Rebirth

It's a dangerous thing to romanticise the past. To allow nostalgia to drag up old memories from the depths of our hearts and fashion them into something they're not. We built a mirage of memory and knelt before it like a false god. What we called love was nothing but foolish hope. We revisit old feelings for the same reason we reread old books — comfort in words that are familiar, even though we know the endings.

Though the imagery of sunsets was a comfort to Lola because of her aunt, Klaus too was able to fathom a certain level of comfort himself. He admired how the evening sun cast long shadows on the ground. The slanting rays of the setting sun gave a warm orange tinge with a hint of lilac to the sky. The golden glow that would cast upon Lola's skin who sits opposite him at their customary, quaint table at their favourite cafe in the centre of Jackson's Square.

Klaus would glance around the small groups of people surrounding the cafe and square; the distant sounds of their laughter mixed in with the jazz notes from a nearby parade but his softened stare would be fixated on Lola to the point it felt like time was frozen. Her honey coloured hair was tied back making her delicate features more prominent, her cat-like, wide eyes would squint as her bright smile would beam towards their daughter.

Though his eyes would rarely leave Lola's direction, hers never left where their daughter sat. The same delicate features that matched her mother's, yet her eyes were the same glaucous colour as her father's. Hope was the perfect mixture of both her parents, and they were both captivated over her; some days finding it hard to believe that she was here with them.

"Can you clap for mama?" A bright smile shows nothing put love and pride as Lola leans towards Hope clapping her hands towards the infant. The couple laugh softly when Hope mimics her mother by clapping, "You're such a clever girl."

"She takes it after her father." A ripple of butterflies swarm inside Klaus' chest when he hears his daughter's giddy laughter when Lola coos at her, tickling her.

"What?" Lola looks towards Klaus sitting opposite her with a raised brow, the same time Hope does the same as Lola wears a teasing grin, "Being a clever girl?"

Klaus chuckles at Lola's remark, he watches as Hope reaches her arms out towards Lola before the heretic picks her up out of the highchair, placing Hope onto her lap. The hybrid continues to smile watching when his daughter's attention goes straight to the diamond bracelet against Lola's wrist, the same one he gifted her over a hundred years ago. Expensive taste just like her mother, Klaus would think to himself.

Their sweet, peaceful bliss was soon disturbed by the ringing bells coming from St Louis Cathedral. Klaus couldn't fully recognise the small smile that twitched at the corners of Lola's lips, it was a happy smile and yet there was a hint of sadness mixed into it before she sighs, "We need to leave soon."

"What's the rush?" Leaning across the table, Klaus reaches his hand out for Lola to take which she does. She wears a conflicted stare as Klaus twists Lola's hand around in his grasp, thumb grazes across the two rings placed on the heretic's finger, "It's the first beautiful day we've had in a while and I want to spend time with my wife and daughter."

"Nik, this isn't real." Her voice turned to a whisper that made it feel like something pierced through Klaus' heart, "This is just an illusion you fabricate."

Brows are knitted together, face showing nothing but confusion as Klaus' hold against Lola's hand loosens, "What are you talking about?"

A faint smile graces Lola's lips, eyes are full of sadness as she glances around the small cafe, "This cafe doesn't exist, Nik. This is the same cafe you've been dreaming about for months. None of this is real."

Klaus shakes his head in disbelief, a small laughter falls from his lips attempting to not seem unsure but fails, "You're being ridiculous, love. Of course it's—" Klaus stops in his speech, the doubt that begins to fill his mind heightens when the small crowds surrounding them begin to fade.

"See?" Lola eyes darken with sadness, they become glossy as she looks down at Hope on her lap, "We don't even know if Hope will be like this."

"But I still have you." Klaus chokes out, his heart rate begins to increase when Lola avoids his gaze. Lowering his head, he continues to try and catch her gaze, "Lola—"

The heretic slowly looks up from her daughter, brows are pulled inwards before looking at the two rings against her finger, "We're not married either. Right now you're in our bedroom but I'm not there with you. You can't even remember the last time that I was."

Klaus wakes with a heavy pent up breath, his eyes are wide staring out to the side of the dark, quiet bedroom. The only sound that could be heard was Klaus' heavy breathing and the shattering noise of rain hitting against the windows with the occasional burst of thunder rumbling through the darkened clouds in the sky. Every night Klaus' thoughts weighed heavily on his soul; his mind would wonder. No matter what he would think of, it would draw back to a moment he's dreamt of before he even knew that was what he truly wanted. Peace.

The overbearing feeling of loneliness was a constant thought that darkened Klaus' mind but that all faded when he felt the sheets against him shuffle and the warmth of an arm wrap around him; everything felt right again. He could feel his pulse relax, wrapping his arms around Lola and pulling her closer to him. His subconscious tries to poison his mind with the thoughts of being alone when in truth, they've never left each other's side. They'd stay by each other for as long as needed until both would know when the other needed their own space.

He ran his hand through her honey coloured locks, softly pressing a kiss against the top of her forehead as Lola remained in a deep sleep. It felt rare for Lola to go to sleep and stay asleep, the sound of the rain pounding against the windows and the strong scent of lavender that filled the room was the reason for this. For months she barely slept, it got to the point she would pretend until Klaus had fallen asleep which was when she would make her getaway not wanting to disturb the little sleep the hybrid has.

Klaus watched as her chest would gently rise and fall with each breath, how her eyes sometimes moved under her sleepy eyelids. She was stunning in his hold, soft and strong yet consumed by the same fire that raged within his own body. She drew memories in his mind that he could never erase. She painted colours in his heart that could never be replaced. There was no love quite like their love.

It felt rare over the course of the last few months whenever Klaus would feel a small ounce of peace but this was it. Until his eyes are met with the bright moon beaming through the window. It was as though it was mocking him, that this was his last night before another full moon and he will once again be weak.

—✤—

It was known for Lola to change her mind fast on certain things. However, her opinion hadn't changed when it came to classical music; she hated it. Much to Klaus' despair who favoured it more than any genre other than jazz. The old fashioned music taste matched his ancient soul, Lola would often mock which would result in an eye roll from the hybrid.

Last night was the first night Lola can remember in a long time that she actually slept through. Even to a heretic a full nights sleep can be the cure for a lot of things. For a small moment she woke up not feeling as down as she usually did but the momentary bliss was interrupted by the bellowing sounds of Mozart.

She throws the covers over her head when it sounds like the music is dying down, mentally praying that the moment of silence will continue. Lola huffs obnoxiously when the music begins to bellow once more even louder than before, practically making the walls vibrate. She throws the covers off herself, running her hands through her hair before eventually climbing out of the bed.

Loud classical music and art are one of the ways Klaus may be able to feel some modicum of comfort, Lola knew that and though it may not be her favourite thing; she wouldn't get in the way of that. Just like he wouldn't get in the way of Lola's comfort. Closing the door that leads into the living room, she approaches the large table in the middle of it. As she gestures her hand above the unlit candles against the table, they all light simultaneously creating a golden glow within the room.

The heretic anxiously chews on her nail while flicking through her grimoire, trying to find a way to speak to her older brother despite exhausting the entire book. Deep down she knew it was impossible to see Damon...the other side was gone and it wasn't coming back. A heavy feeling weighed on her chest as she tried to push that thought out of her mind, she just needed a sign.

"You know," A feminine, raspy voice comes into play making Lola jump, "We don't have any sort of currency over here but I think I'm going to have to start charging you."

Lola bows her head, closing her eyes as she sighs heavily, "Shit."

With pursed lips, Cora hops onto the table where Lola stands refusing to look towards her aunt, "How are you, Cora?" Cora gasps dramatically, her hand going against her chest as she smiles, "Thank you for asking, my darling. I'm doing quite fine, oh you know other than being called here several times a day." An unimpressed glare from Lola is met with an amused one from Cora, "I may be dead but I do have a life."

"I'm sorry." Lola breathes out, a long breath falls from her lips. She steps away from the table running her hands through her hair, "I just—"

"My sweet girl." Cora's eyes soften towards her niece, watching her trying her hardest to not completely break, "I know what you're trying to do but I'm afraid it will never work."

Lola avoided her aunt's gaze, knowing exactly the sympathetic stare the older witch would wear. One look and the walls that are slowly being chipped away will come crashing down, "I have to try."

Lola was very similar to Cora, the eldest witch would always boast about this as she watched her only niece grow up. She'd always remind Lola that she gained her aunt's whit, strength and courage but seeing Lola in this exact moment she realised one thing she gained the most; her stubbornness.

