"The Hollow has been haunting New Orleans for centuries. It's an unending evil. Its appetite for power is insatiable." Vincent explained, looking at the four Mikaelson siblings and Audrey as they stood in the downstairs living room, going over the plan he had in mind. "And that's what attracted it to your little girls." He looked at the three parents in the room.

   Klaus looked at him. "You said there was a way to save them."

   "There is." Vincent confirmed. "But I'm gonna tell you right now, you are not going to like my plan." Rebekah, Klaus, Freya, and Elijah all exchange a worried glanced at his words. "Step one: we pull the Hollow out of Hope. Now, that will break the link between her and Mira. She's using her like she's a new totem. Breaking the link destroys that for good. Step two: we find someplace else to put it. But with the book gone, I need a place that's both powerful and eternal. And in order to make the transition work, I'm gonna need something that's connected to Hope through blood."

   A look of realization dawned upon Freya. "You need a vampire. You want to put the Hollow into one of my siblings?"

   "One ain't gonna cut it." Vincent shook his head, and held up four fingers in clarification. "I'm gonna need four of them."

   Freya shakes her head slightly in disbelief as Elijah raised a brow. "Why four of us?"

   "Well, 1,500 years ago, when the Hollow was first killed, they divided her remains. Four bones, four volunteers, four different locations." He told them. "That's how we're going to beat the Hollow now."

   "Transfer the Hollow's power into four immortal vampires." The eldest of the four siblings mused with a slight scoff.

   "And just send us on our way." The youngest sister breathed out.

   "So the evil is drawn, quartered and separated for all time." Klaus finished as he looked down.

   Audrey looked at all four of them, and she knew they all hated the idea. If she was honest, she hated it too. It was one thing to live to start living their lives on their own, they'd still be able to come together as a family. But this was different. This would be the end of the Mikaelsons as they knew it, a fate they'd managed to avoid for a thousand years, despite every single threat or danger they'd faced. Silently, she laced her fingers with Elijah's and squeezed his hand, she felt him grip onto her hand tightly for comfort.

   "And you have to go your separate ways, and you have to stay separate. For all time." Vincent stated, Klaus and Elijah looking at one another. "You can never see each other again. Can never go near each other again. That is the only way we're gonna beat the Hollow."

   The four Mikaelsons all looked at one another, a mixture of emotions running across their faces. But as Klaus and Elijah looked at one another again, they knew had made the decision already. If this was the price it took to save their daughters, then despite how they may feel, it was a price that they were willing to pay.   

   Klaus looked toward the Griffith man with determination. "Well, if it'll save our little girls, then we will make it so."

 *  *  *  *  *  *   *  *  *  *   

   Freya sat at the desk with a solemn, thoughtful look as Elijah stood in front of it, cutting palm and draining some of his blood into the bowl in front of him. As he finishes, he glances over his shoulder toward Rebekah. " Vincent needs our blood." 

   Rebekah nodded as she crossed her arms. "Right. All four of us, and Kol isn't answering his bloody phone." Elijah let out a tired sigh, beginning to clean the blood from his hand as she continued. "He's finally got a chance at happiness, and we're asking him to come home and play host to a quarter of a demon."

   "There has to be another way." Freya said in denial.

   "And what if there isn't another way?" Elijah shot back in question. 

   "I can't believe this is happening. I'm usually the first one who wants to run off on my own, and-and now I don't have a say in the matter." Rebekah let out shakily, Audrey looking at her sadly as she moved and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "I'm feeling quite perturbed."

   "Mira and Hope." Elijah spoke sternly. "They are all that matters."

   Refusing to give in, Freya shook her head as she got to her feet. "This is not happening. I will not let this family be split apart. I'm going to the bell tower and I'm going to go through more of mother's grimoires." She announced and turned to leave the room. 

   "Freya--"

   But she ignored her brothers call, carrying on her way, not even looking back at them. "Elijah, you know how it feels to be apart." Rebekah looked at him sadly. "At first, the freedom is exhilarating, and then, one day, inevitably, you wake up with that pit in your stomach, that dull, aching feeling of missing the only people who know you."

