Hello guys. After a long absence, I'm back. And I had big changes in my life during this long time. My work stopped following my boss's illness and today she passed away. RIP. I went to her funeral. I'm still shocked by her death.
In this chapter, Hope is still concerned about her involvement in the events of season 4 of TVD, and fears that this will affect her conception and future birth.
And there, she will see a new dark side of her family and realize how much her birth has changed everything in the Mikaelson and especially her father. And without forgetting that her future will be threatened again.
Good reading.
Recap (for the fun)
Elena Gilbert: My name is Elena Gilbert and I'm a vampire. I'm learning how to survive, but there are complications.
Elena: I know that I'm sired to you, Damon.
Damon: Know what would make me happy? That what you actually felt for me was real.
Stefan Salvatore: Elena and Damon are together now. But there's hope.
Klaus: Tell them what the Hunter told you?
Rebekah: He said there was a Cure.
Jeremy Gilbert: And we're not the only ones who want it.
Rebekah: I want to ram it down Niklaus' throat.
Damon Salvatore: The race for the Cure has begun. And we'll stop at nothing to find it.
Hope Mikaelson: My name is Hope Mikaelson. I'm not from here. I come from the future. Wanting to save my friend who was corrupted by dark magic, I found myself in this very distant time of my future. I'm Klaus' daughter. But it's a secret I can't tell anyone. Not even my parents. I have to go home before my presence affects time more. And I have to make sure that my birth is coming. For that, I have to make the Quest for the Cure come to my conception. No one can know my secret. Otherwise my future could be gone. And that includes me. If I want to see my loved ones again, I have to contain myself and make sure that my future is born. I cannot afford to fail. I have to protect my future, no matter what.
Chapter 11: A Broken Family
Klaus Mikaelson was standing in a bar, having a drink, hanging up the phone with Hope. He had just learned that his brother Kol was not only in Mystic Falls, but was planning to break the Quest of the Cure. So he was going to have to fix that. Using one of his daggers. His brother would again be plunged into sleep and would no longer be a threat to his plans. He might come after Hope. And that he could not accept.
He had to first make sure that Jeremy Gilbert completed his Mark in order to reach the Cure. And for that, he had to kill vampires. He had killed everyone at the bar with his blood so they could become vampires and targets to kill for his Hunter.
After a long time, as his new vampires began to emerge, he was visited by Damon, Matt, and Jeremy.
"I was beginning to worry you boys wouldn't find the place." he greeted them with a mocking look.
"What the hell…? " said Jeremy, horrified at the sight of the people who died at the bar.
"Did you kill all these people?" added Matt, shocked.
"Not exactly," replied Klaus, with a bad smile.
He got up from the counter with a drink in his hand.
"They're in transition." (To Jeremy) "Killing them is your job."
Stunned, Jeremy and Matt stared at each other before noticing that Damon was the only one not to be surprised by this bloody butchery.
"You said you were going to convince Klaus to do this another way!" Jeremy told the vampire Salvatore.
Embarrassed, Damon simply replied:
"Well, I thought about it... and then I realized his idea was better."
Satisfied, Klaus smiles at him while drinking his drink, as if to congratulate the vampire, before addressing Jeremy.
"So, you know what you have to do, Hunter."
"No way. I'm not doing this." Gilbert firmly objected.
"What makes you think you have a choice?" remarked Klaus, with a sinister grin.
"You have to kill vampires to complete the Hunter's Mark." Damon told Elena's brother. "Mark equals Cure. You're in a bar full of almost vampires, so get your hunt on."
"Screw you!" Jeremy replied with an authoritarian voice. "You said I wouldn't have to kill any innocent people."
"Jeremy, they're not people."
Klaus gets impatient and insists strongly.
"Enough! Have at it, or else..."
"I don't take orders from you, dick!" Jeremy replied, throwing his stake on the ground. "Hunters can't be compelled."
Far from being furious, Klaus sneered as he approached young Gilbert.
"You're right. I can't compel you. But if your conscience is getting in the way, then allow me to make this easy for you. Because, I can compel them."
Damon then noticed that Klaus had compelled women into giving their blood to the person in transition to turn them into vampires.
Klaus continued before Jeremy:
"I'm gonna give you a two-minute head start. Then I'm gonna send every vampire in here after you. You kill them, or they kill your friend..." (He observed the quarterback and replied with a sinister smile.) "...Matt."
"Wait a second!" said the latter.
"No, no," Damon suddenly objected. "You turn them, he kills them. That was the deal, Klaus."
"I'm taking artistic license." Klaus replied with indifference.
"You know he can't take them all on at the same time." Salvatore vampire insisted.
"With you as his coach, he'll be fine. It's Matt I'm worried about."
