[ Chapter Forty-One ]

RAYLYNN TOOK her time as she prepared the Lizzie and Josie Saltzman for the spell they would perform later that night. After she persuaded, more so commanded, Alaric to allow his daughters to help them, she and Caroline explained the precise elements of the ritual that would save Hope's life.

The plan was for the girls to remove the dark magic and place it into Klaus, much to Raylynn's dismay. She only agreed when she demanded he go under a preservation spell, which would give her time to find an actual solution. If she left the magic inside of him without it, the Hollow would use that to her advantage and drive him insane. Raylynn would not let that happen, and she would also not lose her husband. She did not know how long it would take her to find a way to get rid of the dark magic, but she had no other choice.

Raylynn had just made it back to the hollowed out building in the woods, a place the Saltzman girls dubbed the Old Mill, when shouts erupted through the air. She raced through the lowest level to find Elijah on the front porch with Hope in his arms. The girl appeared unconscious as her head lolled to the side. Elijah lowered her to the wooden planks when Klaus dropped next to his daughter.

"What happened?" Raylynn exclaimed toward the man and her son, who panted behind his uncle, and rushed to the girl's side.

Ryan, close to tears, rushed out, "I - I - we were fighting and then - she collapsed. I didn't - I didn't know what to do."

Raylynn looked up from Hope and to Ryan. "Hey, it's alright. We're gonna fix this, okay?"

Ryan just stared at his sister and nodded.

"Quiet," Klaus boomed to silence them all. He raised a hand to Hope's neck to feel for a pulse. "No heartbeat. "No, please, Hope!" he yelled down at the seemingly dead girl.

Hope did not budge.

Raylynn snapped to Elijah and told him, "go to Caroline. Tell her to bring her girls here, now!" The man did not hesitate as he stood to his feet and sped from view. She then shifted her gaze to Ryan. "Go with him."

Ryan began to protest with wide eyes. "What? Mom..."

"Do as I say and go with Elijah. Now, Ryan!"

Ryan swallowed hard, but he did not argue a second time. He spun on his heel and ran after his uncle with his slightly enhanced speed.

Once he was gone, Raylynn turned her attention back to Hope. The teenage girl remained still and unmoving. No matter how hard Klaus shook her and screamed for her to return, her chest refused to rise and fall. "Start CPR," she stated.

Klaus raised both hand, clasping them together, before he pressed them onto Hope's chest. Up and down, up and down.

Raylynn knew what she had to do. Hope was no longer in the living plane. With the dark magic inside her body, it might be difficult for her to come back.

Raylynn exhaled and looked to her husband. "Okay, I have an idea, but it's gonna sound crazy."

Klaus kept his stare on his daughter, continuing to pressed hard on her chest. "Any crazier than watching Hope die?" he shouted.

Raylynn blinked at him. "Okay, I'll let that one slide." She took a deep breath and said, "kill me."

Klaus whirled to her with round eyes. "Are you out of your mind?"

"For intents and purposes, Hope's dead. She's somewhere beyond here. And with the Other Side gone, I don't know where. If I die, I'll go there, and I'll be able to pull her back," Raylynn explained. Klaus did not look convinced, so she proceeded. "I can't die, remember. Inadu said so herself. I've died twice, now. I'll come back. I promise."

Klaus pressed his lips together and stared at her for a long moment, before he sighed. "Alright, but - you come back me."

Raylynn nodded. "I will."

Klaus lifted his hands from Hope. In the blink of an eye, he reached out and grabbed Raylynn's head to snap her neck.

_______

Raylynn failed to feel her body hit the porch, before her conscious went black. Nothing surrounded for what seemed like an eternity until light flooded her vision. Raylynn blinked rapidly as a forest appeared around her in a blueish haze.

Time to look for Hope.

Raylynn moved forward, aware of the crunch of the leaves beneath her booted heels. She pushed aside low hanging branches and scanned the area for Hope. Her steps were careful as she tried to not alert whatever or whoever might be out there.

Noises a ways in front of Raylynn caught her attention. An orange glow was visible through the trees, drawing her toward it. Raylynn paused when the sound of what she could only decipher as a guitar floated into her ears. She climbed up a small hill in the ground, before the sight before her made her freeze.

Two figures stood a few yards ahead of her, holding each other in their arms. Raylynn recognized one of them to be Hope. Her reddish hair vibrant against the warm light behind her. The other someone Raylynn did not think she would ever see again. Her best friend and sister, Hayley Marshall.

