Our Hope • Ava Rose Mikaelson

14. I Love You, Goodbye

(Narrator's POV) It's nighttime, Damon is driving through the back roads with Stefan in the passenger seat and Hope in the car seat in the middle back seat.

"Where are we going?" Stefan asked him after they just saw the safe house blow up.

"I don't know, Stefan." Damon says, unsure of what to do. He looks through the mirror to see Hope still crying. "Give her the bottle."

Stefan gives his niece her bottle but she pushes it away and continues to cry making him more anxious. "Something is wrong. We fed her and her diaper is changed and she's still crying."

"Brother... she just heard an explosion. I'm pretty sure that startled her." Damon says as he pulls into a run-down garage.

Damon gets out of the car to take Hope out of her car seat to calm her down. Stefan is standing in front of Damon watching him sway Hope is his arms which stops her cries.

"You're oddly good at this."

"Yeah, well, chicks dig me." Damon smirks and Stefan couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. Damon heard something and gives his brother an alarmed look. "Someone's coming."

Stefan stands in front of Damon who's still holding Hope in his arms. Elijah appears out of nowhere and his clothes are burnt and covered in ash.

"What the hell happened back there?" Damon asks as he steps towards him.

"That's a discussion for the car." Elijah says as he checks to make sure no one is watching them circles around to the driver's seat. "Let's move."

***

(Ava's POV) I just spent the last sixteen hours trying to teach Ileana how to feed. It was more difficult than I had assume. She's usually upbeat and now that's magnified. So she's like a really happy upbeat person.

I stole medicine from the hospital because a lethal injection of medication seemed easier than a snapped neck or something. Hayley had to inject her because I couldn't do it. I mean, I tried but my hand was uncontrollably shaking.

I kept thinking about Hope. I couldn't get my mind off of her. So here I am at the compound packing a few things before I leave to get my daughter. Ileana will be fine. I taught her the basics and she learned quickly but she still has a long way to go.

After a few short seconds, Nik walks into the room. "What do you think you're doing?"

I don't even look at him, I just continued packing my bag as I spoke to him. "I called Damon and he said they're on the road. So, I'm going to go to them and get my daughter."

"Ava..."

"Don't." I warned him and he stops in his tracks. "Don't tell me that I can't go because it's not safe. I'll tell you what's not safe, blowing up a house just to keep your psychopathic brother from finding her."

"We will deal with Finn." He says calmly.

"And then what?" I asked him. "Every time we kill him, he's just going to jump into another body."

"We tried running. We tried hiding. Neither will work." Nik told me.

"So what's your bright idea?"

"As it happens, I am working on a plan as we speak. One which will be bolstered greatly if you just calm down and keep your eye on the prize."

"Don't do that. Don't try and handle me..."