Seeing that it was useless to argue and that Klaus would not change his mind, Damon sent the two humans to get the weapons in their car.
Jeremy and Matt left the bar, as Klaus raised his voice to hear him warn them.
"If I hear an engine start, I'll kill Matt myself!"
Then he turned to Damon.
"Make Jeremy kill them! I'll send them to Matt if it's gonna convince our Hunter to be cooperative!"
"I'll do what I have to do." Damon said soberly.
"Good. Now I have to go. I have to get back to Mystic Falls. Family drama. If you want me to say hello to Stefan for you."
"No thanks!" said Damon, with an amused grimace.
Later, Klaus arrived at his home in Mystic Falls. Just as he had crossed the threshold of his Mansion, he was greeted there by Hope who brandished her hands in the direction of him.
At the sight of her father, Hope changed her mind.
"Sorry. Didn't realize it was you."
"Are you all right?" said Klaus, worried. "Did someone come after you?"
"I thought Kol was coming…"
Anxious, Klaus stares at Hope, like a faithful protector.
"Did he hurt you?"
"No," replied the Tribrid. "But he made me understand that he is willing to kill anyone who seeks the Cure."
"Don't worry," reassured her father. "I won't let my brother hurt you. If Kol wants to raise his hand on you, he'll have to put me on the body first. And I will make him regret his gesture."
"You told me that your brothers and sisters were abandoning you," Hope reminded him. "What's wrong with you and Kol?"
Klaus seemed embarrassed before replying:
"There was a time when Kol and I were close. It goes back a thousand years. That was before we became vampires. After our transformation, Kol and I moved a little further away. He has become unpredictable. And he caused me much trouble during these ten centuries. That's why I was forced to lock him in a box with a dagger. I didn't have to worry about him doing any more troubles."
"I'm sorry for you," said Hope, sympathetically. "I never had siblings. So I don't know anything about fraternal bonds."
Klaus made her a friendly smile.
"I envy you for that. For a thousand years, my siblings and I quarrelled for various reasons. Originally, I designed this house for all of us. So we could be a family. That was before my mother came to kill us, her own children. That's why I'm glad I got to know you."
"And I'm happy to be able to spend time with you," Hope replied, smiling.
"Thank you, Hope."
The next day, the Tribrid had risen. She was relieved to have been able to return to the Mansion the day before the return of her father. She would have had a hard time explaining why she had been kidnapped by Shane before being released.
This time it was an agonizing day for Hope. Between the arrival of her uncle Kol who threatened her future by opposing the Cure, she worried about the fateful day when her parents were supposed to sleep together, leading to her conception which was close. Even too close. Jeremy's Mark was still not complete. She knew her father turned innocents into vampires so the Hunter would kill them. Alas, Jeremy may have become a Hunter of the Five, but that did not make him a great exterminator of vampires. Especially since he was still young, and wasn't ready to kill hundreds of vampires. It would take months or years to complete the Mark. And Hope didn't have months or years ahead of her. She needed to complete the Mark as quickly as possible. Otherwise, she would not be born. She did not know what to fix this dangerous problem.
While she was in her thoughts, her anxieties were interrupted when she felt a delicious smell coming from the kitchens of the Mansion. Her father hired cooks to make breakfast?
When she enters the kitchen, she sees something she never thought she would see in her life. There she saw her father in front of the stove with a frying pan in his hand cooking pancakes. Hope rubbed her eyes wondering if what she saw was true.
"Are you cooking now?"
Klaus placed a pancake from his pan on a plate.
"I wanted to cook for you," he explained with a cheerful air. "Off course, I don't pretend to be a great master cook, but I found a pancake recipe and I wanted to try. I think I'm doing pretty well. I should try more often."
Stunned and amused, Hope came to sit in front of a plate full of pancakes. She tasted one of them.
"It's so good! You lived for a thousand years and never cooked in your whole life?"
Klaus dropped off a new pancake while answering.
"I never needed it. Being a vampire, I don't need to consume human food. But I enjoy making pancakes. And I wanted to do it for you."
Hope seemed moved.
"Thanks. I appreciate you doing it. I like this, but why this desire to make pancakes?"
"I was hoping to please you and make you forget the terrible day you had yesterday," Klaus said with emotion.
Knowing that her father had been busy cooking for her, Hope couldn't help but be saddened.
Klaus noticed her sad face and wondered.
"Don't you like them?"
"Yeah, I like them!" replied Hope eagerly, drying her tears. "Your pancakes are very good. That's not the point. It's just... it's been a long time since I've had that kind of attention to myself. Until now, I have always managed on my own. Even if I confess not to be a professional cook either. But you do a lot for me. And your attention to me touches me deeply. You gave me a place to stay. You gave me a room. Clothes. And even money to buy me a drink. And I don't think I ever thanked you for that. So… thank you for everything you do for me. I really appreciate your company."
