No one could really sleep that night.

Freya was doing everything she could to figure out how to take Lucien down. Elijah and Marcel were searching for Aurora. Davina was thinking about how to help Kol, who had been resurrected, but was under the Ancestors' control. Hayley and Hope were keeping Esmeray company, and Klaus was struggling to keep himself out of her room.

How he missed her. How he longed to pull her into a hug and kiss her until she couldn't breathe. But he couldn't, and he hated himself for wanting to. She was traumatized and he felt he was to blame. It was because he went for Aurora, knowing Lucien fancied her, that Lucien wanted revenge. It was because he sired him and let his ego shoot through the roof. It was because he allowed him to be compelled to live as him for so long. It was because of his cruelty that Lucien, like so many others, sought to hurt those he loved.

He could hear that it was mostly Hope and Hayley speaking. The little girl was babbling on and on about all the things she wanted to show Esmeray, who was fairly quiet. She couldn't sleep, either. This all felt too good to be true, and as exhausted as she was, she feared that if she closed her eyes, she'd be back in the laboratory when she opened them again, and Lucien would be taunting her, saying that he implanted that dream into her mind. Or worse— she'd enter a nightmare that would trap her in the reality she'd endured for the past year, and wouldn't be able to wake up.

"I cannot work properly when you are hovering over me," said Freya when Klaus kept pacing the room she was in.

"The one bloody time I wish there were two of you, and there isn't," he huffed. "Rebekah would know what to do. She would know how to help her. But we cannot wake her, or her curse will drive her mad, and she'll only startle her more. What she needs is to be somewhere else. I ought to call Damon Salvatore— to see if he is willing to take her somewhere she can get help."

"Only if you talk to her about it, first," Freya told him, setting down the charcoal she was using. "Klaus, you cannot send her off unless she agrees. She was stripped of her dignity and her free will, tortured repeatedly both physically and psychologically. She doesn't know where it's safe anymore, she can't trust that things will be alright. She's scared of being alone with a man because he took advantage of her and objectified her until her only choice was to retreat into her own mind and try to go to a happier place. She might even be blaming herself for it. Even if Damon is her best friend, I doubt that seeing him will make things any better. She might not feel safe being away from you, even if she's afraid to touch you. You were the center of that torment, you're the one she anchored herself to so that she could stay strong, and you're the one she needs to be around to heal. I would suggest you contact Cami."

He nodded slowly. "I should. I... I simply cannot stand to be this helpless. When will I ever be good enough to help her heal? Lucien constantly emulated me. Everything I do will remind her of him. Everything he did to her reminded her of me. How do I disrupt that connection?"

Freya gave him a sympathetic look. "There is never one correct way to go about this. As long as you're careful, respectful, and gentle, only approaching her when she says it's alright, listening to what she needs, it will help. She might want you to do something different to disassociate you from Lucien. Or, she might handle that on her own and just want for you to remain the same so that she can fixate on the good when it comes to you, even if similarities exist."

"I ruined her, Freya. I never should have pursued her, I should have let her be free. She would have been happy and safe if she never became a part of this family."

"Or, she might have gotten hurt another way. We don't know why things happen, we don't know why the best and most innocent people are the ones that get hurt. Jackson and Esmeray didn't deserve what they got. Perhaps that is the Mikaelson curse— we ruin anyone we bring into our lives."

Freya looked down, knowing that last statement she said wasn't exactly helpful. "I blame myself, too, Klaus. She wanted to be the one resurrecting Esther. I insisted for Davina to do it. Perhaps, if I hadn't supported that trick, Davina would have resurrected Kol, Esmeray would have brought Esther back, and together, we would have defeated Dahlia, before Lucien had a chance to kidnap her. Then, I think of how she must have felt when she lost the baby. It was my fault she didn't know about it until just a day before it all happened. I hid it from her. She told Rebekah that she would have left for Mystic Falls if she knew earlier that she was pregnant. She would have been safe."

They both looked up at Elijah, who had a crestfallen look on his face as he entered the room. "Neither of you are to blame," he told them gently. "Things could have happened differently, yes. But Lucien would have stopped at nothing to have her. He needed her venom. He wished to have what Niklaus did. What we can focus on now, is not what we could have done, or what would have changed, but how we move forward and aid her in her recovery from this terrible ordeal."

