From a Cradle to a Grave

Flashback, one week ago:

Peace is not something you wish for. It's something you make, something you do, something you are and something you give away. Peace didn't seem like a frequent thing within the Mikaelson compound, but whenever there was even a small ounce of it; they all relished in it.

The mood within the compound on this particular sunny day felt serene. Sounds of jazz could be heard from the streets below as every window and door was open wide within the room Lola sat in, allowing the warm breeze to flow through the sheer drapes.

With a small jar of paint in his hand, Klaus stands in the doorway smiling towards the Salvatore whose smile is even broader, hand against her stomach as she sings and other hand clutching hold of a book. Often Klaus would jest with Lola regarding her singing but in truth, he'd never heard a voice quite so captivating and euphonic. It felt like he came up for fresh air whenever he'd hear her humming along to the same classic nineties song every day, with the odd ripple of laughter in between when she'd feel the baby kick. This was his peace.

Feeling Klaus' presence, with a smile Lola looks to the side when Klaus steps in, holding up the jar of paint, "I still remember the exact day that you found this colour."

It's then Lola notices the colour, glaucous. Not too light to be considered pale blue and not too dark to be considered navy; it fits right in the middle. The most perfect shade of blue and without fail, Lola would compare it to being very similar to the shade of Klaus' eyes. She'd hope that their child would inherit the same colour in her eyes.

Lola lets out a quick unamused breath before looking back down at the book in her hand, "I remember that day as well but mainly for the reason that's when my brother almost killed me." She smiles when Klaus softly kisses her forehead before he walks towards his easel. Lola frowns, hand going straight to her stomach as she breathes in a sharp breath, Klaus turns around immediately frowning with concern until Lola laughs breathlessly, "These kicks get stronger and stronger every day."

Klaus tilts his head to the side ever so slightly, standing beside his easel with a smirk twitching the corner of his lips, "She's probably sick of hearing you sing, sweetheart."

Lola's eyes widen, jaw slacked, "Shut up." She stays silent for a long moment before a quiet gasp falls from her lips, shifting in her spot as she laughs at the butterfly feeling of kicks, "Come here!" Lola glances up to see Klaus remaining at his easel, looking a little hesitant, "Nik, come on!" Lola thrashing her free hand through the air, hurrying Klaus towards her until he kneels in front, "Hand here." She takes his hand and placing it exactly where hers was on her stomach, they both wait in silence for the next kick.

There's a small worry in the back of Klaus' mind when the kicking has stopped and fear seeps in. Has the baby felt his presence? Is that why the kicking stopped? It wasn't uncommon for paranoia to quickly flood in Klaus' mindset, even over something as little as this. But all of that vanishes when he feels a strong kick against Lola's stomach, it takes him by surprise that he leans back on his knee and gasps before a beaming, infectious smile spreads across lips.

"Feel that?" Lola matches the same smile as him, impossible to not smile like that whenever she'd see the cold, harsh stature of Klaus Mikaelson fade away. Klaus locks eyes with Lola as her eyes gleam with tease, "That's the baby telling you that you're wrong."

"I suppose..." Klaus drawls out as he comes to his feet, "We will have to agree to disagree."

A small hint of a smile is against Lola's lips, rolling her eyes as she watches Klaus walk back to his artwork. She flicks through the pregnancy book she was reading until she finds the last page she was on, "Huh," Klaus raises a brow, peering over the canvas to see Lola looking down at the page with pursed lips, "Honeydew."

Klaus' shoulders slump, dropping the paintbrush from the canvas, "Please don't tell me that is going to be a new pet name."

"I'm 35 weeks today and according to this book," Lola turns the book around, allowing Klaus to look at the page, "The baby is the size of a honeydew melon."

The hybrid watches as Lola closes the book up, she reaches to the side of her and grabs hold of a small pale dusty pink box. He chuckles watching as she opens the lid of the box, revealing several sealed envelopes before taking out a blank sheet of paper, "I feel honoured that you've told me that before your mysterious pen pal."

Lola narrows her stare towards him, wearing a mocking grin as she laughs, "Jealously looks awfully good on you, my love."

"Care to tell me who the lucky recipient is for your many love letters?" Klaus matches the same grin, stepping closer to where Lola sits, "I'm sure my jealousy will grow even more."

Lola laughs, she reaches her arm backwards as Klaus leans down to where she sits, "Hold on, you have things that are your own. This is mine." She continues holding her arm backwards, hand clutching hold of the half written letter as she shoots her brows up in amusement. Klaus playfully rolls his eyes, admitting defeat before quickly pressing a kiss against Lola's cheek and stands up straight. Lola clears her throat, sitting up slightly, "Hey, I was thinking about something."

Klaus shakes his head as he chuckles, "We are not calling our daughter honeydew."

"Obviously not." Lola deadpans as she places the half written letter to the side of her. Dread builds up in the back of Lola's mind, wanting to bring a particular topic up for a while but last time the couple spoke of such things, it felt like an argument between them was never going to end, "Remember when we were in New York and we spoke about me becoming a vampire again?"

Klaus posture turns tense, the tension between the pair and arguing ended with them agreeing to wait until Lola was ready once again to speak about the possibility of her becoming a vampire again. A part of Klaus feels that this would result in something positive and yet he still dreads that one of his fears may come true, "We don't need to talk about this, love."

"I want to. We agreed that we'd wait a year to talk about it." Lola laughs slightly, hand against her stomach as she shrugs, "I mean, it's only been about nine months but still."

"Very well."

Lola could tell Klaus was nervous for her answer as he perched himself on the edge of the coffee table in front of her. He wore a faint smile but it was obvious underneath that he felt nothing but worry at what Lola may say.

At first her expression seems unreadable which intensifies Klaus' paranoia over the topic until a small smile graces her lips, "I think I want to be one again. But I want to wait. At least until the baby is older."

"Lola," Klaus pauses in thought, with a smile he takes hold of Lola's hand, "If you are doing this because you think this is what I want, you're wrong."

"It's not because of that." She quickly dismisses Klaus' assumption, with a teasing grin she removes her hand from his. Sitting on the edge of the sofa, Lola closes the gap between them both as she wraps her arms around the back of Klaus' neck, "It's because I want to have forever with you. I'm selfish like that and don't want you to go off falling in love with someone else when I'm old and wrinkly."

"I'm going to stop you right there." Klaus' words are lined with amusement, standing up from the table and sitting beside Lola on the sofa, "There will be nothing that will make me not love you. Can you remember what I said back in the twenties?" His voice becomes low and hoarse, slowly begins to tower over Lola. His lips brush against hers, practically hovering, "I'd still love you wrinkles and all." He silences Lola's giggle with a quick yet loving kiss before standing up straight. He looks over his shoulder to Lola as he walks back towards his art, "Feel free to add that into the love letter you're writing so you can warn your mysterious lover that I'm not going anywhere."

The windows and doors may all be wide open within this room but for Lola it felt as though she was in the middle of a steaming sauna. Her cheeks ache from her smile, hands go to her cheeks are have turned as pink as the peonies in the vase beside her. Feeling a set of eyes on her, a flustered Lola looks over to where Klaus stands. As soon as she looks towards him, his eyes go back to the canvas but wears a smile that is impossible to wipe away. With a shake of her head, Lola inhales and exhales a long, deep breath to compose herself before taking hold of the half written letter once again and begins to write once more.

Dear Florence, or Phoebe, or Lilah...
To my little girl,

Your dad just asked if this was a love letter, I guess it kind of is. I think this will be the last letter that I write to you before you come into this world. Eight letters, eight different chapters in my life that are leading up to having you in my arms.

Not a day goes by where I don't think about what it will be like when you're here. There are many things I wonder as you grow. I wonder when I'll get to meet you, who you will be and who you will take after. But the one thing I never wonder is how much I will love you because I already know you will be my everything. You already are.

I didn't grow up with loving parents and neither did your father. But we've made a promise that we will shower you with all the love we never had and remind you every day how loved you are. Your father and I can't wait to meet you and give you everything that life has to offer.

There's something else I want to promise you. I promise that you will grow up in a safe home with your father, me and all of your crazy aunts and uncles; who will fight for you, no matter what. I wish I could describe on paper how much love everyone has for you already but I don't think any words could describe it. Soon you'll be able to see what I mean for yourself.

So, there you go, baby girl. The rest we'll have to figure out together.

I love you,
Your mom

—✤—

Lola was a true fighter, you could see it in her eyes. She was not born strong, she was made strong. She was sculpted to be her own hero when the world let her down so many times and she would keep picking herself back up. That's what she has wanted to teach her daughter from the very beginning. You can't wait for someone to save you...you have to save yourself.

The pain had become indescribable as Lola continued to fight herself away from the witches and their vicious plans. The agony she felt, the exhaustion she felt and fury she felt continued to rise and rise through every scream, every attempt to break free. She could feel her body was getting itself ready for delivery, she'd try to fight it but it seemed impossible.

Genevieve and Monique stand on either side of Lola, pinning her arms down against the table as Lola screams out even louder. She pulls the arm that Genevieve is holding onto, closer to her; eyes are darkened with rage, "Let go of me, you bitch!"

It was no surprise that two witches trying to hold an infuriated mother would be tough, Genevieve gives the young blonde witch, Abigail, a knowing look, "Hold her down."

Abigail nods, quickly stepping to the end of the table. She attempts to hold down Lola's legs but Lola kicks the witch in the face with all the strength she can manage. Clutching hold of her now bloody nose, Abigail stumbles backwards as she loses her balance. Two more witches appear and hold Lola's legs down, pinning them on the table.

