For Good | Hale- TO/TW [8]

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Hope and Stella walk around the open field behind the Salvatore mansion. Stella's wide eyes catch everything around her: the cheerleaders practicing, the witches casting spells, and the boys playing soccer. "So," Stella drawls, sending Hope a smirk. "Which one is he?"

Hope blushes and nods at one of the boys. Roman jumps up and buts the ball with his head into the net. The boys cheer as Roman smirks. "The hot one that sweats diamonds," Hope replies.

Roman's eyes wander, catching onto the girls staring at him. His smirk widens as he waves.

"Oh, god," Hope mutters. She grabs Stella's arm and drags her along the trail. "Keep walking."

Stella laughs but goes along with Hope. "What, you're not gonna wave back?"

"No," Hope says. "Pretty sure his ego can handle it."

Stella huffs out a laugh, covering her mouth. "Well, he is of the male species."

Hope rolls her eyes. "You have girl problems, not boy problems."

"Girls are confusing too!" Stella exclaimed as they laugh. Hope's laugh is short-lived, and she glances at her feet. Stella swings her arm around Hope's shoulders. "So, that stuff you were studying earlier? Alchemy of the Iberian Peninsula? Magic of the Middle East?"

Hope tenses under Stella's arm. "I'm examining regional magic as it relates to sociopolitical and economic statuses. It's a research paper."

Stella narrows her eyes. "Sure. And what, exactly, are the sociopolitical implications of breaking powerful cloaking spells?"

Hope breaks her innocent disguise. "What do you want me to say? My mom's missing."

"Trying to break every possible spell in those books by yourself would take a thousand years," Stella hums.

Hope stops, causing Stella to pause in her stride. "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you! And guess what? You and Freya and Lexi and the witches haven't gotten anywhere. I'm coming at it from a different angle—and, at least, I'm looking for her instead of sitting in my room and bitching about high school." Stella tenses, a soft glare passing over her expression. "I'm the one who put the cloaking spell on her in the first place. Maybe I can find a way to lift in without being in the room with her."

Stella finds herself nodding along. "And the fact that that's never been done in the history of witchcraft isn't going to deter you? Not even a little bit?"

"I can't sit around and do nothing," Hope sighs. She looks down at her feet, guilt and despair written into her features.

"All right, then," Stella sighs, causing Hope to glance up. "Let's get to work."

Hope smiles broadly. She opens her mouth, but Stella leans in, a dark expression on her face. "But don't you ever accuse me of not acting when my mom was away. I didn't know, and, frankly, that's none of your damn business. That was Hale-family issues. You are not a Hale—I am." Hope gulps, nodding. "You make a dig at me again, you'll regret it."

—|—|—|—

Saint Anne's church is silent except for the distant chants of Vincent Griffin. He stands before the tattered attic with Marcel to his right and the Hale boys to his left. The appearance of the wolves had been a surprise, but not entirely unwelcome.

Vincent lowers his hands as he stops chanting. "I can't sense who took Hayley, but fear is just dripping off the walls."

Derek nods as Teddy mutters, "I can feel it."

Derek leans towards Teddy's ear and whispers, "That's your mother's intuition. Maybe some of her witch blood."

Marcel ignores the moment. "Are you one hundred percent sure no one in your ranks did this?"

Vincent narrows his eyes into a glare. "I'm one hundred percent sure. Are you?"

"Seventeen years ago, I would've said absolutely, but now, I seem to be getting more attitude than allegiance," Marcel sighs.

"Marcel, I'll let you in on a secret," Derek says. "This city was a hell of a lot better when it ran like a democracy and not like a monarchy. Truth be told, I don't think you were missed very much."

Marcel bites the inside of his cheek. Before he can retort, footsteps capture his attention. He turns to the door to see Ivy arrive, her expression fearful.

"He took Colette," she says, her eyes on Vincent.

"What?" Teddy asks. "Who?"

"Klaus," Ivy replies. "He took a member of each faction. Colette, David—Lisina's right-hand—and the vampire who runs Rousseau's."

"Josh?" Marcel demands, his blood boiling.

Ivy nods. "He said if we don't turn Hayley in by sundown, he'll slaughter them."

Vincent lets out a bitter laugh. "It's over and over again. Over and over, it's the exact same story. I give that family the benefit of the doubt, I do magic for them, and then, in the end, it's just the same thing. And the only thing that I know right now is that I got to get Colette back."

"Vincent, you're letting rage drown reason," Derek says, panic seeping into his voice. If Vincent turns against the Mikaelsons, everything gets so much messier. "Trust me, I get it—"

"Witches do the spells, protect the land, keep the peace, but who looks out for us?" Vincent demands.

"My mom," Teddy responds, his own anger getting the better of him. "You have to trust her."

"No," Vincent says. "We all know how this story goes, no matter what your mom does. She'll never best Klaus. But that doesn't mean we can risk everyone else's lives."

"If we attempt a rescue, Klaus will kill them all," Marcel mutters. "You know that."

Vincent throws his hands into the air. "That's the thing: I don't know that. I have absolutely no way of predicting what that man is going to do. When it comes to war, there is absolutely no strategist that is as great as Klaus Mikaelson, but he needs his brother and sister as co-pilots. He's got to have Elijah and Lexi to rein him in."

Teddy and Derek exchange a glance. Derek reluctantly brings out his phone and selects his sister's contact. He presses the phone to his ear as it rings.

"Derek, what can I do for you?" Laura asks. "Don't make it complicated, I'm looking for Hayley."

"Klaus kidnapped members of the factions and is blackmailing us," Derek says. "Teddy and I are going to try and diffuse Klaus. Can you and Cora look for the Josh, Colette, and David?"

Laura pauses over the phone. Derek hears rustling before another voice comes through. "Remind me why I can't just punch Klaus to death?" Cora exclaims.

"We'll do it," Laura sighs before hanging up. Derek slips his phone back in his pocket.

Vincent eyes the wolf. "Still won't be able to control Klaus," he says.

"Then let's ask the cards for guidance, huh?" Ivy asks. "If Klaus steps out of line, we'll be the first to know."

Mostly written plot right now--as in not my original stuff. Sorry for that.

Hope you enjoyed!

-L