Nothing Dark Can Stay, Either

Chapter 14

By the time Elijah woke up, Beatrix and Hope had become fast friends.

She could hear Rebekah and Elijah's conversation in the other room, but she was not paying attention. Currently, she was on the floor with a quilt laid out. She'd moved the furniture away for safety, and had conjured up several fun toys for the baby, who was rolling happily around on the quilt and picking things up, observing them and enthusiastically babbling about them.

"That's right," said Beatrix, handing her a little yarn doll. "She's like you! She's tiny but so pretty, and very firm. Strong, like you!"

Hope didn't respond, of course, but she let out a soft squeal and took the doll, shaking her gently.

Rebekah then came into the room. "Come on, girls, let's go outside," she chirped. "Elijah could use some love from this sweet little girl. He feels quite patronized."

"I could try and siphon some of the hex away," said Beatrix as she scooped Hope up and handed her to Rebekah. "I don't know if he wants me anywhere near him, though. There's... a lot of tension there."

Rebekah gave her a sympathetic look, and cradled Hope close as they went outside. "I was thinking about setting up for a bonfire. You remember those, right, Beatrix?"

"I remember Kol and I would write the silliest wishes to see if they might come true," she said. They exited out onto the back porch, and Rebekah lowered the baby into Elijah's waiting arms. Beatrix did not look down at him, rather, kept walking to where she could see Rebekah had already made a space for the bonfire preparations. Beatrix went closer and waved her hands over the space, allowing some pieces of wood to gather on their own.

"Look at that," she heard Elijah saying to Hope. "Your aunt Beatrix is doing magic. You will probably be able to do magic like that, someday."

Beatrix didn't turn to face them. She continued until the longer pieces of wood had joined into a cone, the peak reaching just around her nose. She then perked up, catching some sound. "They're here," she announced. She slowly brought one of her hands up, parting a piece of the veil she'd placed up around the house to keep Hope safe. The SUV that contained Klaus and Hayley sped through it, and she lowered her hands once more to conceal the house. Before Klaus could put the car in park, Hayley rushed out and sprinted toward Elijah and Hope. Klaus got out more leisurely, smiling as Hayley took their daughter in her arms, hugging her tightly and breathing out a sign of relief. She turned as Klaus caught up, and handed him the baby. He held her tenderly, before pressing a gentle kiss on her head.

It warmed Beatrix's heart to see Klaus as a father. He was gentle— much more so than when they were raising Marcel. He held Hope as if he was afraid he might break her. However, she soon fixated her eyes on Hayley, who was glancing back at Elijah. They smiled at each other. Beatrix knew that look. She and Elijah had shared it many years ago before they had officially become a couple.

Klaus seemed to have taken notice of this, and handed Hope back to Hayley. He put his hand on Beatrix's shoulder. "I was hoping to run something by you. We have had the most... interesting revelation with Finn. There appears to be some sort of curse on the first borns of the Mikaelson line."

Rebekah blinked at this, looking confused. "Curse on the first-born? What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

Klaus tucked his hands in his pockets. "Well, according to Finn, our sister Freya didn't die of plague. She was taken as payment by our aunt Dahlia, who then cursed all Mikaelson first-borns for eternity."

"Well, is any of it true?" asked Hayley, seemingly clutching Hope a bit tighter.

"It is if we are to believe Finn, who learned it from the bastion of truth— our mother," mused Elijah.