She burst into tears seconds later.

Freya, Elijah, and Klaus watched as she fell to the ground, covering her face and shaking her head. The hybrid came toward her slowly, sitting beside her and placing his hand on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him, crying into his chest.

"Love," he whispered, rubbing her back. "What's wrong?"

How could she voice it? She got something that many would never get. The chance to stand victorious over the person who assaulted her. There were those who would never feel they could safely speak up about their abuse. There were those whose offenders still controlled some part of their lives. There were those who had to live with the fact that their assailant would walk free without consequences. She felt sadness for them, and she felt guilt because it'd gone better for her than it'd gone for thousands of others.

Even knowing Lucien was dead didn't fully alleviate her pain. Her child was still dead. Jackson was still dead, and she hadn't been able to say goodbye. His touch would never go away. His death didn't mean he hadn't abused her. His death didn't mean he hadn't tortured her and other wolves.

"I don't feel better," she whispered, moving to sit on his lap so she could hug him properly. "I just want to go home."

He picked her up, letting her stay latched onto him. "Let's return to help Davina, then," he told her. "Lucien can burn alone." He looked back as Elijah used a lighter to set fire to the vampire's body.

"Klaus," said Freya gravely, coming to block his path before they could retrieve Rebekah and the box she was in. "There's something you need to know."

Esmeray tensed, and turned to look at the eldest Mikaelson. All the worst scenarios flooded into her head in that moment, though it was unnecessary, because she knew exactly what Freya looked so worried about. "What did you do, Freya?" she said lowly, moving out of Klaus's hold to stand on her own.

The witch started to tear up. "I had no choice, Esmeray, you have to understand, I only wanted to protect our family..."

Esmeray swore loudly, and Freya flinched, thinking Esmeray was going to slap her. Obviously, she didn't. "She was a kid," the werewitch whispered, trying to stay calm, but failing miserably, her own hands running through her hair and tugging at it. "She was a kid, Freya. She's— she can't—"

"I'm so sorry," Freya sobbed, bowing her head as if to acknowledge that what she'd done wrong. "There was no other way."

"YES THERE WAS!" Esmeray snapped. "We said no, Freya, we told you both not to do it! Good fucking Christ— does no one understand that 'no means no?' What of Kol? What of Marcel? And Davina— they're all family. All of them. What the hell is the point of it all if we're not going to actually honor each other? We can't pick and choose who we sacrifice just because they aren't blood. Would you have done the same to me? Would you have let me die?"

"No!" Freya cried. "No, I wouldn't have, Esmeray, but—"

"I had a plan that could have worked! No one would have gotten hurt! We asked you to wait, to hear the plan, to resurrect Davina first. You took away someone's child. You took away Marcel's child. I would have thought that you of all people would understand how it feels to lose your kid."

"Killing Lucien was a priority—"

"So was resurrecting Davina! She would have helped us kill him!"

"If we hadn't arrived when we did, Lucien would have killed you."

"I'd rather have died fighting than get to live because an innocent child got torn away from this world," she hissed. "Is my life really worth more than hers simply because I'm dating Klaus? She was dating Kol. She and I are on the same level. Both of us could have been your sisters-in-law one day. She was still young, Freya, but that never meant she was useless. Certainly not useless to a degree that would make you think it was right to sacrifice her."

"There was no other way," Freya whispered. But it was starting to sound more like she was convincing herself of that, to be absolved from her guilt.

Esmeray scoffed and brushed past her, making her way home on her own. She could hear that Klaus had tried to follow her, but had stopped, knowing she needed to be alone. The house was empty when she arrived, and she swore loudly again, going to her room and slamming the door shut before she started to cry again, crawling under her sheets and burrowing herself in.

She felt this was her fault. She should have just told Elijah her idea right away, instead of asking him to wait. She knew he hadn't been very willing to help Kol resurrect Davina in the morning. She should have known she was putting Davina's life in danger by not telling them what was on her mind as soon as she thought of it.

