They watched Klaus break down.

The memory of that horrific day replayed in his head over and over, tormenting him. How she'd screamed out for him to save her. How he'd failed to do so.

"NO!" he'd yelled when he realized what had happened. He sped to her side, catching her body as it fell. Her eyes were wide open, the ghost of her last words still on her lips. "Esmeray— love— no, NO!"

Greta was still laughing behind him. Unable to contain himself, he sped to her, ripping her heart out in the same way. Elijah made to retaliate, but Klaus shoved him aside, picking up Esmeray's body and cradling her in his arms as he sat down, waiting for Hayley to wake up.

By the time she did, Elijah was gone. Klaus had gotten a text that Freya had found Hope, and they were in New Orleans. He hadn't told anyone yet.

"Oh, my head," groaned Hayley, sitting up. She could hear sniffling. Sitting up, she saw Klaus, and then, Esmeray, her eyes now closed.

"Oh my god," she said, jumping back and covering her mouth. "No... but— but how—?"

"Elijah," said Klaus weakly, his face caked in tears. He'd been stroking his wife's face for so long already, wondering if some miracle would restore her life.

Hayley got to her feet and started to hyperventilate, moving off to the side and nearly throwing up. Klaus heard her choke out a sob, and he shut his eyes tightly, feeling the body in his arms growing colder and colder.

Hayley had been the one to call Freya to tell her what had happened. Klaus's hands weren't steady enough to hold a phone. The news had spread quickly.

Klaus had never seen such a funeral.

The Bayou was more crowded than he'd ever seen it. There were wolves from all over the world present, standing as close to the edge of the water as they could. Klaus could recognize several faces: Aaron and Nat Campbell, as well as their daughters Lyla and Anya. Many of the young adults who Esmeray had helped with their transition spell. Even some of the small children she had fostered over the years.

Even the witches and vampires (not the ones aligned with Greta) had been in attendance. Vincent Griffith and Marcel Gerard stood with their communities, each off to the side to give the wolves their space to honor their Queen.

Nearest the front were the most familiar faces. Klaus, astral projecting, could see that the entire Mystic Falls group had attended: Damon, Bonnie, Stefan, Elena, Caroline, Enzo, Alaric, the Saltzman twins, Tyler Lockwood, Matt Donovan, and Jeremy Gilbert. He wished he could have shaken Damon's hand. He wished he could have found a way to comfort him, seeing the distraught look on his face. He'd never thought he'd see the day where Esmeray died.

Hayley and Hope were standing by Josh, Aiden, Davina (with Kol and Rebekah on a call, watching), Freya, and the projection of Klaus. As the Crescent Alpha, Hayley was the one who'd made all the arrangements.

Esmeray had wanted her Crescent burial. With a little boat, they'd laid her body to rest under silk teal sheets embroidered with an 'MP' for Mikaelson-Poldark.

Many spoke on her behalf before the boat was sent out into the water. They told funny stories from when they'd first met Esmeray. They shared their appreciation for all her work rebuilding communities and helping children find loving homes.

Hayley and Hope had just been about to use the ceremonial torch to light the boat on fire when the illusion of Klaus faded. There was a pause, and he appeared, seconds later, to take the torch from them.

Placing his hand over the letters on her covering, he swallowed back tears. "Goodbye, my little werewitch," he whispered, pulling out the tiny wooden wolf from his pocket and setting it over the boat before he let the torch fall over it.

Hope had never seen her father in so much pain. Impulsively, she'd done what anyone in her position would have done: bring her family back so that they could grieve properly. She took the Hollow back into herself so that her father could be hugged by his siblings without worrying the world would fall apart.

Klaus had wanted nothing to do with Elijah when his memories were first restored. The Original had been staring at his younger brother, terrified, when he saw what he'd done to his sister-in-law. Hayley had held him as he cried out tears of guilt.

"Niklaus will never forgive me," Elijah told her. "How can he? I was the first person she saw after she woke up. I was the one that... brought her into this life. And I was the one who took her from it..."

Hope came to Klaus's side after she'd learned of Elijah being sort of back to normal.

"Dad?" she whispered. "Are you okay?"

Klaus quickly wiped his eyes. "I'm fine," he said quickly. "Are you?"

"The voices are... annoying. But I'll be fine, too."

Klaus's hand shook as he reached for something in his pocket. He looked over the object in his hand before handing it to her.

Hope furrowed her brows. "Esmeray's necklace," she whispered, seeing the MP on it.

"She would have wanted you to have it," Klaus said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You were the closest thing she had to a daughter."

Somehow, Hope knew this was his way of letting her know that he was giving up. That necklace would have been something he'd have liked to keep for himself, as a reminder of his love. Instead, he was gifting it to his daughter, his will to live gone.

"Klaus," Hayley said, coming to his room after hearing his plan to take the Hollow into himself. "There has to be another way..."

"There is not, Hayley," he told her. "I must do this. I will not let our daughter be consumed by this monstrosity. I will take it into myself, and I will defeat it once and for all."

