Elena was at her side.

"How long has it been?" asked Esmeray groggily, seeing that Klaus, Damon, and Bonnie were there, too.

"Hours," said Damon. "You were passed out for quite awhile."

"But... but it was only a moment... with Anya..." She stopped as Bonnie handed her the Mikaelson-Poldark necklace Klaus had given her. "Why—?"

"I turned it into a daylight necklace for you," she said. "I know you don't like rings. I added the lapis lazuli to the chain, and reinforced it so no one can rip it off of you. You're the only one who can take it off. That keeps you safe from anyone trying to light you on fire."

Elena beckoned a cup of her blood into another hand. "Feed. You'll be better."

"I have blood bags at the ready," said Damon, picking up a small crate that'd been at his feet. "I got all types, so you can see which you like best."

Esmeray nodded slowly, taking the cup of blood and downing it, feeling her gums and cheeks stinging a bit before she relaxed, realizing that her vampire face must have come out for the first time.

"Love," said Klaus, bringing the crate to her. "Drink."

She shook her head. "I don't want to right now. Maybe in a bit." She put the necklace on, and laid back on the bed.

"Hold on," said Damon, looking at Klaus, who'd moved to put the necklace onto her. "She just disobeyed an order. How isn't she sired?"

"Because of Hayley," said Esmeray simply. "Five years ago, her and Jackson's wedding gave me the ability to turn at will. Klaus's other hybrids were sired because he was freeing him from having to turn every full moon, and they were grateful. Not that I'm not grateful for all you've done, Klaus, but I don't essentially owe you anything... so I'm not sired. Sorry, that sounded really rude..."

Klaus chuckled. "Not at all, love, it's alright, I know what you mean."

She half-smiled. "So, how did it go with Elijah?"

All the faces in the room became grim. "He was placed in the pendant," said Klaus. "But... the pendant broke, and we are not certain we will be able to recover him."

"But don't worry," said Bonnie quickly. "I'll be helping Freya and Hayley today so we can get him back."

"Kol and Rebekah are on their way here," added Klaus. "After all of Elijah's sirelings dropped dead, they got a ticket straight home."

"What of the Hollow? Is she—?"

He looked down. "It did not work. We fear the Hollow has returned. Marcel has Sofya, and she won't wake."

Esmeray started to tear up from the frustration. This time, crying ached more in her chest, and it sounded like she was being quite loud. "What the fuck?" she hissed, covering her face as she started to sob. "If— if I had my magic, I could help Sofya, I could have done a simple fucking Mind Spell and just healed her!"

"Feed," suggested Damon, offering her one of the bags. "You're hungry, and denying yourself food. It's going to be okay, Esme."

"It's not going to be okay!" she snapped, shoving the bag away roughly. "I'm no good to anyone anymore!"

"Oh, shut up," he snapped right back. "Your back can no longer get broken if you ever sleep with Klaus again, you should be celebrating!"

Elena and Bonnie's mouths dropped open, thinking he'd gone way too far with that. They were shocked to hear Esmeray choke before starting to laugh uncontrollably, holding her stomach and wiggling on the bed.

"It wasn't that funny," said Damon in a strained voice after a minute had gone by and she hadn't quieted down.

"The same thing happened to me when I was in transition," mentioned Elena. "The emotions kind of explode onto you and it...."

To prove her point, Esmeray continued to giggle, covering her mouth with her hands. She was still crying. "This is fucking horrible," she laughed, making a face. "My body hurts from laughing."

"You'll be okay," Damon said. "You already had heightened senses as a wolf. It's the emotions and the feeding that's gonna bother you. Come on, Esme. Eat something."

"I don't want your vampire Kool Aid," she hissed, shoving the bag away once more when he tried to offer it to her. "I said I'm not hungry, respect that, or get the fuck out." She clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, that just flew out. I didn't mean to be rude."

"I think I like vampire Esmeray more," teased Damon. "You've always had out of pocket comments on your mind and you've never let them out. Dark humor Esmeray sounds fun."

Esmeray shook her head, groaning and rubbing her forehead. "Please, stop."

"What, am I too loud?"

