|Unedited|

"I am not myself anymore, I think it best I sort myself out. On my own.
-HB"

1173

The days went by after the war between France and Britain.

Hayden Bentley spent his days wishing he were dead.

During the war he fought for hours, killing the English men left and right. There were no fighting men left after he was done with them, and he didn't think he was going to die that day.
But their top warrior, a humbled Englishmen, slid his sword through Hayden's skin, and tendons, all the way until he scraped his heart.

His weak human heart began to bleed internally, the human hybrid's eyes meeting with Alzarous', who closed his eyes in return.

The blade of the sword inside his chest was twisted from behind him, slicing his heart in two inside his chest.

Hayden blinked up at the sky then, wishing he could've been human a little while longer.

A single tear ran down his cheek as his heart fell apart in his chest, his last breath of humanity escaping his chest as his body fell to the ground roughly.
The French men around him could only see blood pooling out of his body as they watched the man who killed him get stabbed by Alzarous, who sought revenge for the fallen regent king.

Alzarous knew the regent king would wake in an hour, maybe less depending on him, and wished to finish the way before any of the other warriors could see it happen.

"For France!"

The men shouted the same saying as they overtook the English, then dying down when their men were all put down and there was nothing left that the French.

A mail boy ran out into the field of blood and swords, waving a piece of paper in the air.

"They've found him! The king's younger brother! He's been found! Where is the regent king?"

At the reminder of their fallen regent king, they all turned toward his lifeless body, going to pick him up, but was stopped by Alzarous, "He told me himself, he wants to be left with his fallen brothers shall death become of him."

An entire year has passed since Hayden woke up.

The air smelled even more intense than before, the sky looked bluer, grass felt rougher.

He was full fledged vampire then, but not quite as he woke in the sun and felt no such simmer of his skin.
At first he was fine, he didn't hurt in the sun, and he wasn't hungry for blood.

But a day passed and he knew he needed to feed soon.

So he did, on a twenty something year old girl, he drank, just enough to satisfy himself. He wondered why it came so natural to him, maybe because he'd drink a pitch every two years to satisfy his vampire side.
But he felt no raging bloodlust like his adoptive father, and the rest of the Mikaelson siblings. He knew better than anyone how much blood they consumed daily, and how much they wanted at all times of the day.

He was glad in that moment he was born the way he was, because without it, he would've been just as bad as them.

Today marked a year of vampirism. The young hybrid sat in his bed of his small one story home he'd built when he decided to reside in Kievan Rus. He was never cold being so up north, but always wore their formal coat made of polar bear fur.

Hayden liked being by himself, but knew it wouldn't last long as he knew the Mikaelson's were looking for him as he breathed.

He decided the following week would be the week he returned to France, only to see Alzarous of course.
And to see if his family was still around or if they'd left after his "death".

The vampire hybrid stared out the small window in his home, seeing the other homes around his who covered their windows at the brink of winter. It was cold enough to where he could see his breath each time he breathed out, and knew the other found it odd he wasn't cold.

But he didn't care much as it was his last week. His last days of saying hello to the nice people of the village.
He'd taken after Niklaus and gotten himself a woman to let some of his emotions out on.

He felt bad, of course, but he never went too far, never drank too much, or bruised her during sex.

She was the one thing he'd feel bad about leaving.

He never compelled her to let him do the things he did, she was a witch herself, and loved the high it gave her to get drained of her blood.

She was quite a special woman, she was, and had easily become friends with the vampire. Little did she know he wouldn't stay forever, and deep down inside him he feared the worst of what would come of her when he did leave.

"I hope I made the right choice Niklaus..."

2028

It was the weekend of the Gemini twin's 16th birthday, Lizzie was trying to get the perfect decorations for the grand party being held, Josie always one step behind her.

