𝟙.𝟙𝟛: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕠𝕪 𝕎𝕙𝕠 𝕊𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕝 ℍ𝕒𝕤 𝔸 𝕃𝕠𝕥 𝕆𝕗 𝔾𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕋𝕠 𝔻𝕠

—Narrator's perspective—

Hope sat down on Arabella's bed, holding her cold and pale hand while the tears trickled down her cheek again and again. Everytime she tried to stop herself from being a sobbing mess, she ended up failing. Even though the relief of knowing that Landon was still alive and he was a phoenix, it still didn't help her pain from losing Arabella.

She hung her head low, sobbing while she had Arabella's hand on her hands. The door opened but she couldn't care enough to look. All she remembered was Mg helping her set down Arabella's body to the bed then leaving to let her have a moment.

On the other side of the door, Alaric and Penelope were talking about why they were even out there. When Alaric got his answers, he told the witch to have some rest and walked inside Hope's dorm room.

"Hope." Ric called cautiously, walking slowly to her and stood besides the crying girl.

"It's been hours, Dr. Saltzman. I can't keep doing this." Hope said, looking up to him while she had tears blocking her sense to see clearly.

The human sighed, also heartbroken to see Arabella like this but kept up his guard up for Hope's sake. He looked around the room, seeing 2 canvas by the window, setting it there to dry a magnificent painting which he was guessing, Hope and Arabella did.

"I refuse to give up on her. There is only one thing that can kill an original, you know that." Alaric said, sitting on the opposite bed and looked at Arabella, dried blood on her neck and slashes on her stomach. The image made him want to cry.

"But she is not like Aunt Rebekah Or uncle Kol." Hope said, wiping her tears away while she looked at the man. "What if she doesn't wake up? I can't live without her, Ric." She whimpered.

Alaric nodded, looking down to his feet and knowing that if Arabella dies for good, he would have been the one to tell everyone he knows. To Damon and Elena, Caroline, The whole Mikaelson family, He couldn't do that to them.

"Rafael, came—"

"—Do not let him get near me." Hope sneered, cutting him off before he could say anything more. "I will seriously kill him if he as so much get nears me." She warned, the feeling she had was replaced by rage.

Alaric sighed, giving up and looked at the grey skinned blonde who's eyes were closed shut. "What now?"

"If you as so much think of getting near her, You have another thing coming." Arabella spat, going in front of Penelope before William could even do much more damage than bite her neck when she leaned to closely to him.

"Always the martyr, Like mother like daughter." He scoffed, grabbing the chain off the wall and swinging it in circles. "I can't kill you. So I can atleast tie you up while I force you to watch your friend get skinned alive."

Arabella shifted her eyes crimson red, dark veins under her eyes were partly visible while glaring at him. "Penelope, Run." She said blankly and didn't get her to respond when she rushed William, punching him on the face making him back away.

"You have your mother's spirit. I will give you that, Arabella." He spat blood on the floor before standing up and swung the chain to her way.

Arabella caught it in midair, the chain wrapping around her wrist. She still had a glare in madness while looking at him. She flipped her arm making William go along with the chains and hit the floor with a loud thud and a groan escaped his lips.

"You cannot overpower me. You're nothing and you will never be my father." She whispered, the blind rage and anger overtook her senses. Arabella lifted her hand up, driving it inside his chest making his eyes widen and looked at her in fear. "I slaughtered an entire coven, you included in that fight. I'm about to kill you twice." She whispered and pulled her hand out, his heart rested on her palm.

The Blonde stood up, her hand dropped to her side while she stared at the man beneath her, skin turned grey quickly than imagined. She looked at her hands, all bloody and her conscience was too overwhelming for her. Her eyes darted just outside the cells, seeing Penelope watch the entire thing and she never left.

"Hope. Hope, look." Ric said in shock, standing up and pointed at Arabella's wounds that was already healing. "She's alive."

Hope turned her head to the blonde, watching her skin turn back to pale and its original tone. The tribrid gripped her hand firmly, waiting for something to happen before she can celebrate all of a sudden.

However, In Arabella's case wasn't that. She sat up, coughing and gripping the side of her neck, didn't noticed how Hope cried in relief and hugged her body. All she remembered was an endlessly amount of nightmares and hallucinations in the woods. It took everything in her not to kill Penelope who she thought was Emmett or William.

"Oh my god. You're alive." Hope exclaimed in relief, tears made its way to her eyes again and embraced the girl who wasn't responding. Alaric noticed it as well and walked forward to them. "Bella? Bella, can you hear me?" She asked, waving her hand over the girl's face which was blank.

Arabella's breath hitched, choking in a painful sob when she saw Hope and realised where she is. "Hope..?" She whispered, not wanting to be fooled by another nightmare.

"Yes. Yes, it's me." Hope smiled widely, not minding the tears that was dripping down to her shirt. "You're here... You're really here." She whispered.

"Wait— Landon? Mg, he was—"

"—He's alive. Both of them are." Alaric cutted her off before she swarms them off with questions. "You are too." He smiled a bit, looking at the blonde who was shaking her hands violently.

Hope noticed this and her smile turned into a concerned frown. "Bella— hey, hey. You're okay now. What you saw wasn't real, it was just the werewolf venom, remember?" She asked, scooting closer to the girl.

"N-No..." She whispered defeated-like, eyes trailing down to her lap. "I killed him... I killed my father." Arabella said in realisation, snapping her neck upwards to look at Hope and Ric who seemed genuinely confused.

☘︎︎

"Bella, babe." Hope called gently, kneeling to the side where Arabella was turned to. "It's morning." She greeted, still worried for the girl after everything she told her and Ric last night.

Arabella fluttered her eyes open, already Hope's presence made it all better. "Is it? Then please, join me to sleep in." She spoke and moved a bit to the bed, eyes half opened while looking at Hope, waiting for an answer. "Please?" She pleaded, making Hope roll her eyes in a smile and joined her to bed, laying on her arm while she looked at the Blonde from under her.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about last night?" She asked in a whisper, tracing small lines using her finger on her neck. "With everything that happened two days ago, I'd be more surprised than you."

She sighed, still having her eyes closed. "I think two days ago is what we call normal these days. Landon became a phoenix, I came back from the dead and during those times, I was stuck inside my own head, repeating the time I killed William, over and over again." Arabella opened her eyes more freely, looking down to Hope who gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that. I hear you crying when you found my body in the woods but it was too distinct and I wasn't sure it was you."

"Just don't leave me again. I was so scared that you actually died." Hope sighed out, burrying her face to Arabella's neck and her perfume invaded her nose. "And also, Don't go ignoring my calls and getting Penelope Park to use a cloaking spell on you."

Arabella smiled, brushing Hope's hair gently while she closed her eyes. "Have you made a decision on forgiving Rafi? He's been kicking himself over and over again for what he did."

"He killed you, Bella." Hope reminded her and backed away, looking her in the eye. "Rafael killed you because he thought you were letting Mg kill Landon when in reality, you were having a mental breakdown because you found out that your dad is another man."

The vampire nodded in a simple smile. "Have I told you, how much I'm in love with you and your protectiveness?" She teased so Hope would back down which she did.

"I love you too." Hope said and leaned up to kiss her passionately, both entangled on the bed while they had their moment early in the morning at this hour.

☘︎︎