JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOUR HEART | TO [1]

XXXVI • I LOVE YOU, GOODBYE

Arkansas Back Roads, Texas

Early night time has fallen, when Monique Deveraux and Hope Mikaelson are speeding down the derelict back road in her black Lexus GS 350 F. Hope is crying in her car seat alone in the back, and Monique turns back to try to comfort her, clearly looking panicked and anxious as she drives as well from the supposedly magically cloaked safe house, which exploded in flames right before the vehicle earlier on, concerning for both Cami and Elijah. Considering Elijah cannot be killed as an Original other than with the indestructible white oak stake, Cami is more concerning for them now. If she was in the house during the explosion, she doubts that the young woman would survive or run out of there in time, unless he rescued her.

A shaky sigh of nervousness leaves Monique, "Oh God, okay. It's okay, baby girl. Shh. Aunt Monique just needs to find a pay phone right about now."

Fortunately, Monique finally finds a run-down auto garage and pulls in, to find that there is a parked black car with its hood open in the parking lot, but otherwise it is completely deserted. Once the Lexus is parked, Monique quickly gets out and rushes over to gently pick up the still-crying Hope from the back seat in sympathy before they head toward the pay phone. After a moment, Monique trips in the rush and accidentally drops all of her change onto the ground, which clearly frustrates her with a heavy sigh, "Really?"

Hope starts to cry harder at this clumsiness, and Monique looks guilty.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, baby. I'm sorry. I know you miss Uncle Elijah, and I promise you we'll find him soon. Okay? Oh, you're so brave, sweetheart--" Monique cuts herself off when she senses someone's presence, to which she quickly looks back at her own parked Lexus, before she hears a metallic noise nearby and freezes in place as Hope finally starts to calm down, "Shh." She gulps nervously before raising her voice to call out to whoever is lurking nearby, "Whoever's out there, if you try anything, I will rip your head off!"

She pants nervously before hearing an extremely familiar masculine voice behind her, which escapes a truly surprised gasp out of her before relief does, considering it's Elijah Mikaelson himself, whose clothes are burnt in places and whose body is covered in ash, but he is otherwise unscathed.

"Actually, sweetheart, that's probably not necessary." He reaches his right hand out to her to communicate that she should come over to him quickly, to which she wordlessly does as she looks at him with panic in her big eyes.

Monique frantically looks around until she reaches him with his relieved niece in her protective hold, "What just happened? Where's Cami?"

"She survived, therefore she would be the least of our concerns, especially considering I already placed her unconscious form in the back seat." Elijah informed her in his regularly calm tone of his serious voice, relieving her.

A relieved sigh leaves the young woman, "Thank God. Oh, look at the state of you-- I thought you're supposed to mend the house, not obliterate it."

Elijah quickly but gently ushers her and the adorable baby back to her parked Lexus, "That's a discussion for the car." He frantically checks around the auto garage to make sure no one is watching them as they get into the car before quickly circling around to the driver's seat, "Let's move!"

****

Mikaelson Compound

Hayley Marshall is in her bedroom, looking through a dusty wardrobe of old, vintage dresses, hats, and jewelry, when Rebekah shows up in the doorway not too far behind her, hiding something in her left hand from the girl's view.