[ Chapter Thirty-Five ]
NOTHING SEEMED right. When Raylynn's eyes fluttered open, everything swirled around her in a hollow emptiness.
Raylynn found herself atop the soft duvet of hers and Klaus's bed in the Mikaelson Compound. She had no idea how she got there, or how long she had been asleep. Shadows encased the corners of the room as she sat up. Night had already fallen across the city.
Raylynn racked her brain for what happened. How did she get there? In her bed? What happened before then? She pushed herself up from the bed, ready to look for someone to tell her why she could not remember anything.
As soon as her bare feet touched the hardwood, scenes flashes in her mind. Raylynn stumbled, but she kept herself up right as they played out. An abandoned house, Klaus and Elijah amidst a fight, hail raining from a cloudless sky, and Hayley - bursting into flames.
A scream erupted from Raylynn's throat. Tears stung her eyes, before they fell down her cheeks in hot streams. She reached out as she began to fall, latching herself onto the nearest piece of furniture, which happened to be a circular table. The room spun as sobs chest through her chest. She could not breath. She could not think.
How the hell did this happen?
"Love?"
Raylynn lifted her blurred gaze to where Klaus rushed into the open doorway. Her tears continued to fall as her lungs refused to pull in air. Raylynn's hands slipped from the table, sending her toward the ground. Klaus sped forward and caught her before she could hit.
"She - she's gone. She - she's really - gone," Raylynn gasped into her husband's shoulder, clinging to him as if she would slip away. "No. No, no, no, no, no! HAYLEY!"
"I'm so sorry, love," Klaus muttered, running his hand up and down her back. "I am so sorry."
Raylynn did not answer. She could not answer. The only thing she could do was let herself cry and scream in Klaus's arms. For the life they loss. For the sister she would never see again.
_______
Raylynn failed to fall back asleep for the rest of the night. Instead of staying in her room, she made her way to Hayley's. Her eyes drifted over the vanity where multiple pictures were placed along the reflective glass. All of important moments in their lives. One of them held Ryan and Raylynn at the top of the tower at their castle in Scotland. Another of Hope and Ryan on the girl's eleventh birthday (cake smeared all over their faces). Several of them were of Hope, Hayley, and Ryan at parks, in the bayou, and one of the children and Mary at her lakeside cabin.
Raylynn did not know how to feel, or how to she was supposed to move on. For the last twenty-four years of her life, Hayley had always been at her side. Her shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, and voice of reason when Raylynn thought she could not go on. She was her rock, her savior, her best friend, and her sister.
How could Raylynn set her adrift and watch what was left of her burn away?
Raylynn had no idea how long she sat at the foot of Hayley's bed, staring at the pictures that were, in that moment, only memories. Her attention snapped to the doorway when Klaus appeared. She heard him on the phone with Freya earlier. She stayed behind at the Salvatore School with Hope and Ryan. They were to hop on a plane in the next hour to make it in time for Hayley's second line.
It dawned on her then that she failed to even ask about Hope or Ryan since everything happened. Since her world crumbled around her. Raylynn knew that she had to be strong for them. She had to appear unshaken, invincible to the horrors in their lives. She needed for them to know that she would stop those monsters from taking anyone else they loved.
But right then, Raylynn was not sure she could even stand on her own.
"Love?" Klaus questioned, less urgent than he had been the night before. He moved further into the room, his eyes set on his wife. "I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but..."
"You have to go," Raylynn said without a glance in his direction. "It's alright. I get it. You can't be around Hope, anyway."
Klaus stopped in front of her and knelt, taking her hands in his. "But, I can be around you. And once I have flushed out our problem, I will be right back here to stand at your side."
Raylynn nodded. "Right." She blinked away the haze that clouded her mind and went to meet his gaze, but something over his shoulder caught her attention. A bouquet of lilies on Hayley's dresser began to wilt at an alarming rate. Something that only occurred when more than one Mikaelson were in the same vicinity. "Elijah," she sighed as their eyes connected.
Klaus's expression hardened a bit at the sound of his brother's name. He nodded. "Yes. He and his girlfriend have finally made their appearance, along with Greta's conspirators."
Raylynn pressed her lips together and gave his hands a squeeze. She held his stare as she said, as clear as she could muster, "make them suffer as she did."
