[ Chapter Thirty-Nine ]

RYAN DID NOT feel any different, not really. From the initial jolt of pain that spread through his stomach to the shift in color of his eyes, he did not notice anything significant about him since the trigger of his curse. Nothing seemed to change. He still felt the same as he did days before.

Raylynn and Klaus came down from the upper level of the church to find both children on the ground amidst the dead vampires. Hope began to cry, thinking they killed Declan and that it was all her fault. Ryan just stared at a wall unable to move. Raylynn rushed to their sides, saying over and over again that they did not kill Declan and that it was not their faults.

And she had been right, on some level. Declan did not die. Klaus got to him just in time to heal his wounds, ensuring the he walked away unscathed. The man with Declan, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Bill was his name. He ended up being crushed by the filing cabinets blown apart from Hope and Ryan's magic. Klaus could not heal him. His wounds were too severe. His death led to them triggering their curses.

Despite their horrible night, it got a whole lot worse. Marcel revealed that his escape from the purist vampires did not happened without casualty. Josh Rosza died to save his friend and mentor. He died a hero.

Hope took the death of Bill, the local priest at St. Anne's, harder than Ryan. She blamed herself for what happened. Something that she never knew would happen. Ryan believed that it had half to do with her actual conscience and half to do with the dark magic that still coursed through her veins. The vampires' deaths only relieved her of the torturous whispers for a few hours, before the whispers and dark lines came back. Now, Hope thought everything had been in vain. That the man died for nothing.

It was an accident, Ryan told himself every time he let himself think about what happened. A horrible, terrible accident. They did not know Declan and Bill were up there.

Ryan stayed in his room the morning after, while Hope took to the Lafayette Cemetery to mourn, or torture herself over, the man who died. He did not want to make himself feel worse for things out of his control. He would rather deal with better and more important things, like his Aunt Freya and Keelin's wedding.

To his surprise, the two women decided to tie the knot sooner rather than later. They realized that their family needed a bit of happiness, having experienced so much heartache in the last few weeks than they had in a long time.

Ryan could not help the excitement that ran through him when they announced the ceremony would take place that afternoon. Not only would his aunt marry the person she loved, but his entire family would be in attendance. One of the first times they actually could since Hope took the Hollow into herself.

But before the festivities could start, there was a few things that needed to be taken care of. Raylynn told Ryan to go with Klaus for the day, while she stayed behind at the compound to make sure Freya did not turn into a Bridezilla. Whatever that meant. He immediately agreed, having not spent much time with his father since they left Scotland.

First thing on the agenda, a stop by Kol and Davina's motel room. Ryan wondered why they did not stay with them, but he let it go. He was just happy to see them, even though Davina would be more than upset because of Josh's death.

Klaus raised a hand to knock as he and his son stood outside the motel room door. They waited for a long beat, before the door opened and a bearded Kol answered. "Hello, brother," Klaus voiced at the sight of him.

"Well, that's a suspiciously warm greeting," Kol exclaimed toward his brother and then set his gaze on his nephew, who smiled up at him. "Hey, little king. Outing with your pops, I take it."

Ryan ran forward and wrapped his arms around his uncle. Kol reciprocated the embrace, squeezing him tightly in return. "Something like that." He stepped back and produced the most innocent expression he could muster and said, "actually, we need your help."

Kol quirked a brow. "My help?"

"Don't worry, it's not you we're looking for," Klaus stated.

"Well, then, it must be important if you're asking me for a favor." Davina moved into the view from somewhere inside the room. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Klaus. "I'm in mourning, if you even care," she quipped until she spotted her nephew. She smiled a bit. "Hi, Ryan."

"Hey, Davina." Ryan raced into the room and launched into her arms. Davina stumbled, but she steadied herself to pull him toward her chest. "I'm sorry about Josh," he told her and then moved back to meet her stare, "but, this is really, really important."

Davina's brows creased at his words.

Klaus entered the room to address her. "It's about Hope. The dark magic within her has had some peculiar side-effects. She's got these - dark lines, like, poisoned veins running up her arms. Today, I noticed a new line on the back of her neck," he said and indicated with his hands. "I just need to know what it means."