"No, I adjusted to the sound, and the smells. The light. But everything just feels different." She looked to her window, and frowned. "Hold on. Where are all my plants? Did you move them so you could close the blinds?"

They all looked a bit guilty. "Love," said Klaus, taking her hand. "The plants... died."

Her heart dropped into her stomach. "Oh. Of course. When I died... so did they. I can't feel life anymore. I can't... bring things to life anymore..."

"Hey, my mom felt the same way when she turned," Bonnie told her. "And it's true, that it just doesn't feel the same. It just means you start over. She has a garden again— she started it from scratch, and it helps her. I know you don't want to hear this, but forget the old plants. Get some new ones and start over. You'll have to water them manually now, but they will live, and so will you."

Surprisingly, this helped. Relenting at last, Esmeray made a face and reached for one of the blood bags, opening it and drinking a bit, feeling the veins protruding from her cheeks, a sort of sharpening sensation arising in her eyes as they darkened. The exiting of her fangs wasn't hurting her anymore, and she found she liked how the blood tasted.

"Can we go into the Bayou?" she asked Klaus when she finished feeding. "Just... so I can run around a bit as a wolf?"

He hesitated. "I worry, love, because the Hollow is out there. We know not what her real body looks like, and she may very well try to hurt you now that you do not have your magic."

"What if we take her out of New Orleans?" suggested Elena, wringing her hands together. "She and Damon can move, as vampires, out of the city and to a forest somewhere else. I can watch Hope while Bonnie helps Freya and the rest of you... do whatever it is you're going to do to help Elijah. Stefan's a phone call away if we need help, he's helping Enzo with something, but the two of them agreed to come by if it was needed."

Klaus nodded. "Very well," he said, helping Esmeray to her feet. The three vampires heard movement downstairs. "Rebekah and Kol are here," the hybrid announced. "I shall go with them to destroy the rest of those rose thorns. Be safe out there, love."

He kissed her forehead before leaving the room. Damon pocketed one of the blood bags before offering Esmeray his arm, and leading her out to the entrance. She didn't wish to see Rebekah and Kol just yet, and had pulled her jacket up to cover her head as they got onto the street. She pointed the way to the nearest forest outside of New Orleans, and the two vampires made their way there.

"I can tell you all the basics, if you want," said Damon once they got into a forest in Alexandria. "We can practice hunting, or—"

"I don't need that. I'm a wolf. I've hunted before." She then stopped. "Wait, you meant... hunting humans, didn't you? For blood?"

He nodded. "I don't know what you eat as a wolf, but I know you have never eaten a human for fun, so I imagine you could use some tips. You can compel people now. Also... you can be compelled by the Originals."

"They wouldn't compel me. Besides, I can take vervain to be safe. The only one who might try is probably Kol, as a prank."

Damon nodded. "Taking vervain is good to build tolerance to it, too. Wolfsbane and vervain are your two main weaknesses now."

She tugged anxiously at the necklace. "Okay. I think Freya has vervain stored. I can take a tiny bit every day. Or..." she cursed. "I was gonna say, I can spell the necklace to shield me from any compulsion or vervain attacks. But then I remembered..."

She started to cry again, plopping down onto a rock and heaving a sigh as she held her head. "I hate this. I fucking hate it. As... as happy as it makes me that I'm immortal now... I just wish I could do magic, too. Why couldn't I have been born a siphon?"

"Ew, if you were a siphon, you'd have been dating Kai and not Klaus, and I wouldn't want that for you."

"You didn't use to want me to date Klaus."

"Well, the guy has a soft spot for you, and being around you so much made him very tolerable. He offered us breakfast when we got here. He never would have done that back when we all lived in Mystic Falls."

She smiled a bit. "That's all a memory now. I'm not gonna be the same... ever again. I can't ever get my magic back, even if I preserve the little wolf carrying it. I guess... it's a good thing that we decided we'll adopt in the future. Otherwise I'd be bawling about not being able to have a baby."

