Friends

by btvscharmedgirl

It's not what I planned, but when it comes to my life, things rarely are. Alaric issues a challenge in which Hope can't refuse.

The sticks clattered against each other loudly, creating vibrating shocks coursing into my arms. It felt good to be working out, but I know he must be tiring. We've been at this for over an hour. His breathing is heavy, and I can hear his heart thumping wildly in his chest. Still, he continues to beat his sticks off mine as though it weren't affecting him. I put more force into my thrusts, throwing him off balance, then drop down, side swiping his legs from out in under him. He lays there on the mat for a few moments in shock, catching his breath and allowing his thudding heart to calm.

Finally, he looks up at me and says, "Thanks."

I know he understands why I did what I did. I reach down and offer to help him up. He takes my arm and I effortlessly raise him up. "You really should consider finding a vampire to help with my training."

"We've discussed this," Alaric says. "When you come out of your room more, then we'll discuss your training schedule."

"I am coming out more," I deadpan.

"Which is great, but you still spend the majority of your time alone in your room."

"I'm an introvert, Alaric. What do you expect from me?" I'm irritated, and he knows it. We've had this argument several times since I returned to school. At first, he only started the training to keep better tabs on me. Afraid that I have more of my father in me than my mother. Even before I lost my parents, I preferred to stay far away from the other students as possible. It was easier to keep my secret if there was no one there to share it with. Which meant he had to come up with an excuse to get close to me. Make sure I wasn't a threat.

"I expect you to at least participate in a few normal teenage activities," he replies. Yet another thing we've argued about.

"I'm sorry if I don't like to party in the woods," I reply dryly.

"I worry, Hope." His tone is all fatherly. It's hard to argue with him when he gets like this. "Make one friend and when can discuss changing up your training. One. That's all I'm asking for."

"I have friends," I counter.

"No. You have people who you don't provoke when you're in the same vicinity. There isn't a single person in this school who you actively try and talk to. Who you hang out with, just because you want to, not because you have a project to work on.

"Provoke?" Sounds like a harsher version of something Josie once said to me about poking her and Lizzie. She was right about that, and in a way so was Alaric. Josie's version in nicer though. Makes me sound less aggressive.

"You know what I mean Hope," he said as he walked towards the bleachers where our bags are sitting. He grabs my water bottle and tosses it over his shoulders. I catch it easily and watch as he sinks to the bench slowly. "If you're that worried about sparring with me, make friends with a vampire, and have them join us."

He's challenging me. He knows why I'd rather not get close to anyone. He knows because we've fought about it countless times. "Fine," I say, and watch in triumph as his face shifts to shocked. He's never been able to convince me before. "You want me to make a friend, then I'll make one."

I grabbed my bag from beside him and strolled out of the gym casually. He yells a goodbye to me, but I don't respond. I only have twenty-three hours to make a new friend before our next training session.

It's still early in the day, just shy of four, giving me plenty of time to cozy up to someone tonight. I drop my bag off at my dorm before heading to the lounge. MG is there with Josie and Lizzie.

I take a seat in the corner, watching to trio, while pretending to read. MG is the most obvious choice for a vampire friend. He's easy going, nice, and likes just about everyone. His only problem is his infatuation with Lizzie. He spends nearly al his time trying to get the blonde twin to notice him.

Still, he is the most obvious choice for a vampire friend. With Kaleb head of the vampire faction in school, his position gives him influence over the rest of the vampires. I'm not sure if Alaric knows this, but there has been whispers that more of the vamps are leaving school to hunt.

Rafael sits down next to Lizzie, reminding me that I could go with a werewolf instead of a vampire. They are durable enough to handle my work outs. The only problem with befriending a werewolf is the pack. When you get one, you get all, and that is just too much for me. There are several reasons I stay clear of the school's pack, but that one is the biggest.

I shift my eyes and find myself looking into Josie's, who's staring at me curiously. Guess I'm caught. I smile at her softly, then avert my eyes back to the book in my lap. I can feel her eyes still on me, like she's boring into my soul. I hate when she looks at me like that. I stay for a few minutes, just long enough to make my exit seem natural.

Panic begins to swell in my chest as I make my back to my room. I can hear her following me. I'm not in the mood for questions from Josie. She has this way of getting me to answer honestly as of late. It makes it hard to keep her at arm's length. I've already caused enough pain, I don't want to be the cause of hers too.