She would always be stubborn until the very end, exactly what Cora is like. Deep down Lola knows that it's impossible to speak to her older brother, but her stubbornness will never allow her to openly admit that. Cora watches as her niece frantically scans through the opened up grimoire on the table, her heart breaks wanting to tell Lola what she so desperately wants to know. She wants Lola to realise that she needs to understand that life isn't what you're given; it's what you create, what you overcome and what you'll achieve that makes it beautiful.

Cora places her hand against the grimoire, stopping Lola from flicking through all the pages. Lola refuses to look in her direction, instead wearing a placid expression staring out in front of her which makes the elder witch sigh, "The other side has gone, Charlotte."

"So, then how am I seeing you?" Lola pushes Cora's hand away from the book before slamming it shut. Her weak stature and tired eyes meet her aunt's concerned ones, "If the other side has gone, why haven't you gone with it? Or found peace?"

"I have found peace." Cora smiles softly before she shrugs, "But you know that the witches in our coven can still see each other regardless."

"I need to see him, Cora. I just need to see if he's okay. Did you see him?" Lola's voice breaks, brows pull inward as she tries to fight back from completely falling apart. Cora avoids her nieces gaze when Lola attempts to catch her eye, "Before everything, did you see Damon?"

Lola's shoulders sink, she scoffs when greeted with silence, "Okay, fine. You wanna turn mute about Damon?" Cora watches as Lola walks to the corner of the room, opening the backing of the bookcase and taking out an emerald box. Lola removes the lid as she walks back towards her aunt, taking out a piece of paper, "Let's talk about something else. This."

The heretic slams the parchment paper that was enclosed in the broach, onto the desk beside where Cora sits, "This isn't your handwriting, Cora. Whose is it?" She takes the broach out of the box, opening it up, "The ash, is it someone or just something you got from the fireplace?"

The elder witch's finger glides across the paper, showing a hint of a smile, "You've seen the handwriting before. It's just been a long time since you've seen it."

"We're not on some game show where I have to guess the answers, Cora!" Lola snaps, snatching the paper out of Cora's hand, "Last time I checked, being a ghost doesn't make you lose your ability to speak. Especially considering yesterday you wouldn't stop going on about how attractive you find the man who lives here with the fancy suits."

Cora postures straightens up, eyes light up with mischief, "I wonder what colour he's wearing today. Black? Or...black?" She purses her lips watching as Lola isn't taking notice of what she's saying, instead rereading through the piece of parchment. Cora smirks, hopping off the table, "Elijah!"

"What are you doing?" Lola's eyes widen, panic runs through her tone as she turns to see Cora stepping towards the door as she practically whistles out for Elijah like he is some dog, "Cora, stop it."

"Elijah! Hey!" Cora continues to call out for the older Mikaelson, ignoring Lola's plea, "Guy with the suits, come in here!"

"Cora!" Lola snaps in a hushed tone, she vamp speeds in front of Cora to stop her from leaving the room, "Shut up!"

"Oh, relax!" Cora can't help but laugh at how panicked her niece looks before her, she pushes Lola away from her softly. Thrashing her hands through the air, Cora continues to laugh, "He can't hear me, no one can but you. They can just hear you telling yourself to shut up."

There's a small moment where a hint of amusement tugs at the corners of Lola's lips in regards to her aunt's timeless humour, but then all the darkness floods into her mind once again. Cora runs her hands through Lola's hair, making the heretic look at her. A heavy weight forms on Cora's chest seeing just how truly broken Lola looks, "Oh, my sweet girl."

"I am losing my mind," Lola exhales a long, shaky breath before pulling away from her aunt. She steps back towards the table before holding up the piece of parchment, "You need to tell me what this is all about."

"The ash is of someone Thomas loved the most." Cora explains as she steps beside Lola, "His father."

"He died after you." Lola's face shows nothing but confusion glancing between Cora and the broach filled with what she now knows as Malcolm Wetherby's ashes, "So, how did you get this into the broach?"

"I never said I put it all in there." A small smile graces Cora's lips as she gestures towards the emerald box, "Look through your past, it will make sense."

Lola resists the urge of rolling her eyes towards another one of her aunt's infamous riddles, "Nothing you say makes sense anymore. At least tell me what this spell will actually create?"

"If you get this into his bloodstream it will kill him almost instantly. There's no direction on how to get it in, just as long as you do." Taking hold of Lola's hand, the Whittaker witch wearing a teasing grin, "I know you so well that I know you will find a very Charlotte-like way about doing it."

"Charlotte..." Whipping around, Lola's direction goes towards the door where Elijah peaks his head around it wearing a cautious expression. Lola's eyes go somewhat wide, looking to her side to see Cora no longer there. Elijah closes the door behind himself stepping further into the room, "Are you—"

"It was nothing." Lola quickly dismisses Elijah's concern, avoiding his gaze as she directs herself straight towards the door.

As the heretic storms past the Mikaelson, he reaches out for her gently grasping hold of her arm to stop Lola in her step. She huffs, looking straight ahead of her wearing a stone cold expression making Elijah sigh, "Talk to me."

Lola pulls herself out of Elijah's hold before she continues to walk out of the room, "Just leave me alone."

It would be a lie if Elijah would ever think that the way his relationship with Lola has changed drastically didn't hurt him. Because it did, more than he'd ever show. The first few weeks after that fateful night, their relationship was normal if not stronger than ever before.

All three of them gave each other comfort that they all needed. As the weeks and months went on, the more everything began to sink in and the reality of everything that happened became too much for Lola to handle. She began to close up with Elijah; if he entered the same room as her, she'd leave. If he attempted to speak with her, she would barely string a sentence before refusing to even look at him.

It felt as though Lola was so desperate to turn Elijah back into a stranger yet he was holding onto everything they've shared together for as long as he could. He wasn't willing to give up on the woman who was always there for him throughout his darkness points; even when she had no recollection of who he was. They knew more about each other than some people would ever know about their lovers. It was this that made Elijah come to the conclusion that Lola isn't doing this out of spite, it was her last option and she was desperate.

Elijah was able to get through to Lola more than anyone in her life. More than her brothers, more than her aunt, even more than Klaus. She didn't want to admit that anything that happened was real, denial is the first stage of grief and she was stuck in it with no intentions of moving out of it. This overwhelming weight of denial was what kept Lola's humanity intact and if it meant pushing the people who are closest to her in order to stay that way, then so be it.

The bellowing notes of Mozart, things being thrown around and Klaus' yells break Elijah out of his thoughts. With a deep sigh, he leaves the room and navigates himself closer to where the chaos that Klaus is creating lies. Just as Elijah enters the room where his younger brother is, clearly looking agitated, the hybrid throws a torn up canvas across the room.

Clearing his throat, the older Mikaelson kneels beside the same canvas, coming to his feet as he takes hold of the canvas, "I suppose we shall have to call this your white period."

"I'm missing a crucial colour in my palette—" Klaus mutters in a bland tone. It's then Elijah is able to take in the weak stance of his brother as Klaus continues, "That of my enemies' blood."

Elijah purses his lips ever so slightly, placing the torn up canvas onto the side table, "Well, I recommend a Venetian red, with a dash of rust..."

"It's been months!" Klaus snaps, dismissing Elijah's attempt at sarcastic humour, "I've adhered to our plan: sit and do nothing, sell our grief. And now, our child is safely away, and another full moon is upon us—" Klaus tightens his jaw, growing more and more agitated and impatient as each month goes by, "Another night of pathetic weakness as the moonlight rings steal my strength!"

Elijah responds with silence, giving his younger brother a sympathetic stare. Klaus sighs, his anger slowly dispersing, "The inertia is killing me. I need to act. I-I-I need—I need to spill blood."

"Well, then.." Elijah clears his throat as he straightens up his suit jacket, "You'll be pleased to know that I've located the last of the twelve rings forged with your blood."

A sinister looking smile twitches at the corners of Klaus' lips as his eyes gleam with malice, "Then, it's time!"

"And none too soon. I'm concerned about Charlotte."

The visible smile against Klaus' lips fades almost instantly when he sees the serious look on his brother's face. His shoulders tense up at the mere mention of Lola, he shakes his head before turning his back against Elijah, "There's no reason to be concerned about her. Lola is fine."

"Niklaus, the mother of your child deserves more than just fine!" Elijah snaps in a harsh tone making Klaus roll his eyes to himself, "If she isn't barricading herself in your bedroom, she's in that room every single day trying to reach out to her brother when the other side is no more!"

"She is hanging on by a thread!" Klaus begins to raise his voice, irritation begins to seep through his words as he turns to face Elijah, "Surly you can see that, brother. If either of us try to speak to her about this that may be all it takes for her to turn her emotions off. You know just as well as I, that Lola doesn't take too kindly to anyone attempting at controlling her."

