Disclaimer: I do not own Legacies, that would be Julie Plec, Warner Brothers, and the usual suspects.
Hello, my lovely readers. Okay. So, I want to express my gratitude for the fans who saw bits of Buffy Season 5 "Dawn is the Key storyline" in the Landon/Malivore story, because it inspired this fic and SeasBasinKyogre256 for asking me to write it. On with the show…
I Think I Kinda Love You:
Time. They needed more of it. But in Hope Mikaelson's experience, the Powers that Be, or God(s), or whoever was at the wheel did not like to give a lengthy period for her and those she cared about. No. She'd become accustomed to the finite amount allowed to each of us. Now, she wished she could control it: stop it, impede its process, anything at all would be better than this.
Landon Kirby laid on his back. He could feel the blood on his lips. He tried to offer Hope Mikaelson a smile. The girl of his dreams. Some people might dream of a girl who did not sport fangs and claws. Landon. He'd always been a bit of a freak himself. Never fit in anywhere. Never knew why. Now that he did, he kind of wished he didn't.
Hope heard the distant screams of her friends. The word friend—which had sounded so unfamiliar when used with her—had become essential to her being. She had friends. The multiple kind. The kind who ran to her aid. The kind who would die for her. And Landon.
But now we're getting ahead of the story. We need to go back. We need to know why Landon is lying in the middle the woods, his back pressed into a symbol they'd all become familiar with by this point in time. We need to go back to the beginning, instead of at the end.
~0~
"What's up?" Rafael asked Landon.
Landon looked up from his textbook. He was reading about The Original family. It was supposed to be for a class on "The Origins of Vampires." Caroline Forbes suggested it when she returned to the boarding school. Instead of reading it for school, Landon was reading it for fun. For Hope, really. He couldn't help wanting to know everything about her.
"Party tonight," Rafael said. He went to open the closet and search for clothes. Of course tonight was in two hours.
Never big on parties, Landon shook his head. "Thanks for the invite. But I think I'm going to hang here. Have some last minute reading for a paper." Tapping his fingers on the hard cover of the book, Landon tried to look studious.
Rafael peered at the book. "They testing you on Hope 101?" He grinned and Landon rolled his eyes.
"No," Landon retorted. "You meeting up with someone special tonight?" he retorted, eyeing Rafael who shrugged. Landon knew that Raf planned on fighting for Josie Saltzman's affections. Good luck with that, given his competition, Penelope Park did not fight fair.
Shrugging, Rafael tried to look disinterested. "Nope." He paused before adding, "Heard Hope telling Penelope she might make an appearance. When you're done reading about her, you might want to show up and have a face-to-face moment."
"Whatever," Landon shot back. He grabbed a pair of dirty socks and tossed them at Raf who easily batted them away.
Settling back into his reading, Landon made a plan to meet up with Hope that night.
~0~
Somehow Landon lost track of time and found himself totally engrossed in a story of Klaus Mikaelson's tearing through Europe in the thirteenth century.
Unfortunately for Landon he was so engrossed with his reading that he almost missed the appearance of a classmate in his doorway. "MG?" Landon called. He dropped the book on the bed.
MG looked bad. His skin was a pale grey hue and his eyes were scanning the room sightlessly. "Landon?" he replied. "I'm not feeling so good."
"Hey, man. Come in. Sit down." Landon got to his feet and tried to help the young vampire to sit down on Landon's bed. "I'm going to get Lizzie." He knew that MG and Lizzie were having some communication problems but she'd come running anyway. Besides, she'd be the center of attention at the party. Hard to miss.
"No. No." MG gripped Landon's arm, stopping the human from moving and Landon glanced back at the vamp. Damn. Why did almost everyone who would help him have to be out tonight?
"MG," Landon began just as MG's eyes turned red and his fangs came out. "Oh, geez!" Landon cried out as the vampire's fangs slid into his throat. "Ow!" Groaning, Landon hit his bracelet against his nightstand with effort, knocking himself and MG to the floor.
The electricity must be bad tonight because the lights had begun to dim, Landon thought when he realized that he was dying. "MG, please, stop," he wheezed. His sort-of-friend was trying to rip his head off.
"MG, no!" Hope cried and then MG went flying into the nightstand. He let out a growl, trying to get at Hope when Lizzie and Josie came in with Penelope right behind them. The unlikely trio clasped hands and MG banged into the wall again and his neck snapped to the side.
"Landon, are you okay?" Hope cried, dropping down to her knees beside him, cupping his face.