I duck into the bathroom and wait for her to pass, then head to the back acres of the school grounds. I usually ask Alaric before running free, but I can't bring myself to go to him first. I pull out my mini note book, and magically send him a message, just to let him know I'm out here. I strip my clothing off, folding them neatly and placing them at the base of the biggest tree.

I shift quickly, the change barely hurts anymore. I've shifted so many times since triggering my werewolf side, that it's become second nature. Every time I shift, I hear my parents' words in my mind. Easing me through the transition. My father talking me through my first change, and my mother telling me how freeing it is to be a wolf. I feel closer to them when I'm in my wolf form. Sometimes I feel like they are there with me, running alongside me as I dart through the forest.

I take off towards the southern gate, as far away from the school as I can get. I have more control over my wolf form then any of my classmates, thanks to being a tribrid, but I allow myself to give into the wolf's nature, making me dangerous. I never want to ever hurt someone.

There's a pack of stray dogs living in the woods that don't seem to mind me much. I find them quickly, easing towards them slowly. It takes them a few moments to remember who I am, and that I'm not a threat. The littlest one is my favorite. She's a shaggy brown cocker spaniel, who light up the moment she realizes its me, and wants to play. Today is no different. She hops over to me, and jumps up, tugging at my ear, before darting off towards the woods. I chase her, nipping at her ears as we run. We collide together, rolling on the ground, biting at each other, then take off again.

Sometimes the rest of the pack will come play, but they seem content with it just being the two of us today. Not that I mind, but I have more energy than Lila, that's what I call her, and after a while I lead her back to the pack and lay down with them. It's nice being with them. Simple. I don't have to worry about hurting them because they're my friends. I can just lay and relax, playfully nip at Lila's ears. Sometimes we'll catch a stray bunny to eat together. I watch the sun set beneath the horizon, enjoying this peaceful moment.

I suddenly am overcome with the most delicious smell. I rise and turn toward the scent. It seems similar, and yet not. It makes my mouth salivate, and my basic wolf instincts kick in. I run toward the wonderful scent, eager to find it. Lila takes off after me, but I sense her turn back the closer I get towards the dirt path, realizing that I'm leaving her again.

I run faster, eager to reach the source of the smell. Ahead is a shadowy figure, crouching beside a tree. I run at it, suddenly wanting nothing more than to sink my teeth into whatever is releasing such an enticing scent. I'm mere feet away form the figure when it looks up at me, and I realize why the scent seems so familiar.

It's Josie kneeling there, inspecting my folded clothing.

I jerk to a stop, suddenly aware that I can't eat this person, but I'm not fast enough. I crash into her sending her flying through the air. I can hear her body hit tree more than ten feet away with a loud thud, and a sickening crunch followed.

I shift quickly, thanking what ever god is out there that we are at the tree where I left my clothing, and change. I hear her moan in pain, which is a good sign. At least I didn't kill her. I'm at her side in seconds, inspecting the damage. She's semi-conscious, which leads me to believe she has a concussion. I can smell blood, but it's not coming from her head. The weird way her left arm is positioned makes me check her shoulder. There I find the source of the bleeding. There is a huge gash on the back of shoulder and it looks like she dislocated it as well.

Her moans are coming out louder and she's moving more. I look at her eyes, not surprised when I find her staring back at me. Tears are welling in them, and I know she must be in pain. I want to make that stop, as quickly as I can.

"I'm sorry," I tell her, but it just doesn't seem like it's enough. All I wanted was to keep her safe, and now she's lying on the cold forest floor bleeding and in pain. "I'm sorry," I repeat weakly.

She gasps. I think she's trying to tell me something, but all she manages is a gargled moan. I think she may have punctured a lung.

I go to pick her up, to take her back to the school where she can be healed, but I'm afraid that something will happen along the way. I'm fast, but nearly as fast as a full vampire is. Her eye's droop a little. I make my decision before the thought has barely crossed my mind.

"I can fix you," I tell her, and she looks at me curiously. "I'm going to pop your shoulder back in and then heal you. Okay?"

She nods her head yes, but I'm sure she's not understanding what I mean.

I leap over her body to her left side and lightly grasp her arm, and gently place my left hand on her hip. "This is going to hurt," I tell her, then as quickly as I can, I pull her arm out and shift it back into place. I've had to do the same to my right shoulder once, when I fell out of the tree I decided to chase a squirrel up. I had to shift back from wolf form and pop it back in before it would heal.

