Heart Of Darkness • Legacies

67 | decisions, decisions

Hope approached the Old Mill, where she found the same setup that Ruby had set up over the summer, though this time it was completely trashed.

"Ruby??" Hope called out as she looked around for her girlfriend. Throwing a couple of barrels amongst the rest of the mess in the Old Mill, Ruby stopped. Her chest heaved up and down quickly, but she refused to move. She refused to look at Hope.

"Babe?" Hope asked softly, as Ruby kept her back to the tribrid. "I can't... I can't lose Rafi." Ruby said, as she attempted to calm her breathing, but instead it quickened. "I.. I can't lose Rafael, Hope. I can't." The Waithe spoke again, this time her voice broke, as she sounded completely heartbroken.

"Hey..." Hope paced over to Ruby, as she now stood in front of her. Ruby glanced up at Hope, as she was beginning to hyperventilate. Tears filled her the hybrids eyes and were threatening to fall. "I can't... I can't lose my brother I—" Ruby couldn't get the words out of her mouth, as she suddenly broke down into sobs.

Hope caught the girl, as Ruby cried in her arms. Tears filled the Mikealson's eyes as she held her girlfriend. "I'm gonna find a way to save him, okay?" Hope said, even though it wasn't something she could promise. Ruby nodded absentmindedly, as she continued to sob in Hope's arms.

❤︎

Ruby took a seat next to Rafael at the bonfire. She tried to smile and laugh, and make others laugh as an attempt to lighten the mood, but it wasn't working the greatest. "Loving the mood." Jordan stated sarcastically, before he took a seat beside Rafael. Monica placed more logs on the fire, before she took a step back, not wanting to burn.

"What's with the long faces? Come on, I wanted this to be a... a party, like the one the first night when I came here. Not a funeral." Rafael stated. MG frowned, "We're trying our best, Raf, but it's...it's a lot." He said.

"Look, just... just think of something, uh, funny.
Or something stupid or embarrassing that I did that you'll always remember." Rafael suggested. "Like the, um... what was it? Expectation was a cancer, Oh, you can't, sir? Then who will? That awful beat poetry thing I did?" Rafael said, nudging Ruby's side. The shorter Waithe burst into laughter, "I couldn't bring myself to tell you how terrible it was.. I'm sorry." She giggled.

"Then there was that one time you turned with your uniform on." Monica confessed, trying not to giggle as she spoke. "Yeah—It was pretty wild, seeing a full-blown werewolf with a tie around its neck!" Jordan chimed in.

With that, students burst into laughter. "That's the spirit. Keep it going!" Rafael smiled, relieved to see others smiling and laughing now.

As other students piped up with some stories, Ruby nudged Rafael's side and pointed to Landon who was sitting away from the group sadly. "You should go talk to Landon." She insisted, as Rafael nodded, "I'll be back." He replied.

Now that Rafael was out of sight, Ruby felt her eyes fill with tears yet again. She closed her eyes, as she tried to stop them from falling as she thought back to what Hope had said earlier, and tried to contain herself. Hope always finds a way.

"Ruby, wanna bounce and come eat some burgers?" Rafael asked, approaching her with Landon. The hybrid nodded before getting to her feet, "Yeah. That'd be nice."

❤︎

Ruby, Rafael and Landon sat in the boys dorms, munching happily on burgers. "Bro, you were right. This is so much better." Landon realised.  "And we didn't even have to scam strangers for these bad boys this time." Ruby, who was now wearing her checkered hoodie which had been gifted to her from Rafael, giggled as she caused her twin to laugh.

"I'm sorry, Rafael. I really thought Hope would find a way. You know, that's just what she does. Finds ways." Landon confessed. "Yeah, uh... we were talking earlier. I think I scared her off." Rafael stated. Ruby looked confusedly at the pair, "Hope doesn't scare easily. What'd you say to her?" She asked curiously.

"I, um..." Rafael hesitated, but Ruby eyed him curiously. "I was gonna ask her to look out for you two after I was gone." He came clean.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Rafael called out, as the door opened to reveal Lizzie. "Hey Lizzie." Ruby smiled. "Hey, can I steal Ruby for a sec?" She asked. Ruby looked at her brothers, not wanting to leave her twins side. "Yeah." Rafael answered, giving his sister a look in response.

The hybrid got to her feet and walked over to the doorway. The Saltzman closed it behind them, and Lizzie led Ruby down the hallway, but not before she passed Jed along with Ruby and Rafael's father.

"Dad?" Ruby blurted out as Walt's face lightened up, "Hey Ruby." He responded, but before Ruby could ask any questions Lizzie took her arm and continued to drag her away.

"Hope has found a plan.. but both her and Monica are hesitant to tell you about it. Which is why I'm doing it." Lizzie confessed as Ruby raised an eyebrow, "Well.. what is it?" She asked, seeming appreciative that the blonde was going to tell her.

"We have an ascendant. We're going to send Rafael to a prison world, along with your Mum and Dad." The Saltzman explained as Ruby seemed surprised, "My.. Mum?" She asked, as she had never met her Mum. Lizzie nodded.

"Do you want to go with them?" Lizzie asked now, as Ruby nodded without hesitation. "Of course I do. I can't leave Rafael." She began. "He is literally my best friend.. my other half."

Lizzie reluctantly nodded. The blonde didn't want Ruby to leave, but if Josie was in Rafael's shoes, she would do the exact same thing.

"But you do know what that means, right?" She asked carefully as Ruby's breath hitched in her throat, and her eyes widened in realisation, "I can't see you guys.. I have to.. leave this life behind me."

The siphoner nodded, "I'm sorry it's such a tough decision.. and you don't have a lot of time to decide—"

"I'll do it. I'm doing it." Ruby reiterated, though her eyes were filling with tears. "I... I have some goodbyes to make." She then managed to say, as her voice was shaky. Lizzie's eyes filled with tears, before she hesitantly nodded.