Hey guys. After a long absence, I came back. I just found a new job that suits me with better schedules. I am happy to meet my readers for a new chapter.

Now Hope is faced with a dilemma and her decision could affect the whole future. She is still not conceived, which will be her constant fear for the next chapters.

Good reading.

Chapter 12: Excessively Sensitive

Hope Mikaelson sighed in frustration, feeling helpless. Her situation was more than desperate. Once again, her future was on danger. Her date of conception was far too close. The Cure had to be found so that her parents could sleep together so that Hope's existence could be assured. Alas, they were still not close to finding it. And to make things worse, her uncle Kol had compelled Damon into killing Jeremy in order to stop the Quest of the Cure due to an irrational fear of Silas. Hope didn't have many options. And to top it all off, she had learned that Elena was considering solving the problem by having Jeremy kill her uncle. Obviously, that would solve the whole problem. The death of an Original led to the destruction of his entire lineage of vampires, and this would complete the Mark of the Hunter. But it also meant sacrificing Kol to ensure Hope's existence. Was she willing to let her uncle die?

Hope was confused. She had just seen again a dark side of her family that she had never seen before. Terrified by Silas, Kol was willing to do anything, even murder Rebekah and revealed to her that her uncle Elijah no longer wanted anything to do with the Mikaelsons out of disgust at their quarrels. Her dad had barely reacted to the attempted murder of his sister and was more focused on the Cure to conceive Hybrids again. It was too much for Hope. She wanted more than anything to see her family reunited again as was the case in her future. The worst was that she could not confide in anyone. She couldn't tell her father or her aunt, let alone Stefan. She needed to confide. She went to her usual place in the woods, far from prying eyes. She landed against a tree, took out her prism, activated it and waited.

Finally, Landon Kirby appeared near her with a smile.

"Hey."

"Hello Landon." replied Hope, rejoicing, but worried. "I need to confide in you, because I'm not okay. I need comfort and guidance."

"I'm here to tell you the things you don't want to hear, remember?" Landon reminded her. "But I can also advise and comfort you. Tell me what's wrong."

Hope sighed, leaning her head against the tree.

"I kept doing what I'm supposed to do. Trying to find a way to get back to my future, while preserving it. I know it's not easy, I learned the hard way for with Damon, Connor, my mom… but this is really too hard. I saw the worst things about my dad, my aunt Rebekah and my uncle Kol. My family is completely broken and I understand better how my birth has changed everything. This whole thing has made me realize something that I didn't expect. It's helped me better understand my family's choices before I was born. Until then, I always thought I knew what it was. I already knew who my dad was, Klaus Mikaelson the Great Evil that everyone is talking about and who no longer spoke to his siblings. Always thought I had a sense about the Mikaelson family stories. Now I realize I wasn't close. Something my parents always wanted to hide from me. And with what I'm going through right now, I understand why they did it. Ever since their deaths, I've never stopped understanding the choices that led them to want to sacrifice themselves for me. I know that if I don't preserve my future, my Dad won't become the father I knew in the future. The one who fought for his family and died for me. I miss that father. I wish it was him right now… and not… not the Klaus the Great Evil. Because my father… he… would never have tolerated Kol trying to kill Rebekah… Yet I thought I'd seen him again when he made me these pancakes. He was so thoughtful. It looked a lot like the one I knew."

"Technically, he's the same person." Landon noted with empathy. "Just a few years before you met him. And even if he doesn't know you're his daughter, I think he loves you like his child. He made you pancakes. He could very well have hired or compelled a kitchen staff to make food. He made those pancakes himself. It proves he cares about you. Otherwise, he would never have cooked you those pancakes."

Hope sighed with sadness as she continued to say what she had on her heart:

- And now… if I want to preserve this future where my father exists… I have to let Elena and Jeremy kill Kol. This is unfair. I know what you're gonna tell me. That I can't interfere, that I have to leave things as they are. That I can't change Kol's death! I KNOW THAT! But he's my uncle! Even if he also looks nothing like the Kol I know in the future, he's still my uncle! I don't know if I'd have the courage to let him die! Isn't there another way to expand the Mark?"

Landon gave her a sorry look with sympathy.

"Hope, you know very well there are none. At this time, your uncle Kol is endangering the future. Your future and that of many people. He compelled Damon into killing Jeremy. This is not good news for you. Because if Jeremy dies now, there will be no Cure to find. Your mom and dad will not find each other and you will not exist. You will then be erased from existence and the whole future will be completely destroyed."

"My family is destroyed in the future," Hope said severely. "My parents are dead… my uncle Elijah too… "

"But Rebekah is married and happy with Marcel, and your aunt Freya is happy with Keelin and your cousin." recalled her boyfriend. "Where's Freya right now? Is she happy in this time?"

Hope felt a pinch in her heart as she imagined her aunt trapped in the claws of her great-aunt Dahlia. If she did not come into the world, Freya would remain forever a prisoner of this powerful and evil witch.

"Why can't we let Kol be stabbed?" she suggested. "It'll erase the mind compulsion on Damon."

