INGRID walked down the stairs to the courtyard and caught Klaus as he was walking toward the front door. "Niklaus, I need to tell you something." She called out to him nervously and rubbed the palms of her hands against her jeans.

"Okay but I'm on my way out." He replied with a sympathetic expression. "Can it wait until later?" He asked curiously, still wanting to hear what she had to say. He watched her face fall in disappointment and grabbed ahold of her hands in his, bringing them to his lips and placing kisses along her knuckles. "I swear to give you my undivided attention later."

"Yeah." She breathed out with a nod of her head then raised an eyebrow in curiosity at him. "Where are you going?"

He sighed heavily with a face of concern and walked toward her. "Hope went to Bill's funeral." He explained causing Ingrid's face to fall with a frown. "Yeah..."

"Is she okay?" She asked in concern, unsure how to include herself in their daughter's transition into werewolf life.

Klaus sighed with a shrug as uncertainty washed over him like a wave. "I don't know..."

"I won't keep you." Ingrid encouraged him to leave and made a playful annoyed face. "I'm helping Freya with her wedding dress selection so I'm sure you'll have more fun than me."

"Oh, plenty." He joked back with a small laugh and leaned down to kiss her passionately on the lips. "I love you. I'll be back later and then you can tell me everything you like."

"I love you." She shouted after him as he walked toward the door again. "Call me if you need anything."

"Will do, love!" He assured her with an affectionate smile and left out the front door.

Once he was gone, Ingrid's face immediately fell and she sighed heavily to herself. She turned on her heels and walked back up the stairs to join Rebekah and Freya in the den, which had been turned into an at-home wedding boutique.

Freya stood in front of the mirror in a bejeweled ball gown and studied her reflection with a disgusted expression. "I look like a disco ball."

"We should hang you from the ceiling and spin you around at the reception." Ingrid joked as she sat down in one of the chairs. "I'm sure Keelin will get a kick out of that. You'll be the life of the party."

Rebekah shot her an unimpressed scowl and walked toward her sister with a glass of champagne. "Relax. There are plenty more to choose from."

"Never thought I'd be walking myself down the aisle." Freya commented sadly and gulped back her tears.

Ingrid stood to her feet and joined them in the mirror with a face of disbelief. "Elijah said no?" She asked them and Rebekah nodded her head slowly. "What a selfish git!" The hybrid snarled furiously.

"I'm sure Elijah will come around." Rebekah reassured Freya softly, handing the glass to her with a warm smile, then turned to Ingrid with a glare. "Control your anger today."

"Sod off." Ingrid replied with a scoff and placed a hand on Freya's shoulder. "Don't listen to her, Elijah is a jackass and he doesn't deserve to be here if he's going to act like that."

Freya shook her head and glanced between them then at herself with a distant look in her eyes. "I don't know. I mean, the Elijah I know would put anything aside for family, but... he's different now. He's... carrying around all this guilt, like he should be punished for the rest of eternity. Kind of pisses me off."

"Thank you!" Ingrid yelled happily and clapped her hands together, shooting Rebekah a winning smirk.

Rebekah rolled her eyes at their sister-in-law and sighed heavily, sipping on her champagne. "Yes, well, it wouldn't be a Mikaelson family gathering without one of us being mad at another one."

"True." Ingrid mused in annoyance then chuckled to herself and pointed a finger at Freya. "You just wait until you have children."

Freya paused and studied her reflection again, speaking hesitantly. "If we have kids."

"If"?" Rebekah reiterated in confusion and surprise. "Keelin doesn't talk like it's an if." She reminded the Mikaelson witch.

Freya cleared her throat and slowly turned to face them anxiously. "We haven't... exactly had the conversation."

Rebekah laughed humorlessly and nodded her head. "Oh. Well, don't you think you should do that before you walk down the aisle?"

"For once, I agree with Rebekah." Ingrid commented and gave Freya a stern look.

Freya sighed and tapped the bowl of her glass before downing and changing out of the dress. She then excused herself and ran off to find Keelin. Rebekah and Ingrid glanced at each other then cleared their throats and quickly moved to clean up the mess.

Ingrid noticed that a lot of time had passed since Freya went to see Keelin and tapped her knuckles against Freya's bedroom door. When she heard sobbing, Ingrid opened the door and walked in, glancing at the bride in concern. "Freya. What happened?" She asked kindly and sat down on the bed next to her.