The ins of the elder Mikaelson's brows furrow, unable to fathom any words for a small moment in regards to his brother's assumption, "This isn't—"

"How do you wish for her to be, Elijah?" Klaus holds his arms out, scoffing, "Walking around this home with a spring in her step? The same night we had to say goodbye to our daughter, she received the harrowing news that her brother was gone! You cannot control how people grieve!"

Elijah's jaw clenched, growing irritated towards Klaus before stepping closer and pointing in the hybrid's direction, "It's not my intention, nor will it ever be my intention to control how that girl feels. I know you are both going through a tremendous amount of heartache. Each of us are in different corners of this home, we need to unite together as one to end this war for good." He's greeted with silence from Klaus who turns away from Elijah, looking through the pile of canvasses on the floor. Elijah sighs heavily, "Sadly, like the father of her child, Charlotte prefers to fight her demons alone."

—✤—

Throughout Nate Hastings life prior to meeting Adrianna, he never felt like he truly belonged anywhere. He came from a family of wealth, his parents would chose anything and everything over him, making him live his childhood isolated. But everything changed on that one cold, November night in 1987 when he met the love of his life, Adrianna Miller.

It felt like coming up for fresh air when he met Adrianna. The angel in white who saved my life, Nate would always say to her which resulted in an eye roll yet a bright smile complimented it. For the first time in his entire life he didn't feel alone and never did ever again. Little did he know it wasn't just Adrianna who saved his life, he saved hers.

He was the fourth one to join the unorthodox and chaotic family. A group of people who didn't feel like they belonged anywhere until they had each other and created complete and utter chaos in the process. It was chaos, but it worked. These four would have done absolutely anything for each other, even faking their own death to protect others. They were all a little distressed when they found out Scott was alive but that soon disappeared and they felt nothing but happiness that their family was complete again.

There was a dark cloud overshadowing them all as they felt as though their family was breaking apart once more. Lola never left the compound ever since she lost her daughter, she never spoke to any of them. It effected Adrianna the most out of the remaining trio. She felt hurt that the girl who is her sister would practically cut all ties from her. Then she'd feel an overwhelming surge of guilt for being upset regarding that. Lola had lost her daughter, lost her brother and this was how she handled the grief. But it still felt like a hot iron impaled Adrianna through her chest, feeling further away from Lola than ever before.

There was a bright light that was bringing them all out of the darkness in a very unique way. It was something both Adrianna and Nate had always dreamt of happening and sometimes it felt like a pinch-me moment that it was now a reality.

Nate breathes out a sigh of relief when he opens up the apartment door to Cami, clutching hold of a brown paper bag, "Thank god. Cami O'Connell, you are a lifesaver."

Cami's smile widens as she steps into the apartment, passing the bag to the vampire, "How could I not help when you almost cried to me on the phone?" She gestures towards the hallway before stepping towards it, "Is Ade through there?"

Nate narrows his stare towards the blonde human. They hadn't known each other for long, but it seemed obvious when something weighed on the therapist's mind, "Wait, what's going on?"

"It's nothing." Cami attempts at brushing away what was on her mind with laughter that turned out shaky. She gets an unamused stare from Nate which makes her roll her eyes, "I hate that I can never lie to you. On my way here some of Francesca's creepy henchmen were following me."

The vampire tenses up at the mere mention of the pack of wolves that had involvement in harming his closest friend and her child along with others he cares about, "If they did anything to you—"

"They didn't." Cami breathes out before she shrugs, starting to look unfazed regarding her altercation prior, "I told them where to stick it and gave them my coffee."

"Your coffee?" Nate raises a brow, unable to hold back his amused laughter, "Who are you now? Starbucks?"

Cami flashes a playful glare towards him, "That dig would be funny if I had my morning coffee, but I haven't so it's not." She points towards the brown paper bag still in Nate's hold, "When you've made the head of this household's drink then you can make me a coffee."

Nate stands alone in open planned living space when it looks like a permanent fixture of confusion will remain on his face, "Wait, so am I supposed to be Starbucks now?"

The soft sounds of the cloud mobile was always what caught your attention as you walked into the room. It felt like as soon as you'd enter this room, you were transported to a place that only knew peace. Cami's smile is wide as she slowly opens up the door, noticing a peaceful Adrianna sat on the floor holding up a soft toy before she gasps softly, "Aunt Cami saves the day once again."

It's then Cami's attention goes straight to the infant sitting on the floor beside Adrianna, "Hey, gorgeous girl." Kneeling down, Cami picks up the infant before lifting her up in the air before softly kissing her cheek, "You're getting so big."

Ophelia Hastings. It was no secret that Nate and Adrianna wanted to live as much of a normal life as possible despite their supernatural status. They always longed to have a family but soon made peace with the idea that it was a short lived fantasy. Until two months ago when they went to New York to see Scott and his family after they brought Sal home from Arizona after his surgery.

All they expected from this short trip was to catch up with old friends before heading back to New Orleans. Until one night their old friend James O'Malley called them, needing to speak with them urgently. As they arrived to the darkened O'Malley's bar, they expected to be greeted with silence but instead greeted with cries.

Flashback, two months ago:

James attempts at cooing the eight month old infant in his arms but continues to fail. He catches a glimpse of Adrianna entering the bar making him sigh out, "Thank god. You got my messages."

"Yeah, all eighty of them." Nate remarks as he stands behind Adrianna, he narrows his stare towards the baby, "I don't want to sound like a dick but aren't you a little too old to be having a baby, O'Malley?"

"This little lady isn't my child, Nathaniel. She's my granddaughter." James continues to try and shush the baby but if anything it makes her cry out even more.

"May I?" Adrianna gestures towards the baby in James' arms. After getting a swift nod from the barman, Adrianna swoops the child into her arms and begins to rock her, "It's okay."

It was like magic as soon as Adrianna held the baby, she stopped crying, gazing up to Adrianna. James breathes out a sigh of relief, "I've been trying to make her that happy for the past hour."

There was a strange, new feeling that was forming in Adrianna's chest as she gazes down at the child in her arms. An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break. It may sound silly to some that this is how both Adrianna and Nate felt towards a child they've never met before but in this exact moment it felt like this was meant to happen all along.

Nate doesn't even realise the broad smile he has on his face, cheeks practically ache as he watches the love of his life with the baby. His eyes drift towards where James stands, he wears a faint smile yet eyes are dull with sadness.

Clearing his throat, the vampire steps away from Adrianna and pulls James to the corner of the bar, "What's going on, O'Malley?"

"Her name is Ophelia." James voice breaks as though he's attempting to fight back tears, "I need your help."

End of flashback.

Cami's face starts flooding with concern noticing Adrianna completely spaced out, "You okay, Ade?"

"Yeah," Adrianna croaks before flashing a fake smile, "I'm just tired."

Cami's shoulders slump yet still continues to sway in her spot as she gives Adrianna an unamused glare, "You can't bullshit me. You know that. What's going on? If you're still feeling guilty—"

"How can I not feel guilty?" Panic suddenly bursts out of Adrianna as she comes to her feet, immediately beginning to pace, "We went to New York for two days and came back with this unexpected," She stops in her step, smiling towards Ophelia in Cami's arms, "But amazing gift." Her brows pull inwards, eyes begin to go glossy, "Meanwhile my best friend is only two blocks away grieving. It feels wrong."

Cami may not have spent much time with Lola and Adrianna at the same time, but in the moments she has it was so obvious the close bond they shared. Anyone would think they were sisters, though they weren't connected by blood, they were connected by energy. They are there for each other no matter what, through the good and the bad. They were always patient with each other, and support each other no matter what.

The O'Connell felt almost envious regarding the close bond between the two vampires. But her heart breaks as she can see in Adrianna's eyes how lost she feels now her and Lola were drifting away from each other.

"You know Lola's heart would break if she knew how hard you were being on yourself, Ade." Cami's tone is calm and soft as she wears a sympathetic smile, "She'd be happy that you're finally living the life that you've wanted for so many years."

"Besides, you won't be gone forever and when you come back you'll have a niece here waiting for you."

A lump forms in Adrianna's throat as she can hear Lola's voice that was laced with excitement when she presented her best friend and Nate with tickets to Italy. There was a spark that gleamed in the Salvatore's eyes when she'd speak of her daughter and it's felt impossible for that image to be wiped out of Adrianna's mind.

"Lola should be living that life too." Adrianna's voice turns into a whisper, attempting to push back tears that threaten to escape. She frowns for a moment, clearing her throat, "Maybe I should go over there."

Cami can see the hope that lights up Adrianna's eyes, she returns the same level of hope through a soft smile as she nods, "I think that's a good idea."