Genevieve attempts to sound calm, her hand moves towards the side of Lola's head, "The stress is only going to make this worse, Lola."

"Oh, really?" Lola laughs spitefully, she throws her head back in order for Genevieve to not touch her. She leans to the side, jaw is tight as the anger boils her blood, "How else do you expect me to act, you stupid—" Excruciating pain stops Lola in her insult, a gut wrenching scream practically rumbles the inside of the church.

The doors to the church entrance get flung open, everyone looks towards the end of the aisle with wide eyes when a weak looking Klaus stumbles in. Lola attempts to sit up on the table, her breath is caught at the back of her throat as tears stream down her face. They both lock eyes for a fraction of a second, but both able to feel the pain and anger they feel with that one look. Two people who have so much strength within them now feel nothing but vulnerability. Klaus' eyes darken with rage as one of the male witches storms towards him, without hardly any effort, Klaus rips the witch's head straight off his body throwing it to the other side of the church.

The Salvatore watches in horror as all witches hold their arms out towards Klaus, using magic to raise him from the floor, slamming him against the wall behind them. Klaus screams out as he tries to break free from the spell but he gets pinned back against the wall. Lola falls back onto the table, hysterically crying. All hope that bringing her daughter into this world on her own terms was gone. The baby is coming right now and there's nothing that can be done to stop it from happening.

"You should know this brings me no joy." Genevieve walks to the alter, taking hold of the athame blade before wearing a guilty expression as she glances between the two, "I promise I'll make it quick."

"Please, don't do this!" Lola's blood curdling screams echo, she keeps her knees pressed together but the witches keep on pulling them apart and pinning her legs against the table.

Every nerve in Klaus' body has frozen, unable to fight through the spell against him he stares down in horror at the love of his life, the mother of his child in unimaginable pain. She can feel it within herself that she needs to start pushing, resisting it is making the pain even worse. But what's actually worse? The fear and terror that once the baby arrives, the pain is only going to get worse.

No emotion at all is shown on Genevieve's face as she glances between the handful of witches surrounding the Salvatore hysterically crying, "Let's begin, shall we?"

Lola's eyes are wide, she attempts to sit up but the pain she feels and the hold of the witches make her fall back onto the table. One witch steps beside Genevieve, throwing a sheet over the bottom half of Lola's body. Lola's head is shaking profusely, voice is muffled through her cries out for help, "No, no!"

—✤—

Stumbling down a darkened alley, Stefan's vision becomes blurry. He rubs his eyes before looking out in front of him to try and focus his sight. Sweat droplets form across his greyed forehead, his balance stumbles as he winces feeling the werewolf venom move further and further through his bloodstream.

He needed to find her. He needed to find his sister. He had already lost his brother, he wasn't going to lose her either. She was all he had left, if Lola wasn't here anymore then what would be the point? What would be the point in continuing this already dark and despairing life? Just taking one step in front of him felt like it was him stepping closer to his death. He doesn't even see the garbage can in front of him, making him stumble against it. Stefan's hand holds himself up against the cold brick wall, he takes deep, ragged breaths as he tries to control the fear he feels within.

"Come on, you're so slow!" A vision in ivory rushes past him, with an infectious laughter he knows all too well. He squints his eyes, looking at the figure in front of him until his sight becomes clear. Long, curled, dark blonde locks, green eyes that match his own and a beaming smile that is like no other.

"Lola?" Stefan's voice becomes more of a whisper, his words sting against his dried up throat. He must be dreaming to see his sister before him right now with an almost golden glow surrounding her.

The smile doesn't leave young Lola's face, looking straight ahead of her towards Stefan. She motions her hand through the air, "You must make haste, brother!"

Stefan's eyes are wide, tears begin to pool in the corner of them as he nods faintly; as though Lola is speaking directly to him. A weak smile spreads across his lips when Lola reaches her hand out towards him, he goes to step forward holding his own hand out until he hears a familiar male, roughish laughter and footsteps approaching behind him, "Why must we rush?"

Stefan frowns, heart almost stops completely when he hears his older brother's voice. He watches as Damon steps towards Lola who wears the same up-to-no-good grin she always wore when she was scheming something when they were children. Damon matches the same grin, playfully swatting her hand away from him, "You don't have to get everywhere first you know!"

It was amusing whenever Damon would mock Lola's competitiveness, especially when he is the most competitive out of all three of them. Lola rolls her eyes, the same grin never leaving her lips, "I know I don't! But I do when Stefan challenged us to see who can get to the church the fastest! Now," Lola grips hold of Damon's arm, she walks backwards pulling him along with her, "Make haste!"

"Wait." Stefan's voice is a whisper, he tries to run after his two older siblings but he loses his balance falling to the floor. On his knees, Stefan slowly raises his head looking down the now empty alley, heart sinking no longer seeing either Damon or Lola.

"Stefan." Elijah's voice comes into play, sounding just as weak as Stefan's. With a ragged breath, he holds his hand out for Stefan to take, "The hallucinations have started."

"Is there a church close by?" Stefan doesn't acknowledge Elijah's worry regarding the hallucinations. He comes to his feet, glancing at his side where Elijah remains, nodding yet frowning in confusion. Stefan's jaw tightens, trusting the gut feeling that he feels right now, "Show me."

—✤—

Lola had done all she could've. She knew that. But that didn't make it any less painful as she was held down in the middle of the church, giving birth. The air was thick with anger from Klaus shouting down threats as he watches in horror at the scene he can't stop. Lola's screams become even more pained and harrowing, no longer able to stop the need to push and now all she is focusing on is bringing her child into the world.

"I will bring hell to your family!" Klaus' bellowing voice from above rumbles the church, he continues to try and break free from the spell but fails to do so every time.

"One last push!" Genevieve tries to catch Lola's petrified stare but the blonde has her eyes tightly shut attempting to control her panicked breaths.

Lola exhales a heavy breath, her posture slumps slightly as she cries, "I can't do this."

"Yes, you can!" Genevieve attempts to comfort the Salvatore who then sits up further, bearing her teeth as she screams out. Taking a deep breath, Genevieve continues to speaking in her calmed tone, "Push! The baby's almost here!"

One thing Klaus hated the most was feeling helpless and he had never felt so helpless until this exact moment. Unable to look away from the love of his life birthing their child, never seeing Lola look as scared as she does and it infuriated him, "I will bathe in rivers of your blood!"

"Shut up!" Lola groans out, channelling her anger towards Klaus in this moment. Giving birth as psychotic witches hold you down in the middle of the church is far from ideal and having a vexed hybrid pinned against the wall shouting out empty threats doesn't add well to the mix.

An evil, deranged smile hasn't left Monique's lips from the second she entered this church, she stands beside Genevieve, "I can see the baby!"

"Push, gently! Gently. Lola, look at me." Genevieve's tone is soft, for a small moment Lola opens her eyes, her infuriated yet terrified stare meets Genevieve's calm one as she smiles softly towards the Salvatore, "You're doing great."

Lola's nostrils flared, she breathes in a sharp, shaky breath as she bares her teeth showing nothing but fury, "Fuck you."

"You will die screaming!" Klaus continues to shout out his violent threats when Lola's screams become even more ear piercing as before.

"There!" Genevieve smiles, reaching out to hold the baby. Lola's screaming comes to an abrupt stop, she falls back on the table completely exhausted.

As Lola's screaming stops, so does Klaus'. Neither one of them no longer tensed up but now somewhat relief. Lola's chest moves up and down in a ragged way, catching her breath. Her eyes are wide when she hears cries, her heart practically stops in her chest as she looks at her baby in Genevieve's arms.

"You have a beautiful baby daughter." Genevieve's conflicted stare looks between Lola and her baby wrapped in a white sheet in the red head's arms. Genevieve swallows harshly before glancing to the witches at her side, "We must start the sacrifice as soon as the moon sets with the morning sky—"

"Wait." Lola breathes out, her stare not leaving her baby daughter. A singular tear falls down her cheek as she blinks, "I want to hold my daughter." Lola breaks away her eye contact from her baby, looking at a hesitant Genevieve who glances between Klaus and Lola. The Salvatore's eyes darken, glaring over to the red head, "She is my child. Give her to me."

Clearing her throat, Genevieve nods faintly. All of the anger and animosity that Lola felt had vanished, replaced with love and warmth, unable to break her eyes away from her miracle. Her smile is wide, corners of her eyes pool with tears as Genevieve carefully places her baby in her arms. Nothing that just happened mattered anymore, all that mattered was that her child was here and in her arms. What felt like just a dream was now reality and Lola was hit with so many emotions in this moment and never wanted to let this feeling go. She softly coos her baby, she smiles when the small, soft hand wraps around her finger. Blue eyes look up at Lola, having no idea how much love she has just brought into her mother's life.

All the air within Klaus' lungs had gone, his face is frozen with shock as he stares down at his child in Lola's arms. She looks up at him wearing a smile that he has never seen against her lips before. It was a smile that was born from pride and it immediately became his favourite expression to see flash across her face. If there was ever a moment it was possible to freeze time, this would be it. God, this would be it.

Neither of them would be able to predict what would happen next as Lola gazes back down at her baby. Monique stands behind Lola, gripping hold of the blonde's hair she pulls her head back, revealing a knife from behind her. Without any hesitation, Monique raises the blade against Lola's throat, pressing it against her skin.