She lets out a strangled scream, which echoes through the forest, and suddenly looks very alert. That's a good thing. She's still bleeding though, heavily, and I'm still worried about her having a concussion and a punctured lung. She hit the tree hard enough to knock a few loose branches free. I don't know how she's going to take what I am about to suggest, but I have to at least try.

I let my fangs grow, not taking my eyes off hers, and bite into my left wrist deeply. I need the wound to stay open long enough for her to get enough blood, and then I offer it to her. She's confused for a moment, then her eyes grow wide. A look of disgust crosses her face. I don't mind, though. Drinking blood isn't the most ideal things to be doing.

She watches the wound close, leaving behind two streaks of blood behind. I bring my wrist back and bite it again. This time when I offer her my wrist, she takes it. It's an odd sensation. Her lips wrapped around my wrist, sucking as much blood as my rapid healing allows. It tingles slightly, but it's the warm sensation that builds in my body that is the most noticeable. The intimacy of this isn't lost on me.

I see the difference in her, even before she pulls away. Her face is no longer flushed, the pink tint in her cheeks returns. She sits up and wipes the stray blood from her lip. She slowly moves her arm, then rubs the back of her head. I can see the relief written on her face, as she realizes she's completely healed.

"So, I guess it wasn't magic you used to heal yourself the day you poked yourself," she said, then chuckled lightly at the memory.

I smile too. That was one of the few days we have been able to relax and just enjoy each other's company. "No," I say, and then realize that she probably didn't know about this before today.

Being a private person, it's not known wide-spread that my blood is vampiric. Yes, everybody is aware that I am part vampire, but seeing as my witchy feature are the most prevalent, follow closely by my werewolf side, most don't question how much of a vampire I am. Outside of my mother's pack, Alaric, Ms. Forbes (Josie's mother), and Dorian are the only people at the school who know about my special blood. Well, I guess Josie now knows too. "Don't go dying within the next twenty-four hours, or you'll come back as a vampire," I warn seriously.

The smile drops from her face, and she studies mine to see if I'm kidding. "Duly noted," she says after a few moments, then her face shifts to a look I know well. It's her, 'I have questions and I need the answers,' look. It was the same look she gave me for weeks after she learned that I am a Mikaelson. She tried once or twice to talk to me, but I poked, as she puts it, and drove her away. I have a feeling that isn't going to work this time.

"How are you feeling?" I ask. This is the first time I've shared my blood for this reason and I'm a little curious about how it worked.

"I feel…" she starts then pauses, almost as though she's mentally surveying her body. "Great. I haven't felt this well in a long time."

"Good. Great," I tell her. "I was a little worried it wouldn't work. This is the first time I've share my blood to heal.

"Really," she asks. I can hear the touched tone in her voice. She begins picking at a tear in her jeans, something she only does when she's holding back.

I'm not sure what I want to do. On one hand I want to do everything in my power to protect Josie from the same fate as my parents, but on the other hand, I hear Alaric's voice in my head, telling me to make a friend. I'm sure Josie isn't who he had in mind when he voiced the challenge, but I could kill two birds with one wolf. I can let my guard down and be friends with Josie, while getting a new training buddy to ease up on Alaric and teach Josie to defend herself. Three birds really.

"Do you want to come back to my room?" I ask. She looks up at me with surprise written on her face. To be honest, I'm a little surprised myself. Thinking it and actually saying it are two different things. "We can stop by the kitchen and get something to eat before heading back. I'll even let you ask all the questions your itching to ask."

She nods her head, and is up off the ground before I am. She starts towards the school, then stops suddenly. She looks at me with a look I can place and asks, "You don't drink blood, do you?"

I momentarily stunned by her question. It's something I have never been asked before. "No," I chuckle, then walk past her. "I do eat rabbits though, and squirrels, and the occasional dear."

"Eww," she says softly, which makes me chuckle.

Once upon a time I thought the same thing. That was until I triggered my werewolf side, and my tastes change. I don't tell her how good she smelled to me, or how badly I wanted to eat her. I'd rather not scare the crap out of her or gross her out any more than I already have.

We hit up the kitchen, and each choose a bunch of food to take with us. I more than her. Her tantalizing scent distracted me before my doggy friends and I could hunt, leaving me with an appetite larger than hers. She didn't question that, however.

