After her fathers death, Hope Mikaelson left New Orleans with her Uncle Kol and his wife Davina. It wasn't until two weeks after her 16th birthday that she returned to school in Mystic Falls. She had gotten her driving license the week after her birthday and began packing the next day.
"We're going to miss you, you know?" Davina stood in the doorway of Hope's bedroom, watching the girl fold her clothes and place them neatly in her suitcase.
"I know," Hope replied, looking up from the pile of clothes, "I'm going to miss you guys too. But this… this is something I need to do."
"I know, Kol and I just worry about you. I mean, are you sure you're ready to go back?" Davina asked the tribrid.
"I'm sure. It's been six months, I'm behind on enough school work as it is. I need to get back. I think it might help."
"As long as you're sure."
"I am. Now go, I need to finish packing," Hope turned back to her suitcase, placing more clothes inside.
"Fine. I'll leave you to it. Remember to come down for dinner though, it should be ready in an hour."
As Davina walked out the door, Hope turned back to her suitcase. It didn't take long until she finished packing al of her clothes, she turned to her desk and threw her makeup bag in with her clothes.
After that, she sat at the chair in front of her desk and looked at the framed pictures resting on it. She took the one of her with her parents, aunts and uncles, that was taken when she was 7, and let a few tears fall as she took in the people in the frame. Three out of the seven people in the picture were dead. Her mother, the woman who raised her. Her father, the man who gave up everything to save her. And her uncle, who spent his entire life trying to stop her father from hurting and killing innocent people. They were all dead because of her.
Quickly, she dried her eyes and grabbed a few other pictures; another family photo from when she was just a few months old, one of her with her mother from the day she married Jackson and a final one of her with Freya, Keelin, Rebekah and Davina at Freya and Keelin's wedding. She placed all four pictures on top of her clothes, along with a photo album, before closing the case and standing it up next to the door.
Hope splashed some cold water on her face, before going downstairs and into the kitchen to find Davina taking a lasagne out of the oven.
"That is a lot of lasagne, even if Kol was here you'd have to throw most of it away," Hope looked at the casserole dish, which held enough food for a family of at least eight.
"I know, but since you insist on driving 40 hours all the way to Mystic Falls, Kol asked me to make sure you had enough food, since you're gonna be on the road for at least 3-4 days," Davina explained as she placed a piece of lasagne on a plate for each of them.
"That's sweet and everything, but you do realise that I can stop for food," Hope almost laughed.
Ever since her father and uncle had died, Kol had stepped up and took care of her. When she felt broken he swooped in and helped put her back together. Davina packed up most of Hope's clothes, leaving her bedroom almost the exact same except for the empty closet and picture frames and placed everything in the car. Two days after their death, Hope was laid in the backseat of a car, with Davina and Kol in the front, on her way to San Francisco and after two days of driving, Hope was being shown her room I her Uncle's apartment.
"I know, me and your Uncle Kol just enjoy taking care of you," Davina replied and handed over a plate of food to her niece.
"And I'm grateful, but when I leave tomorrow you two should think about getting a dog, one that requires a lot of taking care of," Hope laughed.
"Yeah, maybe," Davina sighed.
"Aunt D?" Hope started, "do you-do you ever wish that instead of falling in love with Uncle Kol, that you fell in love it a human? That way you could have kids and a family of your own."
"I think about it, sometimes. But you know, I've lost your uncle once already, and the time I spent without him was the worst time of my life. And yeah, I wanna be a mom, but if having a child means giving up the rest of my life with Kol, then I don't want it."
"When I was a kid, I might not have known him very well, but I didn't think he would ever be cut out to be a dad. Ever. But the way he's been – the way he's taken care of me these pas few months, I've seen a different side of him. And you should know that there are different ways to have a child. You could adopt, or get a sperm donor and you and Uncle Kol would make amazing parents." When Hope finished talking, she went back to her food as Davina sat deep in thought.
Once their meal was finished and the dishes had been placed in the dishwasher, Davina and Hope curled up under a blanket, in front of a movie.
The next morning Hope woke up at 6am, she quickly got dressed, changing into a pair of black jeans, a black T-shirt, with a leather jacket and combat boots of the same colour. She looked in the mirror once more, to make sure her necklaces were in place properly and brush her hair.
When she had finished getting ready, she did a once over of her room, she did a once over of her room, ensuring she hadn't left anything behind, and grabbed the duffel that contained everything she'd need for the next four days that she'd spend driving and sleeping in motel rooms along with her suitcase.
She left her bags by the front door and walked towards the kitchen to grab some breakfast.
"French toast okay for you?" Kol asked as Hope entered the room.
"You're here," Hope smiled, shocked, hugging her uncle. "And you're up," she turned to face Davina, sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island.
"You didn't think I'd miss saying goodbye. Did you?" Kol asked, feigning offence, as he placed two plates on the counter in front of his wife.
"I don't know what I was thinking," the young tribrid laughed, as she sat in front of her breakfast.
"You two eat, while I take my niece's bags down to her car," Kol placed kisses on the top of both the women's heads as he headed towards the door.
The two girls ate in a comfortable silence, mainly because Davina was too exhausted to talk, until Kol returned. When he got back, he rested his arms on the kitchen island opposite his wife and niece.
"You know, Hope we could still drive you if you want," Kol offered.
"that's sweet, but I'm good. Besides, you just got back from New York, literally a few hours ago, you should stay here with Aunt D. Enjoy having the house to yourself, for the first time in 6 months. Anyways, the four day drive will do me some good, four whole days just me and the open road all the way to Virginia. It'll be good for me," Hope explained as she finished off her breakfast and took her and Davina's plates to the sink.
"What your Uncle is trying to say… is that we'll miss you. And you should know, you are always welcome back, for summer and the holidays. But get a damn flight instead of driving," Davina shot a warning glance at her husband as she spoke.
"Davina's right," Kol smiled, "you're always welcome here. We like having you here and we like taking care of you."
"I like being here too," Hope smiled. "Now, get over here and hug me goodbye."
Davina stood from her seat, Kol pushed himself away from the counter and they both made their way over to their niece.
"We love you sweetheart," Davina whispered, as she embraced the young girl.
"And I love you guys," as Hope spoke, her voice trembled with unshod tears, as she hugged both Kol and Davina tighter.
"And just know, that if you ever need us, we will be on the first available flight to Virginia," Kol assured his niece, as they broke away from the hug.
"Right, its 7:30 and I wanted to be gone 30 minutes ago, so this is me saying goodbye and I will call you when I stop at a motel and text you when I get on the road each morning and then call when I get to Mystic Falls," Hope kissed each of their cheeks, they shared one last goodbye and she left the apartment.
When she got to the parking lot, she got into her BMW (an over the top birthday present from Kol). The first thing she noticed was the bag placed on the passenger seat, with a sheet of paper placed on top.
It's a long trip to Mystic Falls, thought you'd like some snacks for the drive. Don't forget to call when you stop for the night and when you get to the school. Stay safe.
Love, Davina x
Hope smiled at the note, before pulling out of the parking lot and starting towards Mystic Falls.
Author's Note:
I wrote this in about 3 hours and I'm kinda loving the way it's turned out. This was intended to be a one-shot, but if people want more, I do have ideas for future chapters about how Hope settles back into Mystic Falls and her return to school. If I do write more chapters they will not be following Legacies.