"Yes," Landon replied with a look that meant things weren't as simple as she thought. "But if Kol is not killed, the Hunter's Mark will not be complete. Your father will continue to force Jeremy to kill vampires. He'll kill people and turn them into vampires so he can kill them. The Quest for the Cure will last much longer than it should. For weeks or months. Even for years. And you can't afford that, Hope. You'll not exist anymore. You will be completely erased from the timeline. Your dad will be able to recreate his hybrids and will completely distance himself from his siblings. Your family will be broken forever. And you can't afford that. The Quest for the Cure must be completed so that your mom and dad can get together so that they can have their one-night stand which will lead to your conception. You can't change that. You know you have to be born. I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's true. And you must not forget that in your future, your uncle Kol is still alive and that he is happy with Davina. Is your uncle happy with your family right now?"

Hope shook her head, unwilling to admit anything that Landon's projection told her. But she knew he was right. Even if it was hard to hear.

Distraught, she got up and walked around the tree.

"I'm done! I've had enough of this! I'm so tired of seeing my family tear apart! I want my family back! The one I know in the future! I hate time travel! And I hate Josie for her doing this to me! I hate her! I hate all of this! I AM FED UP OF THIS!"

Landon looked at her with a sorry look.

"Hope, it's okay to be angry. Anyone would be if they were you. And I know it's not easy for you. Anyone would react like you. I know what you have to do is beyond your strength, but you have to. There's no way around Kol's death for you to exist. Your whole life depends only on the night your parents having sex together. If an event before this night changes everything, you can never exist. You'll end up with another time incident that will disrupt your entire existence. It'll be even worse than the time Damon almost died of werewolf toxin."

Hope tried to calm down, stopped pacing, but remained angry.

"You know what's more ironic? When I arrived at that time, I thought that seeing my parents before I was born would make me happy. And this isn't. I'm not happy to be here. To see my mom away from here. And my dad doesn't know I'm his daughter. My aunt Bex hates my Dad and so do I! My uncle Elijah is who knows where and my uncle Kol who is more a danger than a help! My family's completely broken! That won't get me too far!"

"Hope. You know what you have to do." Landon replied sympathetically. "Make sure you can be born. So that your family doesn't stay broken forever, you have to exist. Not just for you and for us in the future, but for your family. For your father and your uncles and aunts. And if you have any doubts, think about your dad, Hope. I'm not talking about your dad from that time. I'm talking about your future dad. The one you knew. The one who fought and sacrificed for you."

Hope looked at him carefully as he continued to explain:

"Your father sacrificed himself so that you could live. Like your mom did before him. You are aware of what your parents have given for you. If you cease to exist, then, all their sacrifices will have served no purpose. Your parents will be dead for nothing. And that's not what you want. Ask yourself what your future parents would want you to do. Think about it."

Hope calms down and reflects on Landon's words. Then she answered, with tears in her eyes, nodding her head.

"They died so I could live. Mom sacrificed herself to save my life. And Dad did the same for me. If I cease to exist, then they will have fought for nothing. I'll dishonor them. And I know Mom and Dad would want me to stay alive."

"True. You understood everything." Landon nodded his head. "In the future, Kol's still alive. Keep that in mind. So you don't need to save him."

"If only I could save my parents," said Hope, saddened.

"And if your future's dad were there, he would tell you to let Kol die so that you can be born and he can change with your whole family. Your family's broken right now. Do you want it to stay like this? Do you want Rebekah to continue to be cruel with her entourage and that your uncles Elijah and Kol remain in conflict with your dad? That your Aunt Freya remains a prisoner of Dahlia? You know what you have to do to change this."

Hope nodded as she dried her tears.

"I must let Kol die. Even if it's gonna be hard to watch him die without me intervening. But I have no choice. I don't want my parents to sacrifice themselves for nothing. That's a good point."

"I know it will be hard, but you'll get there, Hope," Landon said gently. "You are strong. Just like a Mikaelson."

Later, she made her way to Mikaelson Mansion. As she crossed the lawn leading her to the house, she discovered Kol who seemed to leave hastily.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered.

Kol gave her a hostile look.

"You may be my brother's little lapdog, but that doesn't mean I have to answer to you. I won't kill you. But you're nothing, Hope. And I will do everything I can to keep Silas from waking up. I will find a way to kill Jeremy. I'll guarantee that."

Then he noticed something sticking out of Hope's bag. He was even more furious.

"What's this?"

With his speed as a vampire, he then tore the prism from Hope's bag and stared at it with fury, with a completely indignant look.

"This is mine! Where did you find it? You walk into my brother's house and steal my things?"

Hope seemed upset. It was the prism that allowed her to communicate with Landon. Even if it wasn't really him. And although she understood her uncle's anger, she needed this prism to not lose her sanity.

"That's not what you think," she tried to make him understand. "I need it! This isn't stealing!"

"You little liar and thief!" shouted Kol with a menacing look. "Don't you ever take my stuff away from me again, you miserable brat!"

And he rushed into vampiric speed, shoving Hope, knocking her to the ground. After a shock, she got up painfully, realizing that she no longer had her prism to communicate with Landon.

Without this prism, she had no one to talk to.

Sad, she took out her phone and came to dial a number. That of her mother Hayley. Even if she couldn't tell her anything about her situation as a time traveler, it would be good for her to listen to her voice.

There was a moment before her mom's voice was heard.

"Hope, is that you?"