"Look." He took her hand and squeezed it. "This is going to take time. Feeling good in this body won't happen within the first few days. You're going to hate it sometimes. Other times, you'll love it. Being undead has some pros and a lot of cons. But you're not alone, and that's one of the pros. There are so many who understand what you're feeling, and we will help you, if you need it. It's going to be okay. You'll defeat this Hollow thing and get married to your man at the end of the month, then you'll adopt a perfect little kid who will look up to you no matter what. Being a vampire doesn't take away your ability to be a wonderful mom. In fact, I think it magnifies it. You're so damn selfless and good, it's always been a big part of you. You're going to be happy, Esme. Even if you don't have your magic. You can still teach and help. Like Bonnie said... you're starting fresh. You'll never stop being a witch."

"You think Klaus will stop calling me his little werewitch?"

"Not a chance. He called you that before to bug you. Now, he calls you that when he cuddles you. You've got the guy completely whipped. What do you say we try to race, hmm? You as a wolf, me as a vampire."

"I'll win," she said pointedly. "I'm technically older than you and I'm a hybrid."

"I can still try to beat you," he said with a wink, speeding off. She grinned, and milliseconds later, had turned into a wolf, speeding after him and managing to not only catch up, but also pass him.

Damon was sweating when their race finished. "Not fair," he panted. "You cheated."

"How did I cheat?"

"By existing."

"You're just salty that you're a baby compared to me."

They returned to the Compound to find that while Elijah had not been resurrected, the broken pendant had been repaired, which meant they just needed to find a way to bring him back into his body. This didn't seem to have gone all that well overall, given how shaken Hayley looked when Esmeray had asked her about it after dinner.

"I went into his mind," she said softly. "Saw some things. I went behind the red door, and he attacked me. I really don't want to talk about it. I just need to think about it on my own, if that's okay."

That was fine with Esmeray. She wouldn't have known what to say to her anyway.

Kol, Rebekah, and Klaus had successfully destroyed all of the rose thorns made from Marcel's blood, which meant the other Originals were safe (so long as Marcel didn't go randomly psychotic and slaughter them for no reason).

Damon, Bonnie, and Elena returned to Mystic Falls in the evening. While they'd wanted to stay, Esmeray had been insisted that it was safest for them to go. The last thing she wanted was to lose more friends, and after how much they'd helped, she didn't want to beg them to stay just so they could be in the line of fire. Each had given her a big hug, and despite her new vampiric nature still taking its time to settle in, she felt at ease, and slightly normal.

In the morning, she'd learned she needed a new routine. When she woke up, she would have to drink some blood bags (O positive, just like Klaus) before getting breakfast, which wasn't really necessary anymore, but still yummy.

The one thing she appreciated is that she couldn't scar anymore, and she would be a lot safer if someone snapped her neck or mutilated her. She'd taken some time to examine her skin, seeing no difference but knowing it had changed. The even more accelerated healing was another plus that she enjoyed.

"Love," said Klaus, popping his head into her room when he saw her setting up the new plants she'd purchased (mostly cacti and succulents to start out). "We need to talk, all of us."

'All of us' apparently did not include Rebekah or Kol, who apparently were busy.

"Despite the spell that Bonnie and I cast," Freya told them, "the very integrity of the pendant is growing unstable. It won't be able to hold Elijah's soul much longer. We need to find a way to resurrect him tonight, or we could lose him forever."

Hayley winced. "To do that, we'll need more power."

Klaus gritted his teeth. "Let me guess, a grand sacrifice."

"I say we kill our enemy and sacrifice her," the eldest Mikaelson proposed, "then I can channel the power from the Hollow's death, raise Elijah's body, and place him back where he belongs."

"But what will kill her?" asked Esmeray. "Linking Elijah's life to mine didn't help and now I won't be of much help. What else can we possibly try?"

Freya sighed. "Labonair blood is her Achilles' heel. Hayley, your blood weakened her, but you've technically been dead for years. So it wasn't strong enough to kill her. If we forge a blade using the blood of the last living Labonair..."

"We already stated we didn't want Hope involved," said Klaus.

"She's already involved. Hope has been obsessed with the symbol that follows the Hollow: the serpent consuming itself. Now, I believe this is showing us the key, the only means to which she can be destroyed— her own blood. The Hollow's one end of the Labonair bloodline. Hope is the other. And we need to close that loop. The best way to do that is for Hayley to wield a weapon forged with Hope's blood. When she stabs her, it's only then the Hollow can be obliterated completely."