   He let out a heavy sigh as he looked down, knowing the feeling she spoke about well. "Until that very ache threatens to consume you entirely."

   "For a thousand years, we have been honoring a vow to stand together. Being forced to separate feels like torture." Running her fingers through her hair, she began to pace as she looked at her phone, trying Kol once again. "Still no word from Kol. And if he doesn't bother to show, that just leaves Hayley. She is Hope's only other immortal relative."

   "No." Audrey shook her head. "That can't be an option. Hope needs Klaus and Hayley both."

   Elijah nodded firmly in agreement. "Kol will come. Niklaus will be with his child. The three of them must remain together." 

   "And what about Nik?" She looked between the two, and Elijah looked away. "On his own, no family. You know very well that without you around, either of you, he will go mad!" She stressed, and despite the silence they remained, the gaze the couple gave Rebekah confirmed they knew she was right.

   Slowly, Audrey felt the pit in her stomach grow, a sickly feeling rising in the back of her throat. "Excuse me." She mumbled fled the room, making her into her and Elijah's bathroom.

   She knew it was the stress, but she couldn't help it. The day had started as a victory, and they were about to end it suffering the greatest loss they could ever face. Her mind was racing with all these thoughts, and Mira remained at the front of all her thoughts, that helpless feeling of not being able to get her still eating away at her. Within a few seconds, she doubled over as she threw up into the toilet, only a second later feeling her hair getting held back as another hands rubbed soothing circles on her back.

   She let out a small groan as she finished, allowing herself to sink down and sit on the cold floor, leaning back against the bathtub for support. "Are you alright?" Elijah asked her quietly, lowering himself to sit down beside her.

   "I hate this." She mumbled, hugging her legs to her chest as she rested her chin on her knees. "Our daughter is out there with that thing, and there's nothing I can do to go help her. And now our whole family is about to get torn apart." Her voice cracked slightly. "And there's nothing we can do because it is the only way to save the girls."

   "I hate it too." He spoke quietly, allowing all the pain he'd been trying to hide in front of his siblings to break through. Audrey saw and she leaned in closer to him, allowing his arm to wrap around her waist as his hand rubbed up and down her arms calmly, trying to give them both some form of comforting feeling that felt impossible in that moment. "But I will do anything if it saves our daughter." His voice broke. "You, Mira, this baby, you are my heart."

   The couple fell into silence after that, just sitting on the floor of their bathroom as they held one another. A moment they needed more than they knew.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   When Hayley got back to the compound, having heard from Vincent about the ritual, all their focus went onto getting the girls. With some help from Marcel and Sofya, that was exactly what they did, and made sure to take down all of the Hollow's acolytes in the process. Marcel was the first to arrive back at the compound, carrying Hope and Mira's unconscious bodies in his arms, anti-magic shackles secured around Hope's wrists. Audrey wasted no time scooping her daughter into her arms, cradling her to her chest and never wanting to let go. 

   Vincent assured her she'd be fine, and she'd wake once the ritual was over just like Hope would. Audrey thought there was nothing that would make her leave her Mira's side, but when word got around the compound of the details of the ritual Vincent had left out, she left Elijah watching her as she went to find the Griffith man. 

   "I want the truth." She said in an unreadable tone, as she found him preparing the spell in the courtyard. "And I want it now."

   Vincent looked at her expectantly, like he'd expected this conversation to come. "Mira will be fine." He told her. "Once the Hollow has been pulled out of Hope, the link between Mira and the Hollow will be broken."

   She crossed her arms, giving him a sharp look. "Vincent." She warned. "You know what I'm asking."

   "Elijah won't have to stay away from her." He finally answered, and despite the pure relief Audrey felt in that moment, she couldn't shake the anger she feeling. "If the siblings are ever in proximity again, all the Hollow's focus will be on will be regaining access to Hope. Once the link is broken, your little girl will be safe."

   Mira was going to get to keep her father, but Hope was going to lose hers. She was going to lose the majority of her family in one fell swoop. They were worried earlier about what Klaus would become without his siblings around him, but being forced to live without his daughter too, they knew it was going much worse on him than any of them could fathom. 