Grinning like an idiot, Landon nodded. "Yeah. Just a little almost-fatal neck wound. No big." He tried to wave it off but the world spun and the lights went out.
~0~
Hope stood just outside Landon and Raf's room. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She was seriously pissed at MG. What had he been thinking? Attacking Landon. And what the hell was Alaric thinking not trying to help MG learn to control his blood lust?
"MG!" Lizzie snapped, slapping MG across the face. "Wake up!" She seemed pissed off for no good reason.
Hope opened her mouth to tell Lizzie to back the hell off when MG's head snapped up and he blinked at the girls in the almost empty hallway. "Hey. What happened? Ow! My neck!"
MG's hand went to his neck and his face contorted in pain as he adjusted his position on the floor where Hope had dumped him. "You tried to kill Landon, Milton," Penelope replied with her full use of tactic on display. "Of all the people you could sink your teeth in; you just had to go for Hope's boy toy." Penelope looked amused and Hope glowered at her.
"Landon is not my 'boy toy,'" Hope replied before turning to MG. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I just had this overwhelming need to feed," MG said. He looked guilty.
Lizzie let out a scoff. "So, you thought that eating Mop Head was the way to go?"
MG shrugged. "I don't think I meant to bite Landon. He was just there."
"Just there. That's the story of my life," Landon said, coming out of his dorm room.
"Oh, look, it's awake," Lizzie groaned, rolling her eyes.
Landon gave Lizzie a look that told everyone he held Lizzie with the same regard. "Gee. You're alive! Thanks, Lizzie, always good to know you care."
"Shut up, both of you," Josie cried. "MG, do you think it was another monster?" She bent so she and MG were eye to eye and Hope wondered why she hadn't tried that approach. Pull the "friend card," soften the blow. Oh, right, because she was Hope freakin' Mikaelson, scary-ass tri-brid freak, that's why.
"I… I don't know." MG looked genuinely lost. Then he looked at Landon, his expression confused. "You're not human."
"And to all outward appearances he is," Hope replied.
Raf came running down the hallway. "Hey! What the hell happened?" His eyes went from Landon to MG and his expression darkened.
"Back down, wolfy," Penelope snapped, taking a step toward Raf, her hand held out, just looking for a reason to use her magic on him. Why couldn't they all keep their petty jealously to a low simmer while the rest of the group figured what the hell was going on.
"What do you mean?" Landon asked MG.
"Your blood. It's different," MG told Landon who looked at Hope, his eyes wide. They'd never tested his blood. Well, now it looked like they'd have to.
~0~
A senior came to the classroom. "Mr. Saltzman needs to talk to Landon," the boy said. His eyes flicked to Landon. He was part of Jed's old pack. Not a big fan of Landon's, but he would not touch him, not unless he wanted Raf on his ass.
"Right," Mr. Roberts, the Modern Occult prof waved for Landon to leave the room before continuing his discussion of the dark arts.
Landon and the senior did not talk. The older boy simply delivered Landon to the office of Alaric Saltzman. Landon's fingers brushed over his bracelet.
With a quiet knock on the door, Landon waited for Mr. Saltzman to invite him inside. The door opened and Landon came face-to-face with Hope. She looked grim. Opening his mouth to ask why she was there, Landon thought better of it and decided to just be grateful that she was.
"Landon, take a seat," Alaric said.
Alaric's clipped tone made Landon's spine become rigid. Bad news. They were going to kick him out. He was a danger to everyone. Hell. Maybe they had to kill him. Just his luck.
Looking to Hope, Landon could not read her poker face. He reminded himself for the millionth time to never play the game with her. She'd eat him alive.
"Your tests came back. And MG's right. You're not entirely human. Your blood…" Alaric frowned, showing his age for once. "We don't really know what your blood is. But I have a couple of theories. Thanks to the things you learned about your parents helping to seal Malivore shut…"
"Okay," Landon nodded. He knew this is where the anvil dropped on his head.
"We think your blood is the last key to open Malivore. Or to shut it. Permanently." Alaric watched Landon digest this bit of news and Landon felt the serious need to empty his lunch.
Hope grabbed a trash can and Landon hated himself as he threw up the contents of his stomach until he found himself heaving up nothing at all. "Breathe, Landon," Hope coached him, her fingers caressing his spine and he glanced at her. Her eyes were boring into his, her gaze steady. She did look disgusted and Landon felt the need to profess his undying love in that moment, but did not because a) he had puke breath and b) because of the headmaster in the room. Nothing says romance like that combo.
