I own nothing but my own words.
Chapter 25: Where's MY Loophole?!
"I have wondered into the bowels of Mordor itself!"
Hope groaned into her pillow, "Watch another movie."
"Sleeping with the enemy!" Lizzie said very pointedly, looking away from the two on the bed who were thankfully covered with a blanket. Given the bare shoulders on each of them though, Hope had gone to the land of no return—with Clarke no less.
Hope, who was weighted down by Ryan's arm strewn across her back, his face buried into his own pillow next to her still fast asleep, rose up as much as possible and used her magic to fling a pillow across the room at Lizzie.
"Get out," Hope grumbled then collapsed back on the bed. "It's too early. I'm going back to sleep."
"No, it's not," Lizzie said, turning her back to them and crossing her arms. "I have been in a car for nearly sixteen hours getting all kinds of road wrinkled—these capris will never be the same. My only relief being MG who I had to direct to come here without actually telling him where we were going all so I could get a few hours of the most uncomfortable shut-eye ever. So no, it's not early. It's way past early. Past noon even. So get up! I can't believe I had to trace your essence throughout the house just to find you." She was cloaked so that was Lizzie's only option.
"Okay, okay," Hope mumbled. "Gimmie a few minutes."
Lizzie left then, scoffing as she closed the door firmly behind her.
Hearing the door close, Clarke opened his eyes now that the coast was clear. "Morning."
Hope rolled to her left side and looked at him sleepily. "You didn't lock the door?"
"I did," he rolled to his back and sat up to stretch.
"Were you awake the whole time she was here?" she asked.
"Yep," he said, lying back down.
Shaking her head, she plopped down too and closed her eyes.
"Better get up before the she-devil returns," he said.
"Whose side are you on?"
"Mine," he said simply.
Groaning, she sat up but hit him with a pillow.
"Violence this early?" he smirked, sitting up again.
"Its not early, remember?" she said sweetly.
She grabbed at the sheets and brought them to her chest, remembering belatedly she wasn't wearing a top. "Where's my shirt?"
He glanced around and pointed to some spot on the floor on his side of the bed.
She levitated it to her.
"Using your magic a lot this morning," he observed.
She shrugged. "Aunt Freya said it was okay. Besides, how else was I supposed to get the shirt?"
"You could get up and get it?" he said with a grin.
"Riiight," she said, shrugging into the shirt under the sheets, modesty firmly in place that morning. "Bad enough I gotta sneak back to my room in my pajamas. I hope Aunt Freya's already downstairs and didn't check on me."
"You could've brought your clothes with you," he said.
"I didn't think that far ahead," she huffed, finishing buttoning the shirt. "I'm not used to other people being around yet."
"Get used to it," he said, shifting across the bed to sit next to her. "She brought the Greasley kid with her. And isn't your aunt's wife here too?"
"Aunt Keelin, right," she nodded. She was probably still sleeping since she worked the late shift last night.
"Thanksgiving, it's a family affair, isn't it?" he asked. "Did Freya invite anyone else?"
"I didn't even think to ask," she said. "We don't usually get together for this one." She was distracted by his chest.
"See something you like?" he teased.
She rolled her eyes, blushing, and shifted to the edge of the bed. "Better go before Lizzie comes back. Gotta have a little talk with her about closed doors."
"Something tells me she isn't going to care," he said, remembering the last time the blonde had burst in on them when he was in prism form on Hope's bed.
"Invisique," Hope said, making herself invisible to go back to her room.
"You really think that'll work with your aunt?" he asked. He knew a powerful witch when he saw one. Freya had been practicing for years. A simple invisibility spell wasn't going to fool her.
"No," Hope's voice rang out through the air. "But it'll work with anyone else."
He saw the door open by itself and close.
What, he thought, no morning kiss?
He shook his head, and lay back on the bed again.
Dreamless sleep once again. He woke when the twin opened the door, the change in the air had tensed him awake, but she started speaking before he could attack.
He should've known he still wouldn't dream. What, was sleeping next to Hope supposed to magically give him that ability? All she did was sleep too.
At least she had slept without any nightmares. He would've woken if her dreams became restless, she probably would've maimed him with an elbow in the side.
Time to get up, shower, and then see what their next step was in the fight against his father.
Ethan grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and chugged it.
He had just gotten back from a ten mile run and he was barely winded. He ran his fastest ten mile yet. Faster than any Guinness record ever held.
And he had these new powers to thank for that.