"Hi Mo… uh Hayley. Yes it's me." she replied awkwardly and moved to hear the voice of her mom.

"You okay?" she asked in a worried voice. "You sound out of breath. Did someone hurt you? Are you in trouble?"

I wish she knew. Yes Mom, I have very big troubles. But I can't tell you. And yet, I would.

"I'm fine. I'm not calling you to do me a favor," replied Hope softly. "Actually… I need some advice. I am faced with a dilemma. And you're in the best position to understand me."

"I'm listening, Hope, tell me what's wrong." her mother replied with sympathy in her voice.

"How did you manage to send Da… uh Klaus' hybrids to death? Have you hesitated? Do you have any regrets about what happened when I helped you that night? Can you answer me honestly? Do you have any remorse for what you did?"

There was a moment before Hayley answered her in a soft voice.

"You ask me if I have any remorse about what I did to Tyler and the Hybrids, yeah, I regret very much what I do. I regret being forced to lie to them and manipulate them. And I regret that it put Tyler in danger, especially since I care about him, and it broke my heart to hurt him. I really don't feel good about that. And if I could have done it any other way, I would have. But I had no choice. I had to do it. Even if I hated it. Why are you asking me that?"

Hope inspired by looking for the right words to get her advice.

"Like I said, I want to go home. Find my loved ones, no matter what. And for that, I have to let someone die. If that person doesn't die, horrible things will happen to me. I can never go home and see my friends again. I wish there was another way without having to kill someone, but there is none. I have no choice. That's why I'm calling you. Because I'm in the same position as you are. What helped you kill the Hybrids? How did you do that?"

A new silence appeared before her mother replied:

"I'm sorry for you, Hope. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. It's never easy. That kind of decision is very difficult to make. I did it because I could not do otherwise. You have to act on your conscience, Hope. If killing this person can help you and you can't avoid it, do it without asking yourself any questions. Don't think about anything else. But it has to be in line with what you have in your heart. Make the right decision. If it puts you in danger, do whatever it takes to survive. I'd feel bad if anything happened to you. Whatever you do or whatever you decide, do everything to stay alive, please. You are young. You have your whole life ahead of you. You deserve to live and be happy and I'm sure your Mom would tell you the same thing I would. Hope, the important thing is not that you let someone die. It's that you stay alive."

Hope felt her tears again in her eyes.

My family has always made bad choices to protect themselves. And Mom, even before she met them, did the same thing. Was she meant to meet my family? Mom was already acting like a Mikaelson before she met Dad. And now I'm doing the same as her, but with Kol.

The words appeased Hope. Now she knew what she had to do. The hostile and dangerous behavior of her uncle had made her think. Her family had to change. And she would by the death of Kol.

"Thank you, Hayley." said Hope with gratitude. "What you said helped me a lot. I know what I have to do."

"Good luck, Hope. Be careful and stay alive, please."

"I'll be careful. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to stay alive."

And she cut off communication and returned to the Mansion. Her family was broken. Her father hated by all his siblings. She couldn't leave him that way. She knew that to change that, she had to let Kol's death happen. Her birth was not to be erased from existence.

The next day, Hope had risen like every morning at her father's Mansion in Mystic Falls. No sooner had she dressed, than she saw her father in his usual room where he meditated. When he saw her, he was relieved.

"Hope, I'm glad to see you're okay," he said calmly.

"Why won't I be?" asked the perplexed Tribrid.

"I didn't hear you come in last night. And with my stupid brother Kol coming home, I was afraid he'd come after you again."

"What happened? Did he hurt you?"

Klaus shrugged casually.

"No, I'm fine. He snuck in here to steal my entire set of daggers."

"The daggers you use on your siblings?" wondered Hope.

"Yes, he took everything away," said Klaus, disappointed. "I don't have one left."

"He wants to stop the hunt for the Cure. He wants to make sure you don't try to dissuade him by stabbing him. Especially with Damon Salvatore being forced to kill Jeremy."

"That's what I thought too," admitted Klaus, nodding. "But if he thinks I'll give up so easily, he's wrong."

"I can try to track him down with a location spell," suggested Hope.

Her dad gave her a grateful smile before answering:

"I appreciate your help, Hope. But knowing my brother, he must have anticipated that I would do this. He must have taken his occult things with him. Over the centuries, Kol has collected many magical artifacts. I'm sure he's got one that hides a location spell. Finding him won't be easy."

"Yet he will have to be found quickly to undo Damon's compulsion," Hope said angrily.

"Are you worried about Damon Salvatore?" wondered Klaus with amusement.

"I remind you that he also has the white oak stake in addition to your daggers. He tried to kill Rebekah last night. He might try to murder you too."

But much to Hope's surprise, her father laughed for a moment and then he got serious again.

"My littlest wolf. I'm flattered you're worried about me, but it's okay. Kol's an unpredictable dullard, but he's not crazy enough to try to murder me. He can't win against me. Then he would never dare to try a homicide against me. Especially after the threats I made to him last night."

"But the problem remains the same," Hope insisted. "Kol is out there with the stake capable of killing an Original with all your daggers. And he will continue to want to kill Jeremy. If we can't find him with magic, how are we gonna stop him?"