Davina stared at him for a long time and then nodded. "Okay. I'll help. For Hope."

_______

Raylynn sat on the edge of Freya's bed, helping her chose the perfect dress for her wedding. Rebekah landed earlier that morning and obtained many fluffy, white gowns in various styles. They were scattered throughout the room, waiting for Freya to pick one.

"I look like a disco ball." Freya frowned as she stared at herself in her floor-length mirror.

Raylynn hummed. She was not wrong. The white tulle dress flared out at her waist, while the bejeweled bodice sparkled in the sunlight. Disco ball, or wedding cake topper.

"They are plenty more to choose from," Rebekah voiced from where she sat next to Raylynn. She pushed herself to her feet and moved over to her sister.

"Never thought I'd be walking myself down the aisle," Freya said, her eyes dropping to the floor.

Although Raylynn had not been Elijah's number one advocate, she understood that the woman just wanted her younger brother to be there for her on the happiest day of her life.

Raylynn shoved down her feelings about Elijah and stood from the bed. "He'll come around. He won't want to miss today," she tried to reassure her sister-in-law.

Rebekah handed her fellow blonde a flute of sparkling champagne to ease her sisters nerves.

Freya took it with a light grin, before her expression fell. "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 for the part he played in Hayley's death, but - he didn't even know who she was when he did it. Kinda pisses me off," she exclaimed and gulped down most of her drink.

Raylynn moved away from Freya to plop back down onto the bed. She pushed the dresses laid across the duvet and kept her lips pressed together. Freya wanted Elijah to be pardoned for the part he played in Hayley's death, and for him to pardon himself. Raylynn did not believe that. He knew what could happened when he asked Marcel and Vincent to take his memories away. Elijah had always been dependent on someone, Klaus in particular, and without anyone there to steer him in the right direction, he found himself on the wrong side.

To make sure she did not say something to ruin the day, Raylynn turned her attention to the nearest dress. She ran her hand over the prickly fabric and adverted her eyes from Freya's. No matter how much the witch tried, she would not be able to sway Raylynn.

"Yes, well, it wouldn't be a Mikaelson family gathering without one of us being mad at another one. You just wait until you have kids," Rebekah said, taking a sip of her own champagne.

"If we have kids." Freya returned her attention to her reflection in the mirror.

Raylynn snapped to face her sister-in-law. "If? What do you mean - if?"

Freya turned away from the mirror. "We haven't - exactly had the conversation."

Rebekah released a tight laugh. "Oh. Well, don't you think you should do that before you walk down the aisle?"

Raylynn figured that they talked about it. She always thought Freya wanted kids, especially with Keelin. The Malraux werewolf talked about the possibility a lot. Whether she and Freya would have a little boy or girl with dark hair or golden blonde, or if they would inherit the werewolf curse or become a powerful witch. It seemed like the two of them were on the same page. But from what Freya said, Raylynn wondered if they even mentioned it to each other at all.

_______

Right after the conversation with Raylynn and Rebekah, Freya took it upon herself to confront Keelin about what they wanted in life. While she did, Raylynn and Rebekah stayed in her room to continue with their preparations for the wedding. They were still there when Freya ran to them in tears. She sobbed into their arms as she sat on the bed.

"You were right about talking to Keelin. Now, I guess, the wedding's off," Freya told them.

"What happened?" Rebekah asked as she rubbed a hand up and down her back.

"I should have said something - before now. It - look at our family," Freya started and glanced between the two women at her side, "how do you tell someone you can't have a child because you're afraid you're gonna hurt it? That - you'll find some way to put your needs before theirs because that's what your parents did to you." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "That you're toxic, broken, and a Mikaelson - and that's just what we do."

"Listen to me." Rebekah took her sister's hand in her own and met her stare with her own. "We may be damaged, but we are not doomed to repeat our parent's mistakes. After everything we have been through, none of us would see a child of ours suffer just to ease our pain." Freya continued to cry, forcing Rebekah to go on. "Besides, Freya, you always put your family in front of yourself. You can break the pattern. Ray did. Ryan is flourishing here, despite the hard ships around him."