Still cradling her baby, Lola's hand in-distinctively goes to her throat as she chokes on her own blood. Her vision becomes blurry until completely dark, the last thing she heard was her baby's cries and Klaus screaming for her. Wearing a malicious grin, the dark haired witch's hand goes against the back of Lola's head, lowering her limp body to the table as Genevieve takes hold of the baby.

The small moment of happiness was gone in an instant, Klaus stares down in horror at Lola. His breathing becomes inconsistent looking between the witches walking away with his baby and the blood falling from the table to form a pool against the cold hard floor. He can't fathom any words, any threats; all he can physically do is scream out in horror.

Genevieve's coos the crying baby in her arms, guilt flashes in her eyes unable to not hear Klaus' screams from behind them all. Wearing no expression, Monique raises her hand, with a twist of her wrist she snaps Klaus' neck. The spell now dropping from himself, a now unconscious Klaus harshly falls to the floor.

—✤—

With a loud, piercing gasp Klaus regains consciousness. His breathing is heavy as he looks around a now empty church, what was full of pain and fury now feels dark and silent. As Klaus holds himself up, he frowns feeling his hand press into something wet. His heart almost falls out of his chest, looking down at his hand to see it in the middle of a pool of blood. Lola's blood.

Slowly moving his horrified stare from the blood is when blonde hair spilling off the edge of the table in front catches his eye and he is hit with all the pain that was endured, "No."

That one syllable word is all Klaus can bring himself to say repeatedly as he comes to hit feet. He steps back, terrified to see Lola laying on the table completely still. His breath halts in the back of his throat, slowly stepping towards her. He runs his hand through her hair, closing his eyes when he sees the large slash across Lola's throat and the dried up blood surrounding it.

"I'm sorry." Klaus' low voice becomes muffled through his cries, "I'm so sorry." Gently lifting Lola's head, his hand rests against the back of her neck as he lifts her up slightly. He cries even more holding Lola in his arms, pressing her against his chest as he cradles her lifeless body, "Please come back to me."

Everything was leading to this heartbreaking moment. All the dreams that he had that ended with something horrific happening to Lola, the choking on her own blood, her dying in his arms. How sad to face a future without the one you planned it with.

"Please." Klaus rocks her back and forth, lightly kissing the top of her forehead. Klaus' broken cries echoed through the church, "I'm sorry."

His eyes are tightly shut as the tears fall, he doesn't even realise the doors to the church are pulled open. Both Stefan and Elijah run into the church, stumbling slightly as the venom spreads further through their body, "Charlotte!" Elijah's vision is blurry, he tries to focus his stare on a figure in front of him which is then he realises it's a broken Klaus holding a still Lola.

"What have you done to her?" Anger pulsates through Stefan's body, trying to push back the horror he feels that not only has he lost his older brother, he's now lost his older sister. He refuses to believe that. He stares in panic, rushing towards the alter where Klaus continues to cradle Lola.

As he slowly raises his head from Lola, dark circles have formed around Klaus' eyes, "She's gone."

"No, she's not." Stefan shakes his head in disbelief, profusely. He stands opposite Klaus, hooking his arm under Lola and pushes Klaus away from her, "She's not." Stefan's entire body is trembling, holding his breath as he tries not to allow the tears to fall. He continues shaking his head, holding his own wrist out and biting into it with no hesitation and holds it against Lola's lips, "Lo, come on."

Elijah stands beside Stefan who continues to hold his wrist against his sister's lips, he starts crying and shaking Lola slightly hoping she would wake. A shaky breath falls from Elijah's lips, bringing his hand towards the top of Lola's head, pulling back her hair. He chews on his lower lip, looking up towards the ceiling as he attempts to stop the tears from immediately falling. He made a vow of promise to protect this girl, someone who was like a sister to him; and now she was gone.

"She knew something was going to happen." Klaus' voice is husky, watching as Lola's brother and his own brother hold Lola, crying for her, "She knew and I didn't listen to her." Stefan cries become louder, lowering his head and resting his forehead against Lola's holding her tight against himself, "Stefan..."

"Get away from her!" Stefan snaps, his words are fuelled with venom as he glares over to the hybrid, "This is your fault. You're nothing but poison, Klaus. You poisoned my sister the second you came into her life. If I could go back in time I'd make damn sure she would've never met you so it wouldn't have ended like this."

Lowering his head, Klaus can't help but take Stefan's words to heart; deep down knowing they aren't entirely false. The large, infectious wounds against Elijah's neck catch Klaus' attention, rolling his sleeve up he steps closer to his brother, "You've been bitten." He bites into his own wrist, holding it out before Elijah, "Here."

The older Mikaelson hesitates for a moment, feeling slightly stunned at Klaus offering him his blood. With a faint nod, Elijah takes Klaus' wrist, drinking his blood. He can instantly feel himself becoming stronger, feeling the venom slowly leaving his system. Patting his brother on the shoulder, Klaus steps away from the alter, practically collapsing onto the steps beside it.

In our lives we experience many different kind of friendships. On the rare occasion we encounter someone so special that we know we met for a reason. It's the kind of friendship that makes you understand unconditional love. It happens at different stages for different people. But when it does, there is no greater comfort than knowing this person will be right beside you to share the happiness, the sadness and everything in between.

Elijah had been alive for centuries without ever experiencing that kind of friendship, until Lola. They were never meant to be romantic, they were just meant to be. Although the love they have for each other is undeniable and although the love they have for each other exists, it was not meant to stretch beyond the pure unisons of friendship. It was not meant to stretch at their heartstrings, but instead, it was meant to gently massage them into peace.

Watching as the youngest Salvatore's heart break refusing to let go of his sister, it forms a dark pit in Elijah's chest. He can't help but feel some ounce of guilt regarding how this has all ended. His hands grip the edges of the table where Lola lays, taking a deep breath, "How?"

Klaus had his face buried into the palms of his hands, swaying back and forth in his spot trying to erase the vision of Lola being killed, "I was bested."

Elijah's jaw tightens, no longer feeling heartache but instead a feeling of fury flows through him, "You were bested." He laughs almost spitefully, no humour is in his laugh as he slowly turns to face where Klaus sits, "You...were bested!?" Klaus' eyes widen in shock at Elijah's harsh tone that echoes through the church walls, "My invincible brother!"

With a pleading look in his eyes, Klaus pulls himself up and steps closer to Elijah, "They took the baby. But there's still time. We can save her." Looking over Elijah's shoulder, he sees Stefan continuing to cry, holding onto his sister, "Stefan."

"I'm not leaving her." Stefan mumbles through his cries, he shakes his head as his grip against Lola tightens ever so slightly, refusing to let anyone touch her, "I'm not leaving her again."

The hybrid steps closer, he gulps looking down at Lola. He places his hand against Stefan's shoulder who moves his shoulder to get Klaus' hand off him making Klaus sigh, "You need my blood. Here."

"What's the point?" Stefan laughs in an exasperated way, "So I can live without my family?" He shifts in his spot slightly, his back turns against Klaus, "No."

Klaus sighs, feeling like there is never going to be a way to talk Stefan into drinking his blood. This isn't what Lola would've wanted, she wouldn't have wanted her brother to be this way but would be understanding about the grief he feels right now.

Taking hold of the communion goblet on a nearby table, Klaus bites into his hand allowing his blood to pour into it, "A part of your family is out there and she needs saving." Klaus' calm expression meets Stefan's broken one. Klaus holds the goblet out in front of the younger Salvatore, "She needs her uncle alive."

—✤—

It felt like it had been hours as Klaus and Elijah walk through the LaFayette cemetery, feeling hopeless with the maze illusion that the witches have created. Both Mikaelson brothers grow more and more agitated and anxious as the sunrises, fearing that their efforts may deem pointless, both just as desperate as the other to find that baby girl.

Gripping hold of a stone, Klaus marks against a tomb that now have several markings from previous, "It's ingenious. I can see them, I can feel them, and yet they are not real."

Elijah paces around in his spot, hand vigorously running through his hair as he grows more and more distressed. He may have felt like he's failed his promise of protection for Lola but he isn't going to break his promise to protect her child, "There has to be a way. Even if we could just push through..."

"What we need to do is focus." Klaus tries to reason with his brother, he knows how distraught Elijah is, it was obvious. He may never had understood what it was like to have a bond the way his brother had one with Lola, but it was just as painful for him in the sort of limbo they stand in right now.

"My only focus right now is that child and her safety, do you understand me?" Elijah's tone is harsh, his expression towards Klaus shows nothing but despair and vulgarity, "This. All of this—" Elijah stretches his arms out, glancing around the cemetery, "This is the world that you created, Niklaus."

Klaus takes a step closer to Elijah, feeling a dark bit forming in his stomach, "Brother—"

"All of your scheming, the enemies that you have made every single day of your miserable life, what results did you expect? That your child would be born into a happy life? That the mother would be alive to know her daughter?" Elijah was in pain and he wasn't going to hold any of it in anymore. He was known to keep his feelings in, never let anyone see how he truly felt but what was the point anymore? He scoffs spitefully, his glare is full of hurt and betrayal, "That we could live and thrive as some...as some sort of family?"

The hairs on the back of Klaus' neck shot up, his blood starting to burn with anger as he steps closer, "You are not the only one heartbroken over this!"

"No, brother!" Elijah snaps, his tone becoming more enraged than ever before, pointing towards Klaus, "This was our hope. This was our family's hope." Klaus remains still, mouth agape slightly taken aback by Elijah's words. Elijah remains stiff, his breathing becomes shaky, his entire body is trembling, "And now she is gone. Do you understand? I let this person in."