"This being the case, we now know who is going to be targeted next. From now on, you're our sole priority," Alaric told Landon.
"Great," Landon groaned, before his head fell back into the trashcan.
~0~
Hope stood at the front of the room. Landon to her left. Alaric at the lectern. Caroline stood to Alaric's right. Her expression was grim.
"Everyone," Alaric called to the assembled students who were edgy with anticipation.
Even the twins did not know what big news was. Josie kept staring at Hope like she could read her mind. Lizzie sat, her arms crossed, her left foot waggling as she waited with an air of impatience that made Hope want to throw a book at the blonde's head.
"We've found the last key to Malivore's opening. And we might even be able to close it. For good." Alaric looked to Caroline who nodded. As soon as the meeting was over, the headmistress would leave to go in search of information to end this nightmare. She offered Hope and Landon a quick smile of reassurance.
Hope knew that Caroline would try everything she could to help. Freya and Vincent who were also working on clues to end Malivore before it ripped their world apart. "Dark dimension" did not end with puppies and rainbows. And opening the dark dimension would probably end with lots, and lots of dead friends. Hope would not lose anyone else.
"What is it?" Lizzie cried.
"Landon," Alaric said, placing a hand on Landon's shoulder.
Landon looked like he might be sick again. Hope reached out and took his hand, squeezing it. All eyes moved to Landon, and more than a few took in the hand-holding bit. They would have to go through Hope to get to him. And Hope seriously doubted they would want to do that, not in the mood she was in.
"Mop Head?" Lizzie blurted, her jaw dropping. "So, are you going to kill him?"
A few students chuckled and seemed all for that plan.
"NO!" Hope shouted at them. Her fangs had sprung out and she crouched in front of Landon, waiting for an attack.
"Hope, down girl," Penelope called from the back, she made her way down the aisle to join Hope and Landon. "If you come for them. You're coming for me, too," She folded her arms over her chest and smirked at the others.
"And me." Rafael got up and stood to the left of Landon.
Standing, Josie smoothed her skirt before making her way to join the group.
MG hopped up and went to join them.
Lizzie looked around and rolled her eyes before she marched over to stand by her sister. "I guess if you're going for him, you're going for all of us," she offered the crowd a smile. "Who's ready for a fight?" She wiggled her fingers and the witches looked unhappy.
"Enough!" Caroline cried. "This is not a fight. Not over who gets to kill Landon. He is an innocent. He's still a human, who, unfortunately for him has the blood that will open Malivore. He didn't ask for this life! No more than I did when I was turned against my will! Our job is to keep Malivore and its agents away from him."
Stopping in front of her daughter, Caroline added. "And if that is a problem, you'll also have to go through me."
"Go, mom!" Lizzie cried with a huge smile. She turned to grin at Hope who found herself smiling.
Soon students began to stand to offer their support of Landon. Even Jed got up and said he'd help protect Landon.
It looked like they might win this thing after all.
~0~
As Landon laid on his back. His blood seeping into the symbol he laid on, he thought of his mother. Did she know that being pregnant when she helped seal Malivore would mean her baby would carry on a special link with the Dark Dimension? He thought probably not. He'd only been a tiny spark. Weeks in the making. Not enough for his mother to realize she was with child. His mother's blood sealed it. Now, his would open it.
"Landon?" Hope cried. She held his hand tightly. Tears ran down her cheeks. What had she been thinking? Running in here? Getting sealed inside? Stupid. Brave. He loved her so much in that moment. And he wished she weren't trapped in this stupid sacrifice with him.
"You're going to be okay," Hope whispered, her head dipping, her tears falling on Landon's cheeks.
"Nope. I'm dying. But thanks for wanting me to live," Landon chuckled. "No one cared about me this much. Except Raf. But that's family, not…" He trailed off. He didn't want to say it. Not like this. Not like some kind of cliché: I have to say it now because one of us is dying and the other one is crying and it is a "we're never going to see each other again" kinda of thing.
"You remember the time that you called me back…" Hope was smiling, wiping Landon's blood and her tears off her cheek.
"Hmm," Landon was losing his will to concentrate, to focus on every last second they had left before…
"Oh, yeah," Landon smiled faintly. He remembered that time…
Gently, Hope placed her hands on either side of Landon's face and he allowed her to enter his mind—not that he could have fought her off on a good day.
"Hope?" Landon called. He sat up bolt-right in the bed at the dorm.
