ASHES TO ASHES

        Pain.

          When the blade of Papa Tunde was removed from his chest by Camille, somehow, this hurt much worse than any blade. As soon as the blade was removed, he vamp sped over to her lifeless body.

           He cradled Jenny gently in his arms as he began to cry. There was no sound of a heartbeat and there was nothing he could do; he could only hold her body as her blood soaked his clothes.

             "Jenny," his lips trembled as his fingers caressed her cheeks. "Forgive me."

            He couldn't save her. Again. It was the worst sin imaginable and he couldn't handle it. To lose her after already having lost her; he couldn't do it again.

            "Elijah, Klaus had a plan," Camille tried to reason but he wasn't paying attention; only staring down at his dead beloved. "Elijah! I'm sorry about Jenny but we have to focus on Dahlia..."

              "Jenny is gone! My rageful brother has killed her and I am supposed to follow his plan. No," Elijah clenched his jaw. "If my brother wishes to defeat Dahlia, he can do it himself."

              "Elijah..." Camille said in shock as Elijah went back to staring at Jenny again.

               "She's gone," Elijah started to sob as he stared at the wound on her neck; her slit throat.

               What was he without his dear Jenny? He couldn't live in a world again without her smile or a world where he couldn't love her. Loving her was all he was anymore.

               No matter what Camille did, Elijah wouldn't respond. He just kept holding Jenny as tears fell down his cheeks like if he held her long enough, she wouldn't be dead.

             Camille sat down on the edge of the fountain and stared sadly as she waited.

              _____

             Rebekah and Marcel came down from upstairs. Rebekah was in her original body after having to kill her witch one.

             "Oh, thank god," Camille said in relief. "He hasn't moved in twenty minutes."

              Rebekah furrowed her eyebrows until she rounded the fountain and she stopped. She put a hand over her mouth in shock before lowering it, "Nik didn't."

             Rebekah stepped closer before crouching down as she stared at Elijah sadly with some tears of her own that fell for Jenny, "My big brother, I know that this hurts. But this family needs you. I need you. You have to let her go."

                Elijah held Jenny, her dead body, tightly like he'd never let go. He started to shake his head, "I can't..."

"I promised I wouldn't let anything take her away," Elijah cried. "Rebekah, I failed her."

"You know Jenny would never think that of you," Rebekah advised. "And you know what she would want you to do now."

Elijah started to slowly loosen his grip as he gently placed her body on the ground. He had to look away from her pale face that wouldn't move again.

But Rebekah saw what he couldn't. The wound on her neck was healing. "Elijah..."

Elijah slowly looked to see the wound close and repair itself. Everything became intact.

Then Jenny gasped awake.

         "Jenny," Elijah started to smile as soon as she opened her eyes.

           But Jenny started to cry, "Elijah, I'm so sorry. I couldn't tell you before..." Before she was forced to slit her own throat.

             "It doesn't matter. You're alive," Elijah said, full of hope, as he softly moved the stray hair from her cheek. But tears stung her eyes, unable to tell him how she was truly alive but Rebekah did.

              "Elijah," Rebekah called, sensing what his feelings clouded. "Nik turned her."

              _____

                  Jenny was only in transition but things already were heightened. Her feelings, the sounds, and even the lights seemed abnormally bright.

               Elijah could hardly look at her once he found out she was in a transition. She had an inevitable choice to make: be a vampire or die.  But there were other things to worry about like Dahlia.

             Elijah had retrieved Hope and Freya along with a linked Klaus and Dahlia. Klaus had put the dagger back in his heart to allow them more time to get the right ingredient: the blood of their mother, Esther.

              They stared down at the sleeping bodies of the two. Before they even attempted to follow the hybrid's plan, they attempted one of their own.

               Jenny approached the older witch and crouched down next to her. Their plan was to have her attempt to take her spirit and bring it to the dead.

              Jenny reached out and attempted to touch the witch. But as soon as she did, her hands caught on fire and she screamed.

