Then we get terrified, like children waking in the dark, we don't know where we are.

[moralitypolice]

( Bonnie, bag in hand at her side, holds the door open this time. She sighs, looking wistfully off at Danny, sullen, in the backseat. )

I wish I could make it all better, like I could undo it all, or, go back and prevent it altogether. Too many of us have no parents. No living family.

( She sighs.

From Danny's seat if or when he looks back, Bonnie and Isaac continue their discussion. Scott texts Isaac, so he pulls his phone out, eyes down quickly.

A couple approaches from the south, arm in arm. The guy in glasses leans in whispering something that makes the girl laugh. As they separate to move around Bonnie, everything happens quickly. The brunette girl brandishes a stun gun landing a blow to Isaac's side. Out of the leather jacket, the man reveals what looks to be something dark colored, with a flat bottom. He drops it. From the car, he can see a spell attempted, Bonnie's lips moving but nothing happening. She tries struggling, but the woman whacks her on the back of the back sending her down. The man quickly pulls out a pair of iron handcuffs the woman waves away, not now, and as fast as it happens, a bright yellow taxi pulls up.

Three others, including one dressed as a taxi-driver throw Bonnie and Isaac into the trunk. When everyone is inside the car, the driver puts down a black device on the top of the cab quickly, puts on a pair of leather gloves, climbs inside the cab and speeds off.

Bonnie's bag, and the contents within including her phone lie on the sidewalk next to Isaac's dropped phone.

The driver in Danny's car starts the ignition, this is probably protocol. )

Comments

[havethings]

More people should ask.

( She'd have gotten on better footing earlier with Cleo. But, with asking comes honesty, and Hope understands why honesty isn't always a policy. )

[enjoythe_ride]

If you want to know, by all means.

[She never really considered it a priority. She also doesn't think David will mind answering.]

I never thought it was my business.

[havethings]

In general.

( Not just the how, but the who, where they come from, what they've studied, learned. )

So, we're waiting for Bonnie and Isaac?

[enjoythe_ride]

Seems like it.

[She crosses one leg over the other as she sits on the edge of the bed. David will be back soon with the coffees.]

Did William indicate how far out they are?

[havethings]

He hasn't. But, he gave us which rooms the hunters paid for. I'll ask about Bonnie and Isaac. William? It's Hope.

( "Hour in traffic," he surmises. "Give or take one more vehicle switch." Which is a long time at this point. "Isaac traded - or - sold his blows to an in with the hunters. He should just now be returning to them. Trying to give everyone a big head start. Or, multiple."

Hope sighs. )

It might be a while. They are in the most complicated game of cat, mouse, and mouse lets cat go with visible scarring.

[enjoythe_ride]

[Josie nods, and slowly gets to her feet and ... "I'm going to go and see if David needs any help with the coffee." She's winning the worst girlfriend award today, but look! She's trying to help!

And she's going to not wait for a response before getting up and heading out the door before Hope can say otherwise. Bela watches her go and squints.]

She's not very subtle, that one.

[havethings]

( Look, she knows this is long overdue. She's just had a continent of excuses to not deal with any of it. )

She discovered her voice.

( She'd never want Josie to revert back to how usual quiet. )

I don't... hold anything against you.

( Not logically. )

[enjoythe_ride]

I wouldn't be surprised if you did.

[Bela's used to being the target of blame that she doesn't fully deserve.]

You were young, a lot of scary things were happening, and I was the unknown entity. It'd be easier to blame me.

[havethings]

I know, logically, you were there for Elijah, when he didn't know who he was, when he was killing people at truck stops. But, it felt like when you two resurfaced that... you were why he was away from his family. Not the Hollow, not our family pact. Not ... keeping me safe.

( But, that resentment, it stayed bubbling underneath the surface, even after Hope took the Hollow inside herself. )

[enjoythe_ride]

[She nods, because it makes sense. Elijah made choices, reacted to the bonds he knew, rather than the ones he'd forgotten. He chose Bela over them, because Bela had chosen him first.]

In the end, Hope, the goal was always to bring him home. I liked the man Elijah was too. I wasn't going to let that fall away, when it didn't need to be. I knew him before he lost his memories, and I wanted him to remember.

[She could see how she felt that way, but leaving him to sit in ignorance forever was never an option in her mind.]

But it was something he had to want too.

[havethings]

He couldn't come home. Not with each of them carrying a piece of the Hollow. But, after, he still chose you.