Hayley didn't look too pleased with the idea, but she nodded. "Then we make it work. I'll talk to Hope."

As soon as Klaus had gone to update Rebekah on the situation, Esmeray had let out a frustrated sigh.

"I told her we should have used Hope's blood," Esmeray muttered to herself as she helped Freya set up for a Locator Spell. "I told her... and she didn't want to... and now I'm a fucking vampire..."

Freya stopped what she was doing. "You're upset," she noticed. "I don't think I've ever heard you complain out loud."

"I feel like I can't even stop myself from saying things anymore," she said dejectedly. "I've been a vampire for a day and I'm very bitter. I don't like blood bags, they're stupid and I'm left sucking them like an idiot trying to get every last drop. I want it in Gatorade bottles instead. I don't like that people don't listen to me when I suggest something good. At least I would have been fine being a vampire if we'd also defeated the Hollow. But we didn't, so now, this is very inconvenient."

Freya put her hand on hers. "As soon as this is over, you should go on a vacation. Right after your wedding... go on some extravagant honeymoon. You're overwhelmed and you never really give yourself proper breaks. You need them. I know that you didn't want this. But a part of you pitched the idea because you saw at least a few pros. It won't be easy, but you will come to accept it. I wish there was a way I could help you perform magic, I really do. I will do what I can to search for a way. There has to be something. I will help you in any way that I can."

Esmeray half-smiled. "Thanks, Freya. I'm just gonna... go to my room with my plants. Let me know when you need me."

She was needed soon enough.

Apparently, Inadu's bitchass had a totem, rendering her unkillable. They had to first find the stupid totem and destroy it. Klaus would be in charge of that, since Rebekah had apparently gone MIA after searching for said totem. Freya, Hayley, and Esmeray would be going to confront the Hollow herself, each wielding fancy daggers that had a drop of Hope's blood infused in their blades.

"Once the totem is destroyed," said Freya as they walked up to a very creepy looking house (apparently the LaForge House), "we can sacrifice the Hollow."

"Great," said Esmeray, holding up the dagger. "I'll do my best. This is my first time in a confrontation where I can't use my magic, so... I really hope you two will have my back. I might still forget and try to cast a spell."

"We got you," Hayley said reassuringly, patting her back. Esmeray found her previous frustration with her dissipated in that moment.

They walked through the doors, which creaked loudly and shed light on a horrid sight in the main entrance hall. Dead bodies were littered everywhere, identical stains on their faces to show that the Hollow had melted all of their brains at once. As they walked further in, the door slammed behind them, making them jump.

"I guess she knows we're here," muttered Freya.

"The only problem is, we don't know exactly where she is," said Esmeray. She took a step into the next room before the doors to it slammed shut in her face, sending a shock wave that knocked her into Freya, sending the witch's head slamming into the ground. Hayley rushed to help Esmeray up, each holding up their daggers for a moment before their necks were snapped.

Esmeray wished she'd enjoyed her first 'death' experience a bit more.

She opened her eyes and found herself in the Bayou, where she and Anya had been about to do the ritual years ago. At first, she thought that the inner wolf version of Anya was the one greeting her, but when the girl grinned and ruffled her head, she knew it couldn't be her.

"Anya," she said in surprise. "Where... where am I? How are we here?"

"I'm no expert," she said, crossing her arms, "but I'm guessing you're going through some kind of psychological break right now, and your mind went somewhere that you could be at peace. Considering that I'm the voice of your inner wolf... that peace came with me."

"Great, but I can't stay," she said bluntly, looking around. "If this is like, the Hollow's version of a Chambre de Chasse, I just need to find what represents me and I could get out."

Anya looked sad as she followed her into the trees. "You've hardly acknowledged me. I thought that I was special to you."

"This isn't actually you, though," said Esmeray, trying not to let herself get emotional. She needed to get back into reality. "You're at peace. This isn't really peace, or my parents would be here."

"Who says we're not?"

She turned, and saw her mother. That's what made her suspicious. "Mama," she said slowly. "It's you."

"I would think you'd be more thrilled to see me, Tori," she said, extending her arms to her daughter. "Come, your father will wish to see you."