            Suddenly, she was standing and next to Elijah as he vamp sped and pulled her back from the witch. Jenny looked down at her hands that were terribly burnt. Elijah delicately prodded around the skin as he frowned, knowing he wouldn't be able to heal her as she was in transition, neither alive nor dead.

             "I'll be fine," she muttered and Elijah could only smile tightly.

             "It's no surprise it didn't work," Freya commented. "Dahlia would never leave herself vulnerable to powers such as yours."

Rebekah sighed as she looked at Nik's body before furrowing her eyebrows, "The dagger. It's bloody melting!"

              "Well, that's just brilliant," Rebekah said. "It looks like we'll have to follow Nik's plan after all."

_____

Rebekah and Elijah went to old plantation house to unbury their mother and turn her remains to ash. They'd dug up the body.

"Oh, isn't this lovely. Fresh air, the birds are singing in the trees... the perfect day to dig up Mommy Dearest's corpse," Rebekah said.

"A perfect day to carry out the assignment of a lunatic," Elijah said bitterly as he poured gasoline over the coffin.

"What's that saying? 'A madman often speaks the truth?' I can't help but think we should be using this opportunity to raise Kol and not this daft bitch."

"You speak as if it's a foregone conclusion," Elijah threw the can of gasoline into the now empty grace rather forcefully. "Let's not forget, we still have to deceive Davina Claire. So, perhaps we steal a page from Niklaus' playbook? She might yet help us if she has no idea that she is helping us."

"I said I'd stay in my witch body until I saved Kol," Rebekah said sadly. "Now, I've broken my promise, and I am actively conspiring to shanghai Davina of her one chance to bring him back herself. I feel like a traitor."

"You are not to blame."

"It's not just my promise to Kol. Now, because of Nik's spite, I am once again built to take life... Robbed of the chance to create it," Rebekah gained tears in her eyes before she shook her head, abolishing the weakness. "Enough."

Rebekah looked sadly over at Elijah, "I'm not the only one who suffered because of Nik's spite."

Elijah thought of Jenny as he gained tears in his eyes, "She never wanted to be what we are."

"Elijah, that woman loves you," Rebekah advised. "There's no choice she'd make where she'd give that up."

Elijah could only frown, "I'm not so sure..."

He knew that nothing was the same. Jenny wasn't the same. They weren't the same. It was all about broken smiles and broken things. Perhaps, they'd become broken, too.

_____

Jenny was at the Mikaelson compound looking for the ashes of Kol that was in a blue urn. They were going to use it to trick Davina. The ashes were missing which presented a problem but they had an even bigger problem...

Freya found the white oak stake and was going to end their problems permanently by killing Niklaus. But now Jenny was not only tied to Elijah...but to Klaus through vampirism. She wouldn't even be able to make the transition to vampire if Klaus died.

"Freya, don't," she pleaded along with Marcel who was magically held to the wall.

"I'm sorry, but I see no other way."

"Freya, there is always another way," Jenny argued. "If you kill him, you kill so many other people. You kill Marcel. You kill me."

"I don't want to kill you!" Freya said before looking at Klaus. "I don't want to kill him!"

"This is the family I longed for, but because of her..." Freya looked at Dahlia with loathing. "...I'll forever be alone."

Freya lifted the stake up and was about to bring it down into Klaus' chest but the dagger had completely melted. Klaus was awake and he grabbed her wrist, preventing the witch from finishing the task.

"Sister..." Klaus lowered her hand away.

Klaus started to get up as Dahlia did so herself. Dahlia glared at Klaus, "I'm almost impressed by the lengths you'd go to for your little girl. Though, not enough to let bygones be."

Dahlia lifted her hand and through magic the white oak stake was ripped from Freya and directly into her own hand. Jenny's eyes widened in alarm.

"We are still linked, dear aunt. You may not want to punish me with that particular weapon."