Elijah swallows harshly as he attempts to hold back his tears, but ultimately fails, "I let her in!" His voice breaks, his tone is weak and broken, "I don't let people in! You knew this. You've taken her from me! You've taken her from all of us! From the very moment Charlotte came into our lives, there was this feeling of our family being complete. They were the missing piece in our family, Charlotte and her child." Elijah's shoulders sink, his entire posture turns weak as tears stain his cheeks, "And now it's all over before it even had the chance of becoming something pure."

There is so much love in friendship, people forget that. Friendship can be just as powerful as true romantic love and that kind of friendship can save you and heal parts of you that you didn't know were broken. They change your life. Is it so hard to fathom that a deep love can exist between two people whose only intention is pouring the love that exists between them back into a friendship? Romance is not the only reason the universe brings souls together, growth and love can exist without it. Lola and Elijah were not meant to be romantic, they were just meant to be.

Klaus watches as a frail Elijah drop himself onto one of the tombs, burying his face into the palms of his hands as he takes deep, shaky breaths to compose himself. Klaus had never seen his older brother react this way over someone before and it shattered his heart to see him this way. He was displaying how Klaus felt within, his entire world had turned black in a matter of seconds.

The hybrid stays silent, allowing his brother this time to compose. He sits beside his brother, his hand against Elijah's arm which makes the older Mikaelson's bloodshot eyes meet Klaus' dull, heartbroken eyes, "You can tell your niece how much you cared for her mother when we save her."

—✤—

Our brothers and sisters are reflections of us, and we of them. We are mirrors of one another, reflecting uniquely. Although all three Salvatore siblings were unique in their own way, they were also the same. They had the same beginnings, all being born within the Salvatore plantation home, they had the same family. No matter what would happen, no matter how much they may disagree on things, they would always come back together as one. It's what they were known for, they'd die for each other. As Stefan stands here, he feels empty. Both of his siblings are gone, their story has died, it's ended. A part of his own identity feels like it has died along with both Damon and Lola too.

The church was silent, you'd be able to hear a pin drop. It was so quiet, the water dripping off the damp cloth in Stefan's hand echoes through the church. His lower lip quivers, impossible to stop the tears falling down his cheeks as he stares down at his sister's lifeless body.

"I can hear you joking about this, Lo." A small stifled laugh falls from Stefan's lips as he presses the damp cloth against Lola's throat, wiping away the dried up blood, "Using holy water to wash away all of this."

His eyes keep going back to the goblet that is full of Klaus' blood, he can feel his body moving towards it but Stefan will constantly pull himself back. The other side is non existent now, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to see his brother or sister again. There is that possibility he would be able to. He won't drink it. That's what he decided. He doesn't want to live on this earth without Damon or Lola; he wouldn't survive it without them.

But then his stare will slowly move back towards where Lola lays, he can practically hear her shouting at him to drink the blood, to heal himself. Deep down in Stefan's subconscious mind, he does want to live. He doesn't want to die, he wants to see his niece. Help raise his niece. Stefan knows it's the right thing to drink Klaus' blood and heal himself from this bite. He takes hold of the goblet, glancing between Lola and the blood within it. He shakes his head as though he's shaking out all the dark thoughts that tell him to not drink before drinking the entirety of the goblet.

"You happy now?" Stefan humourless laughter turns into spite, throwing the now empty goblet across the church. His arms stretch out, looking back towards Lola as he scoffs, "I drank the stupid blood so now I can live without you and Damon. You happy? Because I'm not."

The heartache and grief that was suffocating Stefan turned into anger, he felt a small ounce of satisfaction and relief when he threw the goblet. He begins picking up anything he can, throwing it across the church, "I'm not happy." Stefan's broken cries become unbearable, choking on his own cries as he doesn't even look at what he throws, he just needs to use this as an outlet, "I'm not happy!"

His hands are gripped around a pot angel, his posture stiffens and breathing becomes ragged. Eyes are wide as he just stares out in front of the wreckage he created, in those split seconds it made him feel better. But as he stops, takes a look at what he created he is hit with the harrowing and dark feeling that he's felt from the very beginning. His grip relaxes, the pot angel falls to the floor, shattering into pieces.

Only taking a few steps forward, Stefan collapses onto the steps in front of the table that Lola remains on. He rocks himself back and forth, attempting to calm his own breathing down as he sobs uncontrollably.

The church was silent, until it wasn't.

Stefan slowly lifts his head out of his hands as he frowns, hearing something come into play. Almost like a heartbeat. He could hear his own but his was practically thrashing against his ribs, this one was different. It's not possible.

He sits up straight, steadily moving his body around to face the table where a lifeless Lola remains. The heartbeat at first is quiet and slow, but quickly becomes louder. Stefan continues to frown, coming to his feet and cautiously walks towards Lola. The closer to steps towards Lola, the louder the heartbeat becomes. His eyes widen, staring down at the slash against Lola's throat that starts to heal on its own.

Stefan is frozen, his eyes aren't leaving Lola, too scared to blink in case what he is seeing happening right now isn't real. He's even too scared to breathe. With a sharp gasp, Lola wakes she immediately sits forward her hand grasps against her now fully healed throat. Stefan stares at his sister completely stunned, his eyes are stinging with tears not saying a word. He takes a step back allowing Lola to adjust herself to what has just happened, not wanting to smother her.

Lola's eyes are wide, staring out in front of her as her mind goes a million miles a second. The pain from giving birth, the screams and cries coming from both her and Klaus. Genevieve holding her baby. Her baby. The cries from her baby, those big blue eyes staring up at her. She inhales harshly, almost being able to feel the cold sharpness from the blade running across her throat again.

Her entire body is trembling, slowly looking towards a shell-shocked Stefan stands, "Stef." She edges forward on the table, noticing his blood stained shirt and dried blood against his throat, "Are you okay?"

Stefan's mouth is gaped, completely dumbfounded that the first thing his sister asks when she comes back from the dead was if he was okay. He can't help but laugh, stepping closer to Lola and taking hold of her hand, pressing a kiss against her knuckles, "You're asking me if I'm okay? Seriously?" He wraps his arm around Lola, bringing her towards him feeling like he's finally able to breathe, "I thought I lost you."

"My baby." Lola breathes out in a whisper. Not even giving herself a second to think, she jumps off the table as her eyes darken, "I need to find my baby."

—✤—

Ahead of his brother, Elijah rushes into the next tomb surrounded by lit candles. Klaus follows in after him, lowering his head in defeat as though this painful deceit the witches have created may never end. Elijah runs his hands through his air, sighing as he grows more agitated as times goes in, "We've passed through here twice already. We're running out of time."

"Then we move faster." A defeated looking Klaus, marks the wall beside him with a third tally. The weight of his entire body leans against the wall as a horrifying pit forms in his stomach, he needs to know what to do. He needs her to tell him what to do.

"Or smarter." Both of the originals stiffen, hearing a voice that up until this moment they'd never think they'd hear again. If their postures weren't so frozen they'd check if they had a pulse because in that moment as they stare towards Lola in the doorway of the tomb, it felt like their heart had completely left their bodies. The ends of her blonde her now stained with crimson red blood, her skin still stained from her blood despite Stefan's attempts to wiping it away; all the colour of her skin has been completely drained, green eyes look more grey and dull.

They both watch as Stefan guides his dazed and exhausted looking sister further into the tomb, her eyes are glossed over looking around until her eyes lock with Klaus'. A sharp breath hits the back of Klaus' throat, staring towards her completely stunned, "Lola."

The hybrid cautiously steps closer to her, his breathing is shaky. He fears this may all be another cruel illusion created by the witches. Slowly raising his hand towards her, he runs his fingers through her hair, finding a place at the back of her neck. At first Lola flinches at the feel of Klaus' touch against her skin, it's like time has paused for that spilt second until she practically melts in his hold. A shaky breath falls from Klaus' lips before wrapping his arms around Lola fully, pulling her towards his chest.

Looking over Klaus' shoulder, Lola sees Elijah standing completely speechless. His glossy stare doesn't leave her as he smiles weakly, "How is this possible?"

"I woke up in the church." Lola's voice is low and almost numb, Klaus frowns pulling away from Lola as he listens intently, "I felt this hunger..." Tightly shutting her eyes, Lola swallows harshly feeling unable to describe how she felt knowing this was exactly where she needed to be, "I felt this pull. I can feel her." Slowly opening her eyes, a small hint of a weak smile graces her lips looking out towards the cemetery, "She's here. I can feel our baby."

Suddenly everything makes sense, Klaus' mind goes back to the night in the woods when Lola was miraculously healed due to the baby's blood. This scenario is just like that one, "The baby's blood was in your system when you died." Klaus thinks out loud in a whisper. A small smile that shows nothing but hope is against his lips, "You're in transition."

"To be reborn a heretic." Elijah's brows knit together, he already knows the answer to his next question just by Lola's frail appearance, "Have you fed?"

"None of that matters right now." Lola quickly dismisses the original, shaking her head, "All that matters is finding her." She inhales a deep breath, her hand brushes against Klaus' her eyes are dark with determination, "I'm gonna find our daughter."

All three men watch as Lola turns on her heel walking straight out of the tomb. They give each other a knowing glance before they all follow her.

Further into the cemetery, Genevieve and the two Harvest girls gather around the tomb that a woven basket lays with the baby across it. Large fires are dotted around as the Harvest girls chant, "Nouvelle vie, nouvelle âme, mélange avec nous."

With Lola one step ahead of the others, all four walk through the cemetery, each feeling as much determination as the other. Feeling her pull towards her child, Lola swiftly turns a corner but heart falls out of her chest at the sight she sees before her, "NO!"

