Hope was not a fan of airports.
She had simply been dragged through too many of them as a child. When she lived with Rebekah in hiding, they had moved constantly - an exciting but lonely life for such a small and impressionable child. It was in an airport too that she had first met her parents. They had taken her hand and called her Hope and said they were bringing her home.
And yet here she was, many years later, again with her parents in an airport... but now about to go into hiding. Hope was sure the irony would be hilarious if it wasn't also so sad; like the other travelers in this terminal, she was tired, frustrated, and just wanted to go home.
Home, however, was no longer an option.
They were returning back east but not to New Orleans. Where back east? Apparently her father didn't think that was knowledge anyone needed to know. He had compelled them all through customs without even a hint of where they were headed - it was as if he wasn't exactly sure himself.
Hope was certain her mom hadn't a clue either. Her parents hadn't spoken a word to each other the entire ride over to the airport. It was clear they were in some sort of fight – which was not uncommon but still hurt when it happened. Her dad was in one of the worst moods she could remember and her mother was so angry she was down to one-word sentences.
So she was also pretty certain her parents were arguing about her.
That bothered Hope on a fundamental level.
It bothered her too that apparently Elijah had left on some sort of mission to keep her safe. That was as much as Hayley had revealed but clearly there was more to the story. For one, Leah was acting cagey and weird.
That wasn't to say she wasn't talking - in fact, she hadn't stopped talking. Hope had barely been able to get in a question with Leah going on and on about how to be a hybrid and all the perks of being a vampire.
It had all been just a little too much...which was why she had slipped off for a bit of solitude.
Hope was now somewhere between Gate 17 and 20. The women's restroom was deserted, for now at least. Airports were full of people coming and going but no one paid her any attention, which was exactly what Hope wanted. She was tired of her parents prattling on and on and now Leah was turning out to be just as annoying.
Both hands on the counter, Hope leaned over the sink, staring at the details of her face in the bathroom mirror. She searched intently for any external change that would somehow justify how she now felt inside:
Different.
"Jesus, Hope, there you are."
Leah pushed through the door, letting it swing loudly shut behind her.
"Way to ditch me back there."
"Like I could stand another second of you chatting up that barista."
Leah's expression settled somewhere between a scowl and a smirk. She joined Hope at the counter, unable to resist checking her own reflection in the mirror. It was not vanity but self-pity that drove her to do so; she glowed with a calm serenity that barely concealed the emotion she swallowed down with every breath.
She worried her face was giving away the truth she was trying to hide: she and Elijah were over, but that wasn't something that Hope needed to know right now. Her best friend had enough on her plate already.
"So are we still getting lunch?" she returned to the moment. "I'm thinking...cheese fries."
"I'm not really hungry," Hope concluded curtly. "At least not for stupid, overpriced airport food."
"You're not mad at me, are you? Did I do something?"
"You didn't have to follow me in here."
"And you didn't have to abandon me in line at Starbucks. I was going to give you a lesson in compulsion since clearly you need one. I wasn't chatting up the barista, you idiot, I was compelling him."
Hope spun around and leaned against the sink, crossing her arms in a huff.
"Oh, is that what you call flirting for free drinks?"
A growl escaped Leah's throat as she angrily pushed away from the counter.
"You don't want my help, fine, but you don't have to insult me. I just wanted to know why you left."
"I was tired of you recapping the 'All about Leah' show."
"I was confiding in you about my own transition so you could learn from my mistakes."
"Well, I stopped paying attention at the part where you threw a tantrum and smashed your phone - for the third time."
"That's hilarious coming from you."
"Leah, stop coddling me. I don't need anymore parents. I already have two."
"Hey, don't bite my head off. I'm just trying to be a good friend. Why do you think I'm even here?"
"Because Elijah's not here anymore for you to bother so now you're obsessed with bothering me."
You would have thought Hope had slapped her; Leah flinched, froze, then fell away from her friend.
Hope reached out, immediately trying to take back her words.
"Oh, no, Leah, I didn't mean...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Don't apologize. Message received. I'll see you back in the waiting room."
Her hand was on the door when Hope stopped her.
"Stay with me, Leah."
"Not if you don't need me."
"Don't be a ass - you know I do."
She gave her friend a desperate look, raw and stripped of pretense.
Leah nodded, turning away from the door, having already forgiven Hope for her outburst. After all, the first week is the worst and her best friend's transition was far from over.
And anyway, she would much rather deal with Hope's wild emotions than her own.
"There was a point to me taking you to Starbucks. The caffeine helps with the cravings…and the mood swings."
"I guess I still have a lot to learn," Hope grew sullen. Leah joined her again at the sink.
"Maybe you can start by telling me why you're so unenthusiastic about Hybrid 101."