He turned to Klaus. "If your guilt lies in the fact you did not work well with us before, and if you feel that it is your fault for not cooperating, then I ask you to trust us now, brother. We want to help her, too. And we cannot do it if you push us away."

Klaus moved toward him, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder before nodding and walking off toward Esmeray's room.

He was outside in the hallway, behind the closed door, listening in.

"I have Damon's number," Hayley was telling her while Hope giggled off to the side. "I already let him know that we found you, and I can help you talk to him, if you want. We found your phone months ago, and we repaired it the best we could."

He could feel how tense Esmeray was. "I don't know if I want to talk to him just yet," she said quietly. "I missed Alaric's wedding."

Hayley sighed. "No offense to Alaric, but it's a good thing you missed it. Things got really bad there."

"What do you mean?"

"His wife-to-be, Jo, was killed. Miraculously, the Gemini Coven implanted the unborn twins into Caroline, and she carried them to term. Damon was joking that Enzo was struggling to wrap his mind around it all, but he was really supportive of her. Damon and Bonnie are doing good, too, as are Elena and Stefan."

Klaus heard Esmeray start to cry, and Hayley moved to get her some tissues. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad."

"I c-could have saved J-Jo," Esmeray sobbed into her blankets. "If I was there— I could have done something! And— and it's not— it's not fair—" there was a bit of her speech that was incoherent, but Klaus figured out what was unfair— that Alaric was lucky enough to become a father even after he thought his twins were dead. Esmeray didn't get that chance, and spent a year being reminded of her miscarriage.

Klaus knocked softly on the door. "Love?" he asked gently. "May I come in?"

There was a pause. "Okay."

He opened the door slowly, and when Hope saw him, she came running to him, hugging his leg. He smiled down at her and picked her up as he moved toward Esmeray, who was curled up on her bed. He sat next to Hayley, at the edge of it, and watched Esmeray's eyes dart over his face.

"I don't think I mentioned," she mumbled, "that I like your hairstyle. The curls suit you."

"Oh," said Klaus, surprised she brought this up. He smiled slightly. "I'm glad you like them."

She tilted her head a bit curiously, as if she wanted to say something else, but refrained from it. Klaus let go of Hope, and she crawled toward Esmeray, snuggling up next to her. Esmeray looked a bit uncomfortable near the beginning, but soon relaxed, putting her arm around the little girl as she fell asleep in her arms.

"She's so big now," she mumbled, her eyes tearing up again. "I can't help but think that..." she stopped herself. "Nevermind. What's going on with all of you? What's the situation?"

Klaus held out his hand slightly. "If you wish to take my memories, it may be easier for you."

Esmeray stared at his hand for a good few seconds before she elected to put her hand on his. He didn't move his hand at all, and she appreciated it. She might have withdrawn her own if he'd tried to grab it. She let her fingertips graze over his skin, and she sighed before closing her eyes and concentrating on pulling the memories from him.

They hadn't expected her to jump back. Hope started to cry, having been startled, and Esmeray pulled the blankets up to cover her entire body as she started breathing heavily. "No— no—" she whispered, beginning to cry. "I didn't want that..."

"What's wrong, love?" asked Klaus, panicked. "What happened?"

"H-He was— he was everywhere— talking about me—"

Hayley quickly picked Hope up and took her out of the room before her crying continued to startle Esmeray. She left her with Elijah before returning to Esmeray's side, knowing she'd be afraid if she realized she was alone with Klaus. "You're safe," she tried to say, not sure what was the best way to soothe her. "He's not here, and we know now that he was tricking all of us. We don't trust him, and we're going to kill him, one way or another."

Esmeray was still crying. "Aurora lied to me," she whispered. "She wanted to hurt me. She never..."

"No, we never," Klaus reassured her. "I could never return to her, not when I have you. I want nothing to do with her." He figured Lucien had seen in her mind how, long before, the witches had tormented Esmeray with the idea that Genevieve and Klaus were becoming an item. He knew her weak spot was that— the thought that Klaus wanted someone else. Her lack of confidence in her appearance. Of course, his way to make it worse had been to bring Aurora.

Esmeray peeked out from behind the blanket. "I t-think I want to call D-Damon."

"Alright, that's good," said Klaus, reaching for her phone, which had been left in her nightstand. "Here you go."