Genevieve's eyes are wide, athame blade in her hand directly above the newborn. Without any hesitation, Elijah takes hold of a large ivory urn and launches it directly towards the red head. It slams against Genevieve's hand that holds the blade, the force of the hit pushes her back and harshly hits the concrete behind her.

The Mikaelson and Salvatores pick up haste, running towards the witches until Monique and Abigail stand in front of the tomb, intertwining their hands and channel the ancestor's power. The power is so strong is pushes all four of them backwards as Genevieve regains her balance, looking around for the blade.

"You fools!" Monique's tone is vicious, her hand still intertwines with Abigail's continuing to channel all the power of the ancestors. All four of them slowly pick themselves up from the ground, flashes of hundreds of dead witches block their vision, "To come against us in our place of power in our strongest hour? You don't face three, you face us all!"

Lola and Klaus landed beside each other, for a less than a second they take hold of each other's hand giving each other the same look and knowing exactly what they need to do. They both quickly come to their feet running in different directions. This was their fight and they weren't going to back down. They were going to do whatever it takes.

Running around a tomb, Lola finds Genevieve rushing towards the blade embedded into the ground. Just as Genevieve reaches for it, Lola kicks the blade out of the witches hand. She harshly grabs a fist full of the red head's hair, using all the strength she can muster, punching Genevieve directly in the face. The witch gasps out in pain, stumbling and losing her balance. She isn't given a second to compose herself before Lola kicks her in the stomach making Genevieve harshly slam into the wall behind her.

Elijah and Stefan use all their strength trying to push through the ancestor's magic, rushing straight towards Monique and Abigail hoping to overpower them. In the opposite direction, Klaus makes a sharp turn until he's greeted by the spirits of Papa Tunde's twin sons who hold their hands up in unison, telekinetically throwing Klaus into a tomb, shattering it.

The power of the ancestors is still too strong, Elijah and Stefan keep getting thrown back from the force of the magic. Lola's hand is harshly gripped around Genevieve's throat whose gasping for air, Lola harshly slams the witch's head into the wall behind her making Genevieve fall to the ground as she coughs catching her breath. Lola is frantic, she turns on her heel when she hears her baby's cries. Just as she is about to rush towards the baby, Genevieve's reaches her hand out casting a pain infliction spell against Lola. Gripping hold of the sides of her face, Lola falls to the floor screaming out in pain.

Klaus pulls himself out of the shattered tomb. His attention goes to the broken iron fence beside him, he breaks off one of the spikes. Klaus rushes to the centre of the cemetery, he stands between both Elijah and Stefan, lifting the spike up and turning it around before launching it through the spirits of the ancestors. The spike impales Abigail straight through the stomach, with so much strength from the throw, Abigail is thrown backwards. The spike impales into the wall behind her, holding her up from the ground. Monique watches in horror as her friend starts choking on her own blood as she dies.

The brunette witch starts to panic that the link to the ancestors has halved. Her eyes scan across the ground until she sees the athame. She rushes towards it, picking it up before standing above the baby, holding the blade directly above the crying child.

"No!" Lola cries out, watching the young witch. She tries to fight the pain that Genevieve is casting on her but it becomes stronger.

All three men try to rush towards the young witch but as she holds her hand out she creates a fire barrier to stop them from coming any further. A sinister smile is against Monique's lips, holding the blade up further above the child. Just as she is about to sacrifice the baby, she gasps. She looks down at her stomach that has the Devil's Star embedded into her stomach. Her body instantly gets covered in dozens of cuts, she starts choking on her own blood before falling to the ground.

The fire barrier disappears, the men turn around to see Marcel standing behind them all. He says nothing, he vamp speeds towards the tomb picking up the newborn. Looking over his shoulder, Marcel sees Lola who continues to scream out from the pain of Genevieve's spell before he rushes away from them all.

As Klaus vamp speeds after Marcel, Stefan rushes to where Lola is. Picking up a large rock he hits it against Genevieve's temple, knocking the witch out cold. Elijah is already beside Lola, holding his hand out to help bring her to her feet. All of their breathing is ragged, staring down at the unconscious witch.

—✤—

Neither Lola or Stefan show any emotion whatsoever as they watch Elijah shackle Genevieve up inside one of the tombs. The red head starts to regain consciousness from Stefan's impact, dried up blood from that and Lola's hits and purple bruising already forms across her face.

Genevieve's panicked stare meets Lola's cold, harsh one, "Why?"

"The ancestors left me no choice," Genevieve begins to stutter, heart is pounding against her chest.

Lola couldn't help but laugh at the witch's pathetic excuse, she takes the blade out of her brother's hand as she steps closer, "You were willing to sacrifice an innocent baby for more power?"

"No, not just power!" Genevieve rushes out, her voice is shaky, "It was the ancestors' decree. It was her decree."

Elijah harshly grabs Genevieve by the face, forcing her to meet his glare as he grits his teeth, "It was whose decree?"

"I'm surprised you have to ask." Genevieve wears a hint of a smile, laughing in a dark and sinister manner, "After all, you were the one who convinced your siblings to consecrate her on New Orleans soil."

Lola's entire body tenses, knowing exactly who Genevieve is talking about. Her nostrils are flared as she takes a step closer, "Esther."

Elijah pushes Genevieve out of his grasp, the chains harshly pull Genevieve back up straight. Elijah wears the same furious look at Lola, "So, not even death can stop my mother from seeking the annihilation of her own flesh and blood."

"She won't stop until she has your child, Lola. She's in danger." Genevieve's entire body is trembling, the small ounce of the sinister feeling she felt was gone. She felt an overwhelming form of fear and guilt, "You're not safe either, Lola. He won't stop."

He won't stop. Stefan's breathing becomes erratic as his anger builds up at the mere mention of the man who's brought nothing but pain into his sister's life. He begins to angrily step towards the chained up witch but is stopped by Lola who holds her arm out, yet not looking away from the fearful witch.

"This isn't the end." Genevieve shakes her head profusely, tears stream down her blood stained cheeks, "Thomas will not stop until he has stopped you. And as long as that child lives, the witches of New Orleans will never stop coming for it. Esther will never stop coming for it. It has been decreed your baby will be consecrated among her ancestors. She will not live."

Elijah stands to the other side of Lola, all three of them glare over to the red head whose cries become even louder. Her pleading eyes meet Lola's emotionless ones, "I'm sorry, Lola. I didn't want to be part of this. I just wanted to live." Her tears turn to blood pouring out of her eyes, "They're coming for me, I can feel it." Genevieve's lips quiver as blood streams out of her eyes, nose and ears, "I failed them."

"Tell Scott," Genevieve starts choking on her own blood, spilling out of the corners of her mouth, "Tell him what I felt was real. Tell him I'm sorry."

Lola closes the gap between herself and Genevieve, with a fist full of the red hair Lola pulls the witch's head back. With the blade in her other hand, she brings it towards Genevieve's throat, "I'm not." The strong scent of blood almost became too overpowering for Lola but she resisted, showing no mercy as she deepened the slash against Genevieve's throat who chokes on her own blood, eyes wide. An eye for an eye.

As Lola steps back, she throws the blade onto the ground behind her. Genevieve's cries are no more, the ringing sound of the metal blade bouncing off the floor vibrates through the tomb walls. Lola doesn't look at either man who remain silent watching as she storms out of the tomb.

—✤—

Hayley didn't have any support as she grew up, she had no idea what it felt like to have a family. She never thought her attempting to steal a purse eight years ago would result in her having the strongest support system she could've ever imagined. As soon as she received a message from Elijah explaining everything that just happened, she didn't care that it was a risk her being in the quarter after the Guerrera attacks, she needed to see for herself that Lola was okay.

Walking into the compound, she was greeted with over thirty dead vampires across the courtyard, all dead from what looked like wolf bites. Klaus was upstairs, not leaving his daughter's side as Hayley helped Marcel clean up the aftermath of one of the worst nights in New Orleans history.

Both of their attentions are whipped towards the entrance of the compound to see Elijah stepping in first, holding the door wide as Stefan walks in with his arm wrapped around a fragile looking Lola; feeling weak due to the transition and not yet feeding.

At first Lola doesn't notice Hayley, her eyes go straight towards a tearful Marcel who rushes over to her just as she rushes to him. Tears fall down her face as she tightens the embrace with Marcel, "Thank you. You saved her." Marcel buries his face into the nape of Lola's neck as he cries, "You saved my baby, Marcel."

"I did have the intention of using that on Klaus." A stiff laughter falls from Marcel's lips as he pulls away from Lola, wiping the tears off his face, "But there was nothing I wouldn't have done in order to save your daughter."

"I got here as soon as I heard." Hayley's face is covered in guilt and sadness, standing beside Marcel before pulling Lola into an embrace, "I'm so sorry, Lo."

"They're upstairs." Elijah softly places his hand against Lola's back as she pulls out of Hayley's embrace, he raises his arm gesturing towards the staircase, "Do you want me to take you?"

Standing beside Elijah, Marcel intertwines his hands together lowering himself slightly to be at eye level with Lola, "Do you need anything?"

Stefan watches from afar as his sister starts to panic slightly. Any form of movement, light or sound is like sensory overload when you're in transition and as he watches Lola's body starting to lose balance he rushes beside her, pulling her away from everyone, "She just needs some space!"

"I have blood all over me." Lola mumbles, staring down looking horrified at her blood stained hands, "My blood." She tries to rub the blood off against her dress but more blood gathers against her skin from the fabric that has clung onto her body from even more of her own blood. She swallows harshly, pulling herself out of her brother's hold, "I can't see my daughter when I look like this."

