𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄━︎━︎H. Mikaelson ✓︎

𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
I LOVE YOU

A SECOND SHOT, THEN A third. It all happened so fast. A gasp fell from Lilianna's lips, staggering backwards as she placed a hand to her stomach, blood seeping through her shirt. Hope was quick to run forwards, grabbing onto Lilianna as she fell to her knees. Hope placed her hands on the stomach wound, watching with tears in her eyes as blood started to pour from Lilianna's lips. She turned her head towards Grayson, watching as he watched his mother fall to the ground, a bullet in her head from where he had shot her.

     "Lilianna." Hope whispered her name, tears filling her eyes. "No. No. You're okay. Right? You're going to be okay. It was just to the stomach. You can heal. You can heal. I can heal you. I-I just need to get Josie o-or Lizzie. They can help me. I can heal you." She brushed the hair from Lilianna's face, repeating the words over and over as Lilianna stared at her and she just shook her head carefully. Hope furrowed her eyebrows, confused. "Why are you shaking your head? You're fine."

     "Hope." It was Grayson's voice. Hope snapped her head towards Lilianna's brother. She could see the tears start to fill his eyes even though he was trying so hard not to cry. She watched as he forced himself to blink them away, looking at Hope with such heartbreak in his eyes it made her tears roll even faster than they already had been. He took a few careful steps forwards, kneeling down and looking at Hope before closing his eyes as he carefully lifted up the bottom of her shirt. The grey veins slowly crawled up from her hips and towards her chest.

It was a bullet that the Stark's had specially made. One that was created to kill a vampire no matter which part of the body it landed in. Something that Lilianna herself had helped to create, and her mother had used it on her. With two bullets in her body, one in the stomach, the other in her thigh, there was no chance of Lilianna making it out of this alive.

     Hope's heart shattered in her chest, shaking her head violently. "No. No. That can't be―︎that can't―︎no. She's not dying. I'm not going to let her die!" She turned her head to look at Lilianna, offering her a tear filled smile as she nodded her head reassuringly. "You're going to be okay. I'm going to go get Josie, we're going to do a spell, and you're going to be just fine. Do you hear me? No one else is dying today." She wouldn't let her. Hope had lost too many people in her life, she couldn't lose Lilianna too.

     "H-hope." Lilianna struggled to speak her name, tears of her own filling her eyes. She knew that she was going to die. She knew that there was no coming back from what her mother had done. Though she was glad to admit that she had lived long enough to watch the woman that called herself her mother die. Lilianna grabbed Hope's hand, placing it against her cheek and relishing in the warmth and comfort that it brought her. "It's going to be okay." She nodded, watching as Hope shook her head as she started to sob.

     "No, don't say that." Hope whispered, her voice cracking. "Don't tell me that's it's going to be okay. It's not. Okay? It's not going to be okay. You came into my life. You barged into my life, you made me fall in love with you, I'm not letting you get away with that so easily, do you understand." Her lip quivered as she caressed her thumb over Lilianna's cheeks. Her heart was screaming in pain, and she wonder if she was experiencing actual heartbreak. "I lost my mom. My dad. My uncle. I've lost too many people, alright? I can't lose you too."

     "You will never lose me." Lilianna assured her with a weak smile. "You know why? Because I'll always be right here with you. Even if you can't see me, I'll still be there." Lilianna reached up, brushing the hair back from Hope's face. She could feel her body dying. She knew that she was starting to run out of time. "You're gonna be okay, Hope. I've committed a lot of crimes in my life. From stealing to killing. But betraying my mother. . . finding you. . . that was my favorite crime. You're my favorite crime Hope Mikaelson."

     "I love you," Hope whispered.

     Lilianna smiled. "I love you too, Hope Mikaelson." Hope gently pressed her lips against Lilianna's, savoring the last kiss she would ever have with the other girl, before forcing herself away so that Grayson could say goodbye.

When Hope moved slightly out of the way, Grayson grabbed his sister's free hand, looking down at her with a small smile on his face. Everything inside of him was screaming, he wanted to bring his mother back to life and just kill her again because this is what she'd done. This was her fault. She was the reason that his baby sister was about to die. She had quite literally ripped his whole world from his grasp, and he wished he had just been there sooner.

     "Hey, little sis." Grayson whispered, swiping a strand of hair away from her face. He could see the grey veins start to rise closer and closer to her neck.

     "Hey, Gray." Lilianna smiled at him.

     "Wish you would've called. I was worried about you." He whispered. He forced a smile, clenching his jaw as he tried not to cry. "Why didn't you tell me?" His voice cracked, betraying him. "We tell each other everything. I could've―︎I could've stopped this."

     "I didn't know if mom had warped your mind. I didn't know who to trust." Lilianna admitted. She allowed a tear to fall down her face as she looked up to her brother. She had always looked up to her brother. "I should've trusted you. I'm sorry."

     "No." Grayson shook his head. "Don't apologize. You were just trying to protect yourself." He smiled a sad smile, watching the grey veins slowly crawl up his sisters face. "I love you, Lili."

     "I love you too, Gray." She smiled. "Thank you for everything." That was her last words before her face filled with veins, the color gone from her body, letting them know that she was dead.

      Grayson leaned forwards, pressing a kiss onto his sisters head before pressing his forehead against hers. "Goodbye, Lilianna."