"And I appreciate yours," replied Klaus, smiling with emotion. "You're exceptional to me, Hope. And you're a lot more than that to me. I'm proud to know someone like you."
If only you knew I was your daughter of the future…
Hope smiled tenderly as she dried her tears.
Both quietly ate their pancakes happily. This moment of tenderness with her father almost made Hope forget her fears for the future.
It had been a while since she had felt so well. And it made her suffer to know that soon she would have to leave him to never see him again.
Later in the day, Hope was fulfilled. Eating pancakes with her father made her smile again.
My dad made me pancakes. I will always have this new memory of Dad in me…
But soon, reality caught up with her, as did her anxieties about her future.
As she was immersed in her thoughts, a familiar voice brought her down to earth.
"Hope?"
She turned around and saw to her great amazement Elena Gilbert who had just entered the Mansion. And Hope could notice that the female vampire Gilbert was panicked.
What made Elena come to Dad's house?
"Elena? What are you doing here?" surprised Hope.
"We have a problem," Elena replied panicked. "I need to talk to Klaus! Right now!"
"First, tell me what's wrong." The Tribrid gently said to her, anxious about her state of panic.
"It's Kol! He attacked Damon and Jeremy! My brother may have escaped, but he has Damon!"
"What?" exclaimed terrified Hope, now.
Uncle Kol said he was willing to kill anyone who seeks the Cure! If he kills Damon, my future will disappear with him and me with it!
"I have to see Klaus to tell Kol to leave Damon and my brother alone!" Elena continued, ignoring the anguish of the Tribrid.
The latter seemed stunned and panicked. Then she tried to recover.
"Follow me!"
And both joined Klaus in his living room.
"You have a visitor," Hope told him, trying to stay calm. "Elena Gilbert wants to see you."
At first stunned at the sight of Elena, Klaus ends up rejoicing.
"What a surprise, Elena! Please make yourself at home, love! What brings you here?"
Elena sat on a sofa in front of the Original Hybrid.
Before the female vampire Gilbert could answer, Hope replied.
"It's Kol! Your brother's giving us trouble! He killed the vampires Jeremy was supposed to kill! He threatened to kill him and now he has Damon!"
"I need help." added Elena, anxious.
Despite the desperate situation in the eyes of Hope and Elena, Klaus kept his mocking air. He was no longer the caring father who cooked pancakes. He had become Klaus the great evil again.
"A bit ironic, you coming to me for help." he remarked to Elena. "Weren't your friends just trying to bury me in a cement tomb?"
Annoyed, Elena retorted.
"This is your fault. You started this when you forced Jeremy to kill those vampires."
Jeremy has to kill vampires to complete his Mark so we can find the Cure, Elena!
But Hope kept calm by shifting her attention to her father.
The latter remained nonchalant.
"And now my little brat of a brother has gone and made things worse. Well, he never did like Damon. I suppose I should do something, shouldn't I?"
"Call him off, Klaus." Elena firmly insisted.
Klaus seemed threatening, all of a sudden.
"You are in no position to make demands, love. Whilst I'd like to cure you to make more Hybrids, I do have other reasons for finding the Cure, not the least of which is destroying it so you lot can't use it against me."
Hope dared to intervene, hoping to make her father see reason.
"Whatever your reasons for wanting the Cure, you must remember that we need Jeremy and Damon alive to get it. Without them, we'll never find it. Kol will destroy our only chance of reaching him, and all your efforts to find it will have served no purpose."
Elena, in turn, added:
"Whatever our differences, we want the same thing. Please, Klaus, I'm begging you."
Hope was at least grateful to Elena for begging her father to help them.
Klaus resumed his usual grin, and, much to Hope's relief, finally abdicated at the request.
He took out his phone, dialed a number and put the speaker on. Finally, communication reached Kol.
"Little brother. Just two days home, and I'm told you've already gone and made a mess."
Hope could hear the voice of her uncle Kol reply with indifference.
"Come on, Nik. I was only having some fun."
"Those vampires were for my Hunter." Klaus replied with an ounce of anger in his voice.
"I'll make some more. There's no shortage of people." Kol continued nonchalantly.
"Where's Damon Salvatore?" replied Klaus.
"I gave him a good and proper beating just for old time's sake!" replied Kol with ecstasy in his voice.
"Yes. Well, you've had your fun. Now let him go and come home. Avoid any more trouble, or you'll find yourself back in a box."
"Hey. No need to be nasty about it." replied Klaus' younger brother with indignation.
"On the contrary, I find nastiness to be essential whenever my siblings try to sabotage me." Klaus continued in a threatening tone. "Listen closely, Kol. Stay away from the Gilbert boy. You understand?"
