Bloody Symphony | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 18

Natanya went to check on Jackson.

"Hey there," she said, coming in as Hayley was giving Jackson his cup of tonic. "How are you?"

"Better now that I know that witch can't get into my head anymore," said Jackson. "I could have hurt Hayley or Hope."

"But you didn't," said Hayley gently. "Don't worry."

Jackson winced. "I can still feel a trace of her. Dahlia... she is nothing but darkness. I say we take Hope and the Pack and we leave town. Tonight."

Hayley and Natanya both seemed confused. "Wait, what?" said Natanya. "You want to leave?"

"Yeah, I do," said Jackson. "We ain't safe here. We can't get this tonic to everyone in town. If all the wolves get it and we run..."

"We can't just run from our home, Jack," said Hayley.

"You two and Hope are my home," said Jackson. "Aiden and my Grandma Mary can tag along if they want. But you three are my immediate family. Running isn't a sign of weakness— it's what wolves do. I know every inch of that Bayou. Out there, we're the predator."

"Wait," said Natanya, holding up her hand. "Jackson, Dahlia got into your head. What if she already absorbed all your knowledge? What if she knows the Bayou as well as you do, now? There isn't any guarantee we can keep ourselves safe. Much less keep Hope safe."

"We can keep her safe," said Jackson confidently. "And at the very least, it will buy us some time to figure out how to get rid of Dahlia for good."

"Hope is a baby," countered Natanya. "We can't drag her across the country running away. We don't know how long finding a solution will take. It can be by the end of the week or it may take a year. Wolves and vampires may be pretty matched in a fight, but with witches, it's a completely different battle we're talking about."

"And what about Klaus?" inquired Hayley. "Rebekah? Elijah? They're Hope's family. We can't just take her from them."

Jackson sighed in frustration. "You know who else is part of that family? Dahlia! Now, I don't back away from a fight, okay? But this one started a thousand years ago. It's not our war. And it certainly ain't your daughter's."

Hayley pursed her lips. "Klaus and Elijah are the oldest and most powerful vampires in the world," whispered Hayley. "And Dahlia's got them scared. If she takes them down, I don't want Hope to be around to see what happens next."

"Which is why you can't do this," said Natanya, realizing Hayley was thinking of agreeing with Jackon. "Look, I'm sorry, I know that this feels more natural but this is giving me a bad feeling. Klaus and Elijah can't be killed unless Dahlia pulls a fucking white oak stake out of thin air. But even then, they're worried, because she's ridiculously powerful. How the hell are the wolves gonna fare against her? We can't do shit against a witch! We couldn't in the 90s and we won't be able to now. We may have your power and be able to control our own but if she catches up to us, we're going to be out there, vulnerable, and Hope won't be safe. At least, here, the wolves can fight alongside Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah, and Freya, and then, maybe, we can stand a chance."

Hayley considered this, but ultimately turned to Jackson. "Do you really think that this is the best plan to protect her?"

Jackson nodded. "I really do. I hear you, Tanya, but I think—"

"Bullshit, you're not hearing me! This isn't going to end well."

"Tanya... are you sure that your affections for Elijah aren't blinding you?"

She scoffed. "I just think it's a stupid idea. Not to mention unfair. Rebekah raised Hope for eight months. She was like a mother to her in that time. Elijah has done nothing but protect her. And Klaus... Klaus is an asshole and I can't stand him, but he has the kind of manpower we lack, and he would never let anyone hurt his little girl. We can't just take her away! You wouldn't like it if Klaus took her away without telling you. If he did it without caring about what you feel for her. I know you don't love him, Hayley, but whether you guys like it or not, you are co-parents and it's not going too well. You have to do better if you're gonna manage to protect her. This isn't better. Klaus should get a say. And I know it's dumb for me to suggest it, because he'd never let it happen, but we can't just do this behind his back."