"Come on." Hayley's tone is soft and gentle, she cautiously wraps her arm around Lola and guides her to the downstairs bathroom, "I'll help you."

The silence was deafening between the pair, the sound of water falling was the only thing that could be heard during this moment. Lola didn't speak, she barely breathed as Hayley guided her out of her bloody and wrecked clothes, into the hot and steaming shower.

It was a scary thing, Hayley thought. To see the strongest woman she's known to be so broken and frail, not even having the energy to speak. She stood there lifeless as Hayley tended to what she needed to do. Once dressed, Hayley guided the Salvatore to the vanity within the bathroom, gently sitting her down. As Lola looked through the mirror ahead, she seen a stranger in herself. The same way she would see a stranger after every beating off her father; seeing a broken girl who felt even more broken within.

Hayley wraps her arms around Lola from behind, lowering herself slightly as she sighs, "I love you so much, Lo. You're the strongest person I know." She places a soft kiss against the side of Lola's face before meeting her gaze through the mirror, "You won't be alone in this, I'll be here every step of the way."

A soft knock against the doorframe making Lola jump slightly, she turns to see Stefan smiling warmly towards her, "You ready?"

Lola takes hold of Hayley's hand as she comes to her feet, nodding softly towards her brother before following him out of the room. Soft baby coos become louder and louder as Lola approaches the door to the nursery, at first she's nervous. But all of that fades away when she can hear Klaus humming to their child, she opens the door to the nursery greeted with Klaus' back. As he turns around, her breath stops in the back of her throat seeing their child in his arms. She's never seen a smile to broad against his lips compared to now, pride practically bursting out of him. She didn't think it was possible to fall more in love with this man than she already was until she seen him with their baby.

With their child in his arms, Klaus closes the gap between himself and Lola. He can see the slightly hesitation in her eyes, he gives her a reassuring nod before carefully placing their child into her arms.

The ins of Lola's brows pull up, eyes become immediately glossy, feeling like she's completely forgot how to breath as she stares down in amazement as this little life in her arms, "Hi." Her voice is a soothing whisper, her cheeks already aching from her smile, "Hi, baby." She looks over her shoulder to see Stefan's smile beaming over to her as he leans against the doorway. The baby starts to twist in her arms, the beginning of a cry until Lola coos softly, swaying her baby, "It's okay, I'm here." She gently brings her lips to the baby's forehead, pressing a soft kiss, "I'm here."

Lola was instantly besotted with her baby daughter, never feeling so much love to something so little in her life. She had never really given the time to think of what it may have been like to have a child until these past few months and she can't imagine her life going any other way. She was mesmerised by her miracle baby, she was of witches and wolves. A wild and magical thing, impossible to hold and harder to explain and Lola was always and forever under her spell.

—✤—

"We should have felt our mother's hand in this." Klaus sits on the edge of his bed with a worrisome Elijah pacing in front of him before sitting on the edge of a seat, "We should have known she would not be bound by anything as obvious as death. And now she has control of the witches. They will never stop."

"No." Elijah's head bows, nodding in agreement with his brother.

"Nor would I expect the Guerrera wolves to back down." Klaus sighs heavily, not realising as Lola sits in the nursery joined to their room she listens to everything they say, "Somehow Thomas has managed to crawl back into this world and his only target is Lola. We don't know where he is, when he intends to attack; nothing."

Klaus looks through the open door just as Stefan turns to face Lola, holding the baby in his arms unable to wipe his smile from his face completely amazed towards his niece, "She looks just like you, Lo." Lola jumps out of her thoughts, eyes still look absent before flashing a quick smile towards her brother as he kneels in front of where she sits, passing the baby over to her, "Here."

"They will never be safe." Klaus practically whispers, wearing a smile full of sadness watching the love of his life cradle the other love of his life. He pauses in thought for a moment before turning his attention back to his brother, "What was it you said to me earlier? That I have made enemies every day of my miserable life? Well, the worst of them are within these borders, brother." Elijah sighs in frustration, feeling guilty reliving the words he said to his brother, " I have brought into the world a weapon they can use against me."

"Then we will arm ourselves!" Elijah's tone turns confident, "Brother, we have fought every adversary in this town, and we have won. And we'll fight them again, no matter who they are! We will make this home a fortress."

"I will not have her live her life as a prisoner." Klaus snaps in a hushed tone, his eyes darken with a serious expression to match.

Stefan sighs, crossing his arms against his chest hearing every single word. An almost silent sob falling from Lola's lips catches his attention, he looks at his sister who wears a sad smile staring down at her daughter. He watches as the baby wraps her small hand around Lola's finger as Lola lowers herself and softly kissing the baby against her forehead.

"Then we leave here, together." Elijah's posture straightens as hope fuels his words, "All of us."

"Wherever we go, however far we run, those who seek power and revenge will hunt us!" Klaus sighs, glancing over his shoulder looking into the nursery. He knows Lola is listening to him, he knows she agrees, "They will hunt her. She has inherited all of our enemies with none of our defences."

Elijah shrugs his shoulders, not wanting to agree with what his brother is saying, "So, whether we stay, or we leave—we condemn her."

"There's a third option." They both look in the direction of the nursery, a tearful Lola stands in the doorway with her baby in her arms. Stefan stands beside her as she glances over to him before back at the two brothers, "We grew up in a hostile environment, no happiness in a home."

"The only person in my life who cared about me, who fought for me was killed for people's own gain, and I spent my childhood unloved and isolated." Lola sways side to side ever so slightly, she smiles faintly looking at her daughter. Lips are quivering as she tries to hold back tears, "I made a promise, to my baby, and to myself, that she would not grow up like I did. That she would grow up safe, and loved. And yet, here she is, on her first day in this world, with a grandmother who is bent on sacrificing her—"

Lola knows what needs to happen, it will break her but it's what needs to be done. She doesn't care that Thomas is back and his only target is her; she can defend herself. But this sweet, innocent little baby can't defend herself. Lola made a promise to her daughter that she would protect her no matter what and always do whatever it takes to keep her safe. But that doesn't mean this doesn't feel like her heart is shattering into a million pieces.

"I think the only thing to do is..." Lola inhales a deep, shaky breath as she looks towards Klaus and Elijah, "Send her away...while we stay behind and clean up the mess that we've made."

"No!" Elijah comes to his feet, straight away he begins pacing, "This is insane!"

"She can't stay in this city, Elijah." Stefan chimes in, he steps further into the bedroom leaving Lola in the doorway, "It's not safe for her!"

"You heard Genevieve," Elijah stops pacing, one hand against his hip and the other points towards Stefan giving him a stern look, "So long as she lives, that baby will be hunted."

Klaus stands beside Lola, he wraps his arm around his waist looking down at their child, "Not if no one knows she lives."

Elijah's mouth gapes, he narrows a confused stare towards the couple who glance at each other wearing the same calm expression, "What is it you intend to do, brother?"

"Whatever it takes to save our family."

—✤—

"Lo, come on." Stefan's voice within the living room catches Klaus' attention, he can hear how exhausted Stefan sounds as he drawls that sentence out, as though it's not the first time within this conversation he's said something like that, "There isn't much time left."

"No." Lola brushes off Stefan's pleas, her tone is cold but not harsh, "Not yet, there's still time."

Klaus clears his throat, opening the door into the living room further. Stefan glances between him and Lola who's stare hasn't left her daughter in her arms, "I'll give you both a moment." As Stefan stands up from the sofa, with his eyes he gestures down at the full glass of blood on the table, indicating the little tiff with his sister is regarding her completing the transition.

As Stefan leaves the room, Klaus shuts the door slightly but not fully before walking towards the sofa, sitting beside Lola, "You won't feed?"

"Not while she's still here." Lola wraps the soft pink blanket around the baby some more, smiling down at her when a small yawn escapes the baby's lips, "I'm not going to be like that when I still have time with her." Despite all the pain and heartache that she feels right now, having to say goodbye to her baby, Lola hasn't been able to wipe the smile that was born through pride off her face. Her finger softly grazes across the baby's face, "I can't believe she's actually here."

Klaus can see how weak Lola is, her lips are drying up, skin is grey and dark circles form around her eyes. Yet, he's never seen her look so beautiful before. He wraps his arm around her, pressing a kiss against her temple, "I'm so proud of you." Lola smiles, melting into his hold as she sinks further into the sofa. They both laugh slightly, hearing a small hiccup from the baby, "She needs a name, love."

Lola purses her lips, she thought of dozens of names when she was growing inside her, wondering which name would suit her more. But, staring down at her child she can't find any of the names that suit her, "Everly? Nova? Katherine?"

Klaus breathes out an amused breath, shaking his head, "God no."

"Thought I'd try and lighten the mood slightly." Lola closes her eyes as she chuckles softly. Brows are furrowed looking back down at the baby, eyes starting to become glossy, "I didn't know it was possible I could love something so much. Honest truth? It feels horrendous, like it might kill me."

Flashes of what happened in the church earlier that day flood Klaus' mind, hearing Lola's screams, seeing her bleeding out; it was something he fears he may never be able to unsee. He swallows hard, tightening his grip around her slightly, "It nearly did. I am so sorry that the beginning of her life was so violent."

"It's not your fault, Nik." Lola's tone is soft and calm, she takes hold of Klaus' hand, "I know that you fought for us and done everything you could've."

His other hand rests on top of his and Lola's intertwined hands, "When we thought we lost you, Elijah said we lost our family's only hope."