Adrianna grimaces to herself, she shakes her head as though she's shaking out any positive results that the conversation between her and Lola may bring, "No, I can't. I can't tell her about Lia, I can't do that to her. Then I can't lie to her because thats what we're like. We can't lie to each other, we're both really annoying lie detectors when it comes to each other."

Her voice starts to become shaky with panic, she laughs nervously as she paces around the nursery, "You know, there was one time where I lied saying I hadn't just filled up our entire jukebox with Elvis but I did. She knew I was lying before I even finished my sentence. In the same breath, Lola couldn't lie to me that Klaus had been hiding in her room all that time after she said they hated each other!" Adrianna rolls her eyes, a loud obnoxious scoff falls from her lips, "It was constant! Always sneaking around with him back then but she knew that I knew, and—"

"You're rambling." Cami deadpans, raising a concerning yet a small hint of amused brow towards the vampire.

Adrianna stops pacing, shoulders slump as she scoffs, "I'm rambling! Another reason why I can't go over there because I'll just get as nervous as this and one thing will lead to the other and everything will spill out of me!"

"Hey, here's an idea." The O'Connell's voice turns slightly high pitched trying not to sound condescending. She steps closer to Adrianna who grips hold of her coffee, "Stop drinking the coffee."

A small whimper falls from Adrianna's lips watching as Cami takes the cup of coffee out of her own hands, "That's a good start." Cami places the cup to one side before closing the gap between herself and Adrianna, "Take your daughter and relax."

There's a small piece of hope that forms in Cami's chest as she thinks about Lola whose never once stepped foot out of the compound since she lost her daughter. There have been a few instances where Lola has fully opened up to the O'Connell, even admitting that some things she has told Cami, she hasn't even told Adrianna or Klaus. Maybe this could be another one of those instances, Cami thinks to herself.

The blonde smiles watching as Adrianna immediately relaxes when she holds Ophelia who starts playing with Adrianna's hair. With pursed lips, Cami clears her throat, "Why don't I go over there?"

"Really?" Adrianna's voice is high and full of hope, she wears a faint smile, "Are you—"

"Hey," Nate stands in the doorway of the nursery, clutching hold of a bottle for Ophelia, unintentionally interrupting as he looks in Adrianna's direction with a confused expression, "Where'd you put the submarine?"

"You mean the cardboard box?" Adrianna scoffs, flashing an unamused glare towards him, "Where it belongs, the trash."

"Are you serious?" Scott's bellowing voice comes into play, his shoulders slump as he stands behind Nate, "I was making that for Lia!"

Adrianna's eyes drift to Scott's hands as he gestures to the infant in her arms, "Scott, what's in your hand?"

Scott frowns, glancing down at his hand that is clutching hold of a bottle of bright yellow paint, "Nothing." He purses his lips, glancing up at the ceiling as he puts his hands behind his back, "Definitely not paint."

"Whatever you say." Adrianna rolls her eyes, pointing towards Scott, "Can you please make sure the definitely not paint doesn't stain the rug, again?"

Nate gasps dramatically, his smile beams as he steps closer to Adrianna, taking hold of Ophelia. He holds her up in the air before kissing the infants neck making her laugh, "Your mommy is being extra cranky today."

"Yeah," Scott nods, he watches as Nate walks out of the room, for a moment he goes to follow Nate but peaks his head around the doorway and gesturing towards Adrianna, "A cranky mom who doesn't appreciate art."

"Last time I checked vacuum boxes are not art!" Adrianna shouts in annoyance after the two vampires before she rolls her eyes, inhaling a sharp breath, "I have three children."

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, hesitation covers Adrianna's face as she turns to face the blonde O'Connell, "On seconds thought, I don't know if it's the best idea that you go over there. Last time I spoke to Elijah he was concerned that Lola isn't feeding as much as she should, her craving for blood is stronger now she's a heretic. She hasn't been around humans in months, I don't want to risk anything happening."

Cami's brows knit together, eyes show confusion yet she wears a sincere smile shaking her head, "Lola wouldn't hurt me."

"The Lola we know wouldn't." Adrianna closes her eyes, immediately regretting the way she worded that. She sighs heavily, taking hold of Cami's hands, "I just don't like the thought that we'll be throwing temptation at her cravings and risk putting you in danger."

"It's not like I'm not already in danger with the way Francesca is running things." Cami scoffs, rolling her eyes. She breaks away from Adrianna and steps closer to the opened door, "I should go over there anyway, something needs to be done for the city."

—✤—

"You're still living in the shack?"

Lola's face squirms with a distasteful look as she watches Stefan through the video call, unpacking groceries. He laughs off her mock, looking around his new home in Savannah, "It may not seem like it to someone whose living in a huge ass compound but this is a normal sized house."

The heretic brings her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she sinks further into the couch, "Are you still getting bombarded with calls?"

"Caroline is very persistent with calls but I've not answered." Stefan sighs, both hands rest against the kitchen counter, "I've spoken to Alaric a few times but that's about it."

"What about Elena? Do you know how she's doing?" Lola's tone is soft and genuine which makes her get a confused looking stare back from Stefan, "What?"

Stefan shakes his head, he laughs breathlessly, "I'm just sorta surprised you're asking about Elena."

Lola rolls her eyes, glancing away from Stefan on her laptop screen before she scoffs, "I know we've got a past but I do genuinely like Elena. I've never seen anyone go through the amount of grief in the short space of time she has and actually survived it all." 

A lump forms in Lola's throat as her mind goes back to Damon, though she may not have totally accepted their relationship straight away she could see how much of an impact they both made on each other. Lola clears her throat, shifting slightly in her spot, "They were each other's rock."

Stefan bows his head as he sighs, "Last thing I heard was she's getting some kind of herbs off Luke to be able to speak to Damon. It's not real, obviously. It's just her subconscious saying what she wants to hear." Looking through the video call, Stefan looks behind Lola to see the table set up that's been the same for months, "Has Cora given you anymore answers?"

Lola flashes an unamused stare to her younger brother, "What do you think?"

"Was she drinking rum?" Stefan smiles at his own quip, shrugging his shoulders, "Do they have rum in this Whittaker witch ghost bubble?"

"If they didn't, I'm pretty sure Cora will have made it possible." Lola flashes a hint of a smile before her attention goes to the paper beside her on the couch, "She said I've seen the handwriting before in my past. Last time I checked I'm not a graphologist."

"The answers you need will surface when it's time." Stefan sighs. His eyes soften as he takes in the demeanour of his sister; he hasn't seen her like this since the death of their aunt Cora. He was only nine at the time, he couldn't remember much regarding his aunt's death but one thing that was imprinted in his mind was seeing how broken Lola was. 

"I know when I was there we made an agreement that I was the brother who had no fashion sense but even I know when you're not dressed like yourself." Stefan speaks up again getting a confused stare back from Lola which makes him laugh softly, "Lo, I've never seen you wear sweatpants before in my life and every time we talk you're wearing some."

"Okay," Lola drawls out, frowning as she glances down at her attire before she shrugs, "Well one; they're comfy. And two; sweatpants haven't been a thing your entire life so obviously you've not seen me wear them before."

"You know what I mean. Yesterday you said that you don't feel like yourself anymore. That you could literally feel your soul being pulled out of your body. Maybe this could be the first step in you not feeling like that anymore." Lola swallow harshly at Stefan's words, deep down knowing he could be right. She looks down at her hands, picking at her nails knowing if she looks at Stefan through the camera she'll break. Stefan sighs, knowing exactly what Lola is doing, "Lo, I know that you're in pain and I know it won't get better until you're with your daughter. But what's the harm in trying my theory?"

"Will you stop talking about fashion if I do?" Lola teases, slowly looking up from her fidgeting hands to her brother smiling back at her through the video, "Fine. What about you? When was the last time you wrote in your journal? Maybe you should start writing again."

"Then do you want the pages mailed to you daily?" Stefan jokes, "Read them like a newspaper?"

Lola smiles looking away from the screen as she shakes her head before looking back at Stefan, "I know I've mocked with Damon that I read your journals, but I never have. The only exception was at the Grill with Damon and Bekah. Other than that, I never have." She wears a genuine smile as she shrugs, "They're your thoughts, Stef. They should stay like that."

Stefan's brows shoot up in somewhat surprise before he laughs, "Here's me thinking you had regular book clubs with Damon over them."

The heretic purses her lips looking down at her intertwined hands, "What kind of big sister am I if I don't tease you now and then?"

"Before I forget, I found something." Stefan grabs his phone off the counter, Lola can hear the his fingers pressing against the keyboard, "Check your phone."