Freya sniffled and turned to where Raylynn gave her a small smile. "You really believe that?" she questioned her sister.

"I do, and so does Keelin," Rebekah stated and leaned back, letting go of her hands. "Which is why you should be talking to her right now."

Freya nodded, wiping at the rest of her tears, before she stood and hugged Rebekah. The younger Mikaelson looked over to where Raylynn remained and jerked her head for her to join them. Raylynn grinned and got up to wrap the sisters in her arms.

After a long moment, they pulled back. Raylynn stayed close to Freya and set her hands onto her shoulders. "you'll be a wonderful mother, Freya. I know you're scared, but yours and Keelin's child will be the most loved and cherished kid in New Orleans. You mark my words."

Freya sniffled, again, but a grin spread across her lips. "Thank you, Ray." She then turned on her heel and strode out of the room to make things right with her bride-to-be.

_______

Dread settled in Ryan's gut after he and his father departed Kol and Davina's motel room. He did not know why, but it remained long after they reached the venue where the wedding would take place. A nice little farm at the edge of the city, already being set up someone else's ceremony. With a bit of compulsion, the preppers proceeded to make the place perfect for Freya and Keelin.

Ryan noticed the shift in the atmosphere when Rebekah stopped by to relay some news. Klaus sent his son away to not hear their conversation, but Ryan's new werewolf hearing worked in his favor. Although, he wished he had not heard a word.

Rebekah told Klaus what she learned from Davina. The Claire-Mikaelson witch preformed a spell to diagnose Hope's strange affliction, finding a much larger problem than they ever imagined. The dark magic inside Hope not only wanted to drive her mad, but it was also killing her. From what Davina could tell, she would be dead in the next week.

Ryan did not know how he was supposed to react. He just learned that his sister was going to die. Not in a few years, but in a few days. And to make it worse, he was not even supposed to know. So, Ryan had no choice but to put on a brave face.

Raylynn showed up later to help Ryan put on a God-awful suit, one that he hated with a burning passion. The collar itched, and the tie felt as though it would strange him, but he had nothing else to wear to the formal event. His family liked their expensive clothes, except for himself, his mother, and sister, and they were stuck with the nature of their family.

The compelled band of violin and cello players filled the air with music as the wedding began. White flowers and strings of lights decorated the large barn where Freya and Keelin would emerge for their walk down the aisle. Ryan stood next to Hope, who wore a lacey black dress, and the small table that held the wedding rings. Kol waited beneath the flowered archway, ready to officiate the ceremony. Raylynn linked her arm with Rebekah's to watch the wedding unfold, while Marcel and Davina were across from them to do the same.

Keelin strode down the flower petal lined lane in a pure white pantsuit with a bouquet of colorful carnations in her hands. She stopped next to Kol and fidgeted, waiting for her bride-to-be to walk her way.

Freya exited the open doors of the barn as her lace dress flowed in the cold breeze. Klaus and Elijah escorted her on either side to where Keelin anticipated her appearance. Both women stared at each other, smiling with tears in their eyes as they moved to stand face-to-face. Klaus and Elijah moved off the side to watch along with the others.

"Dearly beloved," Kol called out with a bright grin. "Now, not to make this all about me, but we know how families work. Sometimes, its dinner, and sometimes, it's a dagger." He glanced toward Klaus, who did not look impressed by the comment. "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 looked to them all, before his gaze stopped on his future sister-in-law. "Keelin, when I first met you, I would have never predicated that you would become my sister. You are strong and beautiful, and deserve nothing but the best." He then turned to Hope and Ryan, asking for them to present the rings.

Ryan picked up one of the silver bands, while Hope grabbed the other. They handed them over to Kol, who waited for Keelin and Freya to pass their bouquets to the children. He gave them to the brides as they watched recited their vows and slid the bands onto each other's left, fourth fingers.