"Fine," Kol simply replied. "I won't touch him. You have my word."
And he cut off communication. Satisfied, Klaus turned to Elena.
"It's done."
"Do you think your brother will listen you?" said Hope with concern. "What's enough for him to release Damon?"
"I made it clear to him that if he didn't do what I asked, he would end up in his box," Klaus replied. "Then he better listen to me!"
"Thanks," said Elena, relieved.
But Hope wasn't reassured. She knew her uncle could be stubborn. He and her father had had many quarrels over the last ten centuries. And given the look of determination she had seen at her uncle's the day before, Hope feared that Kol was looking for another way to harm the Quest of the Cure despite her father's threats. She was convinced he wouldn't stop like that, so easily. She had to find a way to put him out of harm's way. Kol may have been her uncle, but Hope couldn't let him destroy her future. She had to act before this escalated and other time incidents occurred.
In the hours that followed Elena's departure, Hope was nervously waiting for news. She hoped that her uncle was smart enough not to provoke her father's anger and that he had released Damon. She feared Kol would kill him. And that she could not accept.
Finally, her phone rang. She noticed Elena's name on the screen. She hastened to answer.
"Elena ?"
"Hope. Damon's fine. Kol released him," the former doppelganger told her.
Hope seemed surprised and suspicious.
"Kol released Damon? Without doing anything to him?"
"I'm telling you he's fine," said Elena. "He didn't kill him."
So easy! Kol wants to stop the Quest of the Cure! He wouldn't let Damon go like that, so easily! Something's wrong! This has nothing to do with Dad's threats! I know Uncle Kol! He wouldn't drop like that from the first threat!
"Did Damon say anything about Kol?" asked anxious Hope.
"He just said he wanted to see Jeremy to apologize for what happened," Elena replied. "He asked me where to find Jeremy and he went to join him."
Hope again appeared anxious at this news.
Damon almost gets killed by an Original vampire and when he escapes, the first thing he does is go to Jeremy instead of being with Elena? To apologize? It makes no sense! Something's wrong!
"Elena, tell me where your brother is?" she asked.
"He's at Mystic Grill. Why are you asking me that?"
Hope hung up without answering her question. She had to find Damon before Jeremy. She had to understand what was going on so that her fears would be alleviated.
She left the Mansion and went to join the Mystic Grill.
Reaching the restaurant full of people, Hope saw Matt and joined him.
"Matt!"
"Hi Hope," said hello to the Grill's waiter.
"Hi. Have you seen Jeremy or Damon here by any chance"? asked the Tribrid.
"They're both here," Matt replied. "Damon just went into the kitchen to join Jeremy."
"I'm going to them," replied Hope, joining the kitchens.
"Hope, what's going on? Is there a problem?"
Anxious, she replied:
"The only reason I'm here is so there's no problem."
While going to the kitchen, she discovered Elena and Damon there.
Damon seemed agitated and turned his head in all directions, as if looking for something.
"Hope, what are you doing here?" he exclaimed when he saw her.
"I was about to ask you the same question." said Hope, anxious. "Why are you looking for Jeremy? To apologize? I don't believe you. What are you doing here, Damon? What did Kol do to you?"
"Damon, tell me what's wrong with you," Elena insisted, ignoring the Tribrid.
Still agitated, Damon noticed a vent leading to the open underground. Jeremy had to leave the Grill while passing by.
He stares at Elena and Hope with a hostile look.
"Kol… He compelled me! If I find Jeremy... I'm gonna kill him."
As Hope received the bad news, Damon quickly disappeared into the underground, leaving Elena and Hope alone and dazed.
"I should have known that Kol would not let go of it so easily," said Tribrid. "He cannot kill Jeremy himself without risking the Curse of the Hunter. That's why he compelled Damon to do it for him."
She turned to Elena.
"Go get Damon before he kills your brother. I'll get in touch with Klaus!"
Elena nodded and went into the underground.
Hope left the Mystic Grill and dialed her father's number. A moment passed before he answered.
"My littlest wolf!" said Klaus, in a happy voice. "Is everything all right?"
"No, everything is not all right," replied Hope. "Your brother Kol continues to cause us trouble."
"What now?" asked her father with weariness.
"Kol kept his word. He didn't touch Jeremy. But he compelled Damon into killing your Hunter. Elena went to find him."
"This time, Kol has really crossed the line!" said her father with anger in his voice. "Get back to the Mansion! I'm gonna find Kol! Either I force him to cancel compulsion, or I lock him in his box!"
Hope went immediately to the Mansion. Along the way, she dialed Stefan's number. Elena could use some help neutralizing Damon.
A moment passed, but it was not Stefan's voice that she heard. It was a female voice that stopped her march.
