The Original Love (Book 5)

Chapter 57

Star

Klaus and I are leaning against his parked truck in the Pale river orchard. I am holding Hope in my arms while her car seat sits in the back of the truck. Next to the car seat is Freya's unconscious body. Several feet away, Dahlia has set up a small table, on which she has created an infinity symbol with salt and lit candles, where two small pewter chalices sit within each circle in preparation for her linking spell. Klaus sighs and I lay Hope down in her car seat and rock the seat.

"You two are quiet. Are you having misgivings" Dahlia asked "I was just looking for a polite way to ask "what the hell is taking so long""? Dahlia gestures to the table "well, we can begin now" she said and Klaus starts to take a step but I grab his arm, stopping him. "Please tell me you know what your doing" I said to Klaus "everything will be okay, I promise" Klaus said to me and kissed my forehead.

Klaus turns to Dahlia "once we're linked, I'll no longer have to a hundred years again. your concerns for my status will ease, and I'll finally be able to focus on Hope" she said. She looks over at Hope, who is still sitting quietly in the car. Klaus looks over at Hope as well, and Hope turns her head to look at her father. After a moment, Dahlia walks toward him "I will only need one drop of her blood". Klaus sighs and we both stand and block her from coming any closer to Hope. "And then her power shall be mine, also" Dahlia finishes.

Klaus looks into the backseat, where Freya still lays unconscious "what do you want to do about Freya"? "She served her purpose" Dahlia said and looks up at the moon, which is in its waning crescent phase. "So, tonight, at the moon's apex, I'll end her life, and once our link is severed, the bond that I share with your daughter will become permanent" Dahlia says. Klaus does not seem pleased about this reaction or this plan in general, but he does his best to keep his intentions concealed by smiling at her. "Best get on with it, then" he says.

Klaus pushes past her and walks towards the table, and Dahlia follows behind him. Once there, she holds out her hand, which Klaus takes and clasps tightly. Dahlia waves her free hand over the table before she begins to chant. After a moment, the pewter chalices in front of her starts to fill with blood, which begins to pour over the rim and onto the table. From there, the blood travels toward the center of the infinity symbol. Klaus can barely cover up his displeasure at this event while Dahlia sways and clutches onto his hand tightly.

I watch closely as Dahlia continues to chant. Their blood merges together in the middle of the infinity symbol. Suddenly, Dahlia and Klaus are knocked backward forcefully by the power of the spell, and both gasp loudly as Dahlia feels the rush of Klaus' power through her. In the car, Hope starts to whimper and I look at Hope continuing to shake the seat. Klaus stands and walks over to check on her. Once Dahlia has recovered, she begins to laugh happily while Klaus' back is turned to her.

Dahlia sighs in pleasure "with your strength, I will never need to sleep for a century again" Dahlia says and I glare at her. Klaus glances at me as I look at him before nodding. "Well, perhaps one more nap" Klaus says with a smile and turns to Dahlia while she looks at him confused. Klaus daggers himself and she begins to weaken physically. Once Klaus has desiccated, both of them fall unconscious onto the floor. I quick run over and look at Klaus' body on the floor.

Hope continues to cry when she sees her aunt and father fall to the floor. I stand and grab Hope, picking her up and after a moment, Freya awakens with a gasp next to her and looks around to find both Dahlia and Klaus neutralized. "Hello again" I said to Freya, making her look at me as I hold Hope. Freya looks at me confused so I fill her in on a few things.

It is daylight now, and Freya is holding a fussy Hope in her arms as she rocks her soothingly. Hope keeps an eye on Klaus, also looking at me a few times. After a moment, Elijah arrives, having run the entire way there from the Compound at vampire speed. "Well, my adage holds, nothing good ever happens in a clearing in the woods" Freya says as she hands me Hope, making her stop crying.

Elijah walks towards Freya, Hope, and I "nothing good ever happens where my brother is concerned" Elijah says and glances at me before looking at Hope and his face softens slightly. He nods in Hope's direction "with one exception" he says and rubs Hope's back soothingly, and Hope whimpers as she rubs her eyes with her small hands. "How is she" Elijah asks me "she's a Mikaelson. She's resilient" I said and Elijah looks at me "Elijah, I'm so sorry" I say.

Elijah is silent and examines Klaus and Dahlia's bodies. "When I woke, they were like this. Star tells me Klaus has a plan to kill Dahlia, that he knew our plan would not work" Freya says to Elijah. "I didn't know the whole plan I swear" I said "well it seems you knew enough" Elijah says and stands. "But, according to my brother our ingredients were incorrect. Niklaus infiltrated Dahlia's mind, you didn't break her heart" he says and looks at Freya.

"We needed the blood of the witch she loved the most, and you are not that witch, that honor goes to our beloved mother" Elijah says. "Esther" I say confused "yes" Elijah says, continuing to look at Freya. She sighs in frustration "so, we need Esther's blood? Well that's impossible, I killed her" Freya said and Elijah does not seem at all upset by this confession.

"One incarnation" Elijah says and Freya looks at Elijah with surprise "our mother is buried in New Orleans. Niklaus wants us to revive the original body" Elijah says and Freya looks at him chocked while I am silent and hold Hope. Elijah, Freya, Hope, and I made it back to the compound with Klaus and the dagger that is still neutralizing Dahlia. I put Hope back in her room and came back downstairs as Elijah was laying Hope on the floor in the living room.

Marcel and Rebekah are there as well, and Marcel is kneeling to examine Klaus' body. Rebekah sighs "Nik is demented, are we really going to dig up our mother, burn her to ash, swap Kol's ashes with out mothers, and then trick Davina into using up her last chance to bring someone back from the dead? Not to mention, we lose the opportunity to save Kol, if Davina doesn't turn us inside out" Rebekah says clearly mad. "Or, we dig a deep hole and leave both our problems at the bottom of it" Elijah says "no, Klaus and I may have done many things to all of you and I am truly sorry. But if you can forgive me then you can forgive Klaus" I said.

"It was different with you, Dahlia turned off your emotions so you didn't know what you were doing" Elijah said. "Now your just making excuses" I said mad "we could always find the white oak stake, kill Klaus, Dahlia dies with him" Freya said and I vamp-sped over to Freya, pinning her to the wall by her throat. "The only person who will be dying if anyone is you" I said threw clinched teeth. "Enough, besides if we kill Klaus then I die and every other vampire that Klaus has turned" Marcel says.

Freya nodded "okay" she said and I let her go. "What about Star, I mean Mikael was killed and Star still lives" Freya said. "That was different, Davina put a spell on me, so powerful that she can't even undue it, even with all the witches" I said. Rebekah hears a strange sound and frowns before turning back toward the bodies. When she looks back at Klaus"the dagger" she quickly says and we all turn towards Klaus and see the end of the dagger begin to slowly but surely melt, so that the handle becomes shorter and shorter, most likely from Dahlia's magic.

"It's bloody melting" Rebekah says and Elijah sighs "we have no choice but to finish the task that Niklaus has set". All of us all look at each other as everyone considers our only option and watch as the dagger continues to melt.