"Now, but the power vested in me by a Franciscan monk in the 13th century, and by the internet a few hours ago, just to be on the safe side, I now pronounce you married," Kol exclaimed, smiling between the two women. "You may both kiss the bride."

Freya and Keelin wore smiles of their own, moving toward one another to seal their lives with a kiss. Everyone began to clap, grinning and laughing to witness such a beautiful moment.

Ryan caught movement to his right and watched Hope lift her hand to the flower chandeliers hung from the trees branches above their heads.

"Tomar lento. Na paz, amor," Hope chanted, causing the petals to detach from their steams and fly into the air.

Ryan followed her lead and held out a hand not clutching Keelin's bouquet. A yellow orb formed in his palm, before he shot it up to explode in burst of sparks like fireworks. He stared on as the petals mixed with the light, rising up into the overcast sky.

_______

As night fell, a warm glow illuminated the grounds that surrounded the barn from the strings of lights hat hung from the trees. A table sat in the middle of a cleared area with foods and flutes of champagne. The band played an upbeat toon as Hope and Ryan took to the dancing with Keelin, while Kol and Davina twirled on their own. Marcel and Rebekah sat nearby, talking amongst themselves as they watched the children giggle. Elijah leaned next to a tree doing the same and sipped on his own sparkling drink.

Raylynn smiled at the sight of Hope and Ryan having the time of their lives. They shimmied in a circle, causing Keelin to laugh aloud. It had been a long time since she saw them so carefree. She wished that it could be like that all the time. Their entire family together and happy. But, she knew it would never last.

Kol informed Raylynn about Davina's revelation. How Hope would die soon. She did not believe that there was nothing they could do for her. There had to be something. Anything. She would not let Hope die.

Raylynn stood at Klaus's side, her arms linked with his as they watched their children. Freya appeared next them, smiling at the sight of her wife swaying her hips to the music. A server came by and offered them some champagne, prompting each of them to take a flute.

Raylynn held two and tried to gain Klaus's attention for him to have one, but he kept his stare on the kids, more so Hope. She looked passed him to Freya, who shrugged and turned to her brother.

"Oh, boy." Freya set her drink down onto the table behind them, along with Raylynn, and then asked, "what are you gonna be like when she goes to prom?"

Raylynn winced at her choice of words. She forgot that neither Freya or Keelin knew about Hope's prognosis. Everyone wanted the couple to stay happy for as long as possible. They deserved one night of bliss, before their world crashed.

Raylynn plastered a fake smile onto her lips and said, "he's going to be an absolute wreck."

Klaus's expression dropped.

Before they could say another word, Hope stumbled on her feet and fell into Keelin. She held the girl up, while everyone jumped into action. Ready to rush forward to help her.

"She alright?" Klaus called out. His eyes wide.

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Hope laughed as she stood up straight.

Ryan chuckled. "I think those three glasses of champagne are finally getting to you."

Keelin nodded with a grin. "Yeah, that would be my medical diagnosis."

"Oh, yeah. Speaking of," Hope reached out and swiped Keelin's glass from her hand, "I would like to make a toast." She raised the drink and glanced over her family. "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. As I'm sure Ryan agrees with me." She shifted her stare to where her brother downed half of his one and only glass of champagne.

Ryan looked up when all eyes turned to him. "Oh, um, right. Yeah." He cleared his throat, stepping forward to stand next to his sister. "Hope and I have been waiting for this day for so long, and now that it's finally here, we're now officially apart of the family," he exclaimed and lifted his flute. "Cheers."

Raylynn shook her head, but she repeated the word in a chorus with everyone else. Whoever held a glass toasted with the children, while the others just smiled in response. Raylynn forced herself to stay in the happy bubble that surrounded them, enjoying the little time they had left until they were forced back into reality.

<July 13, 2019>

Three chapters left. And to be honest, they're some of my favorites.

Don't forget to vote and comment.

-Jordan

P.S. Unedited chapter.

P.P.S. Sorry for the large gif. I couldn't find any smaller ones.