"Hello Hope! Stefan don't talk to anyone!"
Stunned, Hope recognized this voice.
"Rebekah? Where's Stefan? Why are you answering his phone?"
"I rescue him from his old and dull life before that reminds him of his ex. A little selfish girl! He don't talk to anyone!"
Hope rolled her eyes, annoyed. It wasn't time for Stefan to ruminate because of his breakup with Elena.
Even if she doesn't get along with Dad, Aunt Bex wants the Cure! She could also stop Kol from wanting to kill Jeremy!
"Right, if I'm calling, there's a good reason. Rebekah, I know you and I are not friends, but if you want to find the Cure, there is an obstacle in your way. Your brother Kol. He compelled Damon into killing Jeremy! Elena has gone to join them, but she will need help! If Stefan's with you, let him hear this! I know he has every reason to hate his brother, but right now, we have a big problem with the Cure! He has to find Damon and stop him from killing Jeremy!"
A moment passed, then Rebekah replied in a serious voice without the slightest sarcasm.
"Thanks Hope. We'll fix this problem right away!"
And she cut off communication, while Hope hurried back to Klaus' Family Mansion.
Night had fallen when Hope was waiting for news. She heard a noise. Maybe her father had just returned. She joined him, but discovered her uncle Kol with the white oak stake in hand.
"What are you doing here, little girl?" wondered Kol, intrigued by her presence at the Mansion.
"I live here!" replied Hope in a hostile tone.
"Seriously? My brother welcomes puppies at home, now?" Kol replied with astonishment in a sarcastic tone.
"I know what you did to Damon," said the Tribrid in a threatening tone. "And I can't let you do that! Jeremy can't die!"
"You will thank me later when I have saved you all from Silas," her uncle replied harshly.
He is still obsessed with Silas, while there are other threats worse than him in the future! Like the Hollow and the Malivore!
"Trust me, Silas isn't the worst threat in this world!" Hope said firmly.
"Really? And what's worse than him?" chuckled Kol as if Hope were just a five-year-old who was creating an imaginary universe for herself. "Wake up, kid! Silas will spread hell if we rise him!"
"You have no idea what you are doing!" the Tribrid furiously carried off.
"I think it is you who knows nothing at all!" replied Kol angrily. "You're either ignorant or stupid!"
Upset, Hope gave him a disapproving pout.
"I think the stupidest of us is you! You're blinded by your nonsense fear of Silas!"
"If you're not afraid of Silas, then you're a fool, Hope, or whatever your weird name is! Get out of my way!" growled her uncle, shoving Hope by the shoulder.
Frustrated, Hope went after him, when Rebekah appeared to him. She was as hostile as her niece.
"Going somewhere?" she said sternly. "I would if I were you. If Damon kills the Hunter, Nik will not be pleased."
Kol then looked innocent with amusement, acting as if he had done nothing wrong.
"I told Nik I wouldn't touch the kid. I didn't."
Rebekah gave him a sarcastic look.
"Oh. Well, that was clever! I'm sure he'll really appreciate it!"
Ignoring his sister, Kol continued smiling and joined the exit. While his back was turned, Rebekah took the opportunity to point one of Klaus' daggers at his brother's back.
Hope seemed relieved. She hated to see another family member stabbed, but now Kol was threatening her future. If he was stabbed, the compulsion on Damon will down.
Kol was no longer amused and retorted severely without turning back:
"You'd really dagger me?"
"If I do, Damon's compulsion ends and this is all over!" replied Rebekah with hostility.
Kol continued with fury always without a single glance to his sister:
"And then you're no better than Niklaus. Daggering siblings when you disagree with them... Look at what this family has become. I mean, Elijah won't even show his face, he's so disgusted by our bickering. This Cure has ruined us, and it hasn't even been found yet. Just imagine what would happen if it is."
Hope seemed stunned by what her uncle said. She was aware of her family's problems with disagreements. But she had no idea it was that bad. Elijah was disgusted with family arguments? Did he consider his family a lost cause? He always tried to appeal to Klaus' humanity. Her uncle considered her father a lost cause, too?
All these revelations about her family affected Hope emotionally. She couldn't believe what Kol had just revealed about her father and her uncle Elijah.
Did my family hate each other that much? That Uncle Kol hates my father was one thing, but Uncle Elijah? Did he also hate my father and get tired of family bickering? Is that why he abandoned my father? Why isn't he in Mystic Falls at the time?
Far from being affected by Kol's words, Rebekah replied sharply, holding her brother by the dagger in his back:
" This family was ruined long before we knew about the Cure!"
She's right, thought Hope saddened. It is not because of the Cure that our family is ruined! Was my family always like this before I was born?
She was so distraught by these revelations that she had forgotten that her uncle Kol still held the white oak stake.
