Ways of Grieving | Freya Mikaelson

Epilogue

Five years later

 Freya Mikaelson looked up at the sign above the door. It read Grainger and Howard's, and it looked fairly new. This had to be the place.

 She tried turning the doorknob, and it opened instantly, a sign that the store was open.

 "Hello?" she called, not seeing anyone around. "Are you open?"

 "Yes! I'll be with you in a minute!"

 Freya froze when she heard the voice. It was one she knew, and one she hadn't heard in a long time.

 Roland Howard walked into the front of the store, and stopped in his tracks when he saw her standing by the door.

 "Freya?" He looked stunned. "Wha-what are you doing here? How did you even know I was here?"

 "I happen to be good at tracking people. It wasn't that hard to find you, Roland."

 "Right. Um, well, that actually sounds a little creepy. What happened? The last time I saw you was five years ago, and you were dying."

 "I know. It was Hayley who saved us all, and I owe her more than I can say."

 "Wow. Sounds like Jackson would be proud of her if he were here."

 Freya nodded. "I think he would be. He probably is, wherever he is now. So, what have you been doing since...the last time I saw you?"

 "Oh. Well, I left New Orleans after that. Hey, how's Rousseau's? I felt bad leaving the job after I promised Cami I would keep it up."

 "Well, there's nothing to worry about. Rousseau's is under good management and in great shape. So, you came here?"

 "Yeah, this is my hometown," said Roland. "It was the only place I could think of. I came here to stay with a friend for a while, and I ended up staying."

 "Oh. So, what kept you here?"

 "Well, it was really who kept me here, not what. It was a friend who turned out to be more than I realized."

 "Huh." Freya crossed her arms. "The Grainger in Grainger and Howard's?"

 "Roldy!" There was crashing sound from the back room. "Do you know where the hell I put those bottles?"

 "Try the bottom shelf," Roland called. "He can lose things pretty easily," he said to Freya. "So, is everything back to normal for your family?"

 "No." She sighed. "Not really. There was an evil spirit called the Hollow, and to stop it from taking over my niece's body, my brothers and sister each took a piece of the spirit inside of them. Now they can never see each other again, and they can never see Hope again."

 "Freya." Though she turned her head away, Roland saw her face, and took her hand. "You'll get through it somehow. I saw you Mikaelsons; you're the type that doesn't give up easily."

 She chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that's us. If you can believe, I managed to have a real romance. Her name is Keelin. She's back in New Orleans, saving people's lives in the ER."

 "And you're happy, aren't you? Come here." Roland pulled her into a hug. "I know a guilty conscience brought you here to see me. You don't have to apologize, Freya. I understood, and I forgave you a long time ago."

 Freya sniffled. "Has anyone ever told you you're a great guy?"

 Roland smiled. "Funny, I think you told me that once. Now, you should go home, Freya. Go home and have a good life, because that's what you deserve."

 "Okay." Freya nodded. "You do the same." She turned to the door, and then turned back and said, "Roland...for it's worth, I am sorry for what I said to you that day."

 He nodded. "I know."

 She nodded back, and walked out the door.

 "Roldy?" Andrew Grainger came in from the back room. "Was there someone here?"

 "Oh, yeah. It was just a customer. I took care of it. Here, let me."

 Roland took the box from Andrew, and began silently stocking the shelves.

 Andrew thought that something suddenly seemed different about Roland, but he didn't ask. He got the sense that Roland was deep in thought, and not in a mood for talking. Roland wasn't one to keep secrets, so maybe they would talk about it after they closed up for the night.

 But whoever was in the shop before he came in, Andrew had the feeling it wasn't just a customer.

A/N: First, I want to say thank you to everyone who has been reading, voting, and commenting on this book since the beginning. I appreciate it all!

 Second, if you're interested in learning a little more about Roland and Andrew, I will be posting chapters about them in my OCs book after this.

 And again, thanks for reading!