"As for my daggers, I have a plan for that," replied Klaus. "I know my sister Rebekah has one of my daggers and white ashes. I was gonna go over to her house and ask her to give them to me."

"Given the tension between you, she will never give you anything," Hope replied. "After what Kol did to her, she will never want to part with her only weapon of defense against him."

"I know that," he reluctantly admitted. "But I know that Rebekah still loves me despite what happened between us. Maybe her brother's protection could change her mind."

"Try. But I don't think she will."

She was very reluctant to go to see her aunt Rebekah, since she did not like her. But she did not seek to argue.

But to Hope's surprise when she and her father came to Rebekah's house, it wasn't her aunt who opened the door for them, it was Stefan. And judging by his evasive attitude, he seemed about to slip away.

"Leaving so soon?" said Klaus with amusement.

Apparently, he was not surprised by his presence, unlike Hope who was amazed.

"Stefan ? What are you doing here?" she wondered before turning to her father. "Are you sure we didn't have the wrong house?"

"Nope." he replied with an amused smile. "We're in the right place. But not at the right time, right, Stefan?"

Hope then realized that her aunt and the vampire Salvatore had spent the night together.

Embarrassed, Stefan let them in.

"Hey Hope! Hey Klaus!"

When I call Stefan on his phone, it's Aunt Bex who answers in him place, and when I go to Aunt Rebekah, it is Stefan who opens the door of her home. Stefan and my aunt spend a lot of time together. And they even got sex? When I said my aunt needed a lover, I wasn't thinking about Stefan. I understand that he's mad at Elena and Damon, but to sleep with my aunt is nonsense.

When she awoke, Rebekah was furious at the presence of her brother in her house. After putting on a nightgown, she came to see Klaus with a hostile look.

"This is my place, Nik, and I don't appreciate you invading my privacy like some kind of Creeping Tom with your little witch-pet!"

"Hey!" cried Hope angrily.

Klaus just stared at her, giggling with amusement. He returned quietly and came towards her.

"Well, I apologize for breaking up this sordid little tryst, but I do have some urgent business. Or have you forgotten – our paranoid brother Kol is running around with the white oak stake and homicide on the brain?"

Rebekah's fury grew tenfold.

"He tried to kill me last night. I didn't forget."

"And who saved your life last night? You're welcome, by the way." said Hope still angrily.

But her aunt gave her an uneventful look.

"You want me to believe that you care about me? In your dreams, kid! You're just trying to please my brother! He's not worth it, Hope!"

But Klaus went on as if he hadn't been interrupted by ignoring the bitter look Hope was giving his sister.

"Yes, well, unfortunately he seems to have absconded with my set of daggers."

"Oh, poor Nik!" said Rebekah, pretending to be worried. "How ever will you get your way without your precious daggers? They were so handy when you wanted to end a conversation with one of us!"

"Kol's irrational fear of Silas has pushed him over the edge." Klaus replied with a serious look. "We need to put him down before he does any more damage. Now, I know you have the last dagger, and I know you have some white ash, so hand it over."

Rebekah smiled at him sarcastically, and then replied bluntly:

"Mhm, and leave myself unprotected? You can file that request under 'no chance in hell'. Be gone by the time I have showered. Lurkers aren't welcome here!"

And she went to her bathroom. Although she hated to see her father and aunt on bad terms, Hope understood her aunt Rebekah's reaction. She didn't trust her father after being stabbed, and then her uncle tried to murder her last night. For nothing in the world, she would part with her only defense against a member of her dysfunctional family.

Disappointed, Klaus turned to Stefan who was still in the house.

"I need that dagger, Stefan. Talk some sense into her." he said in a demanding tone.

"Why don't Hope and you talk some sense into her?" asked Stefan, sarcastically. "I'm headed home to play prison guard to Damon. He's on lockdown ever since Kol compelled him to kill Jeremy last night."

Well, at least I don't have to worry about Damon being free and tracking Jeremy down to kill him.

Klaus then resumed his gloating gaze, as if he wanted to make Stefan his great ally.

"You see? That's my point exactly. If you let Kol roam free, then Jeremy won't live to see his junior prom, and we can kiss our map to the Cure goodbye. But if you help me dagger Kol, Damon will be uncompelled, Jeremy will live, and we'll all be on our merry way to a human Elena."

Hope stared at her father in a bitter tone.

Too bad we're getting too a merry way to close to my conception date. And that this damn Cure has to be found if I want a chance to exist, Dad!

But she let nothing appear, content to remain neutral. If only she could tell him how quickly finding the Cure was important to her. Although she was determined to let Kol's death happen, it still hurt her not to have a better alternative to expand Jeremy's Mark.

"Stefan has to get Rebekah's dagger, but we need someone to watch Damon," she suggested to her father. "See to it that he remains confined the time of his compulsion. Elena can't do it, since she's sired to him. Someone has to watch Damon while we stop Kol."

"You're right, Hope," admitted Klaus. "Then I'll be the one watching Damon while you and Stefan find that dagger."

"It's a good plan, isn't it, Stefan?" asked Hope, turning to the vampire.

"I agree," said Stefan. "Hope and I will find that dagger."

Soon after, the three of them went to Salvatore Boarding House, in the cellars where Damon was locked up.