"Every last one of them," Klaus stated, before he stood and kissed her forehead. After a moment, he released her hands and turned on his heel to leave.
_______
Raylynn took her time as she got dressed for Hayley's second line. Something she never thought she would do. She was a hybrid, for crying out loud. She was immortal. She was supposed to live a long and happy life, watching her daughter grow and become the young woman she always wanted her to be.
Now, Hayley would never get to do that.
Raylynn smoothed out the black dress that adorned her body. She had to meet Freya, Hope, and Ryan at Rousseaux's in the next ten minutes for the start of Hayley's second line. As much as she did not want to allow so much as a toot of a trumpet, Freya convinced her that a lot of people loved and cherished Hayley throughout the entire city. Not all of them could attend her actual funeral, so they needed a way to say goodbye.
Although, Raylynn was far from sold on the idea. But, she figured her funeral out at the bayou would make up for it.
Raylynn pulled her long hair into a ponytail and scrunched it high on her head. She grabbed her things from her vanity when shouting erupted somewhere in the home. Not what she expected. Raylynn slipped into her wedged heels and left her and Klaus's room to find two people in the courtyard. Her husband and Marcel.
"ENOUGH!" Klaus screamed, whirling on his heel to face his adoptive son. "He let Hayley die!"
Raylynn's hearted constricted at his words. She knew who he was talking about, and she wanted to hear nothing about the man who should have been her brother-in-law. He may have had air in his lung and a beating heart in his chest, but to her, Elijah Mikaelson was dead.
Raylynn moved closer to the railing around the second level and set her hands on the cold metal. Her eyes stayed on the men, watching Klaus stand across from Marcel. Rage and hurt clear on his face.
"I - I could have saved her, but he stopped me," Klaus exclaimed. "You didn't see her face, Marcel. She looked right at him, she thought Elijah was there for her, but he wasn't - and he didn't." He released a long breath. "And now - she's dead." He paused, pressing his lips together. "Hope and Ryan will be landing soon, and I need to be gone." He spun on his heel and strode out of the home without another word.
Raylynn did not blame him. She felt the same way.
"You should have seen that coming," Raylynn voiced as she started toward the closest staircase and descended them. "After what Elijah did to him, to me, stopping use from saving Hayley." She swallowed a lump that forced in her throat. "Nothing he will ever do will bring her back. Elijah's gone. Accept it, and move on."
Marcel's expression fell and met her halfway. "Ray, I am so sorry."
Raylynn shook her head, raising a hand to stop him. "Don't. I can't do this right now. I am about to go console a girl who just lost her mother, and a boy who just lost his aunt. I can't..."
Marcel cut her off when he moved to wrap his arms around her. Raylynn froze at the action, before she relaxed and returned the thoughtful embrace. They held onto each other for a long moment and then separated.
Raylynn wiped a tear that slipped through her lashes and smiled the tiniest bit. "Oh, how far we've come."
Marcel chuckled. "You're definitely right about that."
_______
The mid-day sun shone down on the streets of the French Quarter, warming Raylynn's exposed neck and shoulders. She stood in the center of the blocked off road and listened to the jazz band ready their instruments. Now that she witnessed the second line unfold around her, Raylynn wished that she put her foot down and said no.
Freya stayed at her side, scanning the dozens of people that crowded the streets to honor Hayley. Hope and Ryan were next to them. Their hands were locked together between them, having not let go of each other since they exited the plane, or so Freya said. A sight Raylynn was grateful for. They needed no another.
Raylynn could not help but glance toward the cart in front of them. A mound of white roses was piled up in the place of Hayley's body, ready to be pulled through the city like some sick parade.
Raylynn's stomach rolled at the thought. She wanted to smack Freya. Why did she let the woman convince her to do this? Hayley would be so pissed.
"Where's Dad?" Hope questioned, pulling Raylynn's stare to the girl. She looked around for any sign of her father, but she did not find him anywhere.
"He'll be here soon," Freya reassured her. "He's just waiting on Ivy to help him with the astral projection."
Raylynn nodded. "And Marcel should be here any minute. He just had to handle something first."
"And Vincent," Freya added, before a smile formed on her lips. "There's Josh." She pointed across the street to where a dark haired vampire stood.
