What Now?

Chapter 11

Klaus and Hope walked to another area of the cemetery hand in hand until they got to the Mikaelson crypt. Since the Mikaelson's bodies burn when they die, the crypt is empty. They just say their names and one sentimental item sealed in their spots. These are the things the Mikaelson family chooses to memorialize.

They walked into the crypt and Klaus immediately got teary eyed. As he walked towards Elijah's name he looked at the wall and saw the names of his fallen family members. Esther Mikaelson, Mikael Mikaelson, Henrik Mikaelson, Finn Mikaelson and finally Elijah Mikaelson.

Klaus finally let a tear fall. Hope began to cry a bit too.

"You know he and mom found peace together,'" Hope said quietly.

"I'm not surprised. If anyone was going to convince him to believe in himself, it's Hayley. He risked everything for me time and time again, and I still couldn't convince him that all along he was good. He deserved the love Hayley gave him. They were quite the pair."

"I uh... I don't know if I can apologize enough for how mean I was to him. I do love him and I know he loved me. I know it wasn't his fault that mom died and I know he loved her too. I should have been kinder to him. I have so much regret about that." Hope cried.

Klaus looked over at Hope, both of them crying at this point. He put his hands on her shoulder to steady her and make her look him in the eyes. "You listen to me, Hope. Your uncle Elijah loved you so much. You could have hated him when he died and he'd still love you. You meant so much to him. Stop beating yourself up about it. He knew you loved him."

"You miss him, don't you? You're afraid you will mess everything up because he isn't here?"

"Yeah," Klaus said breathily.

"Everything you just said to me about him, back at ya."

"I know" he whispered with a soft smile.

"I'm going to give you a moment. I'll be sitting on the bench outside" Hope smiled.

Hope gave Klaus a kiss on his cheek and walked outside. When he could no longer see her he released a deep sigh.

"Hello Niklaus," said a deep voice that Klaus had only dreamt about the last 2 years.

"Brother," Klaus said shakily.

"She's still magnificent, isn't she? Beautiful and strong. She adores you. I am proud of you, brother. You're better than I could have ever hoped for you to be." Elijah lectured.

"She's stunning. Still. It's hard to believe that almost eighteen years ago, I created that. Hayley and I made the most phenomenal human I have ever known. I did it, brother. I made the most amazing daughter and beyond that, she loves me."

"I know, Niklaus. Continue to be there for her. Continue to love her and support her. That brings me to my next topic, Mrs. Forbes-Salvatore. I'm certain you would no longer want to hear about it. However, I am going to tell you anyway. Find your love with her, brother. She's going to be your other half, she's going to be your voice of reason, and she's going to be your light. I've seen the powerful impact you two can have together. She's going to help you with Hope. Both of you will need her."

"I miss you, Elijah."

"I know, brother. We will be all together again someday."

"Always and forever," they said at the same time.

Klaus closed his eyes to stop his tears and when he opened them again Elijah was gone. Klaus took a deep breath and softly smiled. He walked out and saw Hope sitting on the bench playing on her phone.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Hope said sweetly as she stood up.

"I am. Thanks for asking, sweetheart. Ready to head out to the bayou?"

"Uh... yeah. Sure." she responded hesitantly.

Klaus wrapped his arm around Hope and they walked towards the car together. Klaus opened the door for Hope and then went to get into the car himself. The ride to the bayou was a silent one. Both Hope and Klaus were in deep thought about what they would do when they see Hayley's grave.

When they arrived Klaus stopped the car as they pulled into the large clearing where the campsite was. He took a deep breath and looked over at Hope who had wide eyes.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to, but I do think it would be good for you." Klaus said while grabbing Hope's hand.

"The night I brought you back, you know I saw mom first. She was beautiful and happy. She was exactly like I remembered her. It didn't feel like goodbye when I left, it felt like see you later. It didn't feel like she was gone, it felt like we were just going our separate ways for a little bit. Like when I would go off to school. I'm afraid if I go up there and talk to her grave then it will be more official."

"Like I said, you don't have to go over there. I am going to go and pay my respects. I'll be back." Klaus said.

Klaus walked into the woods to the tree that he carved Hayley's name in. He saw a small clearing and he recognized the tree. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes he saw her.

"Hayley."