'𝟓 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫

..,..

IN THE Abattoir Elijah complained about the blood he was drinking, "Ugh, O-positive. You heathen."

"New rules. No blood shed in the house where my daughter sleeps and plays. Perhaps I'll go out for dinner." Klaus said.

"Oh, no, no, no, no. We have no way to know who will take Dominic's place as the Hollow's right hand. There could be any number of disciples out there." Elijah told Klaus.

"Yes, yes, yes, all who may have the means to kill us. You know, if you hadn't been so hasty to kill him, we'd be dealing with the devil we know." Klaus spoke.

"Spoken by the devil I know best of all."

"I take it you have a plan." Klaus said.

"Freya will place a barrier spell on the compound. No one gets in or out."

"Oh, so we're to stay here while our enemies seek to resurrect this monstrosity and let me guess, you won't be confined here." Klaus guessed.

"I have a little errand to run." Elijah told his brother.

"And while you're off cavorting all over town, I'm what? Grounded?" Klaus questioned.

"Essentially. Why don't you take out your frustration on that filthy jawbone our enemy seems so fascinated by." Elijah offered.

"Gladly."

..,..

Klaus walked back downstairs after seeing Hope. "You're hosting a yard sale?" Klaus asked Hayley.

"I just figured while we're stuck here, I may as well work out which stuff to keep and which to donate." Hayley explained.

"Listen, I found Hope exploring the rubbish in the attic. She's restless." Klaus told the hybrid.

"She's not restless. She's bored. Most kids her age would be at school. They'd have friends to play with." Hayley replied.

"Well, once Freya teaches her to hone her magic, she'll be powerful beyond measure. She won't need friends. She'll be worshiped." Klaus stated.

"She doesn't want to be worshiped. She just wants someone to hold the other end of the jump rope." Hayley sighed.

"She'll be above such things. She will have power enough to protect herself from anything. We won't have to trap her in bloody boundary spells just to keep her safe." Klaus said.

"Thank you... by the way. I know it's not in your nature to keep violence out of this house." Hayley thanked the hybrid.

"Well, we'll protect her innocence for as long as we can. You and I both know the importance of that. No one protected ours." Klaus sighed.

"Well... while you're here, you may as well help me go through this stuff. You might find something useful." Hayley said.

"Oh, look at that. How to Defeat the Hollow: Volume One. Hidden in here amongst these old Guns N' Roses records. Oh, sweet child of mine."

..,..

Hope walked underground the Abattoir, "Hi. I think this is yours." the young girl said handing Marcel something.

"Hope. I haven't seen this in a century." Marcel spoke.

"So, you're the little boy who used to live in my house." Hope said looking at Marcel.

"Once upon a time, I lived here with your dad." Marcel replied.

"He keeps you down here because he thinks you want to kill him. Do you?" Hope asked the vampire.

"Listen, I will tell you anything you want to know. Okay? If you get me some blood from your dad's stash." Marcel told the young witch.

"I'm seven, not stupid." Hope stated.

"Right. You know, you're also pretty courageous. Come down here and talk to a stranger." Marcel told her.

"I'm not scared. I'm a Mikaelson witch."

"I'll tell you what, let's start fresh, all right? It is very good to see you again, Hope Mikaelson. My name's Marcel."

..,..

"You know, I'm surprised your parents haven't stormed down here looking for you." Marcel pointed out.

"My mom trusts me."

"Yeah. But your dad's never trusted anyone in his life." Marcel said.

"That's not true, my Dad said he trusted my aunt Wanda a lot." Hope told him.

"Wanda Maximoff? The witch? Or whatever she actually was." Marcel asked.

"Mhm, you know her?" Hope questioned.

"Yeah, she helped out the Mikaelsons a lot. Weren't for her they probably would have lost a lot of wars." Marcel answered.

"Can you tell me about her powers? My mom didn't really go into detail." Hope asked.

"Well it was like a red energy that she would create with her hands and her eyes would sometimes glow a vibrant red, it was terrifying actually." Marcel chuckled.

"I can't wait to meet her." Hope said.

Marcel looked confused, "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

..,..

"I'm gonna say good night to Hope." Hayley said.

"Hayley, wait." Klaus called after her.

"Impressive boundary spell. Unfortunately, it only lasts as long as the witch who cast it." Dominic smirked.

..,..

"My aunt is dead?" Hope asked again.

"No one really knows what happened to her except the Mikaelson's." Marcel told her.

Hope looked at the ground then was overcame with a bad feeling, "Somethings wrong, I have to go."

"No, wait, Hope. It's not safe."

"I need you to let me out of the circle." Marcel told the young witch.

"I can't. My dad will be mad." Hope answered.

"No, he won't. I'll keep you safe." Marcel said.

"I can protect myself, and my mom and dad. I'm strong enough to stop the bad guys. I'm stronger than anybody thinks." Hope stated.

"Wait, Hope. I know you're strong, okay? That's how I know you can let me out of here. I need you to trust me right now. Your dad rescued me. He raised me, and I knew your mom when she was a baby. We're family. What does your mommy say about family?" Marcel asked her.

"That we stick together, always and forever."

"That's right." Marcel said.

"He's down here!" A man shouted.

"Okay, look at me. Do you trust me?"

..,..

"Marcel!" Klaus shouted.

"Dad. What happened?" Hope asked her father looking around.

"It's, uh... it's, it's paint. I made quite a mess, didn't I?" Klaus chuckled nervously.

"Where's Mom?"

"She's at home, waiting for you. Are you okay? You took your bracelet off." Klaus asked his daughter.

"Dad, don't be mad. I-I let Marcel out and he kept me safe." Hope told her father.

"I'm not angry, sweetheart, come here." Klaus said as he kneeled embracing his daughter in a hug.

"Don't be angry with Marcel, either. He's my friend."

Klaus sighed happy his daughter was alright.

"Dad, why didn't you tell me aunt Wanda was dead." Hope asked in a small voice.

Klaus sighed and pulled back from the embrace holding her shoulders, "I should have been honest with you, but you want to know what I think?" the hybrid asked her.

Hope nodded, "I think your aunt Wanda will come back, she was too strong to be taken away, and she loved our family as we did her. She will be back, and I will try and find a way to bring her back, she would love to see her niece all grown up." Klaus smiled.

"We can get her back?" Hope asked eagerly.

"I will do what I can because I too miss her." Klaus said.

Hope hugged her father once again.

Klaus would find a way to bring the girl back if he could, he promised himself that.

..,..

"If you came to fight, it ain't gonna end well for you." Marcel said as Klaus entered his penthouse.

"I didn't come to fight. You told her to close her eyes and to sing. I used to say that when you were young."

"Yeah, well, she's a better listener than I was. You didn't tell her. About our history. Or about Wanda." Marcel said.

"Right, yeah. Didn't want to have to tell her that the aunt she was looking forward to meeting is gone and how dare I deny my daughter the heartwarming tale of the boy I loved as a son..." Klaus started.

"That is now the man you hate enough to keep locked in your basement." Marcel finished.

"Yeah, but the thing is, we're not men, are we, Marcellus? We're monsters. And I intend to protect my daughter from that truth for as long as I can." Klaus replied.

"I knew you were a monster from the moment I met you. Now, I may not have known you were a vampire, but I knew you." Marcel stated.

"The Hollow wants us dead. And it will tear through anyone to get what it wants. It doesn't matter who. Elijah, Hayley, Hope. I won't let it take them. And I won't let it take you. The only chance we have to survive is if we work together."

..,..

A/n: I do not know why I'm publishing three chapters today but enjoy.