•|•
Elijah and Hayley sat on the porch with Hope and Rose. Hope sitting in a baby seat and Hayley holding Rose while playing peek-a-boo with a stuffed bear.
"It's alright, Elijah," Rebekah said as she sat up firewood. "She won't break. Everything you did was in the name of protecting her. I'm not worried." She told him referring to his recent fits where he seemed a little out of it.
Elijah picked up Hope and held her close to him. "Hi, sweetheart." He cooed before looking up and finally noticing that Rebekah was setting up for a fire and looked at her in confusion. "Is that what I think it is?" He asked as he rocked baby Hope a little.
Rebekah walked back toward Elijah, Hayley, Rose, and Hope and smiled happily. "It's bonfire season!" Rebekah cheered happily. "And I am reviving a family tradition! Especially since we're all going to be together."
"Only because we're fleeing from one of our deranged parents. Another Mikaelson tradition. It's a peculiar thing- never to be tired, yet forever exhausted by the sameness of things. Why is our family always at war?" Elijah asked.
Rebekah just smiled and touched Hope's hand. "I don't know. But, being away with these two precious little girls made me see things differently."
"Looks like she wants you," Hayley said as she sat Rose down who walked over to Rebekah and held onto her leg. Rebekah smiled down at her and pat the little girls head.
The blonde Original picked Rose up and tickled her stomach, eliciting a laugh from the bubbly child. "We're not so bad." Rebekah told them softly. "We're not the monsters that our parents think we are."
Suddenly, Klaus and Isabel's black SUV sped down the driveway. Klaus didn't even get the chance to park before an excited Isabel rushed out of the car and sprinted toward Rebekah, Elijah, Hayley, and her daughters.
Isabel abruptly stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw Hope and Rose, as though she couldn't believe her eyes. Rebekah and Elijah both smiled at her as Klaus caught up with them.
"Mama!" Baby Rose cheered.
Elijah and Rebekah wasted no time handing a smiling Hope and Rose to Isabel who luckily had the strength to carry both the girls.
"Hi!" She smiled at them, tears forming in her eyes. She missed Rose's second birthday and the first few months of Hope being born and just thinking about it had the water works up and running. "Hi my beautiful baby girls."
Rose and Hope cooed happily in their mothers arms and Isabel hugged them tightly and breathed a sigh of relief. She had waited for this day for quite a while and she didn't know how long they'd be gone for. So she was grateful to have this chance to see them again.
Behind her, Klaus was near tears as well and too overwhelmed to move. Isabel turned so Klaus can see his daughter which caused the two babies to coo happily again. The baby girls started to giggle when Klaus and Isabel both laughed and smothered them with kisses.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah were building a bonfire outside of the Mikaelson safe house while Isabel held Hope and Hayley held Rose.
"You don't know how relieved I was to find out the girl's were still alive," Hayley told her older sister. "And it makes a lot more sense to why you're mar-"
"Shh." Isabel interrupted her as she rocked Hope gently. "I haven't told any of them yet," she said softly.
"Well I'm just glad that everything is somewhat okay. And I understand why you didn't tell me about them. It was a smart choice."
"Thank you. I was a little worried you'd hate me for keeping them a secret."
"You're their mother. You were doing what you thought was best. I can respect that." Hayley smiled as she looked at Rose and making a funny face causing the baby to giggle.
"How's my little Hope?" Isabel asked smiling and tickling the babies foot. "Are you happy baby girl?" Hope just laughed in reply as Hayley smiled at them.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
"Curse on the first-born?" Rebekah asked putting her hands on her hip. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Well, according to Finn, our sister Freya didn't die of plague. She was taken as payment by our aunt Dahlia, who then cursed all Mikaelson first-borns for eternity." Elijah informed them.
"Is any of this true?" Isabel asked with an unsettling look on her face as if she was about to cry but was holding it back. She just got them and almost solved one problem just for another to threaten to take her little Hope away.
"It is if we are to believe Finn, who learned it from the bastion of truth- our mother," Elijah told the mother of two.
"Well, no wonder Finn hates us." Rebekah told them. "He lost the sister he adored, and instead got a judgy pack of siblings who found him unbearably dull."
"Wonderful," Isabel said sarcastically. "Just wonderful."
"So, is there any chance of us running into your loony aunt Dahlia any time soon?" Hayley asked with a worried look in her hazel eyes.
"The fable's over a thousand years old. Dahlia is long dead." Elijah tried to reason with them as he placed more wood in the fire.
"Just like Esther?" Isabel retorted.
"No one's going to hurt Hope, because no one's going to find her or Rose." Klaus paused for a moment when he saw Rebekah add even more wood to the fire. "There's enough wood, Rebekah. You'll burn down the whole bloody state of Arkansas."
