This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Bringing Klaus back wasn’t supposed to endanger her life, not to this extent, and yet that was the cost that she had come to accept. The witches within the French Quarter had cornered her and assured her that her life – her heart, in particular— would not only be the key component in keeping her daughter safe from those who wished to harm her, but that they could use it to ward off any ancestors who deemed Hope a threat. That Dahlia would fall. Klaus would be returned to his family from his deep slumber. Life would continue on from her death. All of this thought out meticulously. Albeit, behind Elijah’s back. Had he known, he would have been at odds. He would have spent decades trying to find another way around this, but Hayley always took her life in her own hands and if this was the route her life would lead, then so be it. It hadn’t been the first time death had taken her. Something told her that it might not even be the last, but unlike before, she at least had time to come to terms with the choice.She had spent her final days with her daughter, getting her affairs in order and ensuring the infant would know that her mother had done what was best for her family. If there had ever been a time for her to be the sentimental type, now would be it, which was why she had written her thoughts down to those she cared for. With as much as she had written to Hope while she was still in the womb, she left many more for the years that would pass by. Hayley left one to Rebekah, telling her how much it meant to be her pseudo-sister. To Freya, for fighting to come back to her family. Even one to Klaus, condemning him as an asshole in the beginning before reminding him that their daughter needed him in her life now more than ever and needed him to step up as more than just a protector, but as a father that had to also fill the role that her mother had left behind. Elijah was the only letter that she felt so conflicted on. The words never seemed to flow easily and, despite the complicated nature of their relationship, she hadn’t been at odds at how she felt about him. It came with finding the right words to leave a man who always had happiness within his grasp before it was stripped away from him.Hayley was just another in that long line now and she didn’t want to leave him with some Dear John death letter to remember her by. Though, leaving him with a voicemail really wasn’t any better. It had taken up to that final hour for her to search for the words she wanted to leave him with and how fitting was it that today was the day he chose not to answer his phone. With the last arrangements being prepared for the ritual, Hayley knew her time was burning away with the sage they were smudging the area with. When his diplomatic greeting message came through, she drew in a slow breath and felt her heart sink at the sound of that beep. “The last time I left you a message, it was to tell you that Hope and I could no longer be part of the Mikaelson family. That all that comes from being part of this family are constant threats and betrayal, but I’ve learned that you all fight for each other and I know you’ll fight for her like you’ve fought for me. I’m just sorry I can’t be there, by your side, for that fight, Elijah. Believe me when I tell you that… you’ve shown me what a family is. A dysfunctional family of epic proportions, but a family that will destroy an entire city just to make sure their own are kept safe. You’ve taught me what it means to fight alongside someone. You’ve taught me what a good and honest man is and, despite what you say, you live up to your own code and honor your word.”She could hear the witches in the background, their chants in preparation of the ritual growing louder and she knew her time was coming to a close. “More than that, I need you to know something. The night of my wedding, I asked you not to tell me what you felt and in this moment, I regret that more than anything because… I shouldn’t have prevented you from saying what you needed to say. And now, I don’t have the chance to hear it. I want you to know though, that I love you. I think I’ve loved you since the moment you fought for me and my child. Maybe even from the moment you showed me your family’s history and let me in on something so private. You’ve constantly let me in and I know that I’ve had moments I’ve let you down because of that, this being my ultimate slap in the face, but know that you’ve taught me to be strong and you’ve taught me the extents I would go through for the people I love…