Freya fell in Ingrid's arms and cried loudly. "You were right about talking to Keelin. But now I guess the wedding's off. I should have said something before now, but look at our family. How do you tell someone you can't have a child because you're afraid you're gonna hurt it?" She asked through tears and Ingrid leaned back in her spot with a frown. "That you'll find some way to put your needs before theirs because that's what your parents did to you. That you're toxic and broken and a Mikaelson, and that's just what we do."

Ingrid got off the bed and moved to stand in front of Freya, kneeling down so they met eye to eye. "I know we've had our differences but I need you to listen to me." She requested kindly and Freya stared at her in confusion. "It's true... We are damaged. But we are more than our damage. One of the joys of being a parent is... we are not doomed to repeat our parents' mistakes. We get to raise our children how we wish someone had raised us. While we may be cruel, none of us would see a child of ours suffer just to ease our own pain. We aren't that selfish in the end. Freya, you have always put our family in front of yourself and now... now it's time for you to be selfish. You are capable of breaking the Mikaelson curse and the cycle of damage. If Niklaus can do it, you can too." She joked lightly with a small smirk.

Freya let out a watery laugh and looked at her for assurance. "Do you really believe that?"

"Yeah, I do." Ingrid replied sternly and nodded her head. She then licked her lips and shrugged with a pointed look. "I don't lie, remember? I believe you are capable of being an amazing mother. And so does Keelin. Which is why you should be talking to her right now instead of crying like a blubbering mess."

Freya looked down at her lap and sniffled back her tears before nodding her head and wrapping her arms around Ingrid in a hug. "Thank you."

Ingrid was caught off guard by this gesture but smile and returned it nonetheless. "Of course." She mused quietly and rubbed the witch's back in a comforting motion.

Once they pulled away, Freya wiped her tears and stifled a laugh. "How bad is it?" She asked curiously, gesturing to her face.

"Oh, it's bad." Ingrid answered honestly with with laugh and reached over for a box of tissues on the night stand. "Here. The only tears that should be happening today are good ones. Deal?"

"Deal." Freya promised with a smile and took the box from her. "Thank you, Ingrid."

"Any time." Ingrid replied with a smile and walked out of the room to give Freya her privacy.

The time for the ceremony had rolled around and the guests consisted of the Mikaelson family along with Marcel and Davina, who were technically Mikaelsons as well. They were all dressed to their best and waited for everything to start.

The band was playing classical music while Eirik walked down the aisle, throwing flower petals along the path and up in the air. Everyone laughed as he did a small spin at the end and released the last of the petals in his basket. Ingrid held her hand out, motioning for him to walk toward her. He did a bow and ran off to stand in front of his mother.

Ingrid was about to pull a flower out of his hair but he waved her hand off and whispered loudly. "Keep it. I like it."

"Okay." She held a hand up in surrender and chuckled in amusement before leaning down to kiss his cheek.

Freya had walked down the aisle behind Eirik, accompanied by both Elijah and Klaus, laughing joyously at her nephew's antics. She meet eyes with each members of her family and beamed happily at them as she passed by. When they reached the end of the aisle, Elijah and Klaus broke apart from her as she smiled appreciatively at them.

Klaus walked over to join his wife and kissed the top of her head. Ingrid looped her arm through his and stared affectionately up at him. However when she noticed his somber expression, she frowned and leaned back to get a better view. He shook his head, motioning that they would speak about it later.

Freya joined Keelin at the aisle and noticed that she had traded in her wedding dress for an elegant, white jumpsuit. "What happened to your dress?" She whispered quietly in confusion, her voice shaking in excitement and nerves.

"Are you kidding, girl? I'm not taking any chances." Keelin whispered back with a wide grin and winked at her with a chuckle.

"Dearly beloved, now, not to make this all about me, but we know how families work. Sometimes it's dinner, and sometimes it's daggers." Kol began, glaring over at Klaus. "Now, I don't know why it takes something as special as this to wake us up, to make us aware of the beauty in the moment, during the moment, or to be grateful for what we have, while we have it. Now, I, for one, am grateful for today, and I'm grateful for all of you." He said emotionally, glancing around at his family with a wide smile. "Keelin, when I first met you, I would have never predicted that you would become my sister. Now, you're strong and beautiful, and deserve nothing but the best in life."