Hope clung to her mother and sobbed into her shoulder. "I don't want to let go."

Hayley sniffed, savoring the embrace of her daughter, before she pulled back with her hands on Hope's shoulder. "I know. But, you have to go back. I love you."

Hope let out a watery laugh. "I love you, too." She stared at her mother as her figure flickered and then disappeared into thin air.

Raylynn could not bring herself to move. Hayley, her dead sister, feet from her. "Hayley?" she questioned, afraid that the woman would vanish just like Hope.

Hayley stiffened at the sound of her voice. She turned slowly and found Raylynn in the trees. Her lips upturned as tears brimmed her eyes. "Not you, too."

At that, Raylynn sprinted forward. She did not slow down, even when she plowed into Hayley and almost knocked them both to the ground. A sob ripped through Raylynn's throat as she wrapped her arms around her sister. Hayley did that same, tightening her hold with an almost unbearable strength.

Hayley pulled away first, but kept her hands on Raylynn's arms. "You came here to get her, didn't you?" she questioned as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Raylynn sniffed and gripped the fabric of Hayley's jacket. "I couldn't let her go. Not yet. Not after you, and Josh, and Ivy. I couldn't do it." Her own tears fell from her lashes.

Hayley smiled, nodding as she said, "you keep doing that for her, you hear me? You do that for her, and Ryan, because they need you. They need you for a very, very long time. I better not see you here until there's nothing else you can do for them." She lifted her hand to cup Raylynn's cheeks, wiping at her hot tears. "I'm happy here, okay? I'm not alone. I'll be okay here until I see you again." She then dropped her arms and turned to something behind her.

Raylynn followed her gaze to where a man sat in a wooden chair with a guitar set on his legs. Jackson Kenner. He strummed on the strings, but he paused when he saw them stare his way. He stopped mid-song and waved. Raylynn laughed, raising a hand to send him one in return.

"I guess he's not so bad after all," Raylynn quipped with a shrug.

Hayley smiled. "I love you, Ray Montgomery."

Raylynn could not help but do the same. "I love you, too, Hayley Marshall."

Hayley's expression fell as she took a step back. "I need you to do something for me, okay?"

Raylynn's brows furrowed, but she nodded and listened to her request.

_______

Raylynn gasped when a burst of air rushed back into her lungs. Her eyes flew open and she found Klaus and Hope knelt at her sides, staring down at her previously dead form. She blinked and grinned up at them. "Hey, guys. That was weird."

Hope beamed, launched forward when Raylynn sat up. She wrapped her arms around her aunt and muttered, "I saw her."

Raylynn returned the embrace and smiled into her fiery hair. "I know. I saw her, too."

_______

Right after nightfall, Raylynn and Klaus decided that they would take Hope and Ryan to the Town Square before the moon crested. Ryan mentioned that there would be a music event, and let it slip that Hope had been invited by a local boy. Once she heard that, Raylynn figured they deserved a bit of fun.

Raylynn watched from a distance as Klaus walked alongside Hope, telling her what would happen after they left the square. What to expect when it came to her first transformation. They were still not certain if Ryan would turn or not, so he got the same pep talk. It was better to be prepared than blindsided.

Across the stretch of grass, Raylynn spotted Ryan and Elijah on a nearby bench. The latter had bought a banana split from a vendor for them to share. Despite herself, she smiled as she watched her son scoop a large spoon full of ice cream into his mouth. His puffed out like a squirrel's, before he swallowed it all.

When Ryan moved away from Elijah to where Hope remained at the edge of the festivities, Raylynn readied herself for what she was about to do. She pushed herself forward and crossed the square to dropped down onto the vacant bench next to Elijah. She could see the shock on his face out the corner of her eye, but she ignored it and set her gaze on the bluesy band there to play for the visitors.

"You looked pretty lonely," Raylynn finally voiced and kept her attention on the dancing partners on the makeshift dancefloor in front of the band.

There was a beat of silence until Elijah spoke. "Feel pretty lonely on most days."

Raylynn nodded, glancing to where the man held a half-eaten banana splite in his hand. "You gonna eat that?"

Elijah looked down at the frozen treat and then held it out to her. "I'm fairly certain your son devoured half of it whole."

