~E v e r l a s t i n g~ {book two}

~sixty-four~

Davina wipes the tears from her eyes as she and Freya wait for Hope to wake up. Once she does, she frantically looks around the bedroom.

"Mom?"

"Hope," Davina quietly exhales.

"Mom? What happened? Where is she?"

"Breathe," Freya instructs. "You're safe now."

"Where's my mom?" Lights around Hope shatter, making the two witches frown. "What?"

"She's gone." They both embrace Hope as she shakes her head vehemently, tears spilling out.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," she cries.

———————————————————————————————————

"I really wish I could be home with you right now," Davina murmurs as she stares at her phone screen. "I should have done something. I could've done something if I didn't...I can't believe..."

"Love, there was nothing you could have done," Kol tells her firmly. "Hayley did not die because of you. She died because of that bloody supremacist vampire and partially because of my gormless brother."

"Who, according to Klaus, is in the city right now. Stupid Elijah, being blindly loyal to his so-called 'new family'," she groans, covering her face with her hands. "I don't want to be here anymore. Hayley's funeral is today, but after that...it's going to be a mess."

Kol remains silent for a moment before standing up. "I'm going to see you soon."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, darling, is that I am going to find a temporary place to stay right outside of New Orleans. I refuse to just sit here while you're dealing with the craziness of my siblings."

Davina smiles slightly and cocks her head. "What about Apollo?"

"Your sister and Declan have arrived home around an hour ago. They took Apollo back, which was very sad but also convenient."

"Great," she responds, feeling her mood lift a bit. "So, I'll see you today?"

"You can count on it."

———————————————————————————————————

Davina, Freya, and Hope are waiting by Hayley's casket, which was right in the middle of the streets.

"Where's Dad?"

"He'll be here soon. He's just waiting on Ivy to help him with the astral projection," Freya assures her.

"Everyone else?"

"Marcel should be here. Vincent, too," Davina murmurs. She glances over and sees Josh, who gives them a small wave. "There's Josh."

"I'll be honest right now," Hope states in a dull tone. "This funeral kind of sucks. Her whole family isn't even here to say goodbye." She wordlessly follows the band, which begins to play and lead the procession. "This is wrong. She didn't even know any of these people."

"You know that her family wants to be here, Hope," Freya says.

"Where are all her friends?"

"I seem to remember Hayley telling me that she didn't want people to throw a parade if she died," Davina grumbles, not feeling the funeral either.

Suddenly, a bunch of black vans speed their way onto the street, making everyone scatter.

"Davina," Klaus yells as he approaches her.

"Klaus," she sighs, nodding her head in greeting.

Josh walks over to one of the vans and opens the back door to reveal a few of Greta's followers. "Emmett. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Where are Antoinette and Elijah?"

"Probably under a rock somewhere," he snaps. "Maybe you should join them."

Emmett grabs a stake gun and cocks it, narrowing his eyes. "We're not going anywhere until they're returned to us safely."

Davina notices that Klaus' projection has disappeared, so she rushes over to Hope. "Hey, we should get out of here."

"No."

"Hope-"

"No," she repeats. "Look, this already sucks. I'm not going to let them ruin it some more." Hope begins chanting a spell while walking towards a van. When she thrusts her hands out, the entire vehicle is engulfed in flames.

"Josh," Davina calls out, frantically gesturing to Hope, who was directing her spell at another van. He speeds over and whisks her away just as Emmett shoots his gun.

———————————————————————————————————

Later that night at the bayou, Davina was muttering a spell and anointing Hayley's coffin. Hope walks over to her with a glum expression.

"I know you and Freya don't think that there's anything else to do, but I believe that there is. There has to be. We have to save each other. We have to save always and forever. You taught me most of the magic I know, and if you're up for it, I'd really like you and Aunt Freya to help me figure out what we can do next," Hope suggests.

"Anything you need, kiddo," Davina nods. Hope stares at the necklace sitting in front of her and looks at her aunt. "Do you think that I could..."

"Yes, of course." Davina takes the moon pendant and gently clasps it around Hope's neck. She looks around and sees that Josh and Marcel have arrived. They were now standing near Vincent.

Freya walks over to the dock and turns around to address the crowd for Hayley's eulogy. " People will forget the things you said, forget the things you did, but no one ever forgets the way you made them feel. Hayley Marshall...made me feel like I was part of a family. And when the realities of this life became too much to bear, we shouldered them together. We laughed, we cried. When I failed, she lifted me up. And when I succeeded, she danced by my side. And she did that for all of us. No one will ever be able to replace her, or heal the pain we feel at her loss. But we can honor her with our actions and with our words...we can love each other the way she would've wanted us to love." Lisina takes a lit torch and sets Hayley's burial-canoe on fire before letting it sail away.

"Goodbye, Mom," Hope whispers sadly. Klaus walks over and takes her hand. "What are you doing here? You can't-"

"Yes, I can. Just for a moment. Our family has infinite struggles ahead, but right now, I need to be here with my daughter," he tells her as it begins to thunder.

"It's probably going to get ugly," Davina informs Lisina.

"Let's pack it in, everyone. Take shelter."

Davina glances once more at Hope and Klaus before she follows the others out of the bayou.

———————————————————————————————————

Davina knocks on the motel door that Kol had texted her earlier and waits anxiously. As soon as he opens up, she throws herself into his arms and begins to silently cry. He doesn't say anything, which she appreciates and they just  stand there in silence for a few moments.

Once she pulls away, Kol brushes his fingers over her cheeks, wiping away her tears. "Everyone's going to get through this rough patch, darling."

"I don't know if it'll just happen by itself," she mumbles, slightly shaking her head. "That's why Hope, Freya, and I needed to do something."

"And what is it that you did?"

"How would you feel about joining your siblings in a Chambre de Chasse?"