Hayden hated to see Josie hide behind her sister, he could tell she had powerful magic inside her, but wouldn't know it until she was forced to use it.
The vampire walked the halls of the school to see what the supernatural students were learning. He was quite pleased to know they all learned very accurate history of their species.
Alaric had made him the school's new informant seeing as he was there to help them with their Malivore problem, and for Hope. Hayden never liked to leave the tribrid's side, although he knew she was getting her education so he let it go each morning that passed.

For a total of two weeks now, there hadn't been a new creature lurking in the shadows of the Salvatore school.

They saw themselves lucky, but Hayden knew different. He felt it in the air this particular morning before the birthday party. There was something about the way the aura of the school changed that led him to believe the monster coming wasn't going to be pretty.
As any good informant would, he stalked the halls every five minutes looking out for a monster. Anything out of the ordinary would catch his attention, but everything seemed to be normal.

It was like a movie when the entrance of the Salvatore school opened wide, smoke filling the floors, and a beautiful woman walking through the doorway.

She had electric blue eyes, Snow White pale skin, and ruby red lips. A single mole at the side of her confused lips brought attention to her attire, a strapless wedding dress and veil tagged with shining diamonds dangling from her neck and ears.
The dress would've been one for the books if it wasn't covered in blood, almost like she'd been stabbed and had bled out.

She didn't stop, her legs walking right past Hayden and toward the headmaster's office.

He silently followed her, watching her every move up until her hand turned to doorknob.

She walked into the office with much confidence, the voice of Alaric on the phone being drowned out by her beauty. Dorian appeared behind her suddenly, eyes wide in shock, glancing around until he found Hayden's curious gaze.
The former hunter nodded for Hayden to hurry into the office, looking at a startled Alaric who pulled his crossbow from his desk and pointed it at her.

"Ric, if you could just put down the crossbow, my freak out level is about eleven right now."

Hayden stepped out from behind the doorway, "You know her?"

Alaric's jaw clenched, "I know who she's supposed to be."

"Who?"

Alaric held eye contact with the woman, raising his crossbow just the slightest, "The love of my life."

Dorian and Hayden both stared at each other as the woman stood nervously in front of Alaric. Dorian moved to close the door of the office, turning back to Alaric, both he and the vampire ready for an explanation of some sort.

As Alaric was about to pull the trigger to release the bow, the woman panicked even more.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!"

Dorian moves toward Alaric now, "Hold on."

The woman nodded, "Listen to him. What's your name?"

"Dorian."

"Hi, I'm Jo."

Dorian's face contorted as he became baffled, "Wait, you're his dead wife?"

Hayden's brows rose as Alaric silently nodded, Dorian mumbling with a loss of words.

"How did you get here?"

Jo turned to look at the younger looking boy, nervousness flooding her veins, "Um, well, I was kind of, yanked awake. And then I was just kind of... Here."

"Oh, there's nothing suspicious about that!"

Dorian paused, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Alaric readied his bow again, "Kill her before she attacks?"

Jo stumbled backward a step or two, clearly in panic mode. "Wait, what?"

"We should interrogate her."

Both Alaric and Dorian looked behind Jo at Hayden, who was leaning crossed armed against the wall, "Yes! Exactly. If she's our next monster, then she might know something."

Two long pauses from Alaric until he sighed, putting his bow down, "Okay. Fine. But no one sees her. Especially the twins."

"Good idea."

Alaric turned to Hayden, "I need Emma."

Without a seconds glance, Hayden had left the room, searching room by room until he found her sitting in front of Hope. The two of them drank tea from coffee cups, Emma sipping her drink as Hope rambled along.
"I mean, something could come out of it. We talk every single day, and I love his voice. It's low, and smart sounding. And kind of soothing. And his eyes!"

Hayden stayed behind the door, listening in, hoping she was talking about him.

"His eyes are like this, blue-green color, it's called hazel, but they look so much more intense. It's like a beautiful swampy ocean, although that's not really a color, you know? They're more green when he wears green, and more bl- Oh my god, who am I?"