She took it carefully, slowly dialing the number before raising the phone to her ear.

"Esmeray?" Damon answered just seconds later. "Esmeray, is that you?"

"Y-You're talking so loud," she said, cringing and moving the phone away so that she could lower the volume.

"I'm sorry," he said, a lot softer. "Are you okay?"

"Not really..."

"Do you want us to come see you?"

"Also not really..."

"What do you need?"

"Just tell everyone I'll be okay. I'll visit when I feel better. Other than that... I don't want much. I really... really don't want everyone texting all the time. If I want to talk, I'll reach out."

"Yeah, sure, I can do that. Just— if you need anything, we're here for you."

"I know. Thank you. Just wanted to say that and hear your voice. I'll talk to you another day."

"Of course. Stay safe, Esme."

She hung up, and set her phone aside. She looked up at Klaus and gave him a small smile. "I think I've had enough talking. I should think for a bit."

"I know that you have seen my memories," said Klaus as he and Hayley got up, "but you needn't sacrifice your wellbeing to help us. You rest, you need it."

"If I can help take him down, I will. He doesn't get to walk away from this alive. If I can help kill him..." she knew he understood what she meant, so she gestured to the door. "Goodnight."

"Sleep well, love," Klaus told her before he and Hayley left.

They heard her screaming less than an hour later.

They rushed into the room and found her clutching at her own throat with one hand, the other hand covering her mouth. "GET IT OFF!" she screeched, kicking her legs wildly. "GET IT OFF! KLAUS! KLAUS!"

He rushed forward, but came to a very abrupt halt before touching her. She seemed to think that the muzzle was on her, and her venom was being taken. "I've got it!" said Hayley, letting her hands hover over Esmeray's face as if she was actually removing something. "It's okay, Esmeray, it's off."

Her hands removed themselves slowly, and she looked at them as if she was embarrassed of herself. "Oh... I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize," said Klaus immediately. "You had a nightmare. No one will ever put one of those contraptions on you ever again, love."

"It felt so real," she said quietly. "I can't forget the feeling. I saw him... I saw him come in and put it back on..."

Klaus was getting more and more murderous by the minute. It didn't matter what Elijah or Freya said, this was his fault. He was the one who turned Lucien and made him the monster that would haunt Esmeray for years afterward.

"I can stay with you," offered Hayley. "Just next to you, if you want."

Esmeray looked between them, holding back her answer. She wasn't one to normally like sleeping next to someone. The only one she'd really been comfortable doing it with was Klaus, because he held her and helped her sleep. But now, despite how much she would have liked to hug him, she couldn't bring herself to. His touch would remind her of Lucien's. As for Hayley— the one memory that she had of someone comforting her was Anya, when she'd stayed in Portland just before the wolf's death. Considering she still couldn't contact her inner wolf, she didn't need that reminder, either.

"Or we could both stay over here in chairs," said Hayley, beckoning to the window. "Just so you feel a presence in the room, but that way, we don't invade your sleeping space."

"I just want my mother," Esmeray whispered after another long bit of silence. "I want my mom. I-I just w-want to see my m-mama..."

The two hybrids looked at each other, not knowing how they could help there. Klaus had an idea once he heard Esmeray start crying again, and had left the room, allowing for Hayley to comfort her even slightly.

He brought out a small canvas, and got to work. He had sufficient memories of Esmeray's mother to make a portrait that would be entirely accurate. He painted his frustrations away, deciding that he ought to fixate on this one good thing that he could do for her.

The sun was rising by the time he was done. He opened the door to see Esmeray was asleep, but shivering. He set the painting down on her nightstand, almost daring to brush her hair out of her face, but knowing the simple feeling might scare her. He withdrew his hand and instead, carefully lifted the blanket over her shoulders.

"I love you," he whispered from a distance. "I will see to it that I avenge you."

Hayley half-smiled at him. "I've got her, Klaus. You might want to check on Freya."

"I don't want to leave her," he mumbled. "But I know that right now, I am not the one she needs."

"When she needs you, she'll tell you. It's gonna take time, and we have to respect that."

Klaus nodded numbly and went to see Freya.

"Good morning," said Hayley once the sun came up, and she brought some more food for her. "How do you feel?"

"A bit better," she said, sitting up. "What's going on today?"

"Freya's still trying to figure out how to kill him, and Klaus went out to try and confront him."