Some part of her still blamed herself for everything. Jackson. The baby. Now Davina. She'd been just as much of a killer as Tristan, Lucien, and Freya when she'd killed Aurora and Lucien. In the moment, she didn't think of the fact that the three loved ones she'd lost were innocent, while Aurora and Lucien were not. It was all the same to her. Murder. Death. Brutality. If she'd been more attentive, she never would have gotten kidnapped by Lucien. He wouldn't have been able to make his serum, and Jackson, Davina, and especially the baby might still be alive.

Klaus came to check on her in the evening, but she still wasn't in the mood to talk, especially not when she felt that this pain she felt had been caused by her own actions.

"Where are you going?" he asked when she made to leave.

"To see Marcel," she muttered. "I'll be back later."

He didn't try to stop her.

She found Marcel drinking in his loft in Algiers. Slowly, she made her way through the door. He sensed that she was there, but didn't turn around to acknowledge her.

"Whatever you've come to say, I don't care," said Marcel lowly.

"Klaus and I asked them not to," she said weakly. "We didn't want this to happen. We asked them to bring her back. I'm so sorry..."

He threw the glass he'd been drinking from across the room, and she flinched as it broke against the nearest wall. "Every damn time," he spat. "Every damn time, the only ones that matter are the ones who are Mikaelsons by blood. Not me. Not you. Not Hayley. Not Davina. It doesn't matter how many times all of us help, we get shoved aside in the end. All I wanted was to be respected. But no, it doesn't matter how many times I put my life on the line for them, at the end of the day, I'm just trash. I'm nothing to them."

Carefully, she moved to put her hand on his shoulder. "I swear to you, I will do everything I can to fix things and bring her back."

Marcel said nothing back to her. Esmeray took this as a sign to leave, and exited the loft just as Vincent Griffith was entering. The two nodded respectfully at each other, and Esmeray made her way back to the Compound.

Klaus seemed to know what she needed. While Hayley was showering, he brought Hope to Esmeray's room, and the werewitch arrived to Hope giggling and playing under her blankets.

"Is there something under my sheets?" she asked in surprise, pretending she had no idea Hope was there, even though she could see Klaus holding the blanket up to keep an eye on his daughter. "Oh, no, what could it be?"

She heard the familiar squeal Hope would make whenever she was caught while trying to play hide and seek. "Nobody!" she said in her baby voice, pulling the blanket away from Klaus as she heard Esmeray get closer. Esmeray smiled and went to the opposite end of the bed. She and Klaus shared a look before pulling the blanket up in unison, making Hope giggle and roll onto her stomach, pretending she couldn't see him, which therefore meant she hadn't been found.

"Maybe Hope wants to go camping," said Esmeray as she crawled under with her, holding out her hand as Hope made to hand her one of her dolls.

"Nah," said Klaus, scrunching up his face and making Hope laugh. "She despises camping."

"No!" Hope cried. "Camping!"

"No camping?" Klaus gasped. "It has been confirmed."

"No, daddy," she said, coming to put her hands over his mouth. "Listen to Esme."

"That's right, he should listen to me," Esmeray said, smirking triumphantly at Klaus. "Because I know that Hope really wants to go camping."

"Camping," repeated Hope, sitting back and lifting her legs. "With mommy, daddy, 'Lijah, Esme, and Frey!"

"You're missing your Auntie Bex and Uncle Kol," said Esmeray, and Hope nodded. "Bex, Kol, too."

Klaus faked a grimace. "That sounds like a bloody disaster waiting to happen."

"Bloody disaster," Hope repeated very seriously before toddling over to Esmeray and sitting on her lap. "Magic, please."

"Aw, who could say no to that?" said Esmeray, holding up her palm and creating the illusion of a tiny ballerina dancing over her hand, making Hope giggle as she tried to catch her, only for the ballerina to jump away before she could.