Raylynn shrugged, taking the spoon to scoop up some chocolate syrup covered ice cream. "Eh, I think he can unhinge his jaw like a snake." Elijah grinned a bit. She ate a spoon full, before she lowered the dish to her lap. "I know that you're carrying a lot of guilt." Elijah's expression fell as Raylynn turned to him. "And, I know that I'm not helping. It's just the way I'm wired, I guess. Hold a grudge 'til the day I die."

"Then why are you next to me?" Elijah questioned with a quirked brow.

"I saw Hayley," Raylynn stated, causing Elijah to tense. "I saw her when I went after Hope."

Elijah contemplated her words and asked, "what do you mean, you saw her?"

"Hope's heart stopped, and with the Other Side gone, there was only one place for her soul to go. Peace," Raylynn explained. "So, I asked Klaus to kill me to go after her. That's where I saw Hayley. She's so happy over there, and she told me somethings that I wasn't very inclined to hear, but she's my best friend and knows how to talk me down." She sighed and met Elijah's gaze. "I'm not saying that we can go back to how we used to be, Elijah, but I'm saying that I'm willing to try. For Hayley."

Elijah sat there for a long moment in silence, absorbing what she said.

"She also told me to tell you something," Raylynn voiced when he failed to say anything else. His stare lifted from where they dropped to the ground. "She told me to tell you that she's still holding out for that dance." His eyes flashed with recognition. Raylynn smiled. "I can tell you know exactly what that means, so I've done my job." She stood from the bench with the banana split still in her hand. She turned to him before she walked away and said, "hold out for her, Elijah. She's certainly holding out for you."

With that, Raylynn walked away to leave Elijah's with his thoughts. She deposited the last of the banana split in the trash and found Klaus. He stayed at the edge of the square, looking after Hope and Ryan, who enjoyed a night as regular kids. Raylynn reached his side and followed his eye-line to where Hope swayed in the arms of a curly haired boy to the soft melody played by the band.

"They're cute," Raylynn voiced as she watched Hope laugh and smile with the boy.

Klaus continued to stare toward them and said, "don't worry. I'll behave myself."

"I know you will," Raylynn said, before she remembered what they would have to do in the next couple hours. "But, there's no guarantee she will when she figures out what we're planning. Or Ryan, for that matter."

Klaus's light grin fell at the mention of their plan, one that might take him away from his children for more years of their lives. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

"You obviously haven't seen them pissed off. They're a lot like they're father in that regard." Raylynn smirked, bumping her hip against her husband's.

Klaus's lips upturned as he faced his wife. "And, what did our son get from you?" he asked, reaching out to encircle her waist.

Raylynn pursed her lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, he definitely got his attitude from me. That's for sure. Although, that kind, do-no-harm thing is Freya. One hundred percent."

"You're probably right about that," Klaus chuckled.

Just then, the clock tower that rose above the Town Square tolled. Ten times for ten o'clock.

Raylynn sighed and reluctantly let go of her husband. She needed find their children. "Time to get back to the school. The moon's about to crest."

Before she could step away, Klaus's voice stopped her. "Just - let them enjoy the next five minutes."

Raylynn smiled, finding his gaze back on Hope. "I love you, you know?"

Klaus look to his wife and said, "I love you, too." He leaned toward her, placing his lips on hers in a kiss.

_______

They returned to the Salvatore School after a few more minutes at the square. Klaus offered to take Hope and Ryan to the steel rooms reserved for werewolf transformations. That night, several of the school's students would be inside as the full moon forced them to turn into wolves. The rooms, traditional cells, made it easier on the staff to watch over them. Nothing worse than unsupervised, adolescent werewolves.

Raylynn could not bring herself to go down there. She knew that it was horrible to leave Hope and Ryan with only their father, but she could not watch as they writhed on the floor as every bone in their body broke. She had never been able to watch Hayley's transformations when they were younger, and she did not think she could handle her own child's.

To distract herself, Raylynn made her way into the school's library. The ceiling to floor shelves filled with books brought a sense of comfort to her that she needed in that moment. Many of the thick volumes were on multiple subjects. Average topics for average schools, and ones specific to magic and witchcraft. She had to admit, it was impressive. Although she liked Ryan's school in Scotland, they were far from the Salvatore School's level. Ryan's school only catered to witches, which meant they would no longer be able to handle his needs.

