FIRE, blood, the terrified screams of people crying out for help all flooded Ingrid's dreams. She tossed and turned harshly in bed while whimpering in pain. She sat forward, wide awake, and panted heavily for breath. She turned to see Klaus sleeping peacefully next to her and chose not to wake him.

Throwing the covers off, Ingrid climbed out of bed and walked down the hallway to where Hope and Eirik were sleeping. She cracked open the door to check on them. Her dark brown eyes scanned the room and landed on Eirik, who was fast asleep and snoring loudly, then moved to Hope, who was faking that she was asleep.

When Ingrid closed the door and walked away, a bright blue light flooded the room and Hope squeezed her eyes shut while trembling in fear.

Morning had broken and Ingrid spent the rest of the night lying awake, staring at the ceiling. She got ready for the day and started the journey back down the hall. "Hope? Eirik?" She called out to them when she walked into their room. The hybrid caught her reflection in the mirror and saw Mikael standing directly behind her.

"Today you will die at the hands of Marcel, unless you kill your enemy first." Her deceased father-in-law snarled at her.

Backing away with wide eyes, Ingrid shook her head frantically. "No." She whispered in horror until two small voices called out to her, sounding far off into the distance.

"Mommy?" Eirik glanced at his mother in concern, hugging her leg.

"Mom? We're ready to go. Aren't you coming?" Hope asked curiously and raised an eyebrow at her.

Ingrid snapped out of her trance and looked down at them, blinking repeatedly. She didn't answered them verbally but simply nodded her head and looked back at the mirror to see that Mikael was gone. She cleared her throat and gave them a convincing smile. "Give me a moment. I need to talk to dad and uncle Elijah."

"Okay." They replied in harmony and watched Ingrid slowly walk out of the room.

She walked down the stairs to the courtyard where Klaus and Elijah were waiting for her. "Um... I think it's best you go out to the bayou without me. I'll just catch up later."

Elijah glanced at her in confusion and skepticism. "Why?"

Klaus noticed her fiddling with her fingernails and walked toward her, grabbing her hands in his. "Everything alright, my love?"

"Yeah." Ingrid answered softly, furrowing her eyebrows. "I'm just a little worn out from that spell and I couldn't sleep."

"We can take the kids for the day." Klaus offered with a wide smile and swung their arms side-to-side. "I'll show them the bayou, tell them all about the wolves, and you can get some sleep."

She looked up at him and took a small step backward, giving him a look. "Are you sure?"

He laughed while closing the distance between them. "Ingrid... You watched them every single day for five years all by yourself. The least I could do is take the kids for a few hours so you can sleep. Plus, I would like to get to know them more and the only way I can do that is spending time with them." Klaus pointed out and kissed her forehead lovingly. "You deserve a break."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Ingrid pressed again, glancing up at him through her long eyelashes.

Klaus gave her a fake offended expression and scoffed. "You think me incapable?"

Shaking her head quickly, Ingrid moved to ease his anxiety. "No, no. That's not it at all. I'm just making sure that you want to that's all."

"Of course, I want to." Klaus reassured her affectionately and leaned down to kiss her tenderly on the lips. "I missed a lot over the past five years and I'm determined to make up for it."

Ingrid pulled away slowly with her eyes closed and mused happily to herself. "Okay." She replied, opening her eyes to meet his. "I love you."

"I love you." He whispered with a wide grin then kissed her again.

Hope and Eirik stopped to say goodbye to Ingrid before leaving with Klaus. Ingrid knelt down and held her arms out, motioning for a hug. The children ran to her arms and she embraced them tightly, squeezing gently. "Hmmm...." she mused with a smile and kissed both of their heads. "Alright, listen up." She said sternly pulling out of the embrace. "Dad is in charge. What he says, goes. Be on your absolute best behavior, alright?"

"Yes, mom." Hope agreed with a nod of her head and wrapped her arm around Eirik's shoulders.

"We'll be good. We swear it." Eirik promised the hybrid sternly.

Grinning happily, Ingrid grabbed them both in a hug again. "Okay, my babies. I'll miss you." She expressed emotionally and kissed them again. She pulled away and gestured for them to go to Klaus, who was standing a few feet away with an overjoyed expression on his face.