We dropped by her dorm room, so she could change out of her torn clothing, bringing the item with us when she was finished. She didn't want to leave them where Lizzie could find them and question her about them. I'm glad about this. I'm okay with Josie knowing my secret, but I'd like it if no one else did.

She sits on the spare bed I still have out from when Aunt Freya was here last week. I've been too busy to put it away. As far as I know, I'm the only student who has family come stay at the school. Other than Josie and Lizzie of course, but that doesn't really count seeing as their parents run the school.

I sit at my desk, nibbling on the leftover chicken I found from dinner three nights ago, and watch her. She's looking around my room curiously, the food she brought forgotten beside her. I think this is the first time she been in my room. Actually, I think she's the first student to ever be in my room, other than Roman, but let's not discuss that.

She catches me looking at her after a while and turns her attention to the food beside her. She made herself a salad and grabbed a pudding from what was supposed to be our dinner tonight. The one we missed while we we're in the woods.

As we eat in silence, I realize that I have no clue how to be a friend. At least not a friend that's my own age. Growing up, the only friends I've had were either family, or friends of the family. All of whom were older than me.

Thankfully, Josie seems to sense my nervousness, and eases us through start of our conversation. Mostly by asking questions. Before I know it, she's stopped asking the questions and we're simply talking. I'm still hold back. Still afraid to let myself get too invested… too close to her but talking with her feels natural and right.

I tell her all about my Aunt Freya and some of the spells she's taught me over the years. Magic is something we share and allow myself the freedom of telling her about her. I'm a little more tight lipped when I talk about my Aunt Rebekah and Uncle Koh. I avoid talking about my parents. It hurts too much to talk about them, and it reminds me of the danger Josies in by being my friend.

She tells me all about her childhood, and all about the people I've read about in The Mystic Falls Chronicles, though I notice she skirts around saying too much about Elena Gilbert-Salvatore. I suppose that's because my father technically killed her and did awful things to her family. I'm thankful for her consideration. Maybe one day, I'll be able to tell her all the good things about my father and she'll be able to tell her stories without fear of hurting my feelings.

It's after three when we realize how late it's gotten. I offer her my extra bed for the night, so she doesn't have to wake Lizzie up. She thanks me and excepts my offer. She curls up under the covers and says goodnight. I change quickly and slip under the covers. As I go to turn the light off, she whispers, "Thank you for sharing," then rolls to face the wall. I'm not sure if she meant thank you for sharing my blood or thank you for sharing a little bit about myself. I turn the light off and roll to face the opposite way.

Josie is gone before I wake.

I'm tired. I usually do okay with little sleep, but today I just can't seem to crawl out of bed. Maybe it's because I spent most of the night with another person, or maybe it's just one of those mornings. I skip my first period and try to sleep a bit more. It's useless though. The only thing I am seceding at doing is thinking about Josie.

I keep replaying that moment before I realized the shadowy figure was Josie. I wanted to sink my teeth into her so badly, that I could have killed her. I almost did. Death follows me. I've lost so many people. All of whom where either protecting me or died because of me. I don't want that to happen to Josie.

I avoid Josie for the rest of the day, mostly by skipping all the classes we share together, and eating lunch in the kitchen instead of the dinning hall. I'm sure she's figured out what I'm doing. I know she's caught a glimpse of me here and there. I can't bring myself to care about hurting her feeling though. Not if the alternative means I get to keep her safe.

Rafael stops me in the hall after last period and I see Josie standing at the end of the hall. I smile at her, then tell Raf I can't help with whatever it is he needs. I feel bad for blowing him off, but he's been trying to get me involved with pack stuff and I just can't deal with their version of a pack. Not after growing up with my mother's.

I head to my room to change quick and grab my gym bag. There's a note from Alaric sitting on my desk, as usual, asking me to meet him in his office today. I groan. Office meetings usually mean he either needs my help or I'm in trouble. Since I skipped half my classes today, I'm guessing the latter.

He's sitting at his desk, when I enter, with his stern face on. Definitely the latter. I drop my bag next to the chair that I sit in and wait for him to begin.

"Half your teachers reported you absent today. Why?"

I shrug my shoulders but don't speak. How do I tell him I'm avoiding his daughter because I almost killed her the night before, and oh yeah, I fed her my blood to heal her? I don't think that will go over very well.

He groans and suddenly his stern face is gone, and his caring face is on. "Does this have anything to do with my daughter spending the night in your room?"

I'm startled, though I don't show him that I am. How the hell does he know that?