Klaus watched the two, and started to smile, but his smile fell when he realized that Esmeray had started crying silently. She pulled Hope close and kissed her forehead, cradling her into her chest and rubbing her back. The little girl didn't understand what was happening, and simply continued to try and catch the ballerina. The hybrid could see that his girlfriend's free hand had drifted to her own belly, and he imagined that even Hope's presence didn't help rid her of the emptiness she felt after losing her child.

"Come on, love," said Klaus once Hayley had come to get Hope so she could go to sleep. "Let's go be in the art room a bit, hmm?"

Esmeray nodded numbly and followed him. Klaus sat in front of a covered canvas, and Esmeray planted herself on his lap, facing him, her legs wrapped around his waist, arms around his middle, and head propped up over his shoulder. Klaus hummed to soothe her as he pulled an easel forward and placed the canvas over it, letting the covering fall to the side.

For nearly an hour, Esmeray remained latched onto him, crying to herself, but glad for his presence, and also appreciative of not being hugged back. She liked being able to be with him this way, when he was working on a painting.

"You can look now, love," he said, tapping her back. She got off, turning to face the canvas, which was covered again, and sitting on his lap once more. She did the honors of removing the cover, and gave a small gasp.

The other day, she'd seen him painting a canvas different shades of blue for no reason. Now, the blue was the background, covered in clouds and with some stars in it. In the center, resting atop a cloud, was a tiny baby, swaddled and looking asleep, angel wings coming out of its back.

"Is that—?" she whispered.

He nodded, and reached for a candle he'd had ready. "We never really spoke of it. We didn't grieve properly, together."

Esmeray took the candle, drawing a deep breath before lighting it with a flick of her hand. Klaus set the candle down near the canvas, wrapping his arms around Esmeray from behind, his head now resting on her collarbone.

"I didn't want a baby for so long," the werewitch murmured. "Then, when I finally wanted one, it didn't survive. That's not fair. I wanted to meet it... I wanted to be a mother."

"You will be a mother," he whispered in her ear. "One way or another, I will see to it that it happens. Whether we decide to try an adoption... fostering... or if you'd like for us to eventually try again... I will do whatever you wish for us to do, love, so long as you tell me everything you need from me, and so long as you are sure you're ready for it."

"Is it even safe for us to bring a kid into this family? Seriously, Klaus, I don't want to be a pessimist, but look at all the stuff that's happened since you unlocked your hybrid side. It's one thing after another. When will Hope or this future kid be truly safe? Marcel hates us all now. I still don't get along very well with Freya and Kol, and they're family, too. If we're trying to foster a nurturing environment for a kid... this really isn't it. And I've really grown to like New Orleans... so I don't want to leave. But I also don't think we should stay if we expect any kid to grow up safe and sound. Hope, ideally, should be raised as far from Mystic Falls and New Orleans as possible. Only with privacy will she be able to be normal. Here, she'll grow up constantly hearing angry conversations and planning sessions to destroy enemies... that's not normal."

Klaus took her hand, massaging it. "Then... perhaps... now that things have settled down... we ought to discuss moving."

Esmeray frowned. "You mean it?"

"I do. You're right, love. Hope and our future child can no longer be safe here when staying consistently. New Orleans is her birthplace, it is where Hayley can be with her Crescents. But even she will agree that it is not the safest place. Rebekah may like to stay here once she is cured. I would encourage her to stay. Elijah will follow us, because of Hayley. Kol will prefer freedom, but will always have a home with us wherever we may go. Freya, well, I do not know enough about what she will prefer, but I am thinking she will be along the same lines as Kol. Do you think you'd enjoy living somewhere with more snow?"

"I think I might. Where are you thinking to go?"

"I liked Portland. It was where you and I truly connected for the first time. You will be able to visit Anya's family whenever you wish to. Aaron and his wife have two children by now, near Hope's age. They have a Pack for her to be a bit involved in. How does that sound to you?"