Footsteps pulled Raylynn's attention from the stacks. She expected to see Klaus, telling her that the children were settled and they could proceed with the spell, but to her surprise, she found Caroline. "Oh, hi," she exclaimed when the blonde woman strode toward her. "I thought you were watching over your girls."

Caroline bounced on her heels as she came to a stop in front of her. "Klaus made me promise not to say this, practically begged me even, which is entirely out of character for him, but I couldn't stand back and let you go into this blind. If my late husband did this to me, which he did, I would be furious. I am still furious, but this just bring up a lot of unresolved feelings, okay?"

Raylynn stared at the other woman waved her hand in front of her face when Caroline zoned out. "Caroline. Hey, Caroline," she exclaimed to pull her back to reality. "What're you talking about? What did Klaus tell you?"

Caroline's expression hardened. "Klaus isn't just wanting to put the magic into him and then be cast away into cement." She took a deep breath and said, "he's planning to kill himself."

Raylynn's heart stopped. Did she hear that right? "What did you say?" she questioned, barely above a whisper.

"He has a White Oak stake. He's planning to drive it into his heart as soon as the dark magic is placed inside of him," Caroline told her.

Raylynn shook her head. "He - he wouldn't - he promised..."

"I know all about husbands promising to love you for eternity right before they sacrifice themselves to save others." Caroline stepped forward and took Raylynn's hands in her own. "You have to stop him, Ray. Do your first plan. It'll work, I know it will."

"No, No, it won't. The magic's took volatile. I was only going to have a few weeks at most, before something would have to be done, and that was with Klaus as a willing participant," Raylynn rambled on. "Now, we have no plan. He'll fight it an only give it more power."

Caroline pressed her lips together. "There has to be another way."

Raylynn paused, before an idea began to form in her mine. "I have an idea."

_______

Ryan's hand would not stop shaking. He tried to stop them, shoving them under his bent knees or under his butt, but they continued to tremble.

Since Klaus secured a set of insulated cuffs around his wrists, just in case he did transform, Ryan slumped against the brick wall. As soon as the moon started to rise in the sky, he could feel the pull of the massive rock. He knew then that he would be forced to shift. He resisted the urge as everything in his body wanted to pull apart, but it only made the pain he started to feel worse.

After a while, Klaus stormed into the room and pulled Ryan to his feet. He also grabbed Hope from her cell and led them from the school to the surrounding woods. The full moon hung high in the dark sky, while all sorts of bugs chirped and buzzed in the early spring air.

"Dad, what's going on?" Hope questioned their father as he dragged them through the evergreen trees.

Ryan's brows creased, resisting a groan that bubbled up his throat when a wave of pain rushed through his stomach. "Yeah, Dad, we should be inside. We're about to turn. I feel it."

Klaus shook his head. "We shouldn't do this inside. Your mothers would've wanted the two of you to be out here, in nature, under the moonlight." He released his hold on his children and brought them to a stop.

Ryan glanced around, wondering just where he mother had disappeared to. "Where is Mom?"

Klaus looked to his son and said, "she did not want to see you in pain." He reached into the bag slung onto his shoulder to pull out a clear bottle with equally clear liquid inside. "Here." He handed it out to Hope. "Drink this."

Hope uncorked the bottle and down the contents.

Some kind of potion, from what Ryan could tell. Before Hope could give it back to their father, the bones in her left ankle snapped and dropped her to the ground. She screamed.

Ryan did not feel anything, at first, before a shift in his elbow shot the bone out at an odd angle. "Oh, God!" he shouted and fell next to his sister. "It hurts!" His wrist popped.

"It's starting," Klaus voiced.

Ryan could hardly hear his father as his blood rushed in his ears. His bones began to snap left and right. His ankles, knees, ribs. It hurt. It hurt so bad, but he felt them mend and heal seconds after.

"Hope, Ryan, listen to me," Klaus exclaimed and crouched in front of his children. "This is going to hurt. So, you need to concentrate on the air in your lungs, the ground beneath you..."

Hope screamed as her arm twisted behind her back. "Aah! Dad!"

"The first time, it can take hours," Klaus continued.

Hope and Ryan's eyes widened. "Hours?"

"If you fight it," Klaus reassured them. "The pain will make you want to delay it because you think that's all you can take. But if you let it in, if you allow it to swallow you whole, then it cannot break."

Ryan nodded and blew out a breath. "I've got this." He gritted his teeth together when his spine cracked and shifted up, forcing him to arch his back. "Yeah, yeah, no problem."

