Loathe Goodbyes (Book 10: TVD/TO Fanfic) (TO Season 5)

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Freya had come with me when I took Hope and Rae back to school in Mystic Falls.

"My brother has got a very interesting approach to motivational speaking," Freya told me.

I chuckled. "Look, I know Klaus's methods are very unorthodox, but as insane as he seems, his tactics always work. We just have to ride out his bad mood as best as we can."

"Yeah, let's just hope that no one shows him a bad mood," Freya pointed out. "Tell me, how do we make contact about what Ivy told Vincent about Hope and Rae?"

"'Make contact'?" I repeated. "We talking about my daughter and stepdaughter slash your nieces, or secret agents?"

Freya gave me a look. "Kaylin." I chuckled. "I know that this is hard for you to hear, but Ivy's cards predicted that Hope and Rae might destroy the city of New Orleans even though the cards said that they had the best of intentions."

"Hope is 15," I pointed out. "Rae might as well be. Their future isn't written in stone. That's why you're here, right? To make sure of it?"

"Yeah," Freya answered.

I gave her a look. "Then I'm not at all convinced that they're gonna destroy anything."

**********

Inside, Freya and I walked into Hope and Rae's room.

"What?" Rae asked. "What happened?"

"Uh, oh, no, nothing," Freya told them. "Uh, no, Klaus has search parties scouring every inch of the city. We'll find her."

"I just..." Hope trailed off worriedly. "When I saw both of you come in, I thought that she... yeah. So, wait, if she's still missing, then why are you here with Kaylin, Aunt Freya?"

Freya held out a box to the girls. "Care package. Thought you could use a taste of home."

Rae took the box. "So you drove all this way to bring us beignets?"

"You know, I figured with everything going on, you could use a friend, and not just your mother or stepmother," Freya told them.

"Thanks, but we're really fine," Hope told her.

I noticed that Freya was still outside the threshold, remembering. "Oh, yeah. You know, I could be wrong, but, um, this is the part where Hope and Rae invite you in."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Rae agreed, remembering, smiling sheepishly.

Freya stepped inside. "Locator spells in ancient languages? Thought you weren't allowed to do magic outside of the classroom."

"Catch up reading," Hope explained. "We're trying to make up for being suspended."

I nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Keep our grades up," Rae agreed. "We got to get back to work."

"Sure," I told them. "Sure. I mean, we could just leave, and Freya can go back to New Orleans after an excruciating 11 hour drive to see her nieces. Or we could get comfy, stuff our faces with deep-fried glory, and Hope can tell us about that cute boy she had hidden in her room last week and thought I didn't notice."

Hope looked up, busted, surprised. Rae was laughing quietly.

**********

Outside on the soccer field, students were playing a game of shirts and skins soccer.

"So which one is he?" I asked.