   It appeared she wasn't the only one angry as Rebekah stormed toward them furiously, glaring at Vincent. "Did you honestly think you could trick us into performing the ritual without telling the entire truth?"

   He held his hands up as he shook his head. "You and your family aren't my problem. The only thing that I'm concerned about right now is that little girl and the monster that's inside of her."

   "Is it hard to see me from up there on your high horse?" She sneered in utter disbelief. "She is my niece. Of course we will do whatever we have to do to protect her, but you can damn well be honest about it!"

   " See, your reaction, right there has just proven my point." He exclaimed as he pointed at her. "You Mikaelsons are selfish, egocentric fanatics. It is not my job, nor is it my inclination to try to convince you to do the right thing. If you really want to save your nieces, then you need to get out of my ear and let me do what it is that I do."

   Audrey let out a scoff. "They wouldn't need convincing!" She finally lost her temper. "In all your judgement and hatred of this family, hasn't it set in yet? We would all do anything to save each other! Yes, that means we have made choices you will never agree with. We don't even agree with those choices a lot of the time, but we can't change the past. They wouldn't need convincing, they'd all do anything to help those little girls. But at least be honest about the consequences." She gave him a look. "Because that little girl you're so focused on pulling the monster out of? She's going to suffer with these consequences too. Or does your compassion not extend that far?"

   When he said nothing, Rebekah growled. "You know what? You--" 

   "He's right." Freya interrupted as she walked toward the three. "I may not agree with his tactics... but he's our only chance at saving Hope and Mira."

   The youngest Mikaelson gave Vincent a hateful look. "Lucky you, I guess I'll just have to postpone the disembowelment."

   "Rebekah." Freya spoke calmly.

   "What?" Rebekah huffed. 

   "Have you heard from Kol?"

   She let out a sigh at that, giving a small shake of her head. "Not a word."

   Freya looked toward Audrey hopefully, but she shook her head too. "Nothing. I keep leaving messages but..."

   Freya tried to stay hopeful as she nodded. "I'll try reaching him with magic." She mumbled, going to walk away.

   However, Vincent's voice stopped the three women from moving. "Okay, look, we need four volunteers that are connected to Hope through blood. We have Rebekah, we have Klaus and Elijah, that makes three. If you can't get to Kol, then we're gonna have to use Hayley."

   "No." The Mikaelson witch refused strongly. "No, that is not happening." Vincent frowned, but Rebekah and Audrey looked at her, knowing the look on her face well. "Not when there's another way."

   And both girls worried exactly what she'd do to make that other way possible.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   "Look who decided to show up." Rebekah announced as she walked into the study, with Kol following behind her. 

   Audrey sent him a small smile from where she sat, Mira sleeping in her arms, as neither she or Elijah wanted to leave her on her own. Klaus and Elijah both rose to their feet at the sight of their younger brother, and Klaus gave him a slight smile of his own. "Little brother." He nodded. "You always did love a dramatic entrance."

   Kol walked toward them, his hands shoved in his pockets. "Well, I prefer them more than my departures, which often involved you and the pointy end of a dagger."

   Elijah took a deep breath. "Now that we're all here...shall we?"

   All four of them exchanged a look, before Rebekah and Kol made their way out first, Klaus stopping Elijah before either of them could follow. "Elijah. You were always the keeper of our bond, and because of that, you will feel this pain the most." He spoke, and Audrey could see the tears in his eyes. "When the inevitable happens, and I, devoid of family influence, relapse into a spiral of mayhem and bloodshed...I need you to leave me to my fate. If you come to my rescue as you have done so many times before, it will only serve to aid our enemy, allowing it one step closer to my daughter, and I cannot allow that. So, my brother... when the time comes, I beg you, let me go." He clasped his hand on his shoulder. "Focus on them." He nodded to where Audrey stood holding Mira. "Be happy, big brother. Don't risk that for me."

   Elijah said nothing as he pulled his brother into a warm embrace, the two of them making the most of the moment. As it was likely the last one they'd ever be able to share. "You have my word." 

