For Good | Hale- TO/TW [8]

49 | Remember When

gif from quanticogifs on Tumblr

Her chest hurts. As she stares at the empty door, her body and mind scream at her to go, to find her father, to get her goodbye. The only part of Hope that does not feel numb is the skin under Teddy's comforting hand gripped in her's.

She leans against him as Elijah watches from across the room. She knows that Teddy is glaring at their uncle, but she cannot bring herself to do the same.

"He left instead of spending his last hours with me," Hope whispers as her chest tightens.

"He's hurt and he's scared," Elijah replies, looking out the window as if Klaus would appear in the flesh.

Teddy narrows his eyes. "That's no excuse for leaving."

Elijah shakes his head. "Not making excuses. If anything, he cares too much."

Teddy and Hope roll their eyes. To Teddy, this loss is just a loss. To him, Klaus has been a magical murdering unicorn his whole life.

To Hope, her father's death is a hole in her heart. Nothing can stop the magic he took from her. And yet, instead of giving her closure, Klaus runs away. It only makes her heart ache more.

With a sigh, Elijah takes a step forward. Teddy lets a low growl release from his throat, stopping Elijah in his tracks. As his grip tightens around her, Hope gently picks her head up, a silent sign to tell Teddy to back off. He goes silent but refuses to relax.

"Hope, you are his everything. And without you, he wouldn't be making this sacrifice," Elijah says. "Do you understand? You've accomplished in twenty-four years what I couldn't in a thousand. This isn't abandonment—he's afraid."

Footsteps pull the children's eyes to the door. Hope stands as her father appears in the threshold, a guilty expression on his face. He refuses to meet anyone's eyes. "I'd like a moment alone with my daughter, please."

Teddy clenches his jaw but nods. He knows Hope needs this. She needs to closure, and she needs to be with her father. She does not need him—at least, not yet.

Silently, he retreats from the room only to run into his father. "Dad," he greets with an annoyed look on his face.

Derek responds by leading Teddy to one of the many studies in the compound. "Your mother has an idea," he whispers with a hint of excitement as they walk in to see Lexi and Stella reading grimoires.

"Don't give him false hope, Derek," Lexi says as she looks up. She sends Teddy a sad smile as he sits down beside her. "It's not a fix. It's not even a miracle. It's just a thought."

Teddy meets her gaze before he asks, "Anything is better than letting him just die. It'll destroy Hope. What's the idea?"

With a sigh, Lexi replies, "Magic does not just disappear. Even if Niklaus dies today," Pain flickers over her expression as she looks down. She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath to push the grief away. "Magic still exists. Magic cannot be created or destroyed, only changed."

"So, where would the magic go?"

"Disperse, I suppose," Lexi shrugs.

That's when Stella grins mischievously. "But Mom found a way to harness it—to change it into useful magic."

"It wouldn't save Nik," Lexi says. "But it may save others in the future."

Teddy looks back at Derek with a confused expression. "What are they talking about?" He asks.

Sighing, Derek kneels down between his wife and his son. He wraps an arm around Lexi as he says. "They're talking about a power source. A force of magic more powerful than any coven can harness."