Dahlia hummed in amusement, "I made sure that the link between us melted along with that dagger. Meaning... I'm quite free to kill you!"

Dahlia pointed the stake at Klaus and used her magic to pull Klaus towards her so she can stake him. Jenny and Marcel both took action by tackling Klaus to the ground and away from the sharp point of that weapon.

But when they looked up, Dahlia had vanished along with Freya and the white oak stake. Jenny looked around as she muttered, "Oh, no."

Suddenly, they hear Hope crying and the two men vamp sped upstairs. Jenny clutched her ears as it felt so loud but she pushed herself up and went upstairs.

Marcel was gone when she got up there and Klaus was holding Hope as she asked, "Is she okay?"

"She has to be taken somewhere safe but otherwise yes," Klaus answered. "And Marcel is finding that god-forsaken witch."

"Alright," she sighed. "I'll stay here and tell Elijah and Rebekah what happened."

He nodded and he placed Hope in a baby carrier before she muttered quietly, "You didn't have to do what you did."

Klaus analyzed her with an agitated smirk, "I imagine you're very angry with me. You should get in line."

Jenny rolled her eyes before she shook her head sadly and left the doorway, "I'm not angry. I'm not anything."

Jenny couldn't give a damn about anything that wasn't Elijah. She couldn't even give a damn about herself; she didn't feel the pain in her hands, she didn't feel anger, she didn't feel anything. It was time to face the truth: she'd become an echo in her own heart, an afterthought while Elijah became the world.

_____

Elijah and Rebekah returned while Klaus was gone with their mother. She explained to them what happened while they were gone as Esther analyzed her.

"This one is still around," Esther commented. "How lovely. I don't think I've ever seen my son quite as happy as when he was with you at that ball."

The Mikaelson Ball. It had been so long ago but she remembered that night clearly; everything seemed bright, happy, okay before chaos opened up and swallowed her whole.

"Oh," Jenny said in surprise before smiling slightly. "Thank...you."

"Yes, Mother, she knows," Elijah glared before he gently grabbed Jenny and pulled her outside the room, leaving Rebekah to watch Esther.

She looked up at Elijah in confusion, "What?"

"You haven't fed," he commented sadly.

"Well, I...haven't had much time to think about...that," Jenny answered nervously.

The choice: vampire or death. She supposed the choice was already chosen for her.

Elijah wanted her to choose of her own free will. But...he couldn't bear the thought of losing her so he was selfish just this once.

"Jenny, I know that isn't fair of me to ask but...I beg you to stay, to live," Elijah pleaded tearfully. "I beg you."

"Elijah...you don't have to," Jenny assured with a slight smile before she frowned. "I...I can't face the darkness again."

Elijah pulled her into his arms, hugging her in relief. She clung to him tightly before she muttered against his shoulder, "But, please, be careful."

Once Dahlia was found and he went up against her, she needed him to survive or it was all for nothing. (But then again if he died, she would as well and in death, she'd find him in the darkness, too).

"I'll always return to you."

_____

Jenny was upstairs dealing with her...transition. Klaus had returned and greeted his family.

Klaus smirked, "Ah, Mother. I've arrived just in time for another one of your deaths, and as much as I appreciate the front-row seat, I'm afraid I'm going to have to postpone the festivities."

Elijah clenched his jaw, "You're in excellent spirits."

"Lucky for you, as I'm the one needed to save the day."

"Is that what it's called?"

"Why not? My plan's worked perfectly."

Elijah became enraged by the commented and lunged for him but Klaus dodged it, "Easy, Elijah, I can see your red door swinging wide open, but our job's not yet done."

"So, we kill her and be done with it."

"To be clear, I do want her blood, but I want it on this blade," Klaus held up a knife. "Which I've had bound with the soil from Dahlia's homeland, not to mention Viking ash. Mother's demise will have to wait. You see, I need her to weaken Dahlia's defenses."

Klaus leaned next to his mother's head and whispered threateningly into her ear, "Bit of psychological warfare before I slaughter the both of you."