Just as Stefan says that, Lola's message tone rings. As she unlocks her phone, the small moment of happiness she felt instantly vanished; anger replaces it. "You were right," Stefan continues as Lola stares at a picture of Thomas Wetherby at the Wetherby estate in France, "He's been living there months before everything happened. It doesn't make sense why he hasn't made any sort of move."

"It makes perfect sense." Lola rolls her eyes as she scoffs, throwing her phone to the side of her, "He wants me to make the first move. He's got something planned, I just need to figure out what. If you find anything else—"

"You'll be the first to know, don't worry." Stefan wears a warm smile at his sister until knocking is heard from behind him, "That's Ivy, I gotta go."

"Ivy, huh?" Lola teases as she smirks. Stefan has briefly mentioned of a girl he met in Savannah while he was working at an auto-repair shop. When Lola receives an unimpressed glare from Stefan through the camera she raises her hands up, "Okay, sorry! Mouth will stay shut. I'll speak to you later."

After she closes the laptop screen, Lola leans her elbows against her lap chewing on her nail as she takes in Stefan's words. Maybe Stefan was right, she thinks to herself. There was only thing Lola could always count on and that would be feeling better than she felt before after she spoke to her younger brother. It still hurt her that he wasn't here with her but she knew he needed to grief on his own; so if working in an auto-repair shop and dating a human was the way he did that, then so be it. 

Just as Lola is about to walk back towards her bedroom, a group of laughter from outside of the compound catches her attention. Gazing out of the window is when she sees a baby girl, looking no older than a year old. The baby's laughter sounded so pure and so innocent when it was mixed with laughter coming from a couple, who Lola presumed were her parents. 

At first she felt anger. Seeing a family happy when her family were separate and had no idea if or when they'd become one again. Lola knew the anger was only being fuelled by the envy she felt seeing them. Then her mind drifted elsewhere, thinking of Hope. She wondered if she had started to laugh yet; god she wanted to hear her daughter's laugh. Lola is brought out of her thoughts as she feels the warmth of tears fall down her cheeks. It was both a blessing and a curse to feel everything so deeply. 

"She rarely leaves this room." Lola turns to the closed door as she can hear footsteps and Elijah's voice.

There's a soft knock at the door before it opens, "Lola?"

Lola's face turns cold as Cami walks through the door wearing a polite smile, closing the door behind herself. Shaking her head, Lola takes a step back, "Do you really think it's wise to come in here? You shouldn't be here, Cami."

"I know you won't hurt me." As Cami steps closer, Lola can see the worry that floods her face towards the heretic, "We're all worried about you, we all miss you. I just want to talk and see how you're doing."

Lola remains standing in the corner of the room, her face shows no expression at all. Crossing her arms against her chest she turns to face out of the window. Her throat instantly turns dry, able to hear Cami's heart pumping blood through her veins. She tightly closes her eyes to stop the dark veins appearing underneath her eyes as her hunger grew.

Cami smiles, sighing to herself as she sits on the armrest of the couch, "Silent treatment? That's cool, we can just be here in silence." She wears a teasing expression as the O'Connell purses her lips, "But then I can't tell you all the details of what's been going on between me and Marcel." Cami raises a brow at the silence from Lola, not even a little twitch of emotion on her face which makes Cami scoff softly, "No whitty comeback? There really was no point in coming to see you, was there?" 

This was a mistake, Cami thought to herself. She breathes out a heavy breath coming to her feet and steps towards the door. She stops in her step, turning on her heel, "I don't understand the pain that comes from losing a child but I understand the pain that comes from losing a brother." There's a small fraction of a second when Cami can see the sadness flicker onto Lola's face as her words sink in, "Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim." Opening the door, Cami looks towards Lola one last time, "You know where to find me if you eventually want to talk."

"Cami." Lola croaks in a whisper, she frowns to herself as she continues to stare out the window before looking in Cami's direction, "Thank you."

A hint of a smile appears when Lola watches Cami walk out of the room, the second the door closes behind Cami; her smile vanishes and is replaced with a scowl of annoyance. She wasn't annoyed at Cami, deep down she was grateful that Cami took time out of her day to come and see her. No, she was annoyed at the entire situation that was created by Elijah, desperate to get through to Lola that he'd risk allowing Cami into the compound when Lola hadn't been near a human since she transitioned. 

—✤—

Turning the small dim lamp in the corner of the room, Lola's eyes goes straight towards her closet. She can still hear Stefan's words in the back of her mind and it vexed her sometimes, getting advice from her younger brother when it should really be her giving out the advice with being the older sibling. But what harm could it do to listen to Stefan's advice once in a while?

Opening her closet, Lola runs her hand across all the expensive looking outfits, most still having tags against them. The corner of her lips twitch into a smile as she thinks to the day she bought most of these outfits, using Klaus' credit card. A lump instantly forms in her throat when her eye catches one piece in particular, sending her straight back to the day of Father Kieran's wake;

Flashback, four months ago:

Through the video call, Damon's face twists with a mixture of disgust and discomfort towards his sister, "Where's the rest of it?"

"What do you mean?" Lola frowns, looking down at the silk black dress she holds in front of herself, "It's a dress."

Damon obnoxiously scoffs, sinking further into the sofa as he shakes his head, "It's a shirt that's been cut in half." His voice is as stern as his expression, he points towards Lola on the laptop screen, "You're not wearing that. Ever."

"Oh, shut up trying to be the strict big brother." Lola rolls her eyes before a smug grin plasters all over her, "I know Elena will love it. Elena!"

It was only a few seconds later that Elena's voice comes into play, "Was that Lola's voice?" Damon turns to the side when Elena comes into the videos view, her smile beams to Lola, "Hey!"

"What do you think?" Lola holds the dress up again in front of herself, "Picture me without this beach ball stomach."

"Sexy." Elena leans against the back of the couch where Damon rolls his eyes, burying his face into a cushion. Elena hits Damon across the back of his head before she giggles, "Very very sexy. MILF energy."

Damon pulls the cushion off his face, glaring up at his girlfriend before playfully hitting her with it. Lola wears a satisfied grin, "Ha. You lose, we win."

"So," Damon starts, the corner of his mouth is twitched up in a smirk as he watches Elena walk out of the room. He edges forward on the couch, watching as Lola continues to unpack the various bags, "Klaus pissed you off which meant you went and spent his money on clothes you can't even wear?"

Lola shrugs, with pursed lips she lays out all of the clothes on the bed, "I need new clothes for after the baby is born."

"You know who else needs clothes?" Damon deadpans as he attempts to fight back an eye roll, almost forgetting how materialistic his sister could be, "The baby."

Lola scoffs, frowning at Damon through the video call, "You really think she doesn't have any when Caroline, Adrianna and myself are part of her life? She's going to have more than an actual clothes store." Her eyes catch one more bag that she hasn't opened as she continues, "Where's Stef, by the way? I tried to call him but there was no answer."

Luckily for Damon, Lola is too engrossed in the amount of clothes she just bought to notice the colour on his face completely drain. It was only the night before that the traveller, Julian, ripped Stefan's heart out and now their little brother was stuck on the other side. The same night, he and Klaus made the agreement that they weren't going to disclose any of this to Lola, especially if there was a chance Stefan was going to come back.

Damon starts to stutter slightly, looking around the empty living room, "He's around here somewhere. Oh, you know what?" Damon clicks his fingers as though he's remembered something, "He's out buying more hero hair gel."

Lola's shoulders slump, giving an unimpressed stare to Damon before she opens up her closet, "You expect me to believe that?"

"Hold on a second." Damon changes the subject when he notices something within Lola's closet, "Lola, what the hell is that?"

Lola turns slightly, glancing between the closet and Damon on the video call, "A closet?"

"Inside the closet, dumbass." Damon rolls his eyes as he scoffs, he points his finger, "That's my leather jacket."

The blonde Salvatore's eyes catch the leather jacket that Damon is talking about, hung up on the door of her closet. She scoffs, taking it off the hook, "No, it's not. It's mine."

"No." Damon drawls out, attempting to not sound annoyed but is failing miserably, "It's mine that went magically missing two years ago."

"Isn't the whole purpose of having siblings is so you can borrow things?" Looking completely unfazed at her brother's annoyance, Lola slips the oversized leather jacket on before shrugging her shoulders.

"Not for two years, Lo!" Damon whines, he shakes his head as he sinks into the sofa, taking hold of his glass of bourbon, "I'm coming to New Orleans just to get my jacket back from you."

Lola narrows her stare towards the older Salvatore as she steps closer to her laptop, "Have you or have you not got at least twenty more in your closet? I'd be confident to say you've got a separate closet for them all just like Elijah does for his suits and how Stef needed his own bathroom so he can store all his hero hair supplies!"

Damon flashes a hint of a smile, "That one is important to me."

