Who knew witches could explode into ash.

I certainly didn't.

The wolves howled, breaking the stillness. It was my turn, I realized, to face Klaus' anger. Hope had finally settled down, and was falling asleep.

Could I run? If Klaus couldn't catch me, Elijah would.

Apparently he'd been the one to bring Esther here.

"Klaus, before you do anything," Gods, I loved having a voice back. "Can you tell me that if you were in my position, you wouldn't have done the same?"

"Betrayed you?" He didn't turn around, merely watched where his mother and aunt had died.

"Saved our son, and every first born after. Freya worked with me because she knew I was right, that Dahlia needed to be stopped. Even if that meant playing her game. I didn't want to poison you, but it was the only way she'd trust I was on her side." Elijah's eyes were on me, studying me. "I had to do it this way or it wouldn't have worked."

"When would you have told me the truth? If your plan had gone as intended?"

"What? That I wasn't actually besties with the woman who was trying to kidnap my baby?" I didn't actually know. I was so focused on trying to protect Marcel... "Klaus this wasn't a move against you. I knew that the second you found out, you wouldn't let me do it, or you'd try to step in. My goal was to keep everyone we love alive, and it fucking worked. The only thing that went wrong is when you made that deal with Dahlia."

So many things had gone wrong. I wasn't expecting Klaus to break the protective magic, or Hayley to be in the compound, or for Davina to tell Kol.

It was a mess.

But we'd made it.

Barely.

"It's my fault then?" He spun on his heel, and my stomach dropped at his expression. It wasn't pissed off or even disappointed.

"Klaus-"

"No." His eyes hardened. "You chose not to trust me. Now I know why your vows were vague as they were."

Shit. So he'd clocked that.

"You betrayed me. I promised to stand by your side."

"I'm sorry." I stepped forward and he moved back.

It hurt, that he didn't want me near him.

"It's too late."

"That's it? You're done? After all that shit, because I broke your heart. You fucking hunted me. I do one wrong thing-"

"I trusted you." He ground out. An angry tear slid down his cheek. "Where has my light gone?"

I don't think I've ever seen him cry. Ever. "Fuck you for throwing that in my face. I tried, if Marcel hadn't..." I slapped a hand over my mouth.

Oh shit, shit, shit, shit.

"Marcellus?" Elijah's head tilted, honestly I'd forgotten he was there. "What has he done?"

"Nothing. He didn't do anything." What did I do?! I had one job. "Don't go and get any kind of ideas."

"I had noticed his absence." Klaus turned to his brother. "And considering she hasn't openly spent much time with him, there could only be one thing he has that she cares about." His eyes flickered over at me. "Bennett."

Fuck.

Elijah nodded. "Where is he?"

"Safe." There was no point in hiding it. "They're both safe."

"Undoubtedly at that bunker." Elijah eyed me.

"No, actually. The safety of that place was compromised by the two of you. I couldn't have anyone but me knowing where my baby was going. He'll come back when this shitstorm settles but I won't tell Marcel it's safe until it actually is."

"You stole my child from me."

"And you took Hayley away from hers." I tucked Hope into my chest further, almost protectively. "If we can't trust one another, then we have no relationship. Besides a good few months, all we've done is fuck. I spent my entire first pregnancy running, and I'm tired Klaus."

He considered me, expression carefully guarded.  "What would you propose?"

"Let us go. Let me go." As soon as I said it, I regretted it. This wasn't what I wanted.

His chin lifted. "You wouldn't leave Hope in such a vulnerable position, with the monsters you claim us to be."

"No, I wouldn't." I can't believe I'm even fucking suggesting this. "I'd stay with the wolves until we figure out how to break Hayley's curse. Then I'll be gone."

"Deal." Elijah grabbed his brother's shoulder. "You have my word that Niklaus will leave you be, lest I stick that infernal blade in his chest myself." It was a clear threat. "I think it best you go back to the compound, now that the damage is done." He nudged Klaus in what I assume to be the direction of the city.

Klaus' jaw clenched but he sped away just the same.

"I didn't think he'd go for that."

Elijah put his hands in his pockets. "You hold the location of his eldest, you have Hope, and you're carrying his other children." He moved forward. "Then there is the small matter that he loves you."

"He loves his siblings and he sticks you all in boxes. I've never even met Rebekah."

"Or Finn." He had a small smile on his face, and it bothered me. Why the fuck did he look like that. "I've never seen Niklaus let one go unpunished. Even Kol, for his small role in this deceitful little plan has been daggered. Yet here you are, untouched." Elijah looked out into the woods. "Hayley had no part in this betrayal, she's been cursed, and by extension, the other wolves."

"I'm sorry, I know the two of you are together."

He held up his hand. "Did you know I've spent the better part of a thousand years trying to change him, to force his redemption. Then a lonely little hybrid comes along, and he's shown a level of restraint that hasn't been present since we were human."

No way. He can't be saying that I've- that I'm the reason Klaus is different.

"I do fully intend on returning Hayley to herself, and I'm not angry, not when you've gifted me with something far greater than anything I could have hoped for. You are his redemption, and you will be the reason his humanity returns. This is only the beginning."

A white wolf approached, nudging me in the opposite direction that Klaus had gone.

"Go, dear sister. I shall visit when they turn."