( Hope thinks she knows why, that too much had happened. That their family legacy finally weighed him down. Past red doors and destroyed suits. )

[enjoythe_ride]

I think it was more him choosing himself. After a thousand years of being tethered to your father, I think he ... needed that.

[She tips her head to the side as she watches Hope.]

But if you needed him, Hope, it would have been there in a heartbeat.

[havethings]

Not the Elijah that first came home.

( Not the man who didn't recognize her mother. )

I'm not saying I wanted him and my mom together. Anything but that. But, I barely remember him - because he has to save everyone by separating, along with half of my family. And then he's back in my life and not how I remember him. And then he's ... back but - ( She pauses, realizing she's actually opening up to Bela. Salvatore School, the Saltzman's and Emma taught her opening up is good, even if it's just ... ranting about how unfair everything is, or how she's going to do something about it. ) I know we all have lives. Rebekah's in New York. Freya, New Orleans. Elijah -- Europe for who knows how long. I want my family to live their lives.

( But, what she doesn't say, and what Bela would know, what the both of them haven't said, is that Hope needs to start answering Elijah's calls. Or, she should reach out herself. )

[enjoythe_ride]

[Bela does see that. She tips her head to the side briefly as she considers.]

We can only travel Europe so many times. Perhaps it's time we come back to the states for a while.

[Meeting her halfway. Giving them some time to get to know each other without feeling like they have to hop on a plane to get there.]

I know he's missed Freya. And you're going to Tulane, yeah?

[havethings]

Barring any hunter related relocation.

( She's both kidding and... anticipating. It just feels like the next step with all of their paper trails that exist. )

[enjoythe_ride]

Then perhaps we should spend some time in New Orleans for a while.

[If that's what Hope would like. Everything is a hypothetical until they talk to Elijah.]

Be a little closer. If we're needed.

[havethings]

You're vampire old. The both of you are. You can choose where you live and what you do. If you want to come back to New Orleans, you should. But, don't do it for me.

( She wouldn't feel better in that case, either. )

[enjoythe_ride]

[Briefly, Bela looks offended.]

I'm not that old, darling. I only became a vampire in 2008.

[Before Hope was born, true, but she's not even fifty. But that's not the point. She's learning that she needs to be more direct.]

What do you want, Hope?

[havethings]

I don't know. And I don't know if Elijah even - moved closer - what I could commit to. But, he's family. If I could see him more, I want to say I would.

( It's barely a guarantee. )

[enjoythe_ride]

[It is, but it's also progress. She nods as she hears the elevator ding in the distance, indicating that David and Josie might be on their way back.]

I'll talk to Elijah.

[Once they're all done here. But she glances over to her.]

My family was complicated. I made many poor decisions as a result and felt that I had to do everything on my own because I couldn't trust anyone else. But your family had always treated me well, even before I became a part of it.

[Or at least became a part of Elijah's.]

Having to spend time with them - with you - wouldn't be a hardship.

[She knows this is about Elijah, but she wants to make it clear that she would choose Hope too.]

[havethings]

Well, they're also not gunning for you. Being on their bad side, maybe that's, maybe that's another reason I haven't extended the olive branch. If anything did happen, they don't stop. They don't forgive. My dad is - easier - but, not less of a threat. Not that you can't take care of yourself. But, I don't want Elijah to have to choose.

( Her decisions, apparently, are more layered than even she thought. )

I know. I don't have to protect either one of you. But, it's kind of what I do.

[enjoythe_ride]

Then who protects you?

[And don't say that you don't need someone to protect you, because they all do. But before she can delve into that further, the lock of the door whirls, and Josie and David make their way in.

Bela will drop it there as Josie bounces over and passes Hope her coffee.

"All good here?"]

[havethings]

Good enough. We're still in a holding pattern. If you have somewhere else to be, David, you can always come back. Since you walk.

( Wait. )

Unless, you can tell us about the solstice and why hunters might want to undermine it.

[maleficum]

Oh, no. Going home means filling in my husband on what's going on, which might inevitably lead to Elena Gilbert finding out her best friend has been kidnapped and currently has no magic, and I think it's best for all intended parties that I don't go back until I have more comforting answers.

[But that being said, he can answer the solstice question, if she's a smidge more specific.]

That ... is a very broad question. Solstices can be used for lots of things - celestial event and all. Need a little more context.

[havethings]

( Husband makes him more interesting, at least. )

I don't know, does anybody else not like how familiar he is with Dr. Gilbert and her friend group? ( So casually dropping her name. ) How come we've never heard of you?