"Hope." Lola breathes out, looking down at her child. No name has stuck until right this second, she was mesmerised from her daughter the second she came into this world but as she now says a name, she feels even more so, "Hope Mikaelson."

Klaus feels the exact same way as Lola, he looks at his daughter in Lola's arms feeling like Hope was her name all along, nothing else even compares to that name, although one in particular does. His eyes sting with tears glancing between his baby and Lola before a faint smile twitches the corners of his lips, "Hope Cordelia Mikaelson."

Lola brows are furrowed with surprise, not expecting that her aunt's name would be part of her daughter's name but feeling like that was going to be the only option. Tears stain her cheeks as she nods, her broad smile towards Klaus, "It's perfect." She adjusts her arm slightly that holds Hope, looking back down at her, "She's perfect."

The small moment of peace that they found themselves in dissolved almost instantly when Elijah stands in the doorway. Klaus knows what this means, it's time to take his daughter away from all the love he and Lola were ready to shower her with. With his eyes closed, he presses his lips against the side of Lola's head, "It's time, sweetheart."

Lola's entire posture stiffens, eyes widen in panic as she glances between Klaus and Elijah, "Already? I'm not ready." She comes to a stand, backing away from Klaus on the sofa as tears stream uncontrollably down her face, "I'm not ready to say goodbye to her, Nik. How am I supposed to say goodbye?"

"Don't see it as a goodbye," Klaus' tone is low and calm, coming to his feet closing the gap between he and a hysterical Lola who is shaking her head profusely, "Because it's not." Klaus' hands go against Lola's shoulders, lowering himself to be at her eye level, "We'll see her again. This isn't the end."

Her eyes are frantic, not knowing where to look between Hope, Klaus and Elijah. She knew this was coming but that didn't make it any easier, knowing how things will plan out feel just as worse as not expecting how your future may turn out. Her heartbroken and conflicted stare locks with Klaus' calm yet just as heartbroken one before he nods faintly towards her.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Lola looks down at Hope in her arms, her lips quiver as a weak smile graces her lips, "You're going to be happy. You're going to grow up with so much love around you. I promise you that I'll come and find you." She raises Hope slightly, gently pressing her lips against Hope's forehead, "We're going to bring you home again, whatever it takes."

Her cries are silent, not wanting to scare her baby as she lowers her into Klaus' arms. Lola's shaky hand turns her cries muffled, watching Klaus walk out of the room with their child and Elijah follows. She can feel her knees buckling beneath her when she hears the cries from Hope.

Stefan has seen his sister in many testing moments throughout their lives, yet as he stands in the doorway his heart breaks never seeing her looking so vulnerable until now. Her bloodshot eyes meet his, "I did the right thing, right?"

"You did." Stefan breathes out in a whisper, he walks further into the room holding his arms out towards Lola, "Come here. You're so strong, Lo." His grip tightens around Lola, giving her this moment to let as many tears out as she wants, she buries her face into his chest as she sobs. "You're going to come out of all this stronger than ever and you'll be with your daughter before you know it."

"I don't know if I'd get through this without you." Lola mumbles through her strangled, pained cries. She slowly pulls herself away from Stefan's hold, looking up at him, "Thank you."

He can almost feel Lola's strength weaken in his hold, her brows are furrowed as she feels a flush of dizziness overpower her. Stefan grips his hands around Lola's arms, steadying her up, "Woah, hey. You're okay." He sighs looking down at the table where the full glass of blood still remains, "You need to feed to complete the transition, Lo."

"I know how it works." Lola fully pulls herself out of Stefan's hold, it takes a moment for herself to be balanced before she walks towards the sofa. She has a horrified look in her eyes looking down at the glass, "I can't. I can't do it."

"Hey, look at me." Stefan's hands rest against Lola's knees as he kneels in front of her, "You can. You're strong, Lola. I know you're scared to become a vampire again but you'll get through it. I'll be there every step of the way." Lola looks away from him, biting down on her lower lip to stop anymore tears falling, "Do you want me to say your emotions will be heightened, is that it?" A nervous laughter falls from the ripper's lips, he moves his head slightly to catch Lola's gaze, "That what you want me to say? Or I can be selfish and say that I need you here." Lola may be trying to stop any more tears falling but that's not the same for Stefan. His eyes are full of plea, "I need you, Lo. I can't go through this life without my sister. Please."

Her legs are shaking, knees bouncing up and down as she continues to try and fight back her tears but it's not use. They fall, they stream. Staring down at her hands in her lap, Lola faintly nods, agreeing to drinking the blood. Without any hesitation, Stefan takes hold of the glass carefully placing it into Lola's shaky hands.

She watches the wave like ripples of blood within the glass from her shaky hands, mentally fighting with herself to bring it up towards her lips. She inhales a sharp breath, eyes are closed when she presses the glass against her lips, pausing for a second before slowly tipping it up slightly allowing the smallest amount of blood possible drop into her mouth.

Instantly she can feel her entire body change, no longer feeling frail but stronger than ever. For a split second she doesn't feel the coldness she has felt ever since she woke up in the church. Lola gets a sudden shock when she can feel her fangs extend, the feeling of veins flash underneath her eyes. She could feel her magic grow stronger, it felt like electricity shooting through her veins never feeling so much power before.

Though strong and powerful, she still feels so broken within. And as Stefan would always say, everything she felt has almost instantly heightened, making it even worse. She wasn't happy, the only time she will be happy is when she is holding her baby girl once more and that feels impossible in this moment.

"It's okay." Stefan attempts to sooth his sister who cheeks are stained from her tears. He sits beside her on the sofa, wrapping his arms around her, "You're okay."

—✤—

Imagine living with a scream inside you and that scream is yours. No one else can hear it but yourself. Lola walked through the crowds in the midst of the Quarter, a bouquet of daises and pink peonies in her arms; the same arms that only a couple hours prior were holding her daughter. She could feel the scream within her trying to escape, feeling eyes watching her as she steps towards the memorial.

As she steps closer to the memorial, she can feel her legs ready to give way as she notices the framed angel baby picture for her miracle baby. Lola bites the inside of her cheek to stop herself from completely falling apart, lowering herself she places her flowers on top of the piles already formed. A small sob falls from her lips yet it feels like nails going down her throat, she presses her hand against her lips closing her eyes making tears stream down her face. She presses her hand against the framed picture, mentally telling herself and her baby that this isn't the end and they'll see each other again.

Slowly turning herself around to face the crowd, she can see their enemies mixed amongst the grieving souls; but in this moment she didn't care about them. She didn't care about anyone. Looking straight ahead of her, Elijah stands holding his hand out smiling weakly towards the newly turned heretic and Stefan standing beside him. Lola nods so faintly, it's mainly to herself before stepping towards Elijah, taking hold of his hand and leaving the crowds to continue their mourning.

—✤—

Hot honey and lemon tea was Lola's comfort throughout her pregnancy. There were many days that would end throughout the duration of those months where she needed some type of comfort and as silly as it may sound to some, this was her comfort. And yet, feeling as though she needs that same level of comfort, bringing the cup of hot tea to her lips, her face squirms in disgust at the smell.

Her throat feels like it has a thousand papercuts, she was thirsty. She swallows, hoping it would coat her dry throat but it doesn't. Eyes drift to the practically full glass on the table, Lola can feel herself pulling towards the glass knowing this is what she needs to get rid of the pained feeling in her throat but she fights it.

"Is that my shirt?" Stefan's voice breaks Lola out of her thoughts about the blood. He steps around the sofa, frowning down at Lola's attire, oversized shirt wrapped in the same ivory blanket she created for him as a child.

"You'd be surprised how much I stuff I own that isn't actually mine. I'm pretty sure I've got a timberwolves jersey too and I have no idea whose it is because it's not what your number was." Lola shrugs glancing down at the navy shirt she's wearing before straightening herself up on the sofa as Stefan sits beside her, "So, what's new?"

Closing his eyes, a deep sigh falls from Stefan's lips as he looks away from his sister, "Lola."

"I haven't seen you in months," Lola wraps her arm around her knee, bringing it towards her chest, "I want to catch up."

"I don't think that's the best kind of conversation to have right now, Lo." The expression was easy to read on Stefan's face, it was a mixture of hesitation and worry. His lips form a thinned out smile, "I don't think we should talk about that."

Lola purses her lips as she shrugs, "Well I don't want to talk about what you want to talk about." If she continues talking about Hope, the tightrope that holds onto her humanity is staying up by a single thread and if the talk keeps going regarding her daughter, it will break, "You could tell me what's going on with Damon." Stefan's face drops, he looks down at his lap as he shifts uncomfortably on the sofa making Lola sigh, "Stef, come on. I can tell by your eyes that somethings happened and I know despite everything, Damon would have been here. I can handle it, I'm okay."

"I don't even know how to put all of this into words." The ripper aggressively runs his hands through his hair as he comes to his feet, "I've tried so hard to keep it together."

Deep down Lola fears she knows what Stefan is going to say, there is no way that Damon wouldn't have came to this city along with their brother. She knew one of her darkest fears may be coming true, "Stefan, please tell me."

"I can't." Stefan turns to face Lola, his cheeks are stained with fallen tears. His entire face shows nothing but heartache, voice is trembling, "It's all my fault, Lo. It should've been me instead."

"Stef, take it easy." Pulling the blanket off herself, Lola comes to her feet immediately taking hold of Stefan's hand, "Come here. It's okay, you're okay. Just take it slow," She step backwards to the sofa, sitting down and bringing Stefan down along with her, "Start from the beginning. I'm here, I'm with you. I'm not going anywhere."