Esther smiled sarcastically, "Ah, yes. You expect me to walk willingly to my death."

Klaus grinned, "Well, your willing participation would have been a bonus, but it's far from necessary. If needs be, I'll drag you there myself."

Rebekah walked into the room, "Yes, dear Mother, you do not have a choice. Then again, why should you be any different from the rest of us? We're all dancing puppets in Nik's end-of-days marionette show. He forces every move we make."

Klaus grew upset, "And how long are you gonna stand there and pretend you don't need me to? The both of you have fought me at every turn, leaving me no choice but to act alone! We're no strangers to disagreements on the battlefield, but we also have a very long history of doing whatever it takes to win the war."

"And what of Jenny?" Elijah walked towards him calmly. "She wasn't in the compound which means you went out of your way to involve her in your schemes."

"Well, I believe I did you a favor," Klaus smirked. "Now you can be with her always and forever."

Elijah gave a fake smile before he punched him in the face. "You take away her choice and you call it a favor. This was punishment. And she has done nothing but defend you."

"Punishment? Whatever for? Perhaps, the dagger you put in my heart."

"So you punished Jenny instead of me? This was Jenny," Elijah shouted with tears in his eyes. "No, we have fought together for centuries, and once again, to break your enemy, you broke family."

Elijah considered Klaus with revulsion before he continued, "Well, know this, whatever the outcome tonight, you will no longer see me by your side. You want to be alone? Well, congratulations. You have your wish."

_____

Jenny sat on the window seat upstairs. The Mikaelsons were gone to defeat Dahlia. She worried over Elijah and she thought she'd get some comfort watching the festive community in the streets below; there was none.

She used to be able to smile at it even in dark times. But there was nothing, only despair and she knew she couldn't keep living like it which is why she wrote a note to Elijah about where he could find her once he returned.

If he returned. But she couldn't stay anymore even if she'd now live forever.

______

         Jenny went to a hotel in the city. Later that night, Elijah did find her and they stood in the room too afraid to move, too afraid to break.

          "You're okay?" she asked in concern.

            "I'm okay."

             They stood in silence, staring at each other before Elijah worked up the courage to ask, "Why did you come here?"

             "You know why," Jenny said sadly as tears filled her eyes. "In death, I lived for you. Now I'm alive and I still live through you like I'm still a ghost."

           "Jenny, please..." he cried. "Don't make me lose you."

          "You won't lose me. Not ever," she started to cry, too. "But you tell me to smile for me and I don't know what that means anymore. And I need to find out."

          "This isn't goodbye," she shook her head. "I just...need space to figure out who I am without you. To stop being your ghost."

            He nodded as he looked away from her with tears falling from his eyes, "I love you."

            "I know. And I love you."

            He looked at her and knew he couldn't change her mind. So he pulled out a small box from his pocket. He held it out to her, "This belongs to you."

          She took it gently and opened it as her breath caught in her throat at what was revealed. A ring.

         "You were supposed to receive that the day you died," he uttered as she looked at him sadly.

          "So when you come back to me, know that I'm waiting to utter every single vow to you," he promised as he crossed over to her and kissed her forehead so gently which made her close her eyes. "Because my heart belongs to you, always and forever."

             "Elijah..." she cried as his lips lingered before a gentle wind brushed against her and she knew that he was gone. She opened her eyes to feeling of numbness that only wrapped her in its embrace when in his absence. But this time, her tears stayed.

That was hardest part about grief: it demanded to be felt. In mourning the loss of one another, they had lost themselves. Time could all heal wounds but some wounds didn't heal properly; scattered pieces of a heart would always have glue. Jenny was no longer the smiling mortal. That Jenny was gone (replaced by a new immortal version with shades of grey) and so were they.

AN: god I cried so much writing this you don't even know but guess what? No more tears, no more sadness anymore. We got through it and now everything is only gonna go up from here