Rebekah rubbed her hands together excitedly as she returned to where her siblings were standing. "Well, we're just missing a key ingredient!"
Klaus sighed knowing what she meant. "No, we're not."
"Yes, we are, Nik!" Rebekah pouted. "Back me up, Elijah!" She pleaded with her older brother.
Elijah laughed. "I suspect Niklaus would rather choke on the ashes."
Isabel chuckled even though she had no idea what Klaus would rather not do.
"What are you all talking about?" Hayley asked.
"Well, before we light it, we write down our wishes for each other to burn for luck! It was Kol's favorite part when we were kids!" Rebekah informed them which caused a smile to grow on Isabels face.
"Kol used to like this?" Isabel asked, curiously.
"This and magic used to be the top of his important list." Rebekah admitted.
"It's further evidence as to why we should ignore it!" Klaus protested in jealousy.
"Rose and Hope's first bonfire season. I like it!" Isabel exclaimed with a smile. "We're definitely doing it!"
"I'll get the paper!" Hayley excitedly told them before rushing inside for paper as Rebekah and Isabel, turned to the Mikaelson men and smiled smugly.
"Us girls against you two." Isabel taunted. "We win."
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Isabel walked inside the room Rebekah had shown her earlier with a sleeping Rose in her arms, a smile on her face. "You my baby wolf are to precious for this world." She admitted before she laid the napping girl in her bed. "Sleep well."
Isabel shut the door but left a little bit of the room open before grabbing a small notebook and pencils and making her way to the dining room. She watched Klaus who held Hope while sitting at the dining table.
She held out the supplies for him to take with a gentle smile on her face. "Here."
Klaus who was so busy doting on Hope who had her hands in her mouth that he didn't take his eyes off of her as he spoke to his parabatai. "I'm holding a small child, Bel. This silly wish game will have to wait!"
"You write, I'll hold." She compromised, not giving up.
"You do realize it is not I who is to be easily bossed around?" Klaus asked.
Isabel smiled even wider. "You do realize that I had to endure horrendous labor and actual death birthing the child that you're holding?" Klaus chuckled and sighed as Isabel walked over and took Hope from him. "Heyy baby girl." She said to her child before looking at Klaus who looked like a kicked puppy. "You can handle not holding her for a few seconds."
"Fine." He picked up the paper and pencil and started to narrate aloud what he was writing. "'I wish my lovely parabatai would tell me what has been bothering her because she refuses to do so.'"
He ripped off the page and handed it out to Isabel, who just looked at him unamused. "I'm not quite ready, Nik."
"You were so ready before we got in the car. I don't understand."
"I just got nervous." She admitted before walking away and crumpling the wish into a ball. "I'm just not ready." She the told herself, "but if not now, when?"
She sat in the main room with her own paper and pencil as she thought over her wish. She smiled as she wrote out,
'I wish for a better future for my children and my family. To be with Nik, Elijah, Rebekah, and Kol for as long as forever will allow.'
She paused her writing for a moment before writing three more words.
'Always and forever.'
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
"Can you tell me what's been bothering you now?"
Isabel continued to play with Hopes foot as she sighed. "No. I'm still working up to it." She moved Hopes dress and smiled at the baby. "You know, we've hurt a lot of people to keep Hope safe." Isabel told Klaus as they sat on a blanket with Hope, Isabels legs behind her as she sat with her legs closed and Klaus sitting on his knees beside her.
"And we'll continue to do so," he said as he watched Hope.
"I want you to promise me something." She looked at him. "Promise me that you'll always protect her and Rose." She looked away. "No matter what."
"You have my word." He promised as he watched her serious face. "There's nothing I wouldn't do to keep our daughters safe."
Just then Hope started to cry and Klaus moved his hand to her. "Hey," he said softly with a smile on his face. He let her grab onto his finger and move it to her face which allowed her to quiet down and chew on it.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Isabel, Elijah, Hayley, and Klaus stood outside the mansion where Klaus had just lit a match to light the bonfire while Isabel and Hayley were carrying Hope and a newly awoken Rose.
Rebekah rushed outside to join them with an elated smile. "Hey! Look what I found!" She held up a Polaroid camera, and the boys groaned. "I wonder if it'll work?"
"Oh, bloody hell." Klaus sighed as he turned away with his hands on his hips, looking like Superman.
"Come on, let's try it! Hey, Nik, do you think you can cram us all into a selfie?" Rebekah asked.
"Oh, Niklaus is a virtuoso at cramming his siblings into confined spaces," Elijah said, amusedly.
"Well, I'm just glad I traveled hundreds of miles to visit my mentally ill brother, only to have him insult me to my face," Klaus said sarcastically.
Rebekah scowled at her blonde brother. "Oh, come on, just take the picture!" She exclaimed, shoving the camera into his hand.