"We'll miss you, mommy. Enjoy your nap." Eirik commented while waving his hands goodbye and walking toward Klaus.

Ingrid laughed to herself and waved goodbye back until the trio disappeared from view then her smile instantly fell and her hand dropped down to her side. She pulled her phone out and dialed a number frantically with shaky hands. Bringing the phone to her ear, she listened to it ring until they ultimately picked up. "Freya! I need help."

A few minutes later, Freya arrived to the compound and glanced at her in confusion. After explaining what was happening, Freya started to gather ingredients for a spell. She held a bowl out for Ingrid and instructed the hybrid to give her some blood. So Ingrid stood over the bowl and cut open her palm, bleeding directly into it.

Freya watched the red liquid dribble down and raised an eyebrow. "Tell me again what happened at this ritual."

"The children were linked together to bring the Hollow to our realm and we severed the link but not before Marcellus and I were sucked into whatever hell that was. Now I can't stop seeing Mikael." Ingrid sneered unhappily and watched her wound heal.

"Well, I know purging spells and cleansing rituals, so I can fix this. In the meantime, have you considered that you're not the only one infected?" Freya commented and watched Ingrid pause in realization. "In your visions, my father's goading you to kill your enemy. If Marcel has seen something similar..."

"Then we have a problem." Ingrid replied darkly and stared off into the distance before her. "What if it isn't about an enemy? Because if that were true... it would be goading me to kill, let's be honest, Elijah. What if... it's just about pinning Marcellus and myself against each other?"

"I need to purify you both." Freya explained sternly.

"No!" Ingrid yelled desperately, frantically shaking her head and grabbing Freya's hand. "Not yet. If the Hollow can look into me, then I can look back at it. I can figure out what it wants."

"It's too dangerous, Ingrid!" Freya argued harshly, ripping her hand away.

"This thing came after Hope. My daughter, Freya. I cannot just wash that away." Ingrid snarled out her defense and glared furiously at the witch.

"Fine. I'll give you an hour. And something else." She said, walking over to the table behind them and picked up a dagger. "The means to kill the unkillable king of New Orlans. If Marcel comes after you, use this."

Ingrid backed away from her, visibly offended and enraged by the weapon in her hands. Her eyes moved up from the dagger to her sister-in-law and glared harshly.

Freya noticed this reaction and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh. You're mad I kept a secret from you?" She questioned with a heavy sigh. "Fine. Chastise me once you've made it through the day."

"I'm not taking that, Freya." Ingrid refused with a shake of her head. "I will not kill Marcellus."

"But--" Freya began to try to reason with her but was cut off abruptly.

"NO!" Ingrid bellowed furiously and turned on her heels to walk away. "Destroy that. I am not asking." She snarled before storming out of the compound.

Ingrid was walking through the French Quarter, making her way toward Marcel's loft. She was able to ignore the ghost of Mikael taunting her until she saw a familiar figure standing in an alley as she passed by. Backing up to do a double take, Ingrid glanced at them and her face paled.

"Sæta, help me. Please!" They begged desperately in Old Norse. "Help!"

Ingrid rushed toward them with tears falling down her cheeks. "Forgive me! Please!" She cried out back in the same dialect and gasped at what she saw. What stood before her was the ghost of her father covered in blood and three degree burns. She pressed her back against the brick wall and covered her eyes. "No..."

Then Mikael's voice echoed from behind her as she slid down to the ground. "You were always weak just like your father!"

Ingrid covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. She then stood harshly to her feet and growled furiously at the imposter, her dark brown eyes now golden-amber paired with the deep purple veins running underneath them. "Enough!" She bellowed then faded back into her human form. "Enough with the taunts. How would you like me to address you while I kill you?"

"You address no one. I am not here." They answered mockingly then lowered their voice to a whisper. "I'm only in your head. I can see your worst fear: the man who hunted you down for centuries. The reason you were locked away. No.... it's the man who murdered your family and burnt your village to the ground."