Wielding the white oak stake, Kol turned around and aimed at Rebekah, ready to kill her.
Stunned and horrified, Rebekah became as pale as dead.
"Kol…"
" I won't let you raise Silas." said Kol, mercilessly for his sister.
Horrified, Hope saw her uncle threaten her aunt with the deadly stake intended to kill an Original.
"NO!"
She moved her hands. Immediately, Kol was pushed back away from Rebekah. He fell back to the ground, while Hope rushed towards him, waving his hands at him.
"ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU WANT TO KILL YOUR SISTER BECAUSE OF YOUR FEAR OF SILAS?" she exclaimed panicked. "REBEKAH'S YOUR SISTER! AND YOU DARE TALK ABOUT KLAUS? HE HAS HIS FAULTS, BUT HE WOULD NEVER WANT TO KILL HIS SIBLINGS!"
"And who are you to talk about Klaus?" Kol was still furious. "How long have you known him? Two weeks? A month or two? My brother only stabbed me many times because he didn't love me! You don't know what it's like to be under his control! I've been through this for a thousand years!"
"I, too, was stabbed by Nick," remarked Rebekah, still shocked by the attempted murder on her.
"Oh, yeah? And how many times has he cared about me than you?" Kol replied furiously. "This family is cursed! Hope, what you're doing for my brother is really not worth it! You should get away from this, and get on with your life!"
"I can't do that!" said Hope.
Unlike her father and aunt, Hope saw no objection to wanting to harm her uncle. He was a threat to her future and he tried to murder her aunt. He deserved to be stabbed.
She levitated Rebekah's dagger and pointed it at her uncle.
"Kol, this is your last chance!" Hope told her uncle in a threatening voice. "Either you release Damon from your compulsion, or you end up with a dagger! It's up to you!"
Stunned and furious, Kol stared at Hope as if she were crazy.
"Do you really want to help my brother in his obsession with his Hybrids? Then you're no better than him! You're a lost cause, Hope! You're crazy for putting the world in danger!"
"This is not about Silas! It's about you putting us in danger!"
"Am I putting you in danger? You're crazy. If I have to kill you, little girl, I won't hesitate!"
Before Hope could aim her uncle with the dagger, Kol grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. The dagger fell to the ground. The Tribrid tried to fight back, but her uncle grabbed her by the neck and began to strangle her violently.
Hope was too shocked by her uncle's attitude to fight back.
"Kol… please, don't…"
"Sorry, Kid! But Silas must not be raisen!" replied Kol, strangling her with indifference.
Hope couldn't breathe anymore. Kol tightened his grip on her neck.
When an angry voice resounded throughout the Mansion.
"KOL !"
Vamp-running, Klaus appears out of nowhere. He grabbed Hope by the body and dragged her away from his brother. Then he hit Kol by the belly with a kick that sent him propelling a few meters from him.
Klaus stared hostile and furious at his younger brother.
"NOT HER! LEAVE HER!"
Hope was shocked. The last time she saw her father so angry was when Rebekah destroyed Elena's human blood bags. He stared at his own brother with anger and hostility.
Kol stood up and stared at Klaus in amazement.
"Since when do you care about a simple witch? You, the immortal psychopath who killed hundreds of thousands of people without the slightest remorse, suddenly has a soft spot for a little girl's life?"
"Hope is not just a simple witch!" Klaus groaned with furious eyes. "You would know if you stopped your foolishness! Hope's my protégé! And if you ever dare to touch her, even one of her hair, it's not in a box that you will find yourself, but at the bottom of the ocean with crabs to keep you company! I think sharks will find you to their liking!"
Hope, massaging her neck, stared at her father with shock, her eyes wide open in amazement.
Wow! I wonder if he would have made the same threat to Kol if he knew I was his daughter!
Even Rebekah stared at her brother in amazement.
Klaus took a threatening step towards his brother, continuing in the same angry tone:
"As a brother, I'm going to give you one last chance to fix your foolishness. Release Damon from your compulsion. And if you refuse to do it, you will be daggered! Put it down, Kol!"
Kol retreated quite intimidated by the violence of his brother's words. Then he looked furiously at his brother and sister.
"Go to hell all of you!"
And he vamp-runs.
After Kol left, Klaus turned to Hope who was massaging her neck.
"Are you all right? Take a deep breath. You want a glass of water?"
Hope took some breaths recovering from Kol's attack on her neck.
"I'm fine! It's gonna be okay!"
Rebekah, trembling, said aloud.
"He was going to kill me!"
Turning away from Hope, Klaus looked at his sister with pity.
"Well, then, I think you need a lesson in how to properly dagger a sibling."
Then he returned to Hope, which angered Rebekah.