Josh looked to them and raised a hand to wave. Hope and Ryan returned the gesture.
"What about Declan?" Ryan asked, turning to his mother and aunt. "He should be here."
Raylynn's heart sunk at the reminder of the Irish bartender. She meant to call him, but with everything going on, the thought slipped her mind. And by the look on Freya's face, she could tell the blonde forget, too.
Hope also noticed and frowned. "Please, tell me someone told Declan."
"He's in Ireland," Freya sighed. "I was so focused on everyone else..."
"Oh, my God, Freya," Hope exclaimed, cutting her off. She turned to her aunt. "Ray?"
Raylynn cringed. "I'll call him once we leave here. I promise."
Hope just shook her head and went back to searching for her father.
Before Klaus could get there, the band started to play and Hayley's cart lurched into motion. They moved down the street at a steady pace as jazz played through the air. Raylynn looked around for any sign of Klaus, even Marcel or Vincent, but she could not see them. They should be there.
"This is all wrong," Hope voiced as she scanned the people, who danced and held parasols above their heads. "She didn't even know all of these people."
Hope is right, Raylynn thought. This is sowrong.
"Your mom made a mark on this city," Freya told her niece. "Everyone's here to honor her."
"But where are all her friend?" Hope questioned, still trying to find anyone she recognized. For the people who were not only a major part of Hayley's life, but hers. Hope walked ahead of them, dragging her brother along.
Raylynn shook her head. She turned to tell Freya that they made a mistake, but the blonde fell back to answer her phone. Raylynn just stared at her sister-in-law? Is she serious?
That was the final straw. She had to end it. Raylynn returned her gaze to where the children moved on, but she could no longer find them among the crowd. She rose onto her tip-toes and saw them several yards in front of her.
When she went to grab them, Raylynn paused as a black van skidded through the patrons in the middle of the street. They came to a stop, throwing open their back doors to reveal thick, black fabric to cover the opening. Raylynn heard Freya shout for Josh and forced the man into action. Josh ran toward a van and threw back the fabric. Raylynn's eyes widened when several men in dark clothing appeared with weapons in their hands.
An instant later, two more vans ran from the side streets and blocked Hope and Ryan on all sides. Raylynn jumped at the sight. She ran forward, knocking into passersby as she tried to reach the children. With on last shove, she made it to the center of the vans where Hope and Ryan remained. They did not look frightened by the turn of events. If anything, they looked beyond pissed.
Raylynn reached their sides and exclaimed, "Hope, Ryan, we need to leave."
"No," Hope exclaimed, facing her aunt.
"Hope..."
"No!"
Raylynn looked to her son, stunned that it had been him to shout. She understood their anger. Those people were the people who followed Greta's ignorant ideals about vampire purity. They led to Hayley's death. They had a right to be furious. Just not in that moment.
"This already sucks enough, and we're not going to let them ruin it more," Hope stated, raising her hand to wave toward her aunt.
Raylynn stumbled, finding herself no longer in the street, but on the sidewalk yards away. She whirled to her side and found Freya next to her. She looked back to where Hope and Ryan remained. Their hands raised. "Oh, shit."
Hope strode toward one of the vans with her arms up and palms out. "Bruciare supe terram faciendo ignis ga paraemium!" she chanted, causing the van to burst into flames.
Ryan did the same with another. Two balls of fire hovered above his hands, before he hurled them toward his targeted van. Much like Hope's spell, the vehicle exploded in fire. Everyone inside either van were consumed in seconds.
Hope and Ryan set their sights on the last van. They started to approach it as the vampire inside raised their weapons.
Raylynn would not be able to reach them in time. She scanned the area and stopped when she saw Josh. He could reached them. "Josh!" she screamed for him.
Josh must have heard her, because within the blink of an eye, he disappeared from view, along with Hope and Ryan.
Once they were gone, the van closed its doors and tires squealed as he drove off. Raylynn exhaled and turned to face Freya, who gaped at the street ahead of her. "I told you this was a bad idea," she said, before she pivoted on her heel to left the scene.
_______
Raylynn stayed at home for all of five minutes after she fled the remnants of the disastrous second line. Klaus called and proposed they do something to honor Hayley on their own.