"You speak on things you do not know or understand." Ingrid snapped harshly and narrowed her eyes into slits. "You seem to think Marcellus will kill me today and... that... that's where you failed. Marcellus would never kill me nor I him. However, I will kill you. I'm going find a way to end you and I will make you pay for ever coming near my family! My child!"

"You really are no stranger to violence and have a special talent for brutality." The Hollow commented, almost impressed, and continued to mock the hybrid. "When your dearly beloved son comes to finish you, will you kill him? Or die a coward?"

Ingrid straightened her posture and refused to respond. She simply walked past Mikael's ghost and continued her journey through the quarter, ignoring their pestering.

The Hollow, still disguised as Mikael, followed her closely while continuing to try and get a rise out of her. "You don't intend to kill Marcel, do you?"

"No." Ingrid answered simply and kept her eyes forward.

They scoffed in disgust and started to taunt her again. "Mikael was right. You are a coward. Because of you, your family is dead. You're going to destroy them. Your in-laws. Your husband. Your children. You're a poor excuse for a mother and you will ruin them. Maybe there's a reason fourteen pregnancies weren't viable. Maybe it wasn't Esther's fault, maybe it's yours. You're defective. You're not meant to be a mother. You're a poison and it's slowly seeping into them."

"Is this the extent of your power?" Ingrid questioned snarkily and stopped in her place. She glanced at the hollow with a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed facial expression. "You think you can hurt me with these, what you pave out to be, insults? You don't think I haven't heard all of this before? Get some new material. And if this is truly all you have then color me unimpressed."

The Hollow smirked at her in amusement. "You think I'm powerless?" They then stabbed Ingrid in the shoulder with a white oak stake and she groaned out in pain through gritted teeth. The Hollow took a step toward her and whispered threateningly. "I can make you see and feel whatever I like."

"Try me." Ingrid taunted aggressively and sneered at them. "This isn't real. The white oak stake is gone and Mikael is dead. You're nothing more than a distasteful dream."

"Well, then maybe I'll find my way into your daughter's dreams. What fun it will be to be in her head." The Hollow threatened smugly. "Imagine the fun I could have with Eirik. He's so young and malleable."

Ingrid's eyes flashed gold and she sped toward them, punching her hand into their chest and ripping out their heart. "Stay the fuck away from my children." She growled and tossed their heart to the ground.

"Ruthless. Nicely done." The Hollow commented from behind her.

Ingrid spun around quickly on her heels and attacked them again, sinking her teeth into the Hollow's neck and drained their blood. She pulled away and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. However, before the body could even hit the ground, the Hollow came from in front of her again. She snarled and grabbed them by the throat, strangling them to death.

When they choked out their last breath, Ingrid blinked and realized she had killed three innocent people. She gasped in surprise and dropped the body quickly, taking steps backwards until her back hit the brick wall. She glanced at the scene at her feet while breathing heavily.

The Hollow then appeared beside her again and whispered softly. "Imagine if I made you kill someone you cared about. Maybe I already have." The mused lowly and motioned to the last victim.

Ingrid looked at them and realized that it was Klaus lying dead on the concrete. She gulped in guilt and closed her eyes tightly. "No. No. No." She mumbled to herself in disbelief. "Wake up." She kept saying to herself repeatedly, refusing to look at the corpse of her husband.

"Next time, it might even be Hope." The Hollow remarked with a wide smirk.

Ingrid's eyes flew open and she growled at the ghost in front of her. "No!"

"Even if you could resist, who will stop Marcel? After all, I'm having my fun with him. And I will make him tear through your family like you have these people. Now, you only have the one choice..." They trailed off, holding a finger up for demonstration. "Kill Marcel or he will kill you and everyone you love."

Ingrid pushed off the wall and shoved the Hollow away from her before walking away from the scene and returning to her original task at hand. She stopped inside St. Anne's church to catch her breath and looked through the texts on her phone. All the new messages were from Klaus with updates on how the children were doing. She smiled to herself and held the phone to her chest.

The heavy doors opened and Freya rushed toward the hybrid with a frantic expression. "Ingrid, I was worried."

Ingrid held her hand up and didn't turn to face the witch. "Freya... stay right there." She ordered in a shaky voice.

"What's wrong?" Freya questioned in concern.