"Do you really think Esmeray would have wanted that?"

Klaus shot up, eyes wild. "What she would have wanted was to be alive! I failed her. I failed her after she spent nearly her entire life protecting this family. I will not fail my daughter. I have been itching to murder people since the instant I saw her dead, and I have held back because, that, Hayley, is what she would have wanted. For me to keep from lashing out. I will not be able to hold back if I lose Hope."

"I-I know, Klaus. B-But Elijah offered—"

"No. How can I let another man sacrifice himself for my child? After seven years, you've reunited with the one who may be the true love of your life. What will we both be like if we're raising Hope, both having lost the one person who kept us sane? Hope will have you, and you have been a wonderful parent— the thing I have not been. You need Elijah."

He came to sit beside her. "I thought I could be a good father. Esmeray was what helped me believe that. But I cannot be a good father when I am consumed with grief. I will become rotten. All I have ever wanted is for Hope to live and thrive and be happy. She can do that with her mother, who will be alongside the man she loves. That's the healthy family she needs. Not two parents mourning and feeling bitter about what evil took from them. I refuse to risk ruining Hope the way Mikael ruined me. Losing Freya made him a monster. And she was not really dead. I cannot trust that I can continue to be a good man without Esmeray at my side. All I feel is pain and sadness and... I do not see a single light at the end of the tunnel. I cannot explain it. I have tried to grieve and it has not worked the way it has in the past. I seem to be losing my strength, my appetite. I've lost all hope, Hayley. I will not lose our daughter, too."

Hayley put her hand on his. "You're already dying," she realized. "That's why you don't see a way out of it..." she saw that he looked confused. "When we rescued Esmeray from Lucien, she mentioned how she wouldn't be able to live on if you died. She'd waste away from grief. You two were soulmates. You... you quite literally can't continue to live now that she's gone. It'll eat away at you until you're gone, too."

"When I learned she was a vampire," he whispered, "I was happy. I grew accustomed to the idea of her being immortal. The idea of her being around forever. When she was mortal, I was terrified of losing her. Once she became a vampire... that fear had dissipated."

He began to fully sob once more, and Hayley pulled him into a hug. "I cannot do this anymore, Hayley," he said, voice cracking. "I had sixteen years with her. Sixteen years, and it was nowhere near enough. I needed more. All I would have asked for is five more bloody minutes to hold her, to tell her I loved her, to remind her that she was my everything. I don't know if she knew it when she died."

"She knew, Klaus," Hayley promised. "She knew how much you loved her. I... there's something I want to tell you."

He sat up, and Hayley took his hands. "I'm pretty sure she's at peace," she whispered. "Because the day she died, the voice of my inner wolf changed. It used to be... just the voice of this girl who I knew back when I first found out I was a werewolf. Esmeray had Anya's voice, and Anya was at peace. She's okay, Klaus. She's probably with her parents again... with Jackson and Anya... with the baby that you two lost, and all the other good people she's seen die throughout her life. She's resting. So... if you think that this way of defeating the Hollow is what you want to do... then I think you should follow your gut, because some part of you died the instant that she did. I don't want to see you suffering like this, it breaks my heart."

Klaus nodded, agreeing with her. "I am already dead, Hayley," he said. "I won't allow our daughter to be, too. She will always remember the way I used to be, before Esmeray died. If she were to ever see me become a monster again... she'd view me as a weakling who could not survive without the woman he loved. I must do this. I must save her."

And then the time came. Klaus took the Hollow into his body, and with the white oak stake in his hand, was prepared to die.

"Brother."

Elijah was across from him. Klaus looked away. "Leave me be, Elijah. I have already told you that I've forgiven you. I need to be alone for this."

"How could you possibly forgive me? I took away someone you loved more deeply than anything. I ripped from this world a good person—"

Klaus caught him by surprise by coming toward him and putting his hand on his shoulder. "I forgive you because I see your remorse. Esmeray once told me there was good in me because she saw my guilt. She said an evil person would not feel guilt. If you'd had your memories, you never would have hurt her, you know that. If you wish to make it up to me, I task you with this: be a good partner to Hayley. Take care of Hope. Watch over Freya, Kol, and Rebekah. Honor the wolves and help them in any way they need it. Keelin has become the next Queen of the Wolves, and she may need your guidance. After all, aside from me, I believe you knew Esmeray's wishes best."

Elijah nodded, and pulled his brother into a final hug. Klaus kept himself from crying until he'd watched his brother return to the Compound.

He looked up at the dark moon overhead, thinking of her, knowing that there was a chance he could see her again, if he went to peace. He had to see her, or he could never rest. Drawing a deep breath, he thrust the white oak stake into his heart.

Klaus felt his life slipping away, the ashes floating up to cover his line of sight. His eyes came to a close as the fire fully ignited. For a moment, all he saw was darkness.

And when he opened his eyes, Esmeray was there to catch him before he could fall, a wide smile on her face and tears in her hazel eyes.