Esmeray patted his hand. "I like that. I think, if we plan ahead and... try to be very lowkey about living there... we could be happy there. We also don't want to draw a lot of enemies to Portland. That defeats the purpose."

Klaus kissed her temple. "We will discuss it, love. I promise to be open to hearing what everyone has to say about it."

The conversation would simply have to wait. The next day, Davina's funeral was scheduled. Esmeray had urged Klaus to come with her to support Kol as he watched Davina's body, wrapped in a sheet, be placed into her tomb with several flowers inside. Esmeray had always hated funerals, and they were worse when the person who had died was a kid. There weren't that many people there, just those that had been closest to Davina.

"Say not in grief that she is no more," recited Vincent once the tomb had been sealed, "but be thankful that she ever was and though she was taken far too soon, may her enduring light show us a way through this darkness. Let us mourn, as we cannot move on until we do. And though the pain may at times seem like more than we can bear, make no mistake, we will move on. And even now... the words of Ecclesiasticus are ringing in my ears, they're saying vengeance as a lion shall lie in wait for them."

Klaus looked a bit uncomfortable, but continued to stand beside Esmeray, clutching her hand. He glanced at Marcel, trying to find an opening to apologize, but the younger vampire refused to meet his gaze.

Josh stepped forward after Vincent, clearing his throat. Beside him was Aiden, reassuringly patting his shoulder. "A while ago," he mumbled, "forever ago, I told Davina a story about my first boyfriend. But what I didn't tell her was that I had never shared that story with anyone else. She was like a sister and a best friend and I loved her. I wish that..." he trailed off and shook his head. With a nod, Aiden pulled him back.

Cami, who'd been off to the side with a tissue dabbing at her eyes, sniffled and stepped forward. "I'm sorry, sweet girl," she whispered. "This shouldn't have happened." She looked down, not wishing to meet anyone's gaze, and stepped to where she'd been before.

Vincent turned expectantly to Kol, who shook his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I can't."

Marcel held up a paper that he apparently had prepared, but crumbled it in his hand. "Words aren't any good," he said before turning on his heel and speeding away.

"I should go check on him," said Josh quietly before he and Aiden followed along behind the vampire.

"I'll be at the Compound," muttered Kol, not wanting to stay another moment.

Cami dried her eyes again before coming toward Esmeray, half-smiling at her. "It's good that you both came," she said. "She would have appreciated it. I um, I'm taking her advice. I finished what I came to do here. I'm going to go live nearer to my Uncle Kieran. New Orleans is... is always going to have something special to it. Just not for me. Not anymore."

"Good luck on your journey," Esmeray told her, not sure what else to say. Cami nodded appreciatively before she walked away with Vincent.

When only Klaus and Esmeray were left, Klaus sighed and went to place his hand against Davina's tombstone. "I apologize," he whispered, so quietly that Esmeray could hardly hear him. "This was never my intention. You deserved better than this, Davina Claire." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper, where he'd drawn a girl painting, and slipped it in beside the flowers. "I remember, once, you were quite the artist. In another reality... perhaps we might have painted alongside one another."

Esmeray put her palm beside his. "I will do whatever it takes to bring you back," she whispered, pressing a kiss to where the girls' name was etched. "I promise."

Klaus set his hand down. "I ought to speak with Marcel," he told her. "I will be home later."

"Alright," she said, tiptoeing to kiss him. "Be careful."

She chose to walk all the way back to the Compound, calmly making her way through the streets. Getting back was no longer urgent, and it had been awhile since she could just walk aimlessly around New Orleans.

She stopped at a few shops to browse through all the trinkets before she finally went back. Hayley was giving Hope a bath, and Esmeray could hear Elijah and Freya talking upstairs. She wasn't in the mood to speak to them— it irked her that they hadn't shown their faces at Davina's funeral. At least Hayley had an excuse. She had a baby who needed her beauty sleep.