"My teachers suck – my parents are being a nightmare."
"But your TA's really hot," Leah joked, flipping her hair with a wink.
She managed to draw out a smile from Hope. It quickly faded.
"You make it all seem so easy."
"Do I? What about eating your way through Naples sounds easy to you?"
Hope shifted uncomfortably, remembering that unfortunate conversation back at the motel.
"I'm sorry if it seemed like I was…upset…when I learned about all that, Leah. I was shocked, a bit hurt you didn't tell me sooner – sure, but I can't ever judge you for being a hybrid."
"But you don't trust me to teach you how to be one."
"I trust you - I do, but I just don't want…."
"…to turn out anything like me. Fair enough."
"That's not what I was going to say – at all. Klaus is my dad – I get that people...slip, sometimes."
"Interesting choice of words..."
"I'm serious, Leah. I trust you to teach me but I just can't bring myself to be excited about any of this new hybrid stuff."
"Not the super-speed? Or the ability to compel? Or the eternal youth and beauty?"
"I don't what any of it – I just want my life back."
"Your life? You have that and more now, Hope. What else could you possibly…"
Oh.
Oh, stupid, stupid, Leah.
This wasn't about what Hope had gained - this was about what she'd lost.
This was about baby names and wedding plans and dreams of a life with Aidan.
"Jesus Christ, Hope, I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking."
"Leah, just drop it."
"No, come on. If this is what's holding you back you have to work through it."
"Work through it? How exactly am I supposed to work through not being able to do magic anymore? To have kids?"
Leah backed down, throwing up her hands in defeat.
"Foot in mouth, I get it. I freely admit I don't know what the hell I'm talking about."
"It's not your fault. You don't care about these things."
Hope's conclusion irked Leah and her words came out harsher than she intended.
"That's not true. That's not true at all."
"Oh yeah? You told me you hated being half-witch. You told me you never wanted to get married."
"That's not...fuck, what hell do you want from me, Hope?"
"I want you to tell me that turning doesn't change anything."
"But it changes everything."
"See? This is why you're useless!"
They both spun away from each other in frustration but just as soon whirled around again. Leah laid into Hope hard.
"Is this about Aidan? Do you think he's gonna straight up hate you now that you're a vampire?"
"He's a werewolf."
"But not a complete idiot. I'm sure he saw this coming a million miles away."
"Is that supposed to make me feel...better - in any way?"
"It's supposed to slap some sense into you without me actually having to slap you. Give him some credit, Hope. Aidan's out there, probably in hiding just like us, but alive and well and just waiting for you to come home."
"He's waiting for me to come home, not…whatever I am now."
"Hope, how can I say this anymore clearly? Aidan will not give a fuck that you're a vampire."
"Easy for you to say. Elijah loves you no less than he did before you turned."
Leah swallowed down the bitter comment that was trying to force its way out. She grabbed Hope's hand, instantly transforming the sourness inside her into a sweet and affectionate outburst of support.
"Listen to me, Hope. Aidan loves you and will keep loving you and there is nothing you can do - or be - that's gonna change that. Do you remember that day on campus when you walked right up to some floppy-haired, polo-wearing frat boy and just slugged him in the face because he was stalking you? And then you learned months later he'd really just been trying to work up the courage to ask you out? Well, that boy loves you, Hope, very, very much. If Aidan got over you breaking his nose, he'll get over this too."
"But what if I hurt him? What if I bite him?"
"What if he likes it? Ever considered that?"
"Oh," Hope cringed, catching Leah's meaning. "Oh, gross. Why do you always take it there?"
"What can I say? Us Thompsons are a good breed: loyal partners, amazingly attractive - and fantastic lovers."
"Leah - stop," Hope begged, beaming with laughter nonetheless. "You are the worst. The worst!"
"You can thank me later but you're welcome now."
Their laughter was cut short as the restroom door swung open. A young woman wearing an alarming shade of pink trotted across the tiles, a make-up bag in one hand and her phone in the other.
She looked up from the screen, at last noticing she was not alone. She pointed to the sink.
"Oh, sorry…do you need the mirror?"
The two friends stepped aside so she could approach the counter. Hope started toward the door.
"Maybe we should be getting back, Leah. Still up for getting lunch?"
"Actually...yes. Do me favor - lock the door."
The woman in pink instantly turned around in alarm. She looked wildly toward Hope, then to Leah.
"What the hell are you two doing?"
She jumped as the redhead zoomed in front of her, grabbing her tightly, one hand on each shoulder.
She was now looking right into the clearest blue eyes. They told her what to do and she obeyed.
"I need you not to run and don't fight back," Leah charmed. "Can you do that for me?"
"I won't run. I won't fight back."
"Good. Because I need you to help me teach my friend a lesson."