Lola's lips turn up in disgust, looking at the jacket she wears, "If you say this is your lucky jacket, I swear—"

"Open the inner pocket."

"There is no inner pocket."

"Yes, there is. I would know considering it's mine." Damon flashes an annoyed grimace as he watches Lola search in the mysterious inner pocket. Her mouth is agape, revealing exactly what Damon is talking about which makes him laugh, "Can you remember when you written that?"

Lola laughs, looking down at the beermat in her hand before she nods, "1994."

"I was trying to convince you to stay in town longer than you were going to." Damon chuckles as he relives the memory of the first time Lola stepped foot in Mystic Falls after all siblings turned, "You kept throwing tequila shots down my throat to stop me from asking you to stay."

Lola smiles at the memory as she sits on the edge of the bed, "And to shut you up I grabbed the beermat and written on the back that this was your token you could use when you wanted me to come back to town but it could only be used three times."

"See the cross against the number one?" Lola flips the beermat over, seeing the red across against the number one. Her finger runs against it as Damon continues, "I did that about an hour before you came back to town two years ago. I still have two more that I can use to get you back here." Damon swallows harshly, trying to fight back the broken feeling regarding their baby brother, "When Stef comes back from his hero hair gel adventure, I say we plan the next time you come here. Deal?"

Lola matches the same grin as her brother as she looks at him through the screen, "Deal."

Their conversation is interrupted when an array of knocks from Hayley are heard from the other side of Lola's door, "Hurry up, Lo!"

"I gotta go," Lola sighs standing up from her spot, shrugging off the leather jacket and placing it back into her closet, "I'm late for the priest's wake."

"Lola Salvatore at a priest's funeral." Damon can't hold back his laughter, finding it amusing picturing Lola in that kind of scenario, "Now that's something I definitely didn't think you'd ever say. Love you, Lo. I'm gonna be in the city soon to take back what's mine."

"You can try." Lola teases. She sits back on the edge of the bed, smiling back at her brother, "Love you too."

End of flashback.

There was no goodbye, just absence. It was sudden, abrupt and louder than any voice could be and Lola was stuck in it. She lost a part of herself when she lost her brother and it left a void in her heart that could never be filled again. 

Lola chokes back her tears as her shaky hands reach up, taking hold of Damon's leather jacket. As she brings it up to her face, she closes her eyes and takes in the scent. Tears uncontrollably fall when she can still smell the faint scent of Damon's cologne; the one in particular she would always tease him about saying it smelt like something Hugh Hefner would wear. 

Her back hits the cold wall behind her, she buries her face into the jacket to conceal her sobs. She slips down the floor before clashing with the hardwood floors beneath her, choking on her own tears. She cried and cried and cried..for the life Damon lived, and the one he didn't.

—✤—

As much as it annoyed Lola to admit it sometimes, Stefan was right. Not completely right in regards to her changing her clothes to what she used to always wear before she fell pregnant that it would make her feel better. In a small fraction, it did but the sight before as Lola walks into her room and seeing light coming from Hope's nursery, the small bit of happiness was long gone. 

The annoyance that had been building up in Lola towards Elijah only intensified when she sees him beginning to dismantle Hope's crib. She pushes the door open further, eyes darken with fury, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Elijah?"

"I believe that's a new record on words you've said to my face in these past few months." Holding up pieces of the crib, Elijah shows no expression as he turns to face Lola.

"Good to know you can count." Lola scoffs, her jaw tightens attempting to hold back her anger but fails to do so when Elijah then continues to dismantle the crib right in front of her. She harshly snatches the parts of wood out of his hands, "What are you doing?"

"We discussed this in detail months ago," Elijah inhales a sharp breath before turning his attention back to Lola, "Our illusion needs to be flawless to everyone outside of these walls. Months have passed, now is the appropriate time."

"So you thought it was your decision that it was appropriate to pack away my daughter's room?" Lola laughs spitefully, throwing the pieces of wood onto the floor, "What's next, huh? I wear a big ass smile walking through the Quarter telling people Klaus and I are ready to try again? I suppose Cami showing up today was also part of your appropriate agenda as well."

Elijah's eyes soften, "I understand this is difficult for you—"

Just as Elijah steps closer to Lola, about to place his hand against her arm she steps back, "No, you don't! You don't understand!" She glares to the older Mikaelson, pointing towards him as he voice rises, "You had no right to corner me with Cami!"

"If you must know, Camille came here by her own accord. This is not healthy, Charlotte!" Elijah raises his voice just as loud as Lola did. She scoffs, shaking her head as she starts to pace around the room before Elijah steps closer to her, "You know that! I am trying to help you, can't you see that?"

"How is this helping me!?" Lola turns to face him, her face is a mixture of hurt and anger as she gestures around her daughter's bedroom, "Who made it your decision to do this? Is this your child's room? Is Hope your daughter? No!" 

The anger Lola feels making her blood boil, she never thought she would feel this amount of frustration towards the man she trusts more than anyone, "She is my baby! I decide what happens in this room, not you! This is my life, Elijah! My grief! You don't get to decide when it's over! I've already had one brother trying to control my life. Just because he's gone doesn't mean you get to take over the controlling role."

There's a small moment when hurt and guilt flashes across Elijah's face but it quickly vanishes, he narrows his stare towards the heretic, "The fact that you think my attempt at helping you for one second would be controlling you is an insult. Taking out your frustrations on me that are towards others is not going to make matters any better!"

"Why shouldn't my frustration be directed to you? I didn't do any of this!" A shaky, unamused laugh falls from Lola's lips, she points out of the window, "This. All of this was you and Klaus! Now I have to live in this stupid city without my daughter in my arms! I have to stay trapped in here while the mess that you both created is cleaned up! It's not fair, Elijah!"

"If we all work together then you are one step closer to being with your daughter once more." Elijah lowers himself to become eye level with Lola, despite her looking to the side to avoid his stare. He places his hands on either of Lola's arms, "All that I desire is to help you—"

"I don't need your help, Elijah!" Lola snaps harshly, pushing Elijah away from herself, "I've never needed your help! You all just seen me as some damsel who couldn't do anything for herself!" Her eyes darken even more with rage, jaw is tight, "I don't need help from someone who claims to be this noble man on some white horse when he's more psychotic than anyone! What gives you the right to do this? Did you think that I'd be grateful!?"

"And the way you are acting is any better?" Elijah's tone turns spiteful, he had no intention of lowering to Lola's level but didn't see any other option. He gestures at Lola in front of him, "The woman before me is just a stranger who refuses to be in the same room as me. Who starves herself."

The blonde's face is expressionless, she faintly shakes her head before she scoffs, "I'm not starving myself—"

"What is the reasoning for not feeding?" Elijah interrupts her, "You can use deceits to Niklaus that it's this new found strength but I know it's not that. You know it's not that. You're punishing yourself." His eyes were cold, "You've become so damaged that you think punishing yourself by not feeding is the right thing."

Lola was angry, she'd had enough. A fire had been ignited within Lola's soul and she had no intention of letting it die. Her eyes show nothing but fury towards the Mikaelson as she steps closer to him, "Last time I checked I don't need advice from someone who can't even handle his own shit! You can't just keep all of your demons behind some stupid door in your mind, then try and get me to face my own!"

"Charlotte—"

"Can you leave?" Lola cuts him off, not giving him a chance to finish what he was trying to say. She steps back, glancing towards the door, "Now."

For most of the time that Elijah had known Lola, he was confident in thinking that their bond would never break. But now as they stand in complete and utter silence, Lola staring in front of her refusing to look at him; he felt foolish for ever thinking their bond was strong. 

—✤—

"I don't want to go down there." Lola harshly cuts Klaus off from attempting at reasoning with her after her fight with Elijah, "Why can't you just reiterate what will be said?"

"Lola," Klaus sighs as he sits on the edge of the couch, already starting to feel weak from the moonlight rings, "This won't work if we all don't work together."

"He should have thought about that in hindsight." Lola continues to have her back to Klaus, standing over the table as she creates the same protection drink that she has made for Klaus every month, "I don't want to be in the same room as him." Turning on her heel, Lola stands in front of where Klaus sits holding the glass, "Are you going to drink this or shall I just throw it away like Elijah was going to throw Hope's things away?"

Klaus closes his eyes as he sighs before taking the glass out of Lola's hand, "Animosity is high between us all right now, I understand that." His eyes are tightly shut as he harshly swallows the strong herbs, "Once the air has cleared you will realise you didn't mean what you said to Elijah."

"Don't tell me what I did or didn't mean." Lola's tone is fuelled with anger, slamming shut the grimoire on the table, "He was packing away our daughter's room, Klaus!"