Kol continued on with the ceremony and the brides readied to tell each other their vows as Hope handed off the rings to each of them. "Now, by the power vested in me by a Franciscan monk in the thirteenth century, and by the Internet a few hours ago just to be on the safe side, I now pronounce you married. You may both kiss the bride."

Freya grinned with a giddy laugh and leaned over to kiss Keelin passionately on the lips. Everyone clapped and cheered as Hope looked up at the flowers on the archway and whispered an incantation. "Tomar lento. Namaz amor."

The flowers burst out into petals, showering the happy couple in rain of white and they cheered happily. Ingrid smiled proudly at her daughter while Klaus stared at her in grief.

The reception was in full swing and everyone was mingling amongst themselves. Marcel and Rebekah were seated at one of the tables, chatting, and Elijah hung out off in the distance by himself. Kol was spinning Davina around on the dance floor while Hope and Keelin danced together and Ingrid was letting Eirik show off his dance moves.

Klaus and Freya were watching their family as a waiter passed by with a tray of champagne. She grabbed two flutes and nodded her head. "Oh, thank you." She expressed her gratitude and handed off a glass to Klaus. "Oh, boy. What are you gonna be like when she goes to prom?" Freya asked curiously with a laugh.

On the dance floor, Hope swayed into Keelin's arms and the bride caught her quickly. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa."

The Mikaelsons all rushed toward them and Klaus asked his sister-in-law frantically. "Is she all right?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Hope assured them with a large, tipsy smile.

"Yeah. My medical diagnosis is too much champagne." Keelin joked and everyone sighed in relief.

"Oh, yeah. Speaking of, I would like to make a toast." Hope grabbed a glass of champagne and held it up. "This has been the best day ever. And you know what? You guys got a thousand years of moments like this one. And being a part of this one really made me feel like I'm part of "always and forever," too. So... cheers."

"Cheers." Everyone echoed in mixed expressions and held their glasses up in solidarity.

They all returned to their festivities and Klaus walked over to Ingrid, who was seated at one of the tables and eating a piece of wedding cake. A waiter past by their table and offered more champagne. Marcel and Keelin happily accepted but Ingrid politely rejected with a shake of her head and a kind smile. "No, thank you."

He held a hand up with the best affectionate smile he could muster up. "Dance with me, my love."

Ingrid grabbed his hand and pulled up the hem of her dress before excusing herself and standing to her feet. He lead her to the dance floor as the band began to play a slow song. He rested a hand on the small of her back and intertwined their fingers of his other hand, swaying them gently along with the melody. "Do you remember our wedding?"

Ingrid looked up at him and grinned happily. "Yes. We had our ceremony by the falls. The leaves had just turned that gorgeous red they always did in the autumn. The breeze felt beautiful that day. My mother spent weeks sewing the dress that I wore. It was..."

"Oh, yeah! It was blue and you had wild flowers braided in your hair." Klaus reminisced emotionally and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "You are the most beautiful woman in the entire world." He complimented and leaned down to kiss her tenderly on the lips. He suddenly recalled something and smirked mischievously. "Do you remember when we snuck off into the woods while everyone was too busy with their dinner to notice?"

Ingrid threw her head back and laughed at the memory. "Yes!" She responded with a nod of her head and smirked back. "We thought we were sneaky until we came back and your shirt was in backwards and my dress had leaves stuck to the hem." She reminded and he laughed loudly along with her. "Your mother was furious. Alexander looked like he wanted to murder you."

"Kol thought it was the most hilarious thing." Klaus pointed out, looking at his youngest brother with fondness. "He kept bringing it up for days and Elijah was so sick of hearing about it."

Their laughter slowly died down and Klaus turned to head to see Eirik slow dancing with Freya and chuckled proudly. "You know, we were supposed to get remarried. I asked you fourteen years ago to marry me and here we are..." He remarked with a playful sigh and rolled his eyes. "Isn't there a statuete of limitations for engagements?" She gaped at him in fake offense and shoved his chest. He laughed and grabbed ahold of her hand in his again. "I'm just kidding."

