jeremy spoke to him calmly:
"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to hide it. I know you're not going to hurt me."
But Elena decided not to look at him so as not to be tempted to feed on his blood.
"How did this happen, Jer?" she said thinking. "Why did Connor come after you?"
"He said I was like him, because I could see his tattoo." answered Jeremy.
Intrigued, Elena turned to her brother, finally looking him in the eye.
"His what?"
"His Hunter's mark." Jeremy explained. "It's invisible to everyone but me. Stefan and Damon didn't tell you about it?"
Elena looked stunned.
"Hope spoke of a mark that you could see. What makes you like him. And Stefan and Damon know about it? wait, who else knows about this?"
Jeremy sighed wearily as he replied:
"Well, that's the thing, I don't even know. Apparently, I was with Connor all day yesterday, but I can't remember. Someone compelled me."
Elena looked furious at Jeremy's revelations. Her little brother had spent the night before with Connor, but didn't remember? And apparently Stefan made a deal with Klaus and Hope?
What was going on? She needed answers fast.
"I think I know who."
Nearby, Hayley had entered the Mystic Grill. She walked cautiously, stunned by the damage to the restaurant. With a horrified look, she found Dean's lifeless body.
She stifled a cry of horror and looked around her.
"Hope? Hope?"
She walked and finally found Elena and Jeremy.
"Hey, is Hope here?" she asked.
The two Gilberts stared at her curiously.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" asked Elena suspiciously.
"My name's Hayley Marshall, a friend of Tyler and I'm staying with him," explained the young woman. "I'm looking for Hope. She asked me to help her free the hostages."
"Do you know Hope?" wondered Elena in a great anger.
She walked towards her furiously.
"What does Hope and Klaus have to do with this guy? What's this mark my brother can see?"
But Hayley encouraged her to calm down.
"Hey, calm down! I am not responsible for your troubles! And I have no idea what Klaus is up to with this Hunter!"
"My little brother almost died because of Klaus, Hope and maybe Stefan! So what is this tattoo?"
"What tattoo?" Hayley snapped in frustration. "I'm only here for Hope because I'm worried about her! Where is she?"
"She left with Stefan and that guy!" Elena replied, still angry. "You really don't know why they're looking for him?"
"I don't know anything about this Hunter or any tattoo or mark! I just want to know where Hope is!"
"I too would like to know where she is," answered the vampire Gilbert still furious.
Connor had his hands tied behind him, and was being dragged by Hope and Stefan into the underground tunnels.
"It's great!" Hope said dragging the Hunter. "We take him back to Klaus. When we get there, I cast a locking spell on him so he can't escape again."
"Good work, brother!" came a narcissistic voice in the darkness of the tunnels.
Hope and Stefan looked up to see Damon blocking their way. He was very upset.
Awesome, that's all we need again! First Elena, now Damon!
Hope sighed casually. Why did things always have to get worse with the Mystic Falls' gang?
"It's over, Damon. We have him." Stefan told him desperately trying to convince his brother to give up.
"The hostages are fine, Jeremy's saved," Hope added wearily. "Connor won't hurt you anymore! It's over!"
"It'll be over when I decide," Damon replied angrily. "I had to punch through a boiler room basement into a septic tank to get into this stupid tunnel. But it'll be worth it."
"He's coming with us!" Hope said in a firm voice.
"No!" said the eldest Salvatore angrily. "He stays there!"
Hope sighed and came to stand between Connor and Damon.
"Look, I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you make me! Now go home and leave us alone!"
Damon gave her a narcissist look.
"Do you really think I'm going to obey you, girl?"
Hope held up her hands. She was really hoping not to have to fight Damon. It was he who had donated his house to make it a boarding school. She meant no harm to the Salvatore Brothers.
"Last chance! Get out of here! Don't make me hurt you…"
"Damon, do it, right now," added Stefan still holding Connor by the body.
Damon gave Hope and Stefan a very menacing look, then sneered.
"Fine, since it's like that."
He turned as if to take something. Hope was relieved, thinking he was going to give up. Suddenly, Damon dashed at vampiric superspeed to grab a sharp piece of rock and shove it deep into Hope's stomach.
The Tribrid cried out in pain.
"I do want to hurt you!' said Damon gloating.
"NO!" cried Stefan horrified throwing Connor to the ground.
Hope moaned in pain as Damon picked her up and threw her like a bundle towards a rock face.
Stefan wanted to rush towards her to heal her, but his brother prevented him from reaching Hope, using his vampire strength to push him away.
"Damon, don't! Klaus will kill us all if we hurt Hope!" he exclaimed.
But his brother just growled angrily.
"Right now, I don't care about Klaus! If he wants a witch, he'll find another! As for Hope, good riddance! One less problem!"
"No!" Stefan cried as his brother prevented him from reaching the Tribrid.