The vampire was still weakened and lying on the ground. When he heard Stefan arrive at the door of his dungeon, he barely looked up at him.

"You coming to snap my neck again?" he asked in a weak voice. "Because I woke up feeling completely un-murderous, and I'm pretty sure that it's safe to set me free."

From the bars of the prison door, Stefan threw a vial of blood at him without saying a word. Dazed, Damon picked it up without interest.

"Oh man, really?!" he mumbled, weakened. "You practically bled me dry. At least spring for a bag or something. I'm thirsty."

Stefan then put a bottle of water between the bars of the dungeon door. Damon barely looked at him.

"Not exactly what I had in mind."

Despite his weakened condition, he decided to get up to grab the water bottle. And it was then that he saw Klaus and Hope behind the bars of his door.

"Hello, mate!" said Klaus, with a grin on his lips.

"Hello, Damon," added Hope without enthusiasm.

The weakened vampire stared at the two newcomers with amazement.

"Klaus and Miss Weird Witch! What a surprise! Sorry if I can't get out and take you both in my arms! What the hell are you doing here, guys?"

"I'm here for baby-sitting," replied Klaus happily. "Stefan and Hope are busy today. You and I are gonna spend the day together. Consider me your prison guard and new confidant."

Damon gasped with a mocking smile.

Stefan gave Klaus instructions.

"Give him a vial of blood every couple of hours, so he doesn't desiccate."

He gave him a vial of blood and continued:

"If he gets too much strength back, or if he just annoys you, bleed him out again."

Seeing that his brother was not interested in him, Damon was sarcastic.

"Silent treatment, huh? Is that your best shot?" (To Klaus) "He's still pissed at me for sleeping with Elena."

Klaus pretended to be confused and replied sarcastically:

"You sure about that? 'Cause I saw him trying to sneak out of Rebekah's bed this morning, which would suggest to me that he's moved on."

Damon was both surprised and pleased at the news.

"Well, well. Looks like my brother ripped out a page of my revenge-sex handbook. Bravo brother! Although if Stefan were having sex with a girl, I would have thought of Hope. Since my brother and she seem to get along well, I expected them to be together in bed."

Hope made a grimace of disgust and stared ferociously at Damon.

"I think your weakness is making you lose your mind, mate. There's no way that Stefan and I are having sex, and for the record, I already have a boyfriend. A great boy named Landon."

"Landon? Really?" wondered Damon, raising his eyebrows. "Well, I pity that poor guy! It can't be easy dating you!"

Embarrassed, Stefan decided to leave.

"Well, why don't you two enjoy your little, uh, villain bonding time? Hope and I will let you know when we get the dagger from Rebekah."

And he left the cellar, with Hope in his suite.

"I'll let you know." she said to her father, without turning a glance at Damon.

Stefan made his way out of his house. Hope joined him. When she was sure her father could not hear anything, she approached the vampire.

"Stefan, what are you doing with Rebekah? What's next?" she asked.

Stefan stopped walking and turned to her, looking at her.

"What I do with her is none of your business, Hope."

Well, it's my business! Rebekah is my aunt! Of course it's my business, especially if it could affect my future.

"Did you really become a couple with her?" she asked, ignoring him neutral gaze. "You slept with her last night! Why? I thought you couldn't stand her!"

"She hates her brother, and I hate mine," replied Stefan, as if it justified everything.

"So, is it really serious between you or are you using her to forget about your breakup with Elena?"

Stefan frowned at this question.

"What do you mean?"

Hope sighed and replied in a gentle voice:

"Stefan, you're mad at Elena and Damon because they hurt you. I know. I understand your anger and I'm not defending your ex or your brother. It's okay you're mad at them. But if you want to be with Rebekah, it has to be for good reasons. Not because you want to make Elena pay for your troubles or to forget your heartache. If you do that, you'll get lost!"

But Stefan looked grumpy in front of her.

"I don't care! I am already lost!

Stefan has not yet mourned his breakup with Elena. He got involved with Rebekah to punish his ex and his brother. He's going the wrong way. But maybe even without my presence, it's happened before. And anyway, I'm not here to mediate between Elena, Stefan and Damon.

The ringing of a telephone rings, interrupting their discussion. Stefan took out his phone, seeing Elena call him.

"Speak of the devil…"

"Maybe it's important," said Hope. "Answer her and put the speaker on."

After an exasperated sigh, Stefan complied and answered the phone to his ex-girlfriend.

"Damon's fine. I locked him up with all the creature comforts he deserves."

"That's not why I called. Kol just tried to kill Bonnie." Elena tells him.

Stefan appeared shocked and left the house with Hope to avoid being heard by Klaus.

"What? Is she okay?" he asked, anxious.

"Yeah, she's just shaken up." said her ex-girlfriend. "She managed to hold him off, but Kol seems pretty intent on murdering everyone who's looking for that Cure."

"Yeah, Klaus had Hope and me trying to convince Rebekah to give up her dagger so he can take care of Kol."

"I don't want to just dagger Kol. I want Jeremy to kill him."

At his words, Stefan seemed stunned, wondering if he had heard correctly.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

Suddenly, Hope picked up Stefan's phone and answered in his place:

"Hey, Elena, it's Hope. And I know what you want to do."

