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"REBEKAH. ELIJAH's KEY, I got it." Marcel calls as he enters the room just as the Mikaelson's begin to wake up.
"How did you find it?" Rebekah questions as Cullen helps Kol and Klaus off of the ground.
"Well... Kol's key was in As You Like It. Act one, scene three. 'Now go we in content to liberty, not banishment.' Hope knows you can't stay. She's setting you free. Rebekah, she put yours on the necklace that you gave her, hidden somewhere safe and secret." Marcel begins.
"Just like I hid her when she was a baby." Rebekah exclaims.
"Klaus found his in letters Cullen wrote to him about Hope." Marcel continues. "Cullen found hers in her bedroom where she used to spend nights with Hope."
"Get on with it." Klaus snaps, ready to be back with is daughter.
"Elijah has been a lot of things to me over the years. After you ripped my heart out, all you represent to me is death. After what happened to Rebekah, Hope sees you the same way. Your key was in a coffin, in the dungeon." Marcel finishes, showing the key.
"Come on." Klaus speaks up. "Let's be done with my daughter's maze of metaphors." Walking towards the door they each place their keys in the locks, watching as the all come undone. A blinding light flashes before them as the door opens, showing the long white corridor Elijah and described and Cullen had been in before.
"Oh, bloody hell." Kol states as the door behind them vanishes, making it impossible for them to leave Elijah's subconscious. "Now we're in Elijah's mental maze. Of all the hells I've had to endure."
"The door." Elijah interrupts, staring down the red door at the end of the corridor. "What is this, Hope's revenge? Imprison me till I reclaim all of my memories, forcing me to accept accountability for all of this?"
"Well, as much as I love a cherry on top of a scheme... I have somewhere else to be." Kol announces, walking towards his door. After he leaves so does Marcel, leaving Cullen, Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah.
"Klaus." Cullen mumbles, glancing towards her door. "I have to go."
"I know, love." Klaus whispers, placing a kiss on Cullen's head.
Cullen nods, opening her door. She gasps as she wakes up back in the real world, looking around at Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah still unconscious bodies. Her eyes move around the church, seeing no sign of her daughter. Jumping up, Cullen leaves the building, speeding to the compound.
"Hope." Cullen yells as she enters her home. "Hope Mikaelson."
"Mom. I-" Hope begins, running down the stairs.
"Hope stop." Cullen raises her voice causing her daughter to freeze. Cullen sighs as she backs away, the plants in the compound instantly dying. "What were you thinking?"
"I wanted to help." Hope says. "I knew that if I didn't take the power from them we could never be a family."
"Hope." Cullen shakes her head. "This power will destroy you. And if I get too close it will destroy me. It's one thing to be around your dad, him and his siblings only had a fourth of the Hollow's power, but you have all of it. I can't be around you, Hope."
"What?" Hope breathes out, tears forming in her eyes.
"I never told you because it wasn't important at the time, but the Hollow was always after me. She wanted to use my body as a conduit for herself. We can't be near each other because if we get too close that power inside of you will latch onto me. Not only that, but we will destroy New Orleans. It will be no different than when you were around your father." Cullen explains. "You have no idea what you have done, Hope."
-
"I can't believe I have to stay here again." Cullen shakes her head as she looks around at the apartment she used to live in. It was across the street from the compound, but even with a good amount of distance between them Cullen could still hear the whispers that would be the result of Hope taking the Hollow's power.
"It's only temporary." Klaus tells her, helping her move her things in.
"No this is not temporary." Cullen snaps, glaring at him. "We didn't have a solution for this seven years ago and we don't have a solution now."
"I will figure something out I promise." Klaus reassures her, wrapping his arms around her. "You will not be forced to stay away from Hope for long."
Cullen sighs, rubbing her forehead. "Will you just keep an eye on her? A very close eye. Do not let her do any more big spells and make sure she's not in pain."
"Yes, love." Klaus nods as he pulls away. "I will go over there now and check on her. Lord knows if she see's Elijah before I have time to explain she'll exert herself."
"So he got his memories back?" Cullen questions. "For real this time? He remembers who we are, who Hayley is?"
"Seems so." Klaus exclaims. "Though I think the last thing he wants to do is speak to Hayley. He still hasn't forgiven himself for what he did to Rebekah and honestly neither have I. It'll take time."
"I'll talk to Hayley." Cullen tells him. "In the mean time go check on Hope."
Klaus places a kiss on Cullen's lips before making his way to the door. "I'll keep an eye on her and I'll speak to you soon."
-
It's dark out by the time Klaus comes back to the apartment and all Cullen has done since he left is search through her grimoires, looking for any solution to help Hope.
"She's not okay." Klaus announces as he enters the room. "She attacked Elijah."
Cullen's eyebrows shoot up as she looks up from her book. "She did what?"
"She blames him." Klaus states. "For being involved with Greta and her cause. She's suffering. This magic is eating her alive."
"What are we going to do?" Cullen questions, eyes wide.
"She needs you." Klaus shakes his head, obviously overwhelmed with all this new responsibility. "I haven't been her father for years. She's always had you and now she can't even be in the same building as you. I don't know how to help her."
"Klaus you are a good father." Cullen shakes her head, cutting him off. "Even when you weren't there. You just need to make sure Hope knows that everything will be fine, even if it won't be."
Before Klaus can respond Cullen's phone begins to ring. Reaching into her back pocket she grabs her phone, a small smile pulling on her face when she see's the caller ID. "Mom." Hope's face appears on the screen, tears in her eyes. "I thought I could handle it. I really did."
"Hope, sweetie." Cullen whispers, her heart breaking for her daughter. "You're handling it as best you can, and your father and I are going be here with you every step of the way."
"Will you- will you stay with me tonight?" Hope questions softly, referring to the nights they used to spend together when Hope would astral project to New Orleans.
"I will." Cullen tells her. "I promise. I'll always be with you."