"Emma saw you leaving the kitchen last night," he said. I can't help but wonder if he can read minds suddenly or if my thoughts are more obvious than I think. "Josie didn't sleep in her room last night. The most obvious conclusion is that she was with you."

He paused, waiting to see if I have anything to say, I think. I don't say a word.

"Emma came to me right away, because she noticed that Josie's clothing was torn and there was a fresh blood stain on her shoulder, but she didn't look to be hurt otherwise. She seems to believe that someone might have feed her vampire blood, since there were no black magic alerts."

He pauses again. His concerned face is steadily turning into his angry face. "She was concerned with how Josie got hurt in the first place. I myself am a little worried about that. Especially since I found your little note lying on the floor behind me after she left."

His voice is sounding angry now. I know what he's thinking, and he's right. I was the one who harmed his daughter and I am the one who feed her my vampiric blood to heal her. I still can't bring myself to say anything, which makes him angrier. "Damn it Hope. Don't you have anything to say?"

"You told me to make a friend," I say weakly, not sure of what else I can say at that moment. He's angry, and I don't blame him. He should be angry.

"I didn't tell you to take her out in the woods while you turned into a werewolf, putting her life in danger," he roars.

Now I'm angry. I would never purposely put anyone else's life at risk like that. I may have a better handle on my wolf than others, but I am still a werewolf. I could still lose control, just like I did last night.

I stand up and yell, "I didn't bring her out to the woods. She did that all on her own."

I can see his anger deflate a little, but it's still there. "Then tell me what happened," he says calmly, which seems to help me calm down as well.

I sit back down and take a few calming breaths, then explain as calmly as I can what happened last night. He isn't happy with what I have to say, but he doesn't seem to be angry with me anymore.

"How long until your blood is out of her system?" He asks once I've finished.

"A little after the sun sets," I say. I can't tell if he's relieved the that the blood will soon pass or more worried.

He lectures me about going out into the woods without first clearing it with in for half an hour, then thanks me for saving Josie.

As I get up to leave, he tells me to stop ignoring his daughter. I look at him surprised, for which he replied, "What? I not as clueless as you think. It wasn't hard to figure out what you're doing when the only classes you skipped, are the ones you share with Josie."

I can feel my cheeks getting uncharacteristically warm. I move towards the door without saying a word, but don't make it.

"You deserve to have a friend, Hope, and she's a good one to have," He says. I pause to hear what he has to say. "I think the two of you will be great for each other. Stop worrying about being her downfall. You've already proven that you can save her if anything does happen."

I leave before he can say anything more. I know he's right. He usually is. I'm just not ready to admit it fully. I need a little time to process everything.

Of course, I don't get that time, however, because when I get back to my room, Josie is sitting outside my door.

She stands as she watches me approach her. She looks at me shyly. "You've been avoiding me."

I put the key in my door. "I have," I say, then push the door open and motion for her to enter. She sits on the spare bed and stares at me. I toss my bag at the closet door and sit on my desk chair. For twenty minutes, the only thing that can be heard in the room is our soft breathing, and the muted chatter of people walking past my room.

Finally, I blurt out, "I don't know how to do this."

"What?" She asks. A perplexed look crosses her face, and I can't help but think how cute she looks now.

"Be friends," I answer.

"Oh. You seemed to be doing just fine last night," she says.

Her words, or rather the casual tone in which she says them, relaxes me. She's right. I had no problem talking to her last night. I even got so lost in the conversation, I lost track of time.

"All you had to do is stop poking all the time," she says, a smile twitching to break free.

I do smile at her words, realizing that both she and her father are right. I need to stop forcing people away. I do deserve to have someone in my life. It's hard for me to admit, but I think after the last twenty-four hours, I can at least give it a shot.

I make a decision, probably the biggest one since I lost my parents, to let her in. As far as friends go, Josie is a good one to have. I've seen how she is with her sister and MG, and hell, even Penelope. She's caring, and willing to go to great lengths to be there for them.

I notice that she's wearing the pendant I gave her for her birthday. She doesn't usually wear it. Probably because of the charm attached to it. To make soft voices heard. I wonder if she wore it today, because of me?

She's looking at me, waiting for me to respond to her.

"Do you want to go get something to eat?" I ask.

I can see her relax, which makes me relax more. I don't know if I'm going to be any good at this friend's thing, but I'm going to at least give it a try. I'm sure Josie will help me along the way and call me out if I start to poke again.