"CULLEN." KLAUS CALLS as he barges into her apartment. "Get in the car you and I are taking Hope on a trip."
"Klaus I can't be around her." Cullen reminds him. The spell from yesterday had worn off.
"Davina and Freya have placed another one on you." Klaus informs her. "They told me it wouldn't last as long so we need to leave now."
"Where are we going?" Cullen questions as she grabs a couple essentials before following Klaus out of the building only to see a sleeping Hope already in the car.
"We are going to Mystic Falls." Klaus states. "I have a plan to save Hope."
-
The entire drive to Mystic Falls Klaus would not reveal his plan to Cullen, only telling her that it would save Hope so while he worked on it Cullen would spend the day with Hope, making sure nothing else happens to her. Her first full moon was tonight and from what they had gathered it would be terminal which only caused Cullen to worry more. She wasn't a wolf, she didn't know how to prepare Hope and with Klaus gone she didn't have anyone that did.
"What are we even doing here?" Hope sighs as they take a seat in front of the Mystic Grill. "Why aren't we home?"
"Your father has a plan." Cullen tells her.
"Dad and his plans." Hope mumbles, taking a sip from her drink.
"Yes your father does usually have a thing or two up his sleeve." Cullen comments. "Though the number of casualties usually piles up before he reaches his end goal."
"I know." Hope nods, pointing towards the grill. "There's a plaque inside near the dartboard for some woman that he killed in a moonstone ritual."
"Peanut butter blast, whipped cream on the bottom." A waitress interrupts, handing Hope her milkshake. "Just how you like it."
"Thanks, Lucy." Hope smiles at the girl.
"Yeah." Lucy nods awkwardly.
"Uh, this is my mom." Hope speaks up, gesturing to Cullen.
Lucy smiles, sticking her hand out for Cullen to shake. "Nice to meet you, Miss James." Cullen smiles, shaking the girls hand. It was obvious that Hope had some sort of crush on the girl.
"So, Hope. You haven't been around much lately." Lucy changes the subject, turning back to Hope.
"Oh, yeah, there's been stuff back at home." Hope supplies, trying not to think about that "stuff".
"Oh. Well, I was, I was hoping you'd be back." Lucy stutters out. "I mean, you're from New Orleans, right? I've always wanted to go. It's home to some of the greatest musicians of all time."
"You should go." Hope smiles before a table of boys begin throwing food at Lucy. "No matter where you are, there's always someone playing a Louis Armstrong song somewhere." Reaching forward Cullen snaps her hand around a piece of ice before it can hit Lucy. Hope gives her mother a pointed look in return, one saying not to do anything that would raise eyebrows.
"Uh, actually, there's, um, there's music in the square tonight." Lucy shakes her head. "I mean, they do it all the time, but tonight there's this kind of bluesy vibe and I thought maybe if you wanted..."
"Oh, Lucy, I-I can't tonight. I have a thing." Hope tells her, trying not to hurt her feelings.
"Right, yeah." Lucy nods. "I should probably pick up an extra shift anyway."
"No, thanks, though, for asking and for the milk shake." Hope exclaims.
"Yeah." Lucy mumbles before turning to Cullen. "It was nice to meet you."
"You too." Cullen smiles at the girl before she walks away; sighing she turns back to her daughter. "The full moon doesn't crest until later. You could've gone with her. Why didn't you?"
Hope clenches her jaw looking away from her mother before turning back. "Because I'm gonna be dead soon."
Cullen freezes at her daughters words. "How did you know?"
Hope scoffs. "Every witch in our family locked in the bell tower all week. Creepy black veins all over my body. And... it hurts, you know? How long do I have?"
"Hope you are not dying." Cullen stresses. "That is why we are here. Your father and I will figure something out."
"Mom, just please." Hope begs. "Just tell me how long I have."
Cullen's face hardens, not even wanting to think about her daughter dying. "In your condition... we don't believe that you'll be strong enough to handle the full moon."
Tears come to Hope's eyes as she avoids her mother's gaze. "What's not to handle? It's only every bone in my body breaking all at once."
"You listen to me, your father is searching for a cure, even as we speak." Cullen reaches forward, grabbing ahold of Hope's hands. "We will not allow anything to happen to you. You understand?"
Before Hope can respond the same boys from before continue to bother Lucy. "Hey, nice outfit. That's really cute. All right, boys, let's roll." As they get up one of the boys knocks over their drink on purpose, getting the front of Lucy's shirt soaked. "Whoa-ho-ho. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to slip. That's my bad."
"You guys are seven bucks short." Lucy states, ignoring their childish behavior.
"No, that's your tip, Green." The leader of the boys laughs. "That's negative seven bucks for the poor service that we received."
Both Cullen and Hope roll theirs eyes as the boys speed away, leaving Lucy to clean up their mess. Reaching into her back pocket Cullen pulls out her wallet, fishing three hundred dollars out of it. She sets it onto the table before standing up, looking down at Hope. "How would you feel about driving your father's Bentley?"
-
"That would be a stop sign approaching. That's a stop sign." Cullen speaks up, placing her hand on the dashboard in front of her.
"Okay, okay, don't have a panic attack about it. You're literally immortal." Hope responds.
"Yes." Cullen nods. "And your father would kill me if I got his car destroyed."
"Mom." Hope sighs, glancing towards her mother. "I know what you're doing, you know, with the milk shakes and driving lessons."
"I'm just trying to enjoy our time together." Cullen tells her. "I don't know how long this barrier spell with last."
"That's not why." Hope mutters.
"Hope why do you think you're going to die?" Cullen faces her daughter. "Your father has been on this planet for 1,000 years and there has not been one enemy he could not defeat."
"I just..." Hope trails off. "I don't think I was meant to exist in the first place. I think about all the crazy things that led to me being born. Dad lives, years, does weird ritual to become the only vampire who can procreate. You graduate high school and just so happen to decide to party in the same city as him. When you got way too hammered-"
"Okay." Cullen nods, getting her point.
But Hope continues. "You decide to have a one nighter with dad, which I've heard that you don't even remember-"
"We don't have to-" Cullen tries to stop her. "Honestly."
"Then, boom. Loophole. Miracle baby." Hope states. "But can you be a miracle and a mistake at the same time?"
"Hope you are not a mistake." Cullen tells her. "You are and will always be a miracle. My miracle."
"But the universe has been trying to kill me since before I was born. To reset the balance of nature. And I'm grateful that everyone has fought so hard. But I knew when I took the power back that I might die. It was my decision." Hope exclaims.
Cullen takes a deep breath, hoping the change of subjects would turn the mood around. "Turn right here."
Hope rolls her eyes when she see's where her mother has decided to take them. "Okay, so we're gonna spend my final hours watching Connor get to first base with runner-up Miss Mystic Falls?"
"Why do you suppose that your friend Lucy didn't fight back?" Cullen questions, eyebrow arching at her daughter.
"Um, I don't know, she's... she has to keep her job." Hope shrugs.
"She has to keep her job." Cullen nods. "We, however, have nothing to lose. Now I am a feminist and I believe in equal rights so why don't you show these boys what a woman can do."
Hope can't help but grin at her mother as they step out of the car. Cullen stands back as Hope steps forward, raising both her hands. "Glace, solidatur. Glace, solidatur. Glace, solidatur." Cullen watches as the glass on Conner's car freezes, before shattering completely.
"Oh... my- my car!" Conner yells. "Oh, my god!"
"Yeah." Hope smiles, turning to her mother. "That felt good."