"I cannot trust anything right now. So don't come any closer." Ingrid advised in a warning tone of voice, looking at Freya from the corner of her eye. "I will kill you."

Freya took a small step toward Ingrid and spoke in a soothing manner. "I trust you."

"Stop!" Ingrid bellowed loudly, her voice echoing throughout the church. "I said don't come any closer. I've underestimated this... It can make you see things that aren't real and do things you don't want to. I can't tell what's real and until I can... stay away from me."

"Then let me purify you. Okay?" Freya spoke softly and held her hand out, trying to convince Ingrid to leave the dark corner. "It's okay."

Ingrid narrowed her eyes suspiciously and took small, hesitant steps toward the witch. Freya smiled in encouragement and grabbed one of her hands before attempting the spell. "Reinigen monde tavo veneno. Reinigen monde tavo ven... It's burrowed too deep. But I know what it wants."

"Blood." Ingrid answered vaguely, staring at her sister-in-law with an unreadable face. "It wants me to spill blood."

"Ingrid, if this thing is demanding a blood sacrifice, if it's you or Marcel..." She trailed off with a shake of her head. "...don't let it be you. Hunt down Marcel and end this."

Ingrid was quiet for a split second before grabbing Freya by the throat and strangling her. "You're not Freya."

The Hollow laughed in a strained voice and smirked at the hybrid. "How'd you know?"

"Freya knows better than to suggest I kill Marcellus." Ingrid snarled as her lips curled up into a sinister sneer. "You are flawed." She insulted, snapping the imposter's neck and dropping their body carelessly to the ground at her feet, and left the church.

Marcel had returned to the place where the Hollow first appeared to Vincent and attempted to bury the purified beads. Ingrid entered the house and glanced at him with a blank face.

"Marcellus." She breathed out in relief before the door magically slammed shut, trapping them both inside. "It won't let us leave until one of us dies." She remarked emotionally, dreading the situation they were in.

"I know you're seeing things, ma. But I have a way to fix that for both of us." He reassured her calmly and hesitantly approached her.

She nodded in acknowledgement and grabbed his hands in hers. "Okay..."

"Spelled beads keep me safe from this damn thing." Marcel explained, holding up a strand of beads. "I bury these here and we're done. Free. No one has to kill anyone."

"He hopes to lower your guard with his lies." The Hollow, disguised as Mikael again, sneered out to her. "Don't be a fool."

Ingrid's hands flew up to her ears and covered them. She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "Nope. No."

Marcel walked toward her and placed his hands on her elbows. "Hey, hey! It's not real. It's not real." He tried to soothe her and nodded in encouragement when she opened her eyes. "Yeah."

She pulled her hands away from her ears and grabbed his hand, grounding herself to reality. Smiling warmly at him, she squeezed his hand in appreciation.

A few moments later, they were both sitting on the floor a few feet apart from each other with the soles of their shoes touching. Marcel sat back on his hands and glanced at her curiously. "Who do you see?"

Wagging a finger at him, she smirked teasingly. "You first. I just want to make sure it's not me."

He laughed for a second and shook his head. "It's not you. It's... it's Elijah."

Ingrid's face fell as she realized why he would be his tormentor and nudged his foot. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"Not your fault." He assured her kindly and nudged her foot back. "Your turn. Who do you see?"

"Mikael and my father." Ingrid answered grimly and licked her lips.

Marcel looked at her in surprise, unsure how to respond but not wanting to sit in silence. "Was he mean? Your father?" He asked, intrigued for more. Ingrid never spoke on her family before the Mikaelsons and it caused Marcel to wonder what happened prior to their toxicity.

A smile broke across Ingrid's face as she recalled the memories of her father. "Not at all. My father, Eirik, was the most gentle man I have ever known. Even to this day. He was always so kind despite having the werewolf curse. I never saw him raise a hand or yell at anyone. He was everything I ever wanted to be. I adored him." She whispered emotionally, tears pooling in her eyes. "He was the first man to love me unconditionally and he showed me what true love was. Which is why when Niklaus came into my life... I knew what we had was true love and it still is."

"So what happened?" Marcel asked curiously, bending his knees and scooting closer to her.