That was how Raylynn found herself in the bayou at the Crescent Wolf encampment. She stared at one of the many trees that dotted the humid landscape. One more special than others. Names and symbols were carved into the bark, representing the wolves who lost their lives.
Jackson Kenner's name was displayed near the top. An Alpha. Hayley's husband. Hope's stepfather. A man who died too soon.
Mary Dumas's name sat below his. A fierce woman who watched her entire world fall apart around her. Hope and Ryan's grandmother. A woman who Raylynn missed with all her heart.
And last, Hayley Marshall. Raylynn's best friend and sister. Hope's mother. Ryan's aunt. A friend everyone loved. A badass Alpha. Crescent Queen. A woman who deserved so much better.
Klaus finished carving her name into the smoothed wood with tears in his eyes. Raylynn knew that he loved Hayley. She became an important person in his life. She was the mother of his child. Someone who never gave up on him.
"I should have been there for you," Klaus began as he stared at Hayley's name. "And for Hope. But..." he paused and shifted his gaze to his wife. Raylynn reached out, taking his left hand in her right, and nodded for him to continue. He took a deep breath and returned his eyes to the carvings. "I was scared. At this very moment, this family - we're a curse to each other and our home. And I know, she needs me. I see that now. But, loving her brings her closer to death. And I want her to live. I want her to grow up. I want her to love. Be strong and beautiful a mother - as her mother." Klaus raised his free hand to brush her name. "I don't know what to do. And I really wish that you were here to tell me - little wolf."
Tears streamed down Raylynn's cheeks as she listened to his heartfelt plea. She gave his hand a squeeze and leaned forward to press a kiss against the tree. When she pulled away, Raylynn sniffled and said, "I love you, sister. Tell Jackson and Mary I said, hello." She then turned to Klaus, who had his own tears in his eyes.
_______
They stayed in the bayou for a little while, not wanting to leave, just yet. Raylynn figured that since the funeral would begin soon, that it would be a waste of her time to go home and then return. Klaus just wanted to stay for as long as he could. When Hope arrived, he would have to leave. Not only to protect her from the Hollow's destructive magic, but from a prophecy that called for a citywide catastrophe.
Before the second line, Ivy relayed to Klaus about the prophecy she discovered. One that listed certain occurrences created when the Mikaelson were in close proximity. If all of them came true, then every firstborn in New Orleans would die.
Raylynn did not know how to process the information. How could she? She just watched her sister die.
Night feel across the bayou, signaling the beginning of Hayley's funeral. Klaus left before anyone arrived, more importantly, before Hope arrived. The cart used in the second line was brought to the lake's edge and transferred to a boat for the ceremony. The sides were lined with items that belonged to Hayley. Her ashes collected from Shiloh Place, her favorite pair of combat boots, a picture of her and Raylynn when they were teenagers , and her crescent moon necklace.
Raylynn stood next to where the boat remained on the dock, which would soon be moved into the water to sail off in Crescent Wolf fashion. Ryan clutched her hand as he stared at what little remained of his aunt. He did not say much since Freya brought him and Hope to the bayou. Raylynn would have urged him to talk on any other day, but she let it go. He needed time to grieve.
Hope claimed a spot at Raylynn's other side. She clutched her mother's leather jacket in her arms, before she set it down onto the boat. She stayed silent for a long time and then turned to where Freya stood on her left. "I know how much that you've lost over all these years, trying to get out family back together. And I know that you think that there's nothing else that we can do, but I believe that there is." She turned to Raylynn and continued, "there has to be. We have to save each other. We have to save - always and forever." Her gaze flicked between both women. "You two have taught me most of what I know about magic, and - if you're up for it, I'd really like your help figuring it out."
Raylynn reached out and wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders, pulling her into her side. "Of course I will."
Freya took Hope's hand and squeezed. "Anything you need."
Hope grinned a bit, before her gaze dropped to the boat. Her eyes shifted across her mother's things, settling on the green and silver, crescent moon necklace. "Do you think that I could, um..." She trailed off, no finishing her question.
Raylynn nodded and let go of the girl to take hold of the necklace. "Yeah. She'd want you to have it." She held the ends apart and placed the piece of jewelry around her neck, dropping the small pendant on the Mikaelson crest still on her chest.
They were all silent for a moment. Raylynn glanced back at the cabin on the lake's edge to see Marcel, Vincent, and Josh near the shore. Right on time.