Listening to her ramble about his eyes was something he'd wished he could hear all the time. It was supporting to know she felt somewhat the same about him, or rather his eyes.
He could hear Emma stifle a laugh, then the clicking of her mug on the table.

"A normal teenager."

Before the conversation could go on, Hayden barged in, mischievous eyes set on his face as he looked at Hope, seriousness as he glanced over at Emma.

"Emma, Alaric and Dorian need you in his office. I've come to retrieve you."

Hope couldn't help but swoon at his accent that played at her heartstrings, the wink he sent her way telling her he'd heard something she said.
A deep blush made it's way onto her face, eyes closed shut tightly as she breathed in deeply.

"How much did you hear?"

Hayden laughed, picking Emma up in his arms bridal style, "Not much..."

Hope let go of the breath she had just sucked in, feeling a wave of relief flood over her body. Hayden took a few steps toward the door before he turned around to look at her.

"I didn't know you like the color of a swampy ocean though."

Hope face palmed, hair blowing back as Hayden took off with Emma in his arms toward Alaric's office. She would go and find out what was going on, but she was now too embarrassed to even look at him.

Hayden returned with Emma in his embrace, setting her down gently on her feet, Emma stumbling forward to talk to Alaric and Dorian, glancing back every so often. Hayden took it upon himself to sit the bloody bride down in a chair by the door, smiling encouragingly.

He held out his hand for the woman, "I'm Hayden Bentley."

"Josette Saltzman."

Hayden smiled at her name, remembering the wonderful Josette he knew and cared for.

"It seems Alaric has named his daughter after you, we call her Josie..."

Jo smiled down at the floor, "Josie... Is my daughter."

Hayden's brows furrowed, he remembers Alaric saying the twin's mother was Caroline Salvatore. He did find it odd as she was a vampire, but now that he thought about it.
The twins were witches, and if the woman sitting in front of him were bloody, maybe there was more to the unique story.

"It's a long and complicated story... But if you don't mind me asking... What's she like? What are both of them like?"

Seeing that the others in the room were still whispering rapidly, Hayden took a chair from behind the desk and sat beside the bride, hands in lap.

"Well, Josie, she's beautiful, like you, and kind, and courageous when need be. Elizabeth, or Lizzie, for short, she's... Got a hot temper, but underneath all that anger is a sweet girl who's looking to find something more. She's got room to grow for sure... They both do."

"Sounds like you're fond of them."

"I'm observant is all. I've only ever really spoken with Josie, Lizzie is a story being written that doesn't need a nine hundred year old vampire."

"You're nine hundred years old?"

"Well, eight hundred and eighty-six. But close enough."

Jo sat back in her chair, mind swirling with questions to ask about her daughters and husband.

"Is he... Ric... Is he happy?"

Hayden glanced behind him, Alaric already staring at the two talking, mouth twitching slightly, "I've only know him about a month now... But he seems... Satisfied. He has his daughters, and his friends. Even Hope, who's like a daughter to him. As much as they both deny it..."

"Hope. Who's Hope?"

It seemed Hayden's entire demeanor had changed, his eyes jumping with glee, a smile brighter than the sun in the sky stretching over his lips.

"Hope. Hope is one of a kind, both figuratively and literally. I'm absolutely taken by her. And I can only hope she's taken with me."

Jo glanced at the vampire, wishing her daughter's would have a love so pure like it seemed Hayden had with Hope.

"She's seems like a lovely girl."

"She is. The loveliest."

Like dogs on a leash, Dorian made his way out the door, closing it behind him softly. As the vampire turned in his seat he could see Emma nodding as they both walked toward them.

"Um. Dorian went to get you some... Clothes."

Jo nodded as Emma began to speak in Latin, a spell rolling off her tongue fluently.

"There, I've placed a boundary spell on her. She can't leave the room. Are you sure she can't do magic?"