"And the solution is to act cold towards him and to also create a boundary spell against Hope's room?" Klaus laughs spitefully, gesturing towards the door, "It wouldn't surprise me if you done it so I also can't enter my own daughter's bedroom!"

Lola shows no emotion on her face, she shrugs, crossing her arms against her chest, "I don't trust you both when it comes to that. Elijah has a way of talking you round things and I have no doubt that at some point he will make you believe that it's appropriate to pack away her things."

Klaus' eyes soften towards his love, he closes the gap between them both. He cups her cheeks, thumbs caress her cheeks, "Lola, I would never—" Lola scoffs, pushing herself off Klaus making the hybrid's jaw tighten, "We are both grieving an unimaginable loss, but this is what we need to do in order to take a step closer out of this loss."

"There are two types of grief, Nik. The heart wrenching loss of someone who can't ever be physically present again, only in spirit." Lola's brows turn inwards, her eyes begin to sting with tears threatening to escape when she looks down at the table to see a picture of herself with Damon, "But in this case not even that." 

Lola swallows harshly, flipping the picture over before she turns to face Klaus once again, "Then, the loss of someone you love more than anything in the entire world and they're out there with no trace on how they're doing. They both hurt and they're both happening now. There's nothing we can do to stop them from hurting so much." Just as Klaus tries to step closer to Lola, she looks away from him and heads straight towards the door, "Lets just get this over with."

As Lola walks into the dining room, she is greeted with Elijah who is already stood there waiting for the couple to arrive. Klaus soon walks in after Lola which is when Elijah clears his throat, "Good, you're here. Now as discussed, brother, we're taking the twelve original rings. Now, four of them sit on the hands of the Guerrera brothers. One on Oliver, one on Francesca, three with the home security detail, and the rest scattered amongst her lackeys. Now, each ring is distinguishable by its setting—gauche, like those that wear them."

"If they believe they can get their hands on the stake, they will come for me when I am weak." Klaus takes a seat beside where Lola stands, refusing to look at either of them, "Each ring you retrieve will strengthen me, but I will still at a disadvantage."

"Ergo, any hope of our success depends entirely upon our working together." Elijah's eyes drift towards where Lola stands who rolls her eyes moving to the opposite side of the room. The older Mikaelson sighs, leaning against the back of a chair, "The three of us can no longer afford to retreat to separate corners. We need to put all the pent up aggression and frustration to the side and focus on the main target."

Lola was stubborn, that was no secret. And yet, despite the anger she feels towards Elijah in this moment, she knows everything he is saying is right. Tonight, everything in regards to these moonlight rings will be over; that's what she needed to focus on right now. 

Klaus slowly comes to his feet, locking eyes with Lola standing on the opposite side of the table, "This is our fight. Are you ready for battle, Lola?"

"Do I even have a choice?" Lola mumbles, her face turns cold not breaking eye contact from Klaus, "Just promise me one thing, Francesca is mine."

A hint of an evil smirk appears on Klaus' face, a faint nod agreeing with Lola as Elijah buttons up his suit stepping out of the room, "I'll deal with the last piece of the puzzle."

—✤—

With each wolf using the magic of the moonlight rings, Klaus becomes more and more weak. He kneels on the floor of the living room, with his eyes closed as he tried to save the little strength he has left. The echoing clicking noise of Lola's heels make it unable to Klaus to focus on maintaining his strength. Opening his eyes he watches as Lola paces around the living room, waiting for the fight that will bring an end to all of this with Francesca.

She chews on her nail, growing more and more apprehensive about tonight. Klaus sighs, pulling himself up onto the couch, "You need to feed, love."

Lola jumps out of her thoughts as she stops pacing, looking over to a weak Klaus. She shakes her head before she starts to pace once more, "No, it's fine."

Sinking further into the couch, Klaus holds his hand out to her wearing a faint smile, "Come here." Taking a deep breath, Lola hesitates for a moment before she sits beside Klaus as he wraps his arm around her waist, "After tonight it means that we are one step closer to bringing Hope home for good."

"Yeah, I know." Lola breathes out in a faint whisper, leaning into Klaus' hold. 

"Here."

Klaus unwraps his arm from Lola's waist, pulling his sleeve up showing his wrist. Lola's brows furrow glancing between his wrist and him, "And take what little strength you have left? No."

"You need it more than me, sweetheart." Klaus bites into his own wrist, holding it out in front of Lola, "We once made a promise to do whatever it takes. This is us continuing that promise."

To say the scent of Klaus' blood wasn't pulling Lola closer and closer to his wrist would be a lie. She continues to hesitate, she looks over to Klaus who nods, holding his wrist out even further for her. She then also nods, mainly to herself before the dark veins under her eyes show. As she leans forward, taking hold of Klaus' wrist, his other arm once again wraps around Lola's waist. Lola's grip against Klaus' wrist tightens when her fangs pierce into his skin. 

It felt euphoric to both of them. Klaus' grip against Lola's waist tightens as she sinks back into the couch, her mouth against his wrist. The feeling of the metallic liquid running down Lola's throat transported her back to the many times they've blood shared before. She had forgot how additive the hybrid's blood tasted and it felt almost impossible for her to stop. Klaus could feel himself becoming weaker the more and more blood that Lola drank but it also felt impossible for him to pull away. It had been a long time since Klaus felt this way, his head arches back as his breath halts in the back of his throat as he tries to control himself and the lust he feels towards the heretic in this exact moment. Though feeling weak, he was seconds away from pulling Lola onto his lap and piercing his fangs into her neck, desperate to have the sweet taste of her blood run down his throat.

A breathless Lola pulls Klaus' wrist away from herself as she also attempts to control herself. She stares out in front of herself as she catches her breath before she feels Klaus' hand against her cheek forcing her to face him. They remain silent, locked eyes until Klaus' thumb swipes across Lola's plumped lips, wiping away the small amount of blood left against them. 

Both of them can feel themselves pulling closer to the other as their eyes drift to each other's lips, desperate to taste. Their lips practically touch until Klaus gasps out, pulling his head back and taking a deep breath. It was starting. 

He wears a sinister grin as he can feel his strength slowly coming back, knowing Elijah and Marcel were in separate parts of the city taking the rings back. He takes hold of Lola's hand, giving her a knowing glance, "It's time."

The heretic matches the same grin when she can hear a group of footsteps and distant muttering beneath them in the compound. Unable to resist any longer, Lola presses her lips against Klaus' in a deep, electrifying kiss. She pulls away from him, resting her forehead against his, "Whatever it takes." Klaus watches as Lola vamp speeds out of the room, unable to wipe away the smile against his lips; knowing this was the beginning of the end regarding all the pain they've been through over the last four months.

Two wolves steps out of the courtyard, towards a staircase muttering to each other. One of them starts to scream out in pain, clutching hold of his head as he falls to the floor. The other watches in shock before looking behind him to see Lola holding her hand out towards them. She wears an evil grin before ripping his heart out of his chest, throwing the heart to the ground beside his body. The same wolf that she used the pain infliction spell on, attempts to come to his feet showing his amber eyes. He doesn't even have chance to fight before before Lola snaps his neck, pushing him on top of the other dead wolf. 

She smiles pulling the rings off both of their fingers, knowing upstairs Klaus will be gaining even more strength. Shoving the rings into her pocket, Lola stands up straight to see four other wolves stepping towards her. She stands in front of them, tilting her head to the side, "Have I ever said how much I hate the smell of dog being in here?"

"Motus!" Lola holds her hand out towards two of the wolves running towards her, making them fly backwards, harshly hitting the brick wall behind him. 

The two other wolves run towards her, she punches one in the jaw with so much strength that is breaks his neck. She grabs a fistful of the female's hair before piercing her fangs into the woman's clavicle, draining all her blood in seconds. She takes both of their rings, putting them into her pocket along with the others. Looking towards the two wolves she pushed against the wall, she can only hear one heartbeat. One of them starts to groan out in pain, attempting to come to his feet.

Lola holds her hand out, pulling it towards her chest, "Vido!" The wolf attempts to dig his nails into the floorboard as he gets magically pulled up to Lola's feet. With a twist of her wrist, Lola turns the wolf around with her magic before smiling down at him. 

She kneels beside him, slowly pressing her hand into his chest making him gasp for breath, choking on his own blood. She grasps her hand around his heart, she can't help but grin as she feels it harshly beating in her hand before she rips it out of his chest. 

The croaking sound of floorboards moving above catches Lola's attention, she quickly takes the ring of the wolf before hiding in the shadows able to look above in the courtyard. It's then she can see Oliver rushing down the stairs but he stops right at the bottom when an emotionless Lola comes into view.