Esmeray wasn't all that eager to only have herself for company. First, she decided to text Vincent, to at least tell him about her idea to remove the connection the Ancestors had to New Orleans. Then, she'd called Damon.

"Hey," he answered. "How have you been?"

"A lot better. Lucien's dead— I killed him. Win for me."

"Dang, good job." She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was trying to be very careful about what he was saying. "Uh, Bonnie wants to say hi."

There was a scuffling sound. "Hi Esmeray!" came Bonnie's voice. "Hope you've been doing well."

A smile came to her face. "I hope you've been doing well, too. Hope Damon hasn't bored you to death yet."

"Hey!" said Damon indignantly. "I'm anything but boring. I give her the best ideas for spells now that we have... literally nothing to do."

"Is it really that boring over there?"

"Well... after what happened with my mom, and once the Armory got Rayna Cruz, things just sort of died down and everything's sort of back to normal. Matty Ratty Donovan urged us to leave Mystic Falls, though, so we're in Wackmore."

"Whitmore, Damon," Bonnie corrected. "Just because it sucks doesn't mean you have to call it Wackmore. Besides, Matt is doing what he thinks is best for the humans. I don't blame him. He'll let us come back once he thinks we've got things under control. Also, Esmeray, I was wondering— I'm working on a Protection Spell to ensure Rayna Cruz can't ever mark any of us with her sword. She tried, but she didn't manage it. Do you think you could look it over?"

"Yeah, sure, I'd be happy to. I'm glad she didn't hurt any of you. What else is new?"

"Enzo and Caroline moved to Grove Hill, yuck," chimed in Damon. "Apparently, The Armory is just that cool. Enzo's cousin or whatever is in charge. Alaric is in a house nearby, with the twins, so that Caroline can visit often. To be honest, she spends more time with Ric nowadays than with Enzo, but thankfully, he's not the jealous type. He just doesn't understand the appeal of kids as much. He thinks they're okay, but he won't sell his soul to the devil for the chance to be a father."

"He's gonna be a stepdad now," Esmeray teased. "Is that better?"

"I don't know," sighed Bonnie. "I think it'll depend on how much Caroline works to ease him into the twins' lives. Knowing her, she's going to be very precise about everything. He might eventually ask you for advice."

"What, because I'm a stepmom? Jeez, I don't know how good my advice will be. I'm a hot stepmom. He's barely transitioning into the regular stepdad phase."

"Damn, there's a stepparent hierarchy now?" asked Damon. "I want to be a hot stepdad. Hey, Bonnie, you should—"

"I swear, Damon, if you tell me to have a kid with someone else just so you can be a stepdad, I'm going to spell you to sleep."

"Aw, honey, no need to get so feisty, that's for the bedroom!"

Both Bonnie and Damon laughed, and Esmeray was glad to at least bear slight witness to a cute moment between them. "Do I sense that things are about to get frisky between you two?" she asked.

"Hell yeah," said Damon, while Bonnie made a noise that implied that this had not been her intention. "Hey! Esme, she's grabbing my thigh."

"I am not," said Bonnie, and she certainly sounded like she was telling the truth.

Esmeray giggled, listening as Damon started trying to argue why he was the one who was telling the truth. It was good for the werewitch to see that those two were working well together. They clearly joked around a lot, and after what they'd been through in the prison world, they knew each other quite well. There was no tension. Everything was effortless and natural. They made one another happy, even though they hadn't liked each other at all when they first met.

The werewitch could hear Bonnie giggling, presumably, as Damon tickled her. She'd tuned out only for a second, and was able to hear footsteps— someone was coming up the stairs. "Listen," she told the couple, "I'll talk to you both later, alright? Go enjoy yourselves."

"Take care, Esme," said Bonnie at the same time that Damon said a very elongated. "Bye," before they hung up, both laughing.

Esmeray looked up as Kol came into her doorway. "Hello," he said, wringing his hands together. "Can we talk?"