"You know, we've been married one thousand and twenty two years and you still have yet to upgrade our rings." She joked with a hinting tone of voice and stared down at her simple, golden wedding band then sighed dramatically in disappointment.

He narrowed his eyes at her then pulled her hand up to look at her ring and tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong with it? It's better than the original ring I gave you." He reminded her with a pointed look.

"Oh, you mean the one you whittled from a tree branch?" She remarked, raising an eyebrow, then smiled in nostalgia. "I actually loved that ring." She admitted causing him to give her a surprised look. "Yeah. You made it for me and I thought that was so sweet and romantic. I raved to my mother for hours about that ring. You were such a softie. You used to leave me hand made gifts on every anniversary."

"I love you more than life itself." Klaus whispered emotionally and kissed her passionately on the lips again.

"I love you more than life itself." Ingrid replied with a blissful smile crawling across her face. "Now that you're done buttering me up by strolling down the most romantic memory lane, care to tell what was wrong earlier?"

Klaus' face fell and he shook his head in rejection. "Not here and not now." He answered with a frown then tried to cover it up by turning the attention to her. "You had something you wanted to share with me this morning. What was it?"

"It can wait until morning." Ingrid answered with a small smile and watched the happy, newlywed couple dancing a few feet away from them. "I don't want to disrupt their day."

"Agreed." Klaus nodded curtly and stared down at her with a significant expression. He then spun Ingrid around and dipped her once she returned to him. Leaning over her, he placed a hand on her cheek and lowered his lips to meet hers, giving her a tender kiss.

The party died down and people slowly began leaving. Klaus helped a tipsy Hope to the car while Ingrid carried a sleeping Eirik in her arms behind them.

When they returned to the Abattoir, Hope was lying flat on her back and staring up at the ceiling with a giddy smile on her face. Klaus walked in and closed the the behind him. "How are you feeling?"

"I think I'm a little buzzed." Hope answered with a laugh, watching the ceiling fan turn around in circles.

"Is the room right side up?" Klaus joked, smiling genuinely, and approached her.

Hope chuckled and studied the toon spinning around her. "Yeah, almost."

"Hmm. Well, I think you better sit up." Klaus advised, his voice quiet and soft.

Hope sat up and looked at him with a happy smile. "I had so much fun today. It was just, you know, having our family together and dancing. It was so nice to see you and mom getting to be who you are together. Like normal parents. It was like, for five minutes, I forgot... how crappy my life is." She mused in recollection, her smile faltering slowly.

"You certainly looked happy." Klaus commented affectionately and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Yeah. I'm never gonna forget that I killed someone. And I know that every full moon will be a reminder. I'm really scared to turn." She admitted and swallowed back her tears. "I'm-I'm just happy that you and mom'll be there with me. Anyway, did you come in here to make sure that the room was right side up, or did you want something?" She questioned knowingly, smirking in his direction.

Klaus chuckled at her and reached over to grab her hand. "No. No. I have everything I need." He assured her with a convincing smile.

A few moments later, he walked out of Hope's room to see Ingrid closing the door to Eirik's room. The couple walked toward each other, meeting halfway. Klaus gestured toward his room and glanced at her in curiosity. "Is he asleep?"

Ingrid nodded her head with a quiet laugh. "Yeah. He is out like a light. How's the lush?"

Klaus chuckled, his dimples peeking out from their hiding place amongst his cheeks and facial hair. "She's okay. May have a headache in the morning but she's fine..." He stopped himself, his voice trailing off with a dreadful facial expression. "I need to tell you something and it can't wait anymore."

She stared up at him in concern and nodded in encouragement, not wanting to live in anxiety for long.

Klaus cleared his throat and shifted nervously on his feet. "Davina says that the dark magic is destroying Hope from the inside out. It's only a matter of time before it kills her and... There's nothing we can do."

Ingrid's eyes pooled with tears and she felt her knees collapsing underneath of her. Klaus helped her sit down on one of the benches in the hallway and frowned in devastation. Ingrid's mouth moved but no words came out as she stared off into the distance in front of her. "How long?" She barely managed to whisper, her voice breaking.

"Weeks. Days... maybe hours. There's no way to know." Klaus informed his wife and watched her quickly turn to meet his eyes. He pulled her toward his body, holding her tightly as they both sobbed quietly at what was to come.

---
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-the1andonlytifftiff