She harshly grips his throat, pressing him against the brick wall, "You really think you're a tough guy when you've got some tacky stone against your finger, don't you?" Lola twists Oliver's arm around his back making him scream out, she takes the ring off his finger before pushing him onto the floor. She presses her heel against his neck, "The only reason I'm letting you live is because of Hayley. Start treating her with respect and I won't kill you. But if I see you with one of these rings again then I won't show you this much mercy again."

Lola kicks Oliver in the face, knocking him out cold. Her breathing becomes erratic, she was expecting to feel guilt but if anything she didn't feel like her night was completely finished. Her phone in her back pocket rings, taking it out of her pocket she sees a message from Elijah;

[Elijah:]
Back roads out of town. Go there to finish what they've started.

—✤—

The corner of Elijah's lips twitch up in amusement as he walks back into the compound to see the bodies of several wolves, knowing it was Lola. Walking upstairs, he steps into the living room to find Klaus dabbing a paintbrush into a pool of blood formed on the throat of a wolf lying beside him, "I'm still not at full strength." He presses the bloodied paintbrush onto a blank canvas, "Which of the rings are unaccounted for?"

"Only one." Elijah leans against the doorframe, not bothering to hide his ever-growing smirk, "I must say, the brothers fought valiantly before Ms Guerrera escaped."

Klaus shoulders sink, he turns looking towards his brother unimpressed, "You let her get away!?"

"...Not exactly." Elijah drawls out, he purses his lips shrugging nonchalant, "Lets call it a peace offering."

On the outskirts of New Orleans, a petrified Francesca speeds down the backroads, heading straight out of the city. Her breathing is heavy, eyes are wide looking through the mirror petrified that someone could be following her. 

She gasps when a blur appears at the side of the road, swerving her car. She turns her head, looking back to where the blur was to see nothing was there anymore. As she turns to face head on, she screams out when she sees Lola standing in the middle of the road. As Francesca harshly swerves her speeding car, the car viciously flipped over, tumbling along the empty road several times before completely stopping on the hood of the car. 

Francesca screams out frantically, she unfastens her seatbelt, falling to the floor. She winces as she climbs out of the car, hand pressing into the shattered glass surrounding her. She screams out when she feels a something grasp a handful of her hair bringing her to her feet. 

"Did you really think we were going to make this so easy for you?" Lola laughs in a sinister way, pressing Francesca against the car, her hand grips the wolf's throat, "You honestly thought you were going to be able to run out of this town?"

Francesca's entire body trembles, blood trickling down the side of her face as she holds up shaky hands, "Please, don't do this!"

"Don't do this?" Lola echoes in a spiteful way, her hand tightens around Francesca's neck, "I remember saying that. I remember screaming that and it doesn't work!" Lola harshly kicks Francesca's legs making her fall to the floor, "Think of something else."

Francesca pulls herself up onto her hands and knees, she starts to whimper staring down at the cold wet concrete, "Lola, please."

"You're pathetic." Lola presses her foot against the brunette's back making her fall to the floor, "You acted superior to everyone else, talked down to people whenever you had your pathetic pack of mutts at your beck and call but then if you take them out of the equation you're nothing."

Lola grabs hold of Francesca's jacket, pulling her to her feet. The blood against the wolf's face is mixed with her own tears, pleading for her life, "You don't have to do this! Please!"

"You were part of the plans that resulted in me losing my daughter!" Lola slaps her across the face with so much force, she is thrown against the crashed car, "I almost lost my brother because of you! And you still expect me to show you mercy?" The heretic can't help but laugh at the petrified woman trembling in front of her. She smiles as her fangs extend, dark veins appear under her eyes, "You've pissed the wrong person off if you expected anything less than what you're getting."

Francesca screams at the top of her lungs when Lola bites into her neck, draining her of all her blood. Lola throws her limp body onto the floor before taking the final moonlight ring. Everything she thought in regards to drinking more blood was right, it was easy for the little part of humanity she had left to slip away.

—✤—

Guilt is the worst demon to bear. After the night before, Klaus expected to feel satisfied with how the night panned out; no more moonlight rings we effecting his strength and that he was one step closer to having his daughter back in his arms. And yet, as he sat in the courtyard, staring down at the pile of stones, it was like the guilt he felt tightened around his neck,

"Could you not just take a sledgehammer to them?"

"These were forged by a witch, brother." Elijah rolls up the sleeves of his shirt, "And, as such, only the elements of fire and water can destroy them." He can see the dull look in his brother's eyes, "I'd have thought this would have brought you greater pleasure."

"As would I." Klaus mumbles, continuing to stare down at the table, "This was my fault. All of it. If I had just accepted Lola's pregnancy instead of..." He stops himself for a moment, to compose the anger he feels towards himself, "Playing king...I should have listened to you. I should have listened to you both. Instead, my greed and my envy robbed me of my daughter. My actions led to the release of the weapon that can kill not just me, but you."

A hint of a smile twitches at the corner of Elijah's mouth, he leans against the table, "In a thousand years, I've survived your attempts to destroy me, brother." Elijah pushes the stones into the palm of his hand, dropping them into the bowl with burning charcoal, "I imagine I can survive this."

"You chase my redemption," Klaus whispers, staring up at his brother as his face is masked with confusion, "Like a man rolling a stone up an endless mountain."

"Well, no mountain is endless, brother." Elijah picks up the pitcher of water, pouring it into the bowl with the stones and charcoal, "Some are just steeper than others." Both brothers watch as the stones begin to break apart, revealing small droplets of Klaus' blood spilling out of them. Elijah exhales a deep, heavy breath, "I know Charlotte is taking her anger out on me because she feels it's the right thing by pushing me away."

"Right now she won't admit it, but everything Lola said to you is false." Klaus wears a faint smile towards his brother, "She adores you as though you're her own blood. You can get through to her more than I."

"In the past, perhaps." Elijah can't help but smile as he thinks back to the several times that both he and Lola have been there for each other. Yet, he can't stop the heavy feeling in his chest that they've never been this pulled apart before, "In this moment, I believe that only you can understand her grief."

Klaus frowns, the sting of tears pool in the corner of his eyes. He exhales a long shaky breath, "We lost our child...she lost her brother. I mean, what could I possibly say to ease her pain?"

Elijah places his hand on Klaus' shoulder and squeezes it comfortingly, wearing a warm smile, "Whatever she needs to hear."

He knew where he would find Lola, if she wasn't in their bedroom she would always be in the living room standing beside the table with her grimoire opened up. Lola's eyes are closed standing in front of the table, they slowly open when she hears the door opening and Klaus stepping in. 

She looks down at the candles, open grimoire and picture of herself and Damon. She remembers feeling so much love and so much heartbreak staring at this picture and in this moment she feels nothing. Her brows were relaxed, her entire face was relaxed and eyes were like there was no feelings at all behind them.

"During the small time that I was human again," Lola starts off, continuing with her back to the hybrid as he steps closer to her, "There was a part of me that wanted to stay that way. I felt pure. But being a vampire again has took that feeling away. I didn't want to be part of last night because I didn't want to harm anyone."

Klaus sighs, stepping beside Lola placing his hand against her lower back, "Lola..."

"I killed six wolves before I got to Francesca. I didn't feel guilt like I thought, I didn't feel remorse. I enjoyed it." Lola turns in her spot to face Klaus, yet her eyes look anywhere but towards him as she shrugs and wearing no expression on her face, "Throughout my life people have always assumed there was a darkness in me, I suppose they were right all along."

"They're wrong, you know?" Klaus tilts to the side, catching Lola's gaze. His smile is sincere and warm as he takes hold of Lola's hands, "I said to you that I was going to be by your side through everything and I'm not going to stop. We can get through this together, Lola. But all this fake hate towards the people who care about you can't keep going, love. You know it's not the way forward."

Lola breathes out a long, amused breath before mimicking the same smile as Klaus, "We've known each other a hundred and twenty-five years..." She closes the gap between them both, her hands softly go against either side of Klaus' face as any expression completely drains from her face. She swiftly twists Klaus' head to the side, hearing his spine snap and heart stop beating. She drops Klaus onto the floor, staring down blankly at him, "And you still haven't learned you can't tell me what to do."

—✤—

so..
mommy ade..and lola..well—
..eventful huh

if people don't like the twist i've created for adrianna and nate they can bffr bc it was always gonna happen i just decided to make it happen rn

madness to think it's been over two years since i've started writing these books..the love and support i get off you is amazing, ily all

if you haven't seen it yet, i've created a third book for one shots. there may be things i write but don't necessarily need to be in the main books, or things that have been mentioned but no detail given..unseen flashbacks will be the main thing in this book so go check it out and get it added to your library