The sound of a car engine made Morgana look up. She set her book down and stood. Grendel hopped on her shoulder, and she met Hayley on the porch. An old truck parked in front of the house. The girls walked over as Mary exited the truck.
She smiled at Hayley. "Well, now aren't you a sight."
"You're sure no one followed you?" Hayley asked.
"I've been avoiding trouble since well before you were born. Now, where's that little girl?"
Mary moved to go to the house, but Hayley stopped her. "Did you find it?"
Mary hesitated and gave her a look. Morgana crossed her arms, and Grendel grumbled.
"Mary, please, after all this time we are this close to getting them back," Hayley went on. "We found a cure for Freya's poison, we got a witch to siphon Rebekah's hex."
"So you're really gonna do it?" Mary asked, almost incredulous. "Cure 'em and then wake 'em up? Did you ever stop to think Hope might be better off without them?"
"I made a promise."
"To who? To Elijah?"
"To my daughter. I promised her a home where she would feel safe and protected by the people that love her."
"She's a Mikaelson too, you know," Morgana added. "And as a result, she has inherited all of their enemies, on top of a power neither I nor Hayley quite understand."
"She needs someone to teach her to control it," Hayley agreed. "I can't do this on my own."
"You told me to wake the Mikaelsons you needed to find all seven werewolf packs," Mary said. "You found six. The last one, the Malroux, I thought they'd been killed off." She pulled out a piece of paper. "According to this, there might be one left."
Hayley reached for the paper, but Mary pulled away. "Hayley. You looked for five years. You found nothing. Suddenly I get word of a lead. What if someone else found it too? What if it's a trap?"
Fair point. Morgana and Hayley shared a glance, and Hayley took the note. Grendel jumped off Morgana's shoulder and ran ahead into the house. They followed.
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It was only a little while later that Morgana and Hayley were ready to go. Mary would be staying with Hope at the house.
"Do you have to go?" Hope asked.
"We do," Hayley replied. "But we'll be back very, very soon." She smiled. "And we won't be alone."
Hope smiled back. Lord help them, she was adorable.
"I'll call you every night before bed, okay?" Hayley continued. "In the meantime, you listen to Mary. Deal?"
"Deal."
Hayley kissed her pointer and middle fingers and held them out to her. Hope did the same, and they locked their fingers together before hugging. Hayley and Mary went up to the moving truck.
Morgana crouched down in front of Hope. "Would you like Grendel to stay with you?"
Hope shook her head. "No. He needs to be with you so he can protect you." She hugged Morgana. "Bye, Auntie Ana."
"Bye, Hopey."
Morgana joined Hayley in the truck.
"You know, for the first time in a while I've got a good feeling about this," she said. "I think this is it."
She rapped her knuckles against her head. Hayley chuckled and started the truck.
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