Klaus sighed and held up the camera to take a picture of the seven of them together.
Klaus stood to the left, then Isabel with Hope, Hayley with Rose, Rebekah and finally Elijah. Everyone smiled at the camera including Hope and Rose.
Once the click noise was made they all stayed together to watch as the photo developed.
"Aw, see?" Rebekah smiled sadly. "I wish that it could always be like this."
"If wishes were horses..." Elijah started.
"...Beggars would ride." Klaus finished, ruefully. They all look happily at the photograph, but Klaus suddenly sighed knowing what they had to do. "You realize we'll have to burn it. You want me to make a wish for the family, Rebekah? I wish it didn't have to be like this. But, it does." He sounded and looked heartbroken as he handed the photo to Isabel. "We can't risk it falling into the wrong hands."
Hayley and Elijah looked to each other, both visibly sad while Isabel took a good, long look at the adorable family photo before reluctantly throwing it into the bonfire.
"No! This isn't right. We deserve this. We've earned this." She looked at Elijah, Isabel, Hayley, and Klaus looking unhappy about their current situation before an idea popped into her head. "I won't let it slip away. I know what to do to stop Esther," she said determined to save her family from the looming darkness.
"Rebekah, no-" Elijah tried.
"I'm going to take her deal. And, when I do, I'm taking her down with me."
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
After talking to Davina and Andrew about the paragon diamond and Rebekah, Koleb looked up to the sky and a small smile played at his lips as he leaned against a gate. He then looked down at the piece of paper he wrote on.
'My wish is to someday get the girl I want.'
The male witch scrunched up the paper in his fist and then lit it on fire with his powers. He let it go into the wind as he thought of Isabel.
And despite it not being a bonfire and he wasn't surrounded by family it was better then nothing.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Isabel sat in the rocking chair on the front porch, rocking Hope and Rose to sleep while inside the house, Rebekah, Elijah, and Klaus are discussing Rebekah's idea and Hayley headed to bed.
Elijah took a break from the talking and stepped outside to see Isabel.
"I've been holding back on telling you guys." Isabel gulped as she looked down at her girls, refusing to meet Elijah's eyes.
Elijah sat in a chair next to her with a caring look on his face. "You can tell me anything. You know this."
"I'm marrying Jackson." She straight up told him. "And I don't know how to tell Klaus. And I figured you'd be the easiest to talk to first."
"He won't be happy." Elijah frowned sadly. He knew he lost the girl and now so did his brother. "That much I can say. But if it's what you want he will not stop you. He cares a lot for you Isabella. So tell him." He advised. "It's the only thing you can do."
"Thank you, Lijah. For everything you've done for me."
"It was my pleasure."
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Isabel walked into a spare bedroom to talk to Klaus before he left.
"The girls are asleep." She told him. Klaus looked at her and she grew more nervous looking into his ocean eyes. "And- I think I'm ready to tell you."
"And what is it?" He asked curiously.
"My wolves. I think I figured out a way to release them from the witches." Klaus stood, surprised. "They could control their turning without the rings, and bring peace to our home so that Hope and Rose could return to us. But, there's a catch... I have to marry Jackson." Klaus stared at her completely stunned, speechless. Isabel started to play with her hands nervously. "It's a, um, mystical ceremony, and- and an Alpha bonding ritual." She scanned him up and down. "Nik... you have to know that this isn't about him. I don't love Jackson, but... at the same time, I can't marry him and still be whatever we were," Isabel told him. She sighed heavily when he didn't answer. "I will always appreciate the good things you've made me feel in the past. And I just thought-"
Klaus sped in front of her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her toward him so he can kiss her passionately, a kiss which Isabel returned as if it was natural. Klaus found himself speeding her onto the bed and pulling her close as she moved her hand to his neck. After a moment, he pulled away and placed his forehead against hers. "Marry him."
"What?" She asked in a daze.
Klaus reluctantly pulled his head away and cupped her face in his hand. "The only way that this city will be safe for our children's return is if you have unified your people. Now, Davina will eventually lead her witches, and no matter who's side she is on she is no enemy to you or your children. Do what you need to bring our daughters home. This is my wish for you." He admitted sadly. His heart ached yet he couldn't be selfish and tell her no. This was their chance to bring Rose and Hope home.
Klaus went to get up from the bed but Isabel took one of his hands in hers and she smiled slightly. "Can you stay with me? Until I go to sleep?" He nodded slowly and settled down next to her. She curled herself into his side and closed her eyes. "Thank you for not getting upset."
Klaus closed his eyes and held his sigh in as he kissed her head.
This is an early post because today is Indi's thirtieth birthday!
Happy birthday Indi!
I honestly couldn't see Isabel as anyone but Indi and I thought it'd be cool to celebrate with the only thing I have for her. A character.