"Uh..." Ingrid paused, crying softly at the memory, and tried to recollect herself. "After Esther turned us and I killed her... Mikael saw it fit to make an example of my family and my village... he slaughter my mother and my brothers and waited for me to find them before killing my father in front of me. When I got there, he had burnt my village to the ground with everyone in it. Our entire pack was gone." She told him while sobbing loudly. "Mikael ripped my father's heart out and lit him on fire. Had Niklaus not stopped me, Mikael would have surely killed me too."

"Why would he do that?" Marcel asked and glanced at her sympathetically. He then understood why she never spoke on her human family and almost felt guilty for asking.

"He said I was weak and a coward for killing Esther. He was never keen on Niklaus marrying a wolf. Mikael always talked down on my father and I would always defend him. Even if it meant yelling until my voice was raw and hoarse." Ingrid explained in a hushed whisper. "He wanted to prove to me that I wasn't enough to protect my family and ultimately, he was right."

"Fight, you coward, or today will be your daughter's last. Kill your son, Ingrid. Otherwise, I will find a way to control him, and Hope will never be safe." The Hollow taunted Ingrid, who flinched but otherwise didn't acknowledge them. "Mercy is for the weak!"

The Hollow began to grow fed up and presented itself in a new form, a shadow with a human-like figure shrouded in darkness. Marcel grabbed Ingrid and shielded her with his body just as Freya burst through the door. "Leave my family alone!" She threw the purification potion and the bottle scattered against the shadow. The Hollow made a high-pitched squealing and attacked them all before disappearing.

Freya turned to see Ingrid and Marcel lying unconscious on the floor and pulled herself up. Klaus rushed into the room and knelt beside Ingrid, panicking while searching for a pulse. Freya walked toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder in a comforting motion.

They returned to the compound and Klaus put the children to bed before sitting in the courtyard. He bounced his leg anxiously while watching Ingrid stir in her chair. Klaus leaned toward her and rubbed her leg soothingly. "Hey, hey. Take it easy."

She sat up with a low groan and held her head in her hands. "Everything is really loud." Ingrid complained in a whimper. "What happened? Where is Marcellus?" She stood quickly to her feet and began to panic.

Klaus stood up and grabbed her shoulders, trying to calm her. "He's okay. He's safe. You're both safe." He explained slowly, staring deeply into her eyes. When she sighed in relief, her pulled her into a tight hug and felt her relax immediately in his arms.

Freya walked into the courtyard and sat down in one of the vacant chairs. "Rest easy. My spells have Marcel bound and cloaked. Even more, I can find no trace of the Hollow's magic in either of you." She explained to the female hybrid, who gave her an odd expression upon hearing that Marcel was bound.

"So where has it gone?" Elijah asked with an uneasy look on his face. "It's a ghost. It could be anywhere, and since we know that it still wants to sacrifice someone powerful, we have to be prepared."

Freya reached for the dagger on the table but Klaus grabbed her hand stopping the witch. "I think I'll hold on to it for now."

"This wasn't a gift. Today proved Marcel's a threat---" Freya began to argue against her brother.

"Oh, God. Shut up." Ingrid requested furiously at her, earning wide-eyed caught off guard looks from the trio. "Stop with the whole "Marcellus is a threat" ideals. If anything, today proved that he wasn't a threat. He could have easily killed all of us but he didn't. He refused. Stop vilifying people to fit your bloody narrative. Leave my son alone. I'm not asking." She demanded sternly then snatched the dagger from Klaus. "I thought I told you to destroy this."

"Ingrid, give it to her." Elijah ordered her, slowly standing up from his chair.

"No." Ingrid responded in rejection, shaking her head. "You're going to have to pry it from my cold, dead hands before I ever hand this over to either of you. I'm not a moron. I know how this plays out."

"Having a monopoly of power makes you a target, sister. Remember that." Klaus warned her with a pointed expression.

"No more discussions about killing Marcellus. That is off the table." Ingrid snapped in anger and held the dagger up for them to see. "This is mine until I figure out how to destroy it. If I catch you with it, I'll kill you with it." She threatened calmly before storming out for the room and up the stairs, leaving them to glance awkwardly at one another.

---
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