As the two brothers wrestled with each other, Hope moaned on the ground with the piece of rock stuck in her stomach. She winced in pain as she pulled it out of her. Then she threw it away. Hope took several breaths as her body regenerated. Fortunately, her dad's blood allowed her to heal quickly. Then her wound gone completely.
Completely ignoring Hope, the two Salvatore Brothers fought among themselves.
"I don't know what you're up to or what Klaus has over you, but even if I have to go through you, I'm gonna kill this Hope and him." Damon told him, punching his brother in the face.
"You better back off, Damon." cried Stefan struggling against his brother with force.
"Why? Because Klaus wants him alive?"
"This has nothing to do with Klaus. You're just gonna have to trust me on that."
Even though Stefan didn't have the advantage over his brother, he still managed to get between Connor who was pinned to the ground and his brother who approached him with a menacing look.
"I don't want to. I don't have to. Not gonna. Now, give him to me, brother."
Damon wanted to dash to attack his brother, when suddenly he was thrown backwards, as if an invisible force had pushed him away. Stefan whirled around and was stunned to see Hope standing there with her arms waving in the air. Her t-shirt had a bloodstain on it, but the girl was fine.
"Leave us!" she said with furious eyes.
Damon stood up and looked stunned at the sight of Hope bursting with energy as he had just stabbed her hard enough to kill her.
"Hey, what the hell?! I stabbed you! You should be bleeding to death!" he exclaimed, amazed.
"Her wound has healed," added Stefan as stunned as his brother. "How is it possible?"
"I don't get killed that easily!" Hope said furiously to Damon. "You're not the first vampire to have tried to kill me! Connor is ours! So leave us alone and go home now!"
At the mention of the Hunter, Damon groaned in rage and charged at superspeed at Hope. He grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against a rock face. He squeezed her neck with the strength of his hands.
"If I have to kill you, Miss Weird Witch, I'll make sure you die for good!" Damon roared as he strangled Hope.
Stefan ran up and tried to separate his brother from the Tribrid.
Hope struggled to breathe as she tried to get out of Damon's grip. Whatever she did, he won't let go. He would end up killing Connor. Hope saw no other solution than to tell the truth about the cure.
"Damon, let Hope go now!" Stefan ordered as he tried to free the girl from her brother's clutches.
"Why are you two protecting this guy?" Damon exclaimed angrily as he strangled Hope.
"Klaus will kill anyone who knows." insisted his brother again who didn't know what to do to calm Damon down.
"Let go of me!" Hope struggled to breathe unable to concentrate on her magic.
"Not until you tell me what Klaus wants to do with this guy!" Damon went on still more and more furious.
Still not wanting to fight the vampire with her magic, Hope finally lets go with resolve:
"CONNOR'S TATTOO IS THE KEY TO A CURE! A CURE FOR VAMPIRISM!"
Damon immediately stopped choking Hope, releasing her. The Tribrid coughed as she rubbed her neck, taking deep breaths. He looked at her in amazement.
"A cure?!"
"There is a cure for vampires," Hope continued gently, massaging her neck. "That's what Klaus is looking for right now. But to get this, we need Connor alive. If he dies, there is no cure. A cure to make Elena human."
Sorry, Dad. But I had no choice. And anyway, Damon ends up learning about it later for the cure. So what difference does it make that it's me who say him?
Stunned, Damon stared at Hope in disbelief. Then he turned to his brother.
"What is she talking about, Stefan?"
"I know it's crazy, Damon." his brother answered in a calm voice. "But according to Klaus, there is a cure for vampirism. It's hope, do you understand me? For her. For Elena."
Hope slowly approached Damon, speaking kindly to him. She wanted to see if her father was really right about Damon Salvatore if he was really as selfish as he claimed.
"Damon, I know you're in love with Elena. Let me ask you a question. If you had the chance to go back in time to the moment Elena fell off the bridge by car, you would save her from drowning, wouldn't you? Would you stop her from becoming a vampire? If you really cared about her, would you have saved Elena from drowning so she wouldn't turn into a vampire?"
Damon gaped at Hope, then looked confused. Confused, like he didn't know what to answer.
On the other side, Connor was still on the ground. He tried to undo his bonds, at the same time as he listened to them. He had heard all about the cure, which had shocked him.
"What? So that's what my tattoo's for? To… cure vampires?"
Learning that the purpose of his tattoo was leading to the cure for the vampires drove Connor mad with rage. In a fit of anger, he broke free from his bonds and grabbed a pistol at himself.
He fired several bullets at the vampires. Hope instinctively threw Stefan away with her magic, preventing him from being hit, but it was Damon who took the bullets on him.
"Damon!" cried Hope, walking towards him.
Connor took the opportunity to escape.
Stefan joined his brother who was supported by Hope.
"Damon, are you okay?"
"He was hit by bullets," Hope said alarmed. "And Connor escaped again."
She wanted to help Damon, but he withdrew from her.