"You remember this?" Hope's teasing voice in his ear and Landon looked back at her and then at the other version of himself, the one on the bed.
"This is just weird," Landon replied with a quick shake of his head but he was smiling.
The Landon on the bed continued looking around the room. "Hope?" She wasn't there. Apparently she'd taken what she needed and pulled a cliché boy-move of sexing-and-running. Running a hand through his unruly hair, Landon's hand moved to the nightstand to grab his discarded T-shirt and knocked his bracelet on the floor.
The night before had been wild for both of them. Landon learned how to use a crossbow to shoot a monster through the heart. The monster held Hope's arms, attempting to tear them out to beat her to death with them—well-that's how Landon pictured the scene which he would prefer not to picture at all.
Having defeated the monster, they returned to Landon and Raf's dorm, to find Raf gone with a note that he'd be back later.
Hope made the first move. Kissing Landon and pushing him into the room. He'd pulled her down, on top of him on the bed and then clothes were flying and happiness was ensuing.
Now, he was naked and lonely. Not knowing what to do, Landon hid the bracelet. It took Hope all of five minutes to coming running to the room, her fangs on display. "Landon, are you okay?"
"No," Landon shook his bed-head, or everyday head. "My feet are cold. And what's up with the taking my virginity and then taking off? Am I in the middle of a teen movie and no one told me? Is there a guy with a hatchet in the closet, about to gut me?"
Hope's eyes rounded and she placed her hands on her hips before she began to laugh. "You used your bracelet for this?"
"Yup." Landon attempted to look guilty, and failed, on purpose.
"You're The Boy Who Cried Wolf," Hope informed him, cocking her head to the side and grinning at him.
"I want to cry 'Wolf,' until class starts," Landon said, waiting for Hope's move.
Tapping her chin, Hope looked thoughtful before she ran and hopped on top of him. Leaning back her head, she let out a howl and Landon pulled her face to his, kissing her before forgetting about all of his fears for the future.
"I'm going to miss you, Hope Mikaelson," Landon whispered, feeling himself slipping away.
~0~
Hope slapped Landon's cheek lightly. "Hey! Stop that! Wake up, Landon!" she cried miserably. She could hear her friends fighting the monsters that Malivore spat out and the ones that were already there.
The Necromancer had both Penelope and Josie in his grip. They were trapped in a nightmare because Hope needed to get to Landon.
"Go!" Penelope had shouted. Fingers linked with Josie's. They nodded at Hope who took a flying leap over the fire and right through a magical barrier. Or, more precisely, the tiny hole that Lizzie Saltzman held open for Hope to leap through. Lizzie looked worse for wear even as she drew power from MG and Raf.
Someone was screaming in pain and Hope no longer knew whether it was friend or foe.
Caroline was supposed to be here by now. She'd found Landon's sister. The blood they needed to seal Malivore. They had to have both of the twins. Landon did not want his sister to be dragged into this thing—even if they'd never met. But they had to. A lot of people's lives were on the line.
"Landon. I think I know how to stop it," Hope told him, watching Landon peer at her through eyes narrowed to slits.
"Uh?" Landon looked like he might die at any second now.
"Do you trust me?" Hope asked him. She'd never tried this with a human before.
"I think I kinda love you," Landon choked out. He offered Hope a weak smile.
"I think I kinda love you, too," Hope whispered back. She gave him a quick kiss, afraid to absorb his limited air supply. "So, just say 'Yes." She nodded and Landon nodded back.
"I… Yes," Landon nodded and closed his eyes.
Hope inhaled and exhaled, panic filling her and she allowed her fangs to elongate.
Malivore needed all of Landon's blood. Well, it couldn't have it. Not today. Or any day.
Sinking her fangs into his neck, Hope pulled him into an embrace and his arms curled around her. She felt the last of his life draining out of him.
"NO!" Necro shouted at her. She offered him a dark smile in return. The seal began to close and she closed her eyes, sucking down more.
When Hope saw the seal close completely, she opened her wrist and forced it to Landon's mouth. This was better, she tried to convince herself. He'd never be the same person, but she hoped that vampire Landon would still love her. And that she did this right.
Laying Landon down, Hope curled up next him. If anyone dared to disturb them before he rose, she would kill them on the spot. She was Klaus Mikaelson's daughter after all. What did they expect? And she was teenage girl, in love with a boy. Only a fool would bother her now.
"You're going to be alright," Hope said, brushing a curl off of Landon's forehead. "We're both going to be alright."
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Peace,
J