"Hope?" Elena wondered. "What are you…?"

"Last night, I stopped by your house and heard you talking to your brother. I know you intend to kill Kol. And I want to help you."

"What?" replied the bewildered vampire Gilbert.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Stefan, shocked and stunned.

"I have my reasons for wanting Kol dead," replied Hope, keeping her composure. "This is the only way to expand Jeremy's Mark to find the Cure. As soon as Kol's dead, you'll have the full map to find him. It's important to me that he is found. And I want to help you with that."

"Are you ready to kill a Klaus' brother?" exclaimed Stefan, looking at Hope as if she were mad. "Even if we manage to kill him, Klaus and Rebekah will kill every one of us out of spite. They may be dysfunctional bickering lunatics, but they stick together no matter what."

"Kol is not really the favorite brother of the Mikaelson family right now," Hope replied. "Klaus will certainly be angry, but when you have the Cure, everything will change. But for that, we need Kol's death."

"Why are you helping us, Hope?" continued Stefan, still stunned. "Is there anything else at stake? Is this about your secret? The one you don't want to tell us about your relationship with Klaus?"

Even for Hope, it was sheer madness to consider wanting to murder one of her uncles. But knowing what was at stake for her, it was necessary.

Sighing with frustration, she replied to the vampire:

"I wish I could answer you, Stefan. But I can't. I am forced to do things that involve protecting all of you and ensuring that the Quest of the Cure succeeds. If it isn't found, the consequences will be horrible for me. I'm asking you to trust me, Stefan. And I promised you one day I'd tell you everything. Do you remember that?"

"Yeah, I remember." confirmed the vampire, nodding.

"Trust me, Stefan, I am your ally," Hope assured him. (And she resumed communication with the vampire Gilbert.)"Elena, I guess you have a plan to kill Kol."

After a moment of stupor, Elena was still shocked to have the help of Klaus' strange witch to help them eliminate an Original.

She tried to pull herself together and talked about her plan:

"He should be drawn to my house. Bonnie will join us to neutralize him, while Jeremy sticks the white oak stake in his heart."

Discovering Elena's plan to kill Kol made Hope sick. He was her uncle. And it was tearing her apart to have to participate in this homicide against a member of her family. Nevertheless, she managed to restrain her emotions and replied:

"I can call him and ask him to come over to your house. Give me a specific time and I will forward it to him."

Soon after, she decided to call Kol.

A moment passed before he answered.

"Who is it?"

"Kol, it's me, Hope. I managed to get your phone."

Hearing her voice did not seem to rejoice her uncle.

"Little girl, I don't want to argue with a thief," he replied angrily. "If you're trying to convince me to give up so my brother Klaus can stab me, you're wasting your time. And it won't happen! I have no intention of stopping! And if I have to kill you all to stop Silas from waking up, I won't hesitate to do it.

"I know that," replied Hope. "That's why I'm calling. I've been thinking all night. And although I don't believe in Silas, I figure finding that Cure isn't worth it. Why would a vampire try to become human again? Why give up immortality and power? It makes no sense. I think it's best to stop this before it goes any further."

"Are you serious?" wondered Kol, seeming to be skeptical.

"I'm very serious, Kol. I mean what I say. And then I just had a conversation with Elena Gilbert, and I managed to convince her. It wasn't easy, but I did. Elena agrees to give up the Cure on the condition that you agree to leave Jeremy alone and not threaten anyone."

"And what about my brother who wants this Cure for his hybrids immediately?" said Kol, still skeptical.

"Klaus won't be happy, but if you and I come together, we can neutralize him together." Hope assured him always in a calm voice, but always displeased to have to repress her emotions. "Once you figure out your problems with the Gilberts, we'll figure out a way for Klaus. But do I have your word that you'll let Jeremy Gilbert live? He's the only family left in Elena. And she wants a truce with you. Don't screw up!"

A moment passed, then Kol replied:

"Fine. If Elena agrees to give up this stupid Cure, I'll let little Gilbert live."

"Good." replied satisfied Hope. "She wants you to meet her at home. Jeremy will invite you in and then you can talk to her."

"That's right." replied Kol, satisfied. "Tell Elena I'll come by her house at nightfall."

After the conversation was over, Hope resumed communication with Elena.

"Why did you tell him that Jeremy is going to invite him in?" she wondered. "I don't want to put my brother in danger."

"Elena, you're a vampire," reminded her of the Tribrid. "Only Jeremy can invite Kol to your house!"

"You're right," said Elena. "And I don't want Rebekah looking for revenge after Kol's death. We'll have to stab her. Stefan can't do it, but Matt can. It's not like she doesn't deserve it. Bonnie also thinks she can get Klaus out of the picture at least temporarily. Once we get this Cure, none of this will matter because we can use it against them."

"I'll distract Rebekah and Matt can jump in," suggested Stefan.

"Good plan." approved Hope.

Once everyone knew what to do, the Tribrid had moved away from everything to be able to turn into a werewolf and let off steam. Before her transformation, she had burst into tears against a tree. She sobbed for a long time, unable to calm down. Letting her uncle Kol die was one thing. But planning his death with those who wanted to kill him was another. Although she was convinced that she was acting to protect her future, Hope felt bad about participating in all this. Again, she blamed Josie and time travel. But she knew it was necessary for her birth to come in the near future. If only she didn't have to get Kol killed. If only there was another way to find this stupid Cure...