"Freya, look," Ryan exclaimed, raising a hand to point toward the people crowded around for the ceremony.
Someone made their way through them and emerged into the warm glow of flaming torches.
"Keelin?" Freya called out in disbelief. The two women broke up not long ago, so she did not expect to see her. Freya moved toward Keelin and met her halfway. They embraced, before they pulled away with their hands still on one another. "How did you..."
"I got on a plane as soon as I heard the news," Keelin stated.
Freya did not waste another second as she grabbed Keelin's cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss.
Raylynn smiled at the sight. She was glad that Freya had someone. She deserved a bit of happiness in their sea of heartbreak.
_______
As the moon crested in the dark sky, the boat was moved from the dock into the calm waves of the lake. Raylynn held Hope close to her on one side and Ryan on the other, setting her attention on Freya as she addressed the people gathered.
"People will forget the things you've said, forget the things you did, but no one ever forgets the way you made them feel," Freya voiced, glancing around at everyone. "Hayley Marshall made me feel like I was a part of a family. And when the realities of this life became too much to bear, we shouldered them together. We laughed. We cried. When I failed - she lifted me up. But when I succeeded, she danced by my side. And she did that for all of us." Her eyes filled with tears as she met Raylynn's gaze. "No one will ever be able to replace her. Or feel the pain we feel at her loss. But, we can honor her. With our actions, and with our words. We can love each other. The way she would've - wanted us to love." Her voice cracked and she moved away from the shore.
Raylynn looked to where one of the wolves held a torch and lowered it to the boat. Another shoved against the wood, pushing it out across the lake. Raylynn tightened her hold on Hope as the girl stared at the flames that consumed what was left of her mother.
Hope sniffled as tears gathered in her eyes. "Goodbye, Mom."
Raylynn's own fell down her cheeks. She did not want to let go. She did not want to say goodbye. Someone's hand fell onto Raylynn's shoulder, causing her to turn and see Klaus at her side. Without questioning his presence, she released her grasp on Hope and moved back with Ryan.
At the same time, Klaus took his daughter's hand and caused her to snap toward him.
Hope's eyes widened. "What're you doing? You can't be here."
"Yes, I can," Klaus said, looking from the engulfed boat to Hope. "Just for a moment. Our family has awful struggles ahead, but right now, I need to be here. With my daughter."
Raylynn saw Hope smile and Klaus in return. In that moment, a clap of thunder rumbled overhead. Streaks of blue and violet flashed through the sky, illuminated the landscape below. Raylynn stepped back a bit on the dock and wrapped both arms around her son.
"Things are probably going to get ugly." Raylynn heard Freya said from afar.
One of the wolves called out to the crowd. "Let's pack it in, everyone. Take shelter."
Raylynn remained on the dock with Ryan at her side, while Klaus and Hope stayed at the water's edge. Everyone else retreated from the magical induced storm that formed across the lake.
"We'll be together again, won't we?" Ryan questioned, bringing his mother's stare to him. His was on the flaming boat in the center of the lake, before it look up at her. "We'll see her again?"
Raylynn fought the tears that burned eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure we will. One day, we will all be together again. We'll be happy, and we won't have to about anything but each other."
Ryan exhaled and returned his gaze to the water. "I hope so."
Raylynn returned hers to Klaus and Hope. "Me too, little king."
They were all quiet, before Klaus pulled his daughter into tight hug. They held onto each other until a bolt of lightning struck the boat, causing fire to spread from the wood and race atop the lake's surface. Klaus and Hope pulled away when the flames grew closer to the shore.
Although reluctant, Klaus stepped back from his daughter's side. He let go of her hand and moved over to Raylynn and Ryan. He raised a hand to caressed his son's head and then sped from the scene.
Hope watched her father leave as tears streamed down her cheeks. She proceeded to stand on the dock, while the fire receded and extinguished altogether. A second later, Hope raced forward and latched onto Raylynn and Ryan.
The three of them stayed there for a long time. Crickets chirped in the trees and cicadas shrieked around them as they held onto each other, mourning the loss of a beloved Hayley Marshall.
<May 27, 2019>
I have no words.
Don't forget to vote and comment.
-Jordan
P.S. Unedited chapter.