Stefan sits on the edge of the sofa, elbows rest against his knees as he stares down at his hands, "The other side was falling apart as you know. With Bonnie being the anchor, she figured out she'd be able to bring people back before it fully collapsed."

Lola edges forward in her spot, listening intently, "Who was Bonnie trying to bring back?"

"The travellers were using Elena and me to complete some spell which would destroy everything, wipe out magic. There were other witches that needed to make our doppelgänger blood useless, so they needed to kill us." Stefan hesitates, his eyes flickered across Lola's face as she tries to read him, "Or at least, one of us."

"Elena?" The look on Stefan's face gives Lola the answer she never wanted to hear, "No." Stefan's gaze looks away from her, lowering his head, "You? What—" Lola shifts in her seat, words feeling like they are stuck in the back of her throat, "When did this—"

"The list of people that Bonnie was going to bring back just kept getting longer and longer." Stefan turns himself on the sofa, to face Lola fully with a guilt ridden expression, "There wasn't enough time to bring everyone back."

He attempts to take hold of Lola's hand but she pulls hers away as a shaky laugh falls from her lips, "Okay. Well, you're here. So it worked, right?" She can feel the stinging sensation of tears building up in the corner of her eyes, heart is beating with so much force it feels like it could punch a hole through her chest, "But what does that have to do with Damon?"

Stefan pauses for a moment, trying to work up the courage to completing the story. He knows its hard for Lola to hear everything but it felt even worse as he relives one of the worst nights of his life, "For Bonnie to gain enough power to bring people back there needed to be a big surge passing through her. They lured all the travellers to one place to kill them."

"Damon was the one, wasn't he?" Lola sits back on the sofa, expression turning cold, "How did he do it?"

"Matt and Jeremy caused a gas leak in the grill," Stefan's tone is hoarse, almost a whisper refusing to look in his sister's direction, "Damon then drove his car straight into it causing an explosion."

A frustrated breath escapes Lola's lips, closing her eyes to refrain herself from rolling them as she frustratingly comes to her feet, "Why does he have to do everything so dramatically? What's wrong with just throwing something like a fire bottle into the grill? Then what happened?"

Stefan's brows pull inwards as he can't hold back his tears, "Lola..."

"Stefan." Lola's tone is stern, sitting beside her younger brother again and taking hold of his hand, "I need to know exactly what happened to our brother."

The loss of a sibling is not small, unimportant or invisible. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Sibling loss can be called the loss of a lifetime. Because who else do we expect to have relationship with that stretch our entire lives? There are no words to describe the feeling that you feel when losing a sibling. If you lose a spouse, you're a widow. If you lose your parents, you're an orphan. But if you lose a sibling, you just become the girl who lost her brother.

Just before Damon went to fight in the confederacy army, after Lola had her fair share of insults regarding that army he wanted her to make him a promise. It wasn't promised that he was going to return from war so he wanted her to promise that she would look after their baby brother. Of course she would've regardless of Damon demanding she vows this promise to him but it made him feel somewhat relief for leaving them. But now as it's no longer the three chaotic musketeers, just her and Stefan she never thought there would've been a time when Damon wasn't actually by their sides.

"He's gone." Is all Lola can mumble to herself after hearing what happened in Mystic Falls that horrific night. Hope is never going to meet her uncle, never going to hear his bad jokes or his laugh. Lola was never going to hear them again.

"You have to believe me when I say I waited. I waited as long as I could to make sure he was going to make it back." Stefan sobs uncontrollably, the strong weight of guilt overpowers him, "I promise you, Lola, I waited. But Bonnie—" He swallows his words, closing his eyes he sees visions of that night once more before a smile full of sadness graces his lips, "He finally had everything he wanted, y'know? He was getting back on track with Elena. You should've seen his face whenever we'd talk about our plan to come here to see you and—" Lola removes her hand out of Stefan's hold, sitting back further onto the sofa making Stefan sigh, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not." Stefan shakes his head, frowning to himself, "He's gone and it's my fault."

"Stef, it's okay." Lola cups Stefan's cheek, forcing him to face her before she pulls him in a deep embrace, "We're going to get through this, okay? We've got each other. Nothing and I mean nothing is going to break me away from you again."

"Seeing you in that church—" Stefan buries his face into the nape of Lola's neck, tightening his hold against her, "Lying there in Klaus' arms—"

"I am so sorry that you've been dragged into all this, Stef." Lola pulls away from the embrace, swiping her hand across Stefan's cheek to wipe away the fallen tears not bothering to wipe away her own, "This is why I was always so apprehensive about you coming here to visit. There was just this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that something bad was going to happen and I couldn't have you be here when it happened. I didn't want to put you through it. Not again."

"You're seriously apologising?" A stiff laughter escapes the ripper, "Lo, none of this is your fault. I'm so glad I am here with you. I can't even put into words how much I've missed you. You know, when it was just me and you in the church; I wasn't just broken because I thought I lost my big sister. I was broken because I thought I lost my best friend too."

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Once again, the older Salvatore pulls the younger into an embrace, tightening her grip around him, "I love you so much. We're going to get through this together, okay?"

Stefan nods, taking in a deep breath, "I love you too."

She flashes a small smile as Lola pulls away from Stefan, picking up the full glass of blood, "I'm going to get a fresh glass."

As Lola closes the door to the living room, she holds onto the handle to keep her balance. Placing the glass on the side table before covering her mouth with her hand to conceal her sobs. She already felt like her heart had completely shattered sending Hope away but this was confirmation that her the remains of her heart had shattered even more. The overwhelming feeling of loss was unbearable and she didn't know how long she'd be able to cope with this heavy feeling on her chest.

It was no secret that her and Damon would fight like cat and dog, it's just what they were like. Whether it would be thirty minutes or thirty years, they'd eventually make up and their bond would become stronger than ever before. She never imagined having to spend her now immortal life without him.

Without even thinking, Lola finds herself in her daughter's empty nursery. What should have been filled with so much happiness and loved now felt dark, harrowing and eerie. Her lips quiver as she steps closer to the crib, seeing Damon's childhood bear rest against the pillows. She holds it against her chest tightly as she sobs, her legs become to weak to hold onto the pain that becomes overpowering.

Feeling the warmth of a hand against her shoulder makes Lola flinch, looking up from the ground. As she slowly turns her head, it feels like her shattered heart slowly starts to be fixed when she sees Adrianna wearing a sad smile looking down at her. Neither women say anything, Lola smiles but doesn't stop sobbing. Adrianna kneels beside her best friend, wrapping her up in her arms as they both cry.

Adrianna didn't even think twice after receiving a phone call from Scott saying he's worried about Lola after what happened at Father Kieran's funeral procession. But what Adrianna didn't expect to come back to was the amount of heartbreak that was happening.

—✤—

The compound was silent as Klaus arrived back from passing Hope to the one person both he and Lola trust more than anyone to look after their daughter; Rebekah. He knew from Stefan that Lola has learned the fate of their brother and Klaus fears that this may completely tip Lola's humanity over the edge.

As he steps closer towards their bedroom, the sound of water falling is heard. Their bedroom is dark, there is no source of light on within it until Klaus' gaze follows to the closed door of the adjoined bathroom, light spilling from underneath the door. As he slowly opens the door into the bathroom, the sight before him is not something Klaus would've ever wanted to see and it breaks his heart.

Stepping into the bathroom, he sees Lola sat on the tiled floor of their shower, fully clothed, staring out in front of her with a lost look in her eyes, "I can still feel the blood on my skin." A shaky hand goes against Lola's throat, she tightly shuts her eyes whenever she feels the skin against her throat, she can feel the blade against her. She brings her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, "It won't come off, and—I feel so cold."

Klaus sighs softly, his head leans back resting against the tiled walls behind, he looks towards the vanity where he sees the glass of blood that has barely been drank out of, "You need to feed, love."

"I can't." Despite being hit with the warmth of the water, Lola's entire body trembles. Her arms tighten around her legs, bringing them even closer to her chest as she sobs, shaking her head, "It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

Klaus sits beside Lola against the tiles of the shower floor, letting the warmth of the water trickle down him. Wrapping his arm around his love's waist he pulls her closer, closing his eyes as he presses a kiss against her temple, "I won't always have the words to pull you back from the dark, but I will always be here to sit with you in it." His hand runs against Lola's arm towards her hand and intertwining it with his, "I will take your hand or wrap my arms around you until it passes. For every day of sunshine there will be a night of darkness and no matter what, I am going to right by your side through them both. Always and forever."

—✤—

Darkness casted over the city's skyline, this was one of the first nights that there was complete and utter silence through the city. The aftermath of everything that happened left an eerie feeling amongst everyone, there was no music, no laughter; nothing.

Lola stares out into the night's dull sky, she felt nothing but pain and heartbreak, before she slowly closed her eyes and began to pray. Lola wasn't the praying type of person and yet as she closed her eyes, she began to pray that everything she felt within would be gone in an instant.

—✤—

well, shit.. how y'all doing?

((as the legend that is leslie jordan would say, rip to that icon))

i can't believe we're actually at the end of season one, this has been a JOURNEY, lemme tell you that for free..

just wanted to say a massive thank you for all the love and support you give my stories, i'm so grateful for you all

OVER 16K WORDS ON THIS CHAPTER MY FUCKING LORD.. you all better appreciate that because this was NOT FUN to write

get ready for season two bc i have a feeling it's gonna be on another level..

holly x