"What are you doing, Nick?" she exclaimed, furiously. "You barely know this girl! I'm your sister! I almost died tonight! And you care about a stranger girl rather than your own family? What is she to you? Hope's not part of our family! She is nothing!"
"Enough, Rebekah!" shouted Klaus without looking at her. "Hope understands me better than you didn't during those ten centuries!"
This made Rebekah even angrier.
"You and that girl are no better than Kol! Go both burn in Hell!"
And she rushed out of the Mansion without a single glance at anyone.
Seeing her family torn apart, Hope couldn't help but sob. It was getting too hard for her. She had just witnessed a dark side of her family again. She missed her future father. Just like her uncles and aunts of the future. Rebekah had almost died, and her father did not seem to care, much to her dismay. The father she knew would never have reacted like that. Where was the caring and considerate Klaus that Hope had met in the future? How did her mother end up sleeping with him?
Seeing Hope crying, Klaus, moved, approached her gently.
"I am sorry for what you have just experienced," he said sympathetically.
Without thinking, Hope threw herself into her father's arms and held onto him, crying. It was the first time since her arrival in the past that she hugged her father. She wanted more than her whole future father.
Embarrassed, Klaus uttered a slight moan. He wasn't used to hugging. Nevertheless, he returned the embrace to Hope, gently stroking her back, then her hair.
Hope realized that her father thought she was crying because of Kol's actions. But in reality, she was crying because of the broken state of her family.
I'm sick of this! I want my dad! My dad of the future! The one who fought for his siblings and for me! My dad would never approve of Kol killing Rebekah! I can't take it anymore! I'm sick of this family madness! It's really time I was born to change all that!
After a moment of tenderness, Hope remained close to her father, who caressed her, despite the fact that he wasn't good at cuddling. Then she looked up at him.
"We need to find Damon and stop him from killing Jeremy. If Kol refuses to do so, we must act quickly."
"Elena and Stefan get him," Klaus assures her with sympathy. "I'm sure they can handle Damon."
Hope nodded. If this had really happened without her, Stefan had necessarily managed to neutralize his brother.
A little later, Stefan had gone to find Damon in the woods while he was about to kill Jeremy. He was able to neutralize him by breaking his neck.
Then he locked him in the Salvatore Mansion cell.
With a bloody face, Damon slowly regained consciousness, moaning in pain. Stefan stood near him with a stake in his hand.
"Easy there, buddy. You lost a lot of blood."
Barely opening his eyes and still lying on the ground, Damon noticed his weak state.
"So you bled me out?"
"Yeah. I didn't really have much of a choice." Stefan admitted without remorse. "Kol's compulsion is still in effect, so you need to stay locked up. We don't have any vervain, so... this was the only way I could weaken you."
Damon noticed that his brother had no empathy for him. Which was understandable, given recent events.
"You sound real torn up about it." he said sarcastically, moaning in pain. "Shouldn't we be going after Kol, make him decompel me?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure. That sounds easy enough, Damon." said Stefan sarcastically. "I'll get right on that."
"At least let me see Elena!" gently begged her grandfather.
"Come on. You know you can't do that." Stefan remarked. "With the sire bond, all you have to do is tell her to let you out of here. It's too risky."
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Damon replied harshly.
Stefan smiled amused at him.
"It's better for Elena if you stay in here for now, at least until we find the Cure, and then once she's no longer sired and you're no longer compelled, you can both do whatever the hell you want."
And he left the cell, closing it, ignoring Damon's calls.
He made his way to the ground floor of his house, when he discovered Elena in front of him.
"Going to see Damon?" he asked.
"I need to talk to him." she replied.
"Well, you can't." objected Stefan. "He'll just ask you to let him out."
"I won't let him out."
"You won't have a choice. You're sired."
Seeing that Elena was not leaving, Stefan asked her:
"That's all?"
"Stefan, what are you doing with Rebekah?" she asked. "She tried to kill me."
With indifference Stefan replied:
"And this will be the second time that Damon tried to kill Jeremy. So I guess nobody's perfect, right?"
Intrigued, Elena questioned her ex-lover by frowning.
"Are you trying to punish me? I don't know how many times I can apologize."
"I never asked you to," said Stefan in a neutral tone, shrugging his shoulders. "You can do whatever you want, Elena. I really don't care."
"You're hurt," she whispered in shock. "You're hurt, and you're acting out. Stefan, this isn't you."
"Sure it is." Stefan replied with a gloomy look. "You've just never seen me like this. You don't know what I look like when I'm not in love with you. I'll let Damon know you stopped by."
Seeing that it was useless to discuss with him, Elena left the Mansion. Stefan watched her leave when he received a phone call. It was Hope.
He picked up.
"Hello Hope."
"I'm glad to hear your voice this time," said the Tribrid on the phone.
