HE LOVES HER SO MUCH HIS HEART ACHES WITH IT. His beautiful girl with her blue eyes and kind heart, always worrying about everyone else but herself. (And hadn't that been exactly what Elijah Mikaelson preached? The salvation of her father's soul and the weight of the world on her shoulders.)
"You cant know everything, Hope. He was a damn good liar. It was never your responsibility to protect yourself from him. Dr saltzman should've done his research and NEVER let him in In the first place, let alone anywhere near you." Roman sienna used her and broke her trust in the worst way possible. Saw her as an abomination to be prevented instead of the little girl who healed butterflies just because she could. (Who saw a little boy grieving his mama and knew he needed a friend, even when she had every right not to give a damn.)
"I thought so, before. But.." no amount of mulling it over and considering all the consequences could've prevented him from the reality of what was coming for them, the storm brewing at home, needing only the smallest of nudges to break loose. Even if he had managed to stay in control amidst the overwhelming sounds and sensations, kept it together against the hunger and rage boiling beneath, his very existence was all they needed to point fingers, to justify their needless hatred and gather the vampires against a common enemy.
"I didn't think it would lead to this."
Alaric Saltzman had a job to protect her, but he failed. That resentment had been pushed down so deep that it had never landed on Alaric's shoulders. Instead, Hope kept it all inside, finding new ways to blame herself for parts she didn't even play. Henry had been the one to put it into words for her. Allowed that wound to surface and bleed. But there wasn't time to focus on it. He was a good liar. And that was true. Hope had been young and wanted love so badly that she fell for the pretty face of a guy who sold her lies. Her first kiss forever was tainted with memories of death and betrayal.
They were in the safety of the Mikaelson Mansion. There was no one there but them, which allowed them to speak freely between them. Henry's close, his kiss still on her wrist even though his lips had long since left her skin. It's strange how something so simple can feel so intimate. They sat there trying to wrap their heads around the mess that had been made. ❝ I didn't think that it would turn out this bad, either.. ❞ Hope knew there were people that would fear her and even want her dead. Hell, everyone was on the kill Hope train from the time Hope was in the womb.
❝ I wasn't very good at being supportive. I thought I could help on my own. ❞ The truth is, Hope isn't even sure how to help. She had never triggered the vampire side. Henry was already a scared kid. You can't create something and not take responsibility for it. Her mama had been right. However, her father had not gotten that memo.