Searching for Always and Forever

Chapter 46

Hi guys, so this is it, I am ending this fic with this last, long chapter.

Thank you for everyone who followed the story, I hope you'll like the ending.

It was five in the morning when Klaus and Freya arrived at the Salvatore School with Hope and Landon. Hope wanted to see Grace right away. She opened her bedroom door as quietly as she could and she found Grace sleeping soundly in her bed, and in Hope's bed the two tiny bodies were snuggled together. She smiled at the sight. It was so comforting to see all three in the same room. Hope closed the door behind herself, and as soon as she turned back to the beds, Grace was up, sitting on her bed.

"Hope!" Grace yelled, not minding the sleeping children and she jumped out of the bed, running to hug her sister. Of course the loud noise woke Riley and Jack immediately, and as soon as they saw it was indeed their eldest sister, they all jumped into Hope's embrace. Hope got on her knees so she could hug and kiss Riley's and Jack's little faces. Riley was sobbing and she was clenching into Hope. Jack was just happy to see Hope, and Grace was relieved and surely happy to see her sister, but Hope could see that she was pissed... pissed that she left her alone with the kids. Hope made her way to her bed, Jack in her lap and Riley by her side, hugging into Hope's chest as Hope put her arm around the little girl, trying to sooth her cries. Grace sat on her own bed, facing Hope and the little ones.

"Hope, what happened? Where were you?" Grace asked.

"Riley said a bad man killed you." Jack replied instead as he was examining Hope's face closely, caressing her face with his little hands. "And she said your skin would be cold and your eyes would turn white and you would never come back to us." He continued as the little girl kept sobbing by Hope's side.

"I'm sorry." That's all Hope said. She wasn't sure how to explain, but she didn't want to lie to them. "You know..." Hope took the little boy's hand from her face, and stroked Riley's back, then she glanced at Grace on the opposite bed. "Riley wasn't all too wrong about that." She said and Riley looked up at Hope with confused, teary eyes. "A bad man did kill me, you know... but I am not dead... not anymore, you see."

"How is that possible?" Riley asked through her sobs and hope glanced at Grace, who just started to tear up. "Because I'm a vampire now." Hope shrugged and feared their response, mostly Grace's.

"Do you drink blood?" Jack asked excitedly.

"Umm... yeah..." Hope said quietly and she was afraid to look at Grace anymore.

"How did you die?" Riley asked Hope and she was startled by the question. She surely couldn't share her awful experience with her young sister. Hope struggled to reply and struggled holding back her tears, she didn't want to seem weak or cry in front of the little ones. "Did it hurt?" She continued asking and Hope just nodded silently. "Were you afraid?" RIley asked and Hope couldn't help but a teardrop rolled down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away.

"Yeah, it was scary." Hope gathered her strength and replied finally. "It was the scariest, because I was alone and all I could think about was all of you. I didn't want to leave you but I just couldn't get to you." Hope explained as she was looking at Riley.

"But you are back and alive and that's all that matters." Grace said as she got up from her seat and sat next to Hope on her bed, hugging her from her side, reaching Riley on Hope's other side, pulling her closer to herself as well. Hope laid her head on Grace's shoulder and couldn't keep her tears anymore, she broke down with the little boy in her arms and her sisters by her side.

"I'm so sorry." Hope kept saying.

"Stop apologizing, Hope. I'm sorry I should have been more patient with you as you asked. I had no idea what you went through. I'm sorry." Grace cried as well. When they finally calmed down Hope smiled at the kids and comforted them that everything is going to be just fine from now on, but Riley didn't seem to settle.