I feel so bad! Terrible bad! I don't want to kill Uncle Kol! But if I don't, Mom and Dad will never find each other to conceive me! Kol will never meet Davina and will not get a happy ending with her! Aunt Freya will remain Dahlia's prisoner forever! And my family will be broken forever!

After turning into a wolf, she broke down on the trees, uprooting them for hours.

Then she took her human form, dressed, and walked through the city, towards the House of Gilbert.

On the way, she dialed a number. That of Shane.

"Hello?" he replied.

"Professor Shane. It's Hope."

"Hope? What a surprise? Why this call?" Shane wondered.

"I have a favor to ask," said Hope, who always disdains the teacher.

"Are you asking me a favor?" exclaimed Shane, stunned. "Are we going to have a friendly relationship this time?"

"You and I will never be friends, Professor," said Hope coldly. "You kidnapped me and threatened my future. Don't expect a friendship between us. What I have to tell you is about Silas and the Cure. The Gilberts have found a way to complete the Hunter's Mark. It will be complete tonight. And when that happens, you can intervene."

"What do you want from me, exactly?" asked Shane, puzzled.

"You know where to find the Cure. You can guide them to their destination. They find the Cure and you get Silas. Do your part and maybe you'll see your family again. It's not up to me. Are you going to do what I told you?"

"I will, Hope," replied Shane.

"Excellent. Goodbye Professor Shane," said Hope, turning off her phone.

To change her mind and think about something else, Hope walked the streets of Mystic Falls. She tried not to think about the fact that the Gilbert would kill her uncle to complete the Hunter's Mark.

What an irony! I trained the vampire hunter who's gonna kill my uncle! At least I would have been a good coach! Mr. Saltzman would have been proud of me!

Hope then wondered what would happen after Kol's death. Her father will be mad with grief, she was sure. What was gonna stop him from going after Elena and Jeremy? He couldn't kill Elena's little brother without risking the Hunter's Curse. But he could go after Elena. What would stop his revenge? Was Bonnie going to imprison her father somewhere? To her knowledge, the only person who ever managed to lock up his father was Marcel Gerard. Was Bonnie going to do something similar? And how could her mother sleep with him if her dad is imprisoned? What was going to happen to her family?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she received a phone call. It was Kol. What was going on? Why was he calling her?

"Hello?"

"Nice try, Hope." chanted her uncle's voice. "I admire your acting skills! You almost got me! You did very well! I thought you meant it! But it looks like my brother's obsession rubbed off on you!"

What was going on?

"What are you talking about?" asked Hope innocently.

"Don't pretend like you're not in on it." said her furious uncle. "Elena and her brother are trying to kill me! And I bet you had something to do with it! My brother is also involved in this crap?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" replied the Tribrid in a loud voice.

"I will cut off Jeremy's arm, then I will gladly kill Elena, and then I will take care of Klaus and you. I'll kill you all!"

And he cut off communication, leaving Hope dazed. The situation seemed to escape her.

Great! Either I disappear from existence, having never existed. Either Uncle Kol kills me! I wish it was my future family! My Uncle Kol of the future would never attempt my life!

Just as she realized it, she received a written message from her dad, asking her to join him outside the Gilbert House. Did Kol warn him too? If her father arrives before Jeremy kills her uncle, her whole future will be turned upside down! She had to get there before him so the Gilberts would kill Kol!

She ran at full speed to the House of Gilbert, praying that she would not arrive too late. If she were faced with another time incident, the consequences would be much more serious than a Damon poisoned with werewolf toxin. Was Hope going to live her last moments? She hoped to tell her father the truth before she disappeared.

Don't let me be too late! Please don't make it too late!

After several minutes of running, she reached the House of Gilbert. She saw her father frozen before the open door of the house. Why wasn't he moving? Then she remembered that he could not enter Elena's house without being invited. As she approached, she heard screams of pain, as well as flames. Did Jeremy kill Kol?

Hope approached the entrance of the house and saw that her father was upset and angry. Then she saw in the distance inside the house the burning body of Kol collapsing to the ground. Kol was dead. Jeremy had killed him.

Tears of sorrow burst into Hope's eyes. She had just seen her uncle living in her future die in that time of the past. It was too hard for her to see.

Kol died here, but he's alive in my future! He's obviously alive and safe with Davina! He's alive!

Klaus had not noticed Hope next to him. His eyes were on the two Gilberts. He had seen his brother's body charred by the white oak stake, then his eyes were fixed on Elena and Jeremy.

After a silence, he addressed them, trying to suppress his anger.

"What did you do?"

He still hadn't noticed Hope standing next to him.

"We didn't have a choice. He was trying to cut off Jeremy's arm!" tried to justify Elena.

Uncle Kol threatened to kill the Gilberts and my future, Dad!

Hope wanted so much to comfort her father by telling him that she was from the future. But Klaus appeared angry when he responded with furious eyes:

"Lies! He never would've gotten inside if you hadn't have set a trap for him."

"You said you were going to put him down too." Elena reminded him.

