Always and Forever... For the Last Time (The Originals: Season 5 Fanfiction)

Chapter 6: A Small Measure of Peace

I groaned, stirring in the bed, the pain of the bite overtaking me. I heard a soft voice. 

'Shh... I'm here.' I saw Elijah sit on the bed, and cradle my face tenderly, then lift me up, making me drink the vial of blood. Instantly, I felt the skin on the bite site knit itself back together. I breathed, my eyes opening. I sat up slowly, and he tenderly kissed my forehead, then my nose, and then my lips. Sweetly, I reciprocated the tender kiss. 

Several days later... 

'The curse that has plagued our family for seven years has taken its toll on all of us. On our city. On our home. On our family. The consequences of us being together were grave, but today, thanks to you, we celebrate a new beginning. One in which we have the freedom to stand side-by-side. And whatever trials may come, we will face them together. As a family. Always and forever.' The three sitting at the table, comprised of Klaus, Freya and Hope, clinked their glasses and drank. 

'Would you please pass the beignets?' Hope asked. 

'Of course,' Freya said, passing them down. 

'So, Rebekah will be back in a few days. She's just tying up some loose ends overseas.'

'It'll be nice to have her here.'

'It'll be good to have all of us under one roof again,' I said suddenly, walking into the room with little Clarice attached to my hip. 'Everyone, meet my daughter - Clarice Olivia Mikaelson. Clarice, this is your Uncle Klaus, your Aunt Freya, and your cousin... Hope.' She shyly tucked herself into me. 'Go and get breakfast, darling.' She clambered onto the bench beside her Aunt Freya and grabbed a strawberry. I giggled, seeing Klaus' fond gazing upon the little girl. 'Strawberries are her favourite.' Just then, I heard a familiar cadence of steps. 

'Good morning,' Elijah said. I saw Hope look at him, her happy gaze quickly spewing venom. 'Obviously, there is a lot for us to discuss. Hope, let me begin by telling you how truly sorry...' Suddenly, the fork next to Hope bent. 

'Thanks for breakfast, guys,' Hope said, and I could tell she was just trying to keep everything under control, 'but I have homework to catch up on. It was nice to see you again, Auntie Lilliana. I'm glad to meet my cousin.' She got up from the table and walked away. 

'Elijah...' I said as he simply stared after his niece. 

'That's not normal,' Klaus spoke. 'She's not normal.'

'She lost her mother, Niklaus. I shouldn't have come down here.' I took a handful of fruit and started nibbling on it. 

'You've been in the bayou, haven't you? All damn night. You weren't in bed this morning,' I said. 

'At least you can claim amnesia, unlike our sister, who willingly aided a child in ruining her life,' Klaus retorted to Elijah. 

'Hope is not a child,' Freya replied sharply.

'Did you even consider what absorbing all that magic would do to her?' 

'And what choice did I have?' 

'Deny her. Defy her. We had a plan to keep the dark magic away from her.'  

'A plan that wasn't working.' 

'Yes, well, thanks to you, the magic has her now. So if my daughter should be harmed in any way, shape or form, I will hold you personally responsible.' Klaus got up and stalked out of the room. 

Several hours later... 

I walked into Hope's room to see her painting a landscape. 

'That's a pretty landscape, Hope,' I said softly. She turned. 

'Thanks,' she said, flashing me a smile. 

'Am I - okay to come in? Am I intruding? I'm not going to get any forks in my neck, am I?' She chuckled. 

'No. Come in.' I stepped inside. 'Where's Clarice?' Hope asked. 

'She's playing in her room. With her little Barbie dolls.' 

'Oh. Cool.' She went back to painting her landscape. 

'Hey, you're not mad at me, are you? We're on good terms, right?' 

'What are you implying?' 

'I mean, because of your uncle Elijah... you're not mad at me for your mom's death, are you?' 

'No. I'm not. You're okay.' 

'Good - I just wanted to make sure.' I sat down on a chair near her. 'Look, for what it's worth... I'm so sorry for what happened to her.' 

'Dad says you tried to protect her from Roman's mom.' 

'I did. Elijah... whatever can be said for your uncle, it wasn't an excuse for him to do what he did. He was running a fool's errand protecting Roman from your dad. The lot of them deserved what they got.' 

'I bet you had some nice years with Elijah.' 

'I did. Raising Clarice, just simply being a little family without all the drama... it was - peaceful. Something I could use more of these days. Are you sure you're alright, though? With the - you know, the dark magic?' 

'I'm fine. Really.'

'Okay. That's good to know.' I stood. 'Hey, um - if you want, if you want... I really want to go out for a coffee with you sometime. Just from aunt to niece, you're very important to me. Just the two of us, and maybe your cousin.'

'Sure, Auntie Lilliana. That would be great.' I held out my arms. 

'You want to grab a hug from your auntie?' She laughed and stepped into my arms, and I gave her a kiss on the temple tenderly, stroking her hair. I pulled back and squeezed her hands. 'Now I'm going to go find your uncle - or your father. Gotta help settle family drama sometime.' She smiled. 'I love you, my darling Hope.' 

'Love you too, Auntie.' I turned and left the room, leaving the teenage witch to her painting.