save my soul : k.m.

return to the crescent city - chapter 21 part 1

The tone in the room had turned cold. Nik stood by the wide window and he couldn't help but watch Astrid who sat at the old fashioned oak desk on a stool with a blue suede covering. Her legs were crossed and the one touching the floor was bobbing up and down in angst.

'Bekah we can find a way out of this that doesn't involve you jumping bodies.' Astrid begged and Nik piped up too, 'This is not happening. No. No way.' Astrid's heart raced at Rebekah's proposition. 'Listen, Astrid. Maybe she just needs a simple majority.' Rebekah tried to reason with her in the outhouse living room but her sister in law was having none of it, 'So what? We just let the villain win?'

'Rebekah we have spent a thousand years together. If you were human-' Elijah began, he was leant up against the fireplace with his arms crossed. Rebekah cut him off, 'When I'm old and wrinkly you can put me back in my original body.' She smiled sarcastically at Nik, 'Nik even has a coffin he can store me in'

'Plus this means putting your life in Kol Mikaelson's hands.' Astrid looked between the siblings as she carried on, 'He's our family sure but even I know he's screwed Bekah over more then once.'

'At least the plan sounds plausible. I go ahead with the spell and when my soul is in limbo, Kol jumps me into another body that we all know instead of Cami. Happy days.' Rebekah patted her thigh and the other three looked down at their feet. Astrid looked up at Nik and the two read each other. He noticed the skin around her collarbone sink in as she gulped and her eyes were drowning in concern for the vampire she called little sister. His wife was uneasy.

And it made him feel sick to the stomach.

'I'm gonna call Kol. Then check on Hope.' Astrid sounded defeated as she walked out of the room with her arms crossed. The bonfire still roared outside and the smell of burning wood wrapped around her. Looking to her left, she smiled at the sight of Hayley in a rocking chair covered in blankets and feeding a half asleep Hope Mikaelson. Hayley heard the door open and looked up smiling ear to ear with a glint in her eye and that had been missing for the last few months.

She walked past the scene and down the steps to the roaring fire and watched sadly as the picture they took earlier disintegrated more and more. There was no way that picture could've existed, she convinced herself of this. There's a reason vampires don't take pictures.

'Astrid! What can I do you for, darlin?' Kol's voice rang through the mobile and amusement flashed through Astrid's face, 'You're strangely chipper considering the circumstances.'

'These circumstances are fairly normal to this family though wouldn't you say?' Astrid could practically hear the smirk on Kol's face as he spoke. 'Yeah yeah. Shut it... listen. How easy would it be to divert Rebekah's soul from Cami to a different body.. some unsuspecting witch maybe?'

...

'Are you okay?' Hayley joined Astrid's side with Hope in her arms after her call with Kol. Astrid kept her eyes on the bonfire as she replied, 'So much has changed in two years.' Hayley looked at her friend concerned before looking out into the field, 'What was it like.. when they left?'

'Like I lost a part of myself. You spend a thousand years with a group of people.. you end up just not being able to let go.' Astrid trailed off deep in thought, 'Marcel will tell you if you ever asked. Him and Thierry used to jump people back in the day that would breathe Nik's name around me.'

'You really are Queen huh?' Hayley smiled and Astrid seemed to come out of her daze with a smile, 'I guess so.'

Hope cooed in Hayley's arms and Astrid giggled which made Hayley smile. 'You can take her if you like.' Hayley handed the baby over and Astrid instantly knew what Hope was holding. She had to hold back tears at the sight of the ring that she gifted her and Hayley and smiled ear to ear, 'You've got to keep good hold of this okay love?'

Hayley let out a hearty laugh when Hope giggled excitedly and leant into Astrid's chest. 'I can see it in him you know?' Astrid began, 'Niklaus Mikaelson is a man of many faces.' She paused and looked at Hayley, 'I thought I'd seen all of them till I saw the way he looked at her.'

'I was so convinced that I'd be doing this by myself.' Hayley admitted and Astrid shook her head, 'I remember when we were human. He loved the idea of us having kids. You've returned him to a part of himself, Hayley. And plus.. I wouldn't of left you behind.'

'Because of my parents right?'

'Because you're my family, Hayley. Not because of who your parents are. Because of who you are.' Hayley smiled at what she said and the two began to walk back into the house. Hayley kept a smirk on her face and Astrid turned to her, 'What?'

'Hope does need a sibling.' Hayley sung and Astrid swatted her laughing, 'Shut it!'

...

Once the plan had been agreed - Klaus, Rebekah and Astrid had begun their journey back to the Quarter. 'You two are so angsty.' Rebekah tried to lighten the mood with a smile and Astrid couldn't help herself, 'If anything happens to you I'm going to decapitate Esther and stick her head on a pike.'

Rebekah laughed, 'Relax, "big sister" I'll be fine.'

'I mean it too. If things go south we'll be there to pull you out.' Klaus spoke from the driver's seat and Rebekah smiled, leaning over into the front of the car and wrapped her arms around Nik and Astrid's chairs and smiled.

'Us three on the same team, huh? It must be Christmas.'