"I was going to make him suffer on MY terms!"replied Klaus, saddened and furious.

At this moment, Hope wasn't upset about her uncle's death. She was sad for her dad. Never before had he seen him so overwhelmed with grief. And she would so much like to be able to bring him all the comfort he needed. For a moment she thought he was going to cry.

But he gasped with fury as he cast a hostile glance at the Gilbert residence.

"I'm going to burn this house to the ground. And then, when you try to flee for your lives, I'll kill you both without blinking."

That's what Hope feared. Now that Kol was dead, she needed to find a way to keep Elena and Jeremy alive so they could find the Cure.

"You kill us, you'll never get to the Cure!" Jeremy replied in a threatening tone. "You'll never be able to make any more hybrids."

Klaus glanced sarcastically before retorting furiously.

"You really think I care for an instant about my bloody hybrids? I want the Cure so I can destroy it. I would've killed you all the second we dug it up, but now I'm just gonna watch you burn instead."

Hope grabbed his arm in terror.

"You can't kill Jeremy without getting the Hunter's Curse!"

For the first time since Kol's death, Klaus turned to her with a dejected look as he pulled his arm from her.

"Hope, I survived this Curse centuries ago. I'll survive once more! Or I could compel Elena to kill her brother! And she'll finally know how I feel! I will let her live to watch her suffer in her despair! Or kill them both! I don't care about that stupid Curse!"

All of Dad's Hybrids are dead, except for Tyler. And his brother Kol just died. And since I don't exist in that time, he has nothing to lose now. He doesn't care if he suffers the Hunter's Curse!

Before Hope could say anything, her father fell to his knees writhing in pain.

"What's happening?" she wondered, kneeling and clinging to him.

It was then that Bonnie arrived, passed by her and her father, and joined the two Gilbert inside the house.

"Invite him in," she told Jeremy.

The two Gilberts stared at her with confusion. Even Hope wondered what Bonnie was doing.

"Do it." she insisted.

After some hesitation, Jeremy finally abdicates.

"Come in."

But before Klaus could make a move on the Gilberts, he fell forward as Bonnie magically pulled him inside and immobilized him. Hope followed him inside and came to him to help him stand.

Bonnie turned to her friends.

"Living room. Go!"

Elena and Jeremy walk through the living room and into the kitchen. Klaus followed them, but could not reach them, because there was what seemed to be an invisible barrier that prevented him from entering the kitchen. Jeremy removed Kol's white oak stake, and he and Elena ran to the door and Klaus continued to knock on the fence. Hope joins Klaus and finds that she can't go any further than him.

"Bonnie, what are you doing?"

The witch Bennett gave her a sorry look.

"Sorry, Hope, but you're going to have to stay here, too."

The Tribrid realized that Bonnie had cast a containment spell in the Gilbert's living room. She and her father were prisoners.

Mad with rage, Klaus tapped against the invisible barrier and cast a fierce glance at Bonnie.

"Witch, you can't do this to me..."

" You have no idea what I can do now." she replied, in no way intimidated by the Original Hybrid.

Hope realized that Bonnie was practicing the magic of the Expression. She was going crazy without knowing it. Because she knew this magic was dangerous. Even for a witch as powerful as Bonnie.

"I will hunt all of you to your end! Do you hear me? Do you!?"

Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy left the house. And Klaus continued to unnecessarily strike the invisible barrier of the containment spell.

"We're trapped." said Hope, looking helpless. "We can't get out. Bonnie uses powerful magic to hold us back."

She did not know if she was able to undo the containment spell, but didn't try. Although she was loath to be locked up at the Gilbert house with her father, she knew as soon he was free, her father would go after Elena and Jeremy to kill them. And Hope couldn't accept that. Now it was happening without her. With less risk of creating a new time incident. Elena and her friends went to get the Cure with Damon who was no longer compelled to kill Jeremy. They would finally find the Cure and end up with the events that would lead to the night her parents would spend the night together to conceive Hope. If everything went well.

I'm sorry, Uncle Kol! I'm so sorry! I had to do it! I had no choice!

With immense sorrow, she saw the ashes of what remained of her uncle's body, while Klaus continued to howl in rage.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Hope had to let her uncle die so her future wouldn't be affected. So that Hope can be born and Kol can have a future with Davina. Because if he doesn't die, he won't get anything he has at the end of The Originals. A necessary evil. That's why Hope doesn't need to save him, because we know he's alive in his future. If Hope wanted to save someone, it would be her two parents.

And Kol is solely responsible for his death. He threatened Elena and her family. In the series The Vampire Diaries, the Mikaelsons were never victims. They are the only victims of their parents who turned them into vampires. But as for Elena and her friends, they are not their victims. It's the other way around. When Kol died, fans seem to react as if Elena and her friends were the villains and Originals of the innocent victims. Which makes no sense to me. Kol first threatened Jeremy, and then had him killed by Damon before trying to rip off both his arms because of the Silas' Cure. And ironically, there would never have been a Quest for Cure if Klaus and Rebekah hadn't told Stefan. It was the Originals who began the search for the Cure. And Kol preferred to go after Elena and her loved ones, rather than confront his family.

I'm going on vacation for two weeks in Greece. And when I come back, I will continue this story until the end.

See you soon for a new chapter.