Shadows Within

TWO

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Thursday

Hope Mikaelson felt as if she was going through a very long nightmare. Her mother was missing. Henry was dead because of her. And this guilt Hope felt deep inside her heart wasn't really making things any easier. Because if Hope didn't kidnap her own mother and put her inside the coffin with an enchanted spell, then her mother wouldn't be missing. If she hadn't been so carelessly stupid and gave Henry her blood, she would wager anything he wouldn't be dead either. He wouldn't have been targeted by them. Hope sighed deeply, looking down at her feet. Nothing in her life seemed to be going the right way any longer.

"Now, don't you look cheerful." It was Ryan in a leather jacket she didn't really think was characteristic for him; he was like her uncle Elijah in that way, he preferred his suits and ties over the more casual clothes. His mischievous dark eyes gazed at her worryingly as he sat down on the bench beside her, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"My mom is missing." How could she even begin to explain those things who wasn't aware their world existed? How would she explain the guilt she felt about Henry's death to someone who didn't understand what it was like to see people dropping dead on a daily basis, to have her own father be responsible for half of those deaths? Hope simply didn't know. So, she simply choked on her tears and looked down at her lap, her heart aching at everything that had been going on lately. "It's all my fault."

"Hey, I am not entirely sure what's really going on, but don't blame yourself." He gazed at her pleadingly in the face when she turned to look at him, "I don't know if you will believe me, but it's not your fault."

Hope merely bit her laps because he didn't know how much she wished to believe that was true, but there was this feeling inside her chest that kept telling her that if she had done things a different way, then her mom wouldn't be missing. "Not really." She said. "But it is very nice thing to hear."

Suddenly, he took her hand and with a start, Hope could feel herself feeling the warm skin against her own, his hand far bigger in size than her own and how perfectly it had fit against her own. He pulled her to her feet and Hope found herself looking at him questioningly because he was tilting his head to the side and smirking mischievously (he was always smirking) at her like he had something planned that she may or may not like and Hope felt like she would like to kiss him very much. "What do you say about a little adventure, Hope?" He asked, his smirk practically contagious, for she found herself resisting the urge not to smirk in return. "There's carnival nearby and you know what you need right now? Taking your mind off things."

Hope tapped her foot lightly. "Well then, lead the way, Monsieur Clarke."

He looked at her like he couldn't decide if he found her accent endearing or irritating. In the end, he merely smiled, like he really smiled for the first time since they've met and hand in the hand, led her to the carnival.

Ryan wasn't entirely sure what in the world he was doing. This wasn't like him at all. But for some odd reason he couldn't fully explain, he couldn't stand to see her aching like that. So, he had comforted her like he did none before and now, they were in a carnival because of his suggestion, his decision. Ryan looked at Hope by his side who was chuckling at something the clown in the circus did, looking quite like the morning sun he so longed for all those years spent in the dark, away from any human or inhuman contact, with nobody to keep him company but his father who was always quick to remind him what a great failure he really was.

Ryan shook his head. None of that now. While he was at it, he might as well enjoy himself. Between looking after Landon and taking down supernatural beings that was proving to be far too much of a trouble than they were really worth, he simply didn't have the time for himself very often.