"What I do with Rebekah is none of your business," he replied, with the phone in his ear.
"I don't care what you do with her, I'm not calling you for that!"
"What do you want, Hope?"
"Some news! Is Jeremy all right? How is Damon doing?"
"Are you worried about my brother?" wondered Stefan, half amused, half annoyed.
"You know what I mean," said Hope, annoyed. "Stefan, I know you're still suffering from what's going on between Elena and your brother, but can you put your anger aside for now? I remind you we're supposed to find the Cure. Are Jeremy and Damon okay?"
"Jeremy's fine, I neutralized my brother," he replied calmly. "I locked him in my house. He's still compelled. Rebekah was supposed to stab Kol. What's happened?"
"Complications," replied Hope. "Kol tried to kill his sister with the white oak stake and he vamp-running away before we could stop him. I'm so sorry, Stefan. You know I can't undo the compulsion on your brother."
"I know," sighed Stefan.
"I'll call you if I hear anything from Kol," replied the Tribrid, hanging up.
Later that night Hope had accompanied her father to the Gilbert House.
Klaus knocked at the door. Elena and Jeremy came to open the door.
"Hello guys," said Hope with an encouraging smile.
"Good evening, Gilbert clan," added her father, delighted to see the two Gilbert.
"Hope. Klaus. What do you want?" asked Elena.
"We wanted you to come to us," Hope replied.
Klaus came to clarify with his smirk:
"I've come to fetch my Hunter. Seeing as how my brother's become a liability, Jeremy will be safer with me."
"I think I'll pass," Jeremy said. "I've killed enough people for you today." (To Hope.) "Thank you for the invitation, but I said no."
"You think you're safer here?" remarked Klaus. "Hmm. Clearly you don't know Kol. He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants, so strange as it may seem, I'm your best bet."
"Sorry, but I think we'd rather take our chances." Elena added.
Klaus gave them a menacing look.
"Fine. But when Kol does come-and he will come-be sure to let me know, preferably before he burns your nice little home to the ground. And as for you, Hunter, there's no shortage of people to turn or loved ones to threaten, so sleep well. We'll plan on finishing our work tomorrow."
In his words, he left the doorway. Hope addressed a sympathetic look to the Gilbert before joining her father.
Jeremy doesn't have enough strength or mentality to kill hundreds of vampires. He's still young. And not as hardened as Connor. Dad could turn more people into vampires. Kol compelled Damon into killing Jeremy. My future is more than threatened. I have big problems. My date of conception is near. Never in this time will Jeremy have killed enough vampires to complete the Mark. I need to know what the Gilberts have planned to fix this. Stefan is too angry with Elena and Damon to think strategically. Elena must have the answer to help her brother.
On the way home, Hope had made her father believe that she needed to let off steam as a werewolf to free herself from her emotions of today. Klaus had accepted without knowing that it was a pretext to spy on the Gilberts.
She returned to the House of Gilbert. She cast her invisibility spell, not wanting to be seen.
"Invisique!"
She became invisible and approached the house quietly. She went around the house, and finally saw Elena and Jeremy near their kitchen. She gently approached the window and with a spell, ended up listening to their conversation.
She could feel the exhaustion in Jeremy's voice telling his sister.
"This is never gonna end. If Kol doesn't kill me first, then Klaus is just gonna force me to kill more innocent people. How many is it gonna take, ten? Hundred?"
I was right. Jeremy doesn't have the strength or the mentality to kill multiple hundred vampires to complete the Mark.
Quietly, the Tribrid spied on them and noticed that Elena seemed to have an idea. After a while, she answered.
"If you kill one Original vampire, their entire sire line will die with them. That's thousands, maybe tens of thousands of vampires. Kol compelled Damon to kill you. You're gonna kill Kol instead."
Hope felt her body freeze with fright. Did she hear right? Elena was considering killing her Uncle Kol to protect her little brother?
She hurriedly left the Gilbert House and walked down the street, her head plunged into her thoughts on what she had just learned.
Kol's death would make sense to complete the Mark. This would quickly put an end to the hunt for the Cure. But it saddened Hope, for it was her uncle. Was she willing to let her uncle die to protect her future?
If I want my birth to be near… That my future remains intact… I will have to let my Uncle Kol die? He's still alive in the future, unlike Mom and Dad… It really has to be like this? Do I have to let Kol die to save my future?
Thank you for reading and reviewing.
Hope's situation is more than complicated. She had, once again, a dark glimpse of her family and now she is facing a choice. Let her uncle Kol die so she can be born. Without Kol's death, Hope is not born.
I'll try to write while I can. I'm gonna be busy trying to find myself a new job. I don't know when I could update my story again.
In the meantime, thank you for your reviews. See you soon, for a new chapter!