"When you two are done, run wild and free." Klaus leaned toward them and cupped both Hope and Ryan's cheeks. "I am so proud of you both."

Ryan exhaled and nodded. When Klaus pulled away from his cheek, he looked down to watch his hands flex and morph from fingers to paws. He drew in a breath, allowing the pain to take over every part of his body. He dropped closer to the ground as he cheeks grew hot and his jaw popped forward.

Ryan screamed through the last bit of the transformation. He caught a flash of blue as Hope contorted and lifted into the air. The orb of dark magic launched from her chest. Ryan started to shout, but halfway through it shifted into a howl.

And then, he no longer felt any pain.

Ryan hesitated, before he dropped his gaze to the golden-brown fur that now covered his arms, now legs. He pushed himself up and steadied his stance on all four paws. He lifted his stare to where his father still remained. Klaus smiled at his son and daughter as they made it through their first transformation. Ryan looked to where Hope stood beside him. Her wolf was covered in bright white fur with dark patches along her sides. They exchanged a glance, before they turned to their father. Klaus nodded to them, and both wolves spun around to race off into the forest.

_______

Raylynn raced through the school to the werewolf transitional cells. She needed to stop Klaus before he could leave their children's side, or she would not catch him in time. At the entrance of a hallway that broke off to several iron doors, she came to a halt. Kids were inside, already amidst their transformations. They scratched at the doors and howled, but Raylynn ignored them.

Her gaze landed on Elijah as he exited one of the empty cells, straightening out his suit jacket. "No," she breathed when she did not find Klaus.

"He's gone," Elijah stated. "He's going to..."

"I know. Caroline told me," Raylynn cut him off and stepped toward him with her hand outstretched. "No time for vampire speed. Try not to puke."

Elijah took her hand and braced as Raylynn snapped her fingers. Their bodies blinked out of existence, swirling through space to land on the grounds of the Old Mill. They were just a few yards away from the salt ring spread out on the grass. Fours torches were lit inside, flaring brighter as Lizzie and Josie Saltzman were within the boundary with their arms raised and a dark, blue orb between them. They chanted the spell used to contain the magic, ready to place it inside Klaus, who stood near them.

Klaus started to step over the salt line into the circle, before Raylynn screamed, "NO!" She held up her hand and twisted her wrist, successfully snapping Klaus's neck. His dead body dropped to the ground, ending his plan before it even started.

"What are you doing?" Alaric shouted from where he stood outside the salt circle.

Raylynn dropped her arm and said, "we have another plan."

Alaric's brows furrowed. "I thought this was the only plan?"

"Not quite," Elijah voiced. He released Raylynn's hand and strode to where his brother fell. "Klaus is not the one dying tonight." He crouched next to Klaus, slipping his hand into his coat to pull out the last stake of White Oak. Once he stood up, he twirled the weapon in his hands and stated, "I am."

Raylynn's eyes almost bulged from her skull. "What? No, Elijah..." She rushed to stop him, but he crossed the salt line before she could reach him. She made it to the ring, only to bounced off an invisible barrier. Her heart thudded when the blue orb arced like an electric shock into Elijah's chest. "NO!"

Elijah screamed as the dark magic entered his body, tossing him to the ground. Once the orb disappeared inside him, Raylynn simply stared at him. She hardly noticed Alaric entered the circle to ground his girls and leave, to busy thinking of ways to murder Elijah before he could kill himself.

"What the hell did you do?" Raylynn hissed.

Elijah pushed off the ground to stand. "I did - what needed to be done," he said as he meet her heated gaze. "It was the only way."

"No, it wasn't." Raylynn shook her head. "I had a plan. I was going to shove the dark magic somwhere else, into..."

"Someone else," Elijah finished her statement. "We both know that it would take a true immortal to kill the Hollow's power. It has to end this way."

Raylynn still shook her head when tears brimmed her eyes. "No, no. I just - you can't. At least give me until tomorrow." Her attention shifted to where Elijah grasped the White Oak stake in his hand. "You can't die without saying goodbye to Klaus. To Rebekah. Or, Freya. Kol. Ryan and Hope. They would never forgive themselves. I would never forgive myself. Please, Elijah."

Elijah held her stare, before it lowered to the stake in his hand.

<July 18, 2019>

One more chapter left. Get ready for the heartache.

Don't forget to vote and comment.

-Jordan

P.S. Unedited chapter.