"What?" she said, getting to her feet. "Lucien will kill him!"

"Esmeray, we'll handle it, don't worry, Klaus is going to be fine—"

"What, does he think that he can beat Lucien after how easily he took down Finn?" she shrieked. "Finn— I— I didn't even get to say goodbye to him. I never got to see him again... he was terrible, but... he cared about me..."

"Klaus is going to be okay," Hayley said, though she didn't believe her own words much. "It's better you stay here, try and relax, and let us take care of everything."

"No," said Esmeray, who was now looking down at the painting Klaus had made of her mother. She let out a shaky breath. "If he's out there risking his life, I should be, too. I want Lucien dead. I want to see him suffer. And if something happens to Klaus... if Lucien kills him... I won't be able to take it."

Hayley cast her a concerned look. "What do you mean?"

"If Lucien takes him from me, I'll have lost everything," Esmeray said, sitting back down. "I considered it, so many times, when I thought I would never see the light of day again. I thought, what if I just... make him angry enough that he kills me? What if I... rub my wrists against my restraints and let myself bleed out? What if I just... give up the fight and let my body waste away? I just wanted it all to be over... Lucien already took so much from me. If he takes Klaus, too, I won't have any reason to live. I can't live if he dies, Hayley. I physically can't handle it."

"Oh, my god," Hayley said, furrowing her eyebrows. "He's your soulmate. If he dies, you will, too, after awhile. You can't live without one another. The grief will literally consume you."

Esmeray nodded. "Please, don't stop me from helping. I want to. I need to. I'm scared, I really am, because I don't want to see Lucien. But I can't sit here like a porcelain doll when Klaus needs us. He worked so hard to find me. Lucien and Aurora will rip him apart. I don't want to let that happen."

"How about we take breakfast in the dining room, then?" offered Hayley, holding the tray she brought firmly against her hip. "Just so you can see the sunlight again. Maybe see how you feel if Elijah or Freya walks in."

The werewitch gulped, but nodded. "Let me just get dressed."

Hayley waited patiently outside her room for her to put on some clothes she felt comfortable wearing. The two walked down to the dining room, where breakfast had been prepared by the servants. Esmeray sat down at her usual chair, gazing at the empty seat Klaus usually occupied. She didn't eat much this time, because she kept looking around, half expecting someone to jump out and try and take her out of the Compound.

There was rapid knocking at the main entrance just as she finished her meal. Hayley went to open and Cami burst in, panting heavily. Elijah and Freya, who were in the next room, quickly made their way there.

"It's Klaus," said Cami frantically. "Lucien has him."

Elijah went rigid. "Tell us what happened."

"Lucien ambushed him," said Cami, trying to catch her breath. "He knocked him around like it was nothing."

"Did he bite him?" Hayley asked urgently.

Cami shook her head. "No, I think he wanted him alive. I followed them— Lucien took Klaus back to the penthouse, and I ran back here..."

Elijah's phone chimed, and he looked down at it with a scowl. "Lucien is demanding my presence at the Whiskey Cask— alone and immediately. He says if I delay, Niklaus will die."

"Well, you're going, right?" asked Esmeray instantly.

"Yes, I will go," said Elijah, tucking his phone away.

"Wait, brother," said Freya, holding up her hand. "I think the sigil is ready. I have an idea for what we can do."

The two siblings moved away, and Esmeray looked between Hayley, who was planning something, and Cami, who was looking at her as if she'd seen a ghost.

"We have to go get Klaus," Esmeray decided. "Lucien is going to be elsewhere— Klaus might be with Aurora. We can take her down, Hayley."

"Are you sure?" Hayley asked.

"I'm older than her, stronger than her, angrier than her, and I have magical powers that she doesn't. She'll underestimate me if she sees me, because the only time she saw me was as a weak lab rat. We'll catch her off guard."

Cami gulped. "Esmeray, what if it's a trap? What if they want to hurt you again? Lucien and Aurora could have found a way to... to hurt all of you. Lucien could bite you."

"You forget that I'm not a vampire. His venom can't hurt me, not when it was made with mine. I think I might be able to take him down long enough for all of us to get away."

"Like I said," Hayley told her, offering her hand to her. "Only if you're certain."

Esmeray nodded. "All that matters is that I save Klaus. If I don't, I might as well be dead."