His mom and sister were still regarding him as if he would crumble at any minute after what he suffered, but he was feeling better than he ever had in his life.
Admittedly, he never wanted to go through that pain ever again, but he didn't mind the rest of it.
He wasn't sure about switching schools though. He had only just adjusted to his new one. Plus, Maya was there and she definitely couldn't switch schools too. Doctor Saltzman had asked about having Maya compelled to forget about the supernatural world, but he and his mom had disagreed immediately. He never hid anything from his sister and he wasn't about to start now, not over something this huge.
Werewolves, vampires, and witches actually exist. He couldn't believe these were his thoughts. Maya was the one who got into those supernatural movies and shows. Ironically, he was the one with the wolf gene.
According to what his mom and Doctor Saltzman had said, he inherited the gene from his father, which meant Maya didn't have it because they had different fathers. It was interesting to know where his birthmark had come from, but it left him with a million questions that he wished he could ask his father.
Dead before he was born, his father had always been this person he couldn't connect to. His mother didn't have many photos as they had married after a whirlwind romance. She said he didn't have any family, so that was that. A man he knew next to nothing about, and one he never thought about, had left him with this insane legacy that had just changed his entire life.
Fortunately, he didn't have to decide about switching schools yet. It was Tuesday in the week of Thanksgiving. Since he had already missed so much school due to his unexpected situation, he was going to head up to the Salvatore school and hang out with Jed. Get a tour, find out what life would be like there, and maybe get some questions answered in the process.
"You are visiting the Salvatore school?" Seylah asked, coming into the kitchen but resting against the doorway.
"Yeah," he refilled the bottle from the sink.
"Can I join you?" She hadn't yet purchased a vehicle even though Cynthia had saved everything for her from the sale of her house and shop. Her sister hadn't known where she went or when she would be back, so she had sold everything when she moved. She couldn't afford to keep them on her own. Seylah understood. She wouldn't wish to return there anyway, not if Triad remembered her existence. She was going to need new identification.
Ethan gave her a questioning look. "What do you know about the Salvatore school?"
"More than you," she said, amused. She knew all about her nephew's new powers. Cynthia had been quite distraught but she had managed to calm her sister down. Cynthia hadn't explained Seylah and Landon to Ethan and Maya yet, but she would soon. She wanted to be the one to do it.
Seylah understood the wait. There had already been so many changes for them. But these kids, she had been observing them ever since she got out of the pit. They were strong kids, resilient.
"I'm leaving now," he said.
"Let's go."
"The boys are touring the campus," Seylah told Alaric as she settled in the chair across from him at his desk.
"Good," Alaric said, nodding. "Ethan needs to get a feel for things. Hopefully he decides to come here. It would really benefit him in the long run."
"That's not for me to decide," she said. "And that's not why I came here."
"What can I do for you?"
"Landon," she said. "You said you didn't know if he was alive. Has anything changed?"
"No," Alaric lied immediately.
"I too know when I'm being lied to," Seylah said, referring to their conversation the previous year when she had lied to Landon and Alaric knew it.
Alaric maintained a straight face as long as possible before he gave in with a sigh. "Yes, he's alive. But it doesn't matter."
"You also said Hope is the only one who can defeat Malivore," she said.
Alaric decided it was time to lay it out for her.
"The only way to stop Malivore right now that we know of for sure is to kill Landon with this golden arrow. That's the easiest way, though we're trying to find another one. One that won't kill him. That's why we're searching for the golem body."
"Where is this arrow?" Seylah asked, eyes flashing.
"It's safe," Alaric said firmly.
"So why does Hope have to wield this arrow?" she asked. "You said she's the only one who can defeat Malivore?"
"She's not the only one who can, no," Alaric shook his head. "The only other way to defeat Malivore is for her to die, activate her vampire side, and then jump into the pit to destroy it."
"So why not do that?" she asked.
"Because it will probably kill her in the process," he said.
"I see," Seylah sat back. It was a choice between Landon's or Hope's life. Alaric would do anything to preserve the girl's, while Seylah wanted her son to survive. Though, she was sure Landon would rather the girl survive too.
"I fought for that boy," she said. "Even when I didn't ask to have him, when I knew I couldn't keep him, when all I know of him are those few days. The only thing I have ever wanted for him was to live a happy life. To live."
Alaric watched her but didn't reply.
She gathered herself together and sat up straight, eyeing him firmly. "If anyone comes after my boy with that arrow, they will have to take my life first to get to him."
"Then