"I'm not actually dead," said Esmeray, taking a step back. "I'm not."

She bumped into something, and behind her, was her father. "Ray," he said sternly. "Do not be disrespectful to your mother."

"If this were peace, I'd be able to see all three of you at once!" she challenged, getting a sick feeling she knew what was happening.

Then, all three did appear. She growled. "You're trying to keep me here to stop me from fighting. This isn't a Chambre de Chasse. This is just an illusion. And I know how to break it."

She swiped her hand out as hard as she could, using her heightened speed to knock their heads clean off. Instantly, she awoke in the creepy house, with her wrists bound, keeping her in a chair. The room around her was dimly lit, with bookshelves all around her, and candles set up in the corners.

She ripped the bindings off, hissing when she felt the wolfsbane and vervain on the ropes. She could deal with that pain. She rushed to the door, but a very obviously magical barrier was keeping her from even wrapping her hand around the doorknob.

"You really just went through my mind to find anything familiar, didn't you?" she grunted, slamming her fists onto the barrier to try and break through it.

"You're wasting your time, love."

She turned to see Lucien, and instantly, she cowered, sinking to the ground and staring up at him in shock. "No— no, no!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" he said, smirking malevolently and coming to kneel in front of her.

"You're an illusion!" she hissed, covering her face. "This isn't real, this isn't real!"

But he was able to grab her, yanking her up and tossing her across the room, into one of the bookshelves. The contents spilled over her, and she scrambled up, but he caught her, shoving her back into the chair and successfully breaking it as she crashed into it. He ripped one of its legs off, holding the makeshift stake threateningly over her as she lay, defenseless, beneath him.

"Coward," he crooned. "You're nothing but a pathetic little wench. I can't believe Nik is still convinced he loves you. No one could love a monster like you."

She flinched and shielded her face as the leg of the chair came hurling toward her face, but it never made contact. When she removed her hands, Anya was standing over her again. "You are a monster!" she snarled angrily. "Vampires killed me because you were too weak, and now you became one of them! You had a choice, and you didn't take it."

"What fucking choice?" she hissed, crawling back and trying to get up. But Anya was faster, and kicked her in the face, shoving her down again.

"The choice to serve me," the Hollow's voice came from Anya's body. "You still have one more chance. Devote yourself to me. Deliver Hope to me, and I will reward you. I will turn you back into a werewolf-witch hybrid, but I will allow you to keep your immortality. You will be able to have children again, you will be able to do magic again. Your fears would dissipate."

"No!" snapped Esmeray, lunging at her legs and knocking her down. She started to throw punches, but the body changed, and a strong arm caught her fist, squeezing so hard, her bones were broken, and she was tossed back again.

"Wrong choice, love," Klaus said, leering over her. "I wanted you to give me a child, and you were too afraid to. You could lose that fear, and yet you choose not to. It's always about what you want, is it not? What of my desires? I wish for you to be immortal. I wish to father a child with you. And yet you refuse to give me what I want."

"YOU'RE NOT REAL!" she bellowed, covering her eyes. "KLAUS WOULDN'T EVER SAY THAT TO ME!"

She looked back, expecting to see someone else, but the vision was gone entirely. The door was kicked open, and Esmeray saw Freya and Hayley, each covered in blood and holding their daggers.

Hayley pulled her to her feet, and the three moved to one of the upstairs rooms. Without needing to speak, they understood that the other two had seen similar visions of torment.

They found the Hollow reciting a spell. Hayley was the first to burst in, and the Hollow was easily able to knock her down. Esmeray was the one that caught her off guard, throwing the dagger and lodging it in the Hollow's abdomen. Freya came out from behind her, casting a spell that left Inadu crashing to the floor. Hayley jumped onto her, beginning to stab her over and over with the dagger, growling angrily. Esmeray didn't know what she'd seen in her visions, but clearly, it'd left her feeling as though overkill was the only option.

"That's enough, that's enough!" cried Freya, yanking Hayley back. "She's gone. She's gone."

But Esmeray looked over the dead body, and just didn't feel convinced.

"That was too easy," she said lowly. "I won't believe that just yet."