"Go for him! Catch him! I will join you," he said in a weak voice. "I can handle wooden balls. Quick, both of you go! Go! Go!"
Connor was fleeing through the tunnels. But for him, it was like going through a maze. He had no idea where to go. He saw a passage where light came out. As he reached the path, he was attacked by Elena who appeared out of nowhere and bit him on the shoulder, causing him to scream in pain.
"Stay the hell away from my brother!" she roared, her jaw bleeding.
Connor fell to his knees in front of her, but glared at her.
"Look at you. So worried about your brother. You're the biggest monster he'll ever meet."
Taking advantage that she had her eyes on him, he planted a stake in her stomach. Elena moaned, but pulled herself together.
"You missed!"she told him.
And she killed Connor by breaking his neck. The Hunter fell to the ground, dead. Elena looked at him for a long time, realizing what she had just done. What she had promised herself never to do. She had killed a human being.
Later, Hope, Stefan and Damon left to join Elena who was burying Connor's inert body in the woods. Hope sighed in relief. At least the Mystic Falls' gang was still alive and their future intact. She wasn't worried that Connor's passing would affect her future. Jeremy being a Potential Hunter, he could serve as a map to find the cure. All was not lost. On the other hand, Klaus wasn't going to be happy that his Hunter was dead, but that was a problem for later.
Elena dug a grave to bury Connor. Stefan came slowly towards her.
"Elena."
The female vampire glared at him, but returned her attention to Connor, as if Hope and the Salvatore Brothers weren't there.
"I need to bury him." she said in a pained voice. "I killed him, I should… I should bury him."
And she went back to digging, her eyes helpless.
Hope felt bad for her. This scene reminded her of the grief and guilt she had felt when she had accidentally killed a man in a church in New Orleans which had triggered her curse. She understood what Elena was going through right now. She would have gone to comfort her, but knowing that she was with her father, she was not welcome among Elena Gilbert's entourage. And the last thing Elena needed was for the witch staying with Klaus to tell her that she understood how she felt.
Stefan came slowly towards her.
"Hey, hey, come on…"
He touched her arm, but Elena pulled away from him, as if he had the plague.
"Don't! I heard you talking to him with Hope. Making some secret deal with Klaus? You said you were going to protect Jeremy! Keep me from this. (She gestured to the Hunter's lifeless body.) You said that I could trust you, Stefan."
"Elena, it's complicated." Damon told her softly in a pained voice, as if he didn't want the young woman to blame his brother.
But Elena continued to shout in dismay:
"No, it's not complicated, Damon! You want to know why? Because… because he's dead now. You told me to kill him, so I did."
Hope stared at Damon in amazement. So he was the one who told Elena to kill Connor. The Tribrid noticed that Elena seemed to listen more to Damon Salvatore than Stefan, which was surprising, considering she was supposed to be in a relationship with him.
Damon stared at Elena with a pained and regretful look, not knowing what to say to ease the pain of the one he loved. He seemed to feel guilty for having almost forced Elena to kill the Hunter, when he had turned against his brother.
Elena burst into tears.
"I… I killed someone. I… I killed someone."
Hope sighed sadly, hurting for Elena.
Then, Damon began to moan, as if in pain, which alerted his brother.
"Damon, you okay?"
Stefan came over to him. Hope joined him in turn.
"What's going on?"
Seeing Damon weaken, Elena forgot about Connor and immediately joined her boyfriend's brother.
"Damon? Damon?"
Damon Salvatore collapsed to the floor, moaning in pain.
"What's wrong with him?" Hope asked, distraught. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Stefan said worriedly, holding his brother by the body.
Damon moaned in pain, then managed to stammer:
"Pois… Pois… Poisoned…"
At his words, Elena then noticed the bloodstains on him, caused by Connor's wooden bullets.
"What happened to him?"
"Connor shot him in the tunnels before you killed him," explained Hope still distraught by the disturbing state of the vampire.
"I'm…poisoned," Damon whispered in a very weak state.
Immediately, Stefan came to rip his brother's shirt. All could see the bullet holes on his chest with large black veins surrounding them.
"Werewolf venom!" Elena exclaimed horrified.
Hope felt her blood congeal in dread and horror. Damon was poisoned with werewolf venom.
"Connor's wooden bullets must have contained werewolf toxin," she said in horror.
"And Klaus isn't in Mystic Falls right now," Stefan added horrified. "What are we doing?"
Hope put her hands to her head, horrified, panicked. Her future was about to change.
No, no, no, no, no. Please, anything but that! Please, no! Dad's in Italy! He can't cure him! What have I done? How do we save Damon? What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?
Thanks for reading and reviewing.
As I said, Hope's presence in the past impacts the events of season four, which jeopardizes her future. Hope intervenes in the hostage situation, reveals the cure to Damon, putting him in danger of death.
See you soon for a new chapter!