Dorian stepped back inside the room, handing clothes to Jo, escorting her into a secret room in the office to change.

"She couldn't do magic before she died, so, if she can now I guess we'll learn the hard way."

As Jo walked out of the secret room in new clothes, wedding dress tucked under her arm, she looked at the two of them annoyed.

"Um, she's right here. And she's got a lot of questions."

Emma stopped at the doorway, "Be careful with this one, Ric."

With Emma and Dorian gone, it was just the vampire, former hunter, and the dead wife.

"Okay, let's talk... Hayden? Do you mind giving us some privacy?"

Hayden nodded as he placed the chair back behind the desk, walking up to Josette and kissing the knuckles on her hand.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Saltzman. I'll be around if you need anything Ric."

Alaric watched as Hayden walked out of the office, Jo waving bye, "Nice to meet you too Hayden!"

When the door was closed and it was just the two of them, Jo sat on the couch in the office, Alaric sitting in the opposite one.
He placed his hands in his lap, wishing it was all a dream, or more so that she had never died in the first place.

"Okay, I'll start. Who are you? And what do you want?"

From outside the office door, Hayden could hear Alaric being rather rude to Josette, but knew it must be heard for him to see someone he used to love, who died in his arms, right in front of him.

The hurt in his voice could be heard for miles, and his heartbeat was erratic as they spoke. Hayden listened in more on their heartbeats than their conversation, knowing it was none of his business what had happened between them.

As he walked around the halls of the Salvatore school, he could hear the classes in session, teachers talking, students writing in their journals.

From the two weeks he'd been there, he knew Hope's schedule like the back of his hand, and headed toward her Latin Language History class. She was fluent in Latin, having been at the school for many years, and in order to be able to read her grandmother's spell book.
But still, the school put her in the advanced class, with only two other students in it, two who neither of them particularly knew. They were both quiet students, one a boy, and one a girl. He believed they were twins as well, witches of some sort.

Hayden looked in through the small window of the door at Hope, who sat with her pencil in hand writing down notes from the board, as well as the other two students.

The teacher in the front of the classroom spoke fluently in the old language, Hayden knowing a bit of the language himself having been around for so many years.
His eyes stayed glued on the tribrid as she answered the teacher's question, almost rolling her eyes like it was an obvious answer.

The window that let the sun shine into the classroom showed off her sky blue eyes, the ones that could mesmerize him anytime he looked into them.

A sound from outside caught his attention entirely, knowing that it wasn't recess for the younger kids, and that no one should be outside at the moment. With his speed he was in the courtyard in seconds, but seeing nothing he sped off toward the lake, where a figure stood looking out at the water.

At first, he thought it was a student skipping class, but the closer he got, the more he could see her raven colored hair that flowed down her back neatly.
Her taller, graceful figure dressed in blue jeans and a maroon colored blouse that hugged her. He stopped just before the girl, his eyes training on her reflection in the lake water.

With his sudden presence, she turned around, a warming smile set on her lips.

The same lips he used to cherish and kiss with such tenderness. His hazel eyes met her russet brown ones that seemed to drag him toward her.
His steps seemed to think for themselves as he walked closer to her.
She was suddenly four feet away from him and radiating an underlying nervousness. Her fragile hand swiped a piece of hair behind her ear, bouncing from one foot to the other until she saw how serious the vampire had become.

Once a human girl, a slave he had freed once upon a time, stared back at the vampire who couldn't help but blink down at her.

The way the sunlight kissed her skin made it glow like molten gold crafted straight from the sun itself. It absolutely mesmerized the vampire who hadn't seen her since he left her two hundred and seventy-two years ago.
The thing about it was, he'd left her after erasing him from her mind completely. It didn't make sense as to why she was there, and the fact that it seemed she recognized him is what left him off guard.

Because there she was, standing right in front of him, the one woman he had loved the most.

"R-Robin..."