   Klaus then looked at Audrey and walked over, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Take care of him for me, sister." He said quietly, the Gilbert girl feeling her own tears fall as she looked at him. "When I first met you, I truly had no idea how much you would grow to mean to me, Audrey. You may be my brothers soulmate, but you are so much more than that. You have became an ally, a friend, a sounding board, and most importantly...family. And even when I have done things which should have left you hating me for eternity, you remained and fought with me and for me. Showed me forgiveness I never deserved, and you will never know how grateful I am for that."

   Audrey swallowed hard as she looked at him, giving the weakest smile she could. "You ever need me..." She said. "I will be a call away, I'll come see you." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Goodbye Nik."

   Klaus looked down at his niece and pressed a kiss to her forehead, before he forced himself to make his way downstairs, the family of three taking a moment to compose themselves before they followed. 

   Hayley sat on the floor with Hope on her lap, in the middle of the square sigil Vincent had drawn on the ground of the courtyard. "Uh, Kol, if you would, right there." He directed Kol to point point of the sigil. "Uh, Rebekah, perfect. Right there."

   "What the hell are you doing here?" Rebekah demanded as Marcel walked in. "You come to gloat?"

   Marcel just gave her a look. "No, I came to make sure that this works."

   "Elijah, I need you right there at the top." Vincent directed the suited Original, as Audrey laid Mira down on the small couch, staying close beside her. "Klaus, right there for me, please." He nodded as all four of them now stood in place. "And we are ready." He announced, as the five siblings looked at one another. "I just want to say that what you guys are doing here today is gonna go a long way towards setting things right in this city. The Hollow took everything away from me. It inspired nothing but suffering and torment. It's ruined families, it's gone after little kids." His eyes flickered from Hayley and Hope, over to Audrey and Mira. "And yet, here and now," He looked around  at the Mikaelsons. "despite all of our differences, and there are many..." He looked at Klaus with a hand over his heart. "thank you." Taking a deep breath, he held his hand up. "Freya?"

   Freya looked at her brothers and sister sadly as she moved to Vincent's side, taking his hand in hers. "The savage Mikaelsons heroically defeating a terrible evil." Rebekah looked at her brothers. "Maybe this will finally earn us our redemption."

   Klaus bit his lip with a weak smirk. "Do any of us really believe that?"

   Elijah's eyes were fixed on his daughter, forcing himself to look away as he answered. "Not for a second." He admitted. "It's a wonderful sentiment."

   "Hayley, when I tell you to, I want you to take the manacles off. Hold onto Hope. Do not let her go." He ordered her as he Freya knelt down to start. "Everybody else, when this spell is over, you got to get away from each other, and you have to stay away from Hope."

   Rebekah took a deep breath as she wiped her eyes. "Always and forever." She said quietly. "We had a good run."

   "Diviser... Diviser ak konkeri. Diviser ak konkeri." The moment Vincent started the spell, the wind began to pick up around them, the lights around the compound flickering on and off. "Diviser ak konkeri. Diviser ak konkeri Chire apa ak po. Ak konkeri. Ak po." He quickly looked at Hayley. "Hayley, do it now. Do it now, Hayley."

   Hayley fumbled and took the manacles off from Hope's wrist, dropping them to the ground and instantly, the Hollow's blue spirit shot out of Hope and hovered above her. It lingered in the air a moment before it split into four, shooting directly into the four Mikaelsons, forcing their arms to raise from their sides as they gasped.

   Rebekah looked disturbed as she swallowed hard. "I can hear it...whispering."

   "Okay, you guys need to go." All of them hesitated, prompting Vincent to yell. "NOW!"

   Kol was the first to rush off, disappearing in one direction as Rebekah fled in the other, leaving only Klaus and Elijah standing there. "Mommy?" Mira mumbled, her eyes slowly flickering open. "Daddy?"

   "You're okay, baby. I've got you." Audrey picked her up as Elijah walked toward them. "Everything's going to be okay." The couple looked at Klaus and Hayley one last time, before they rushed out with their daughter, leaving their family and New Orleans behind. 

There's one more chapter left to come, and then Absolution is over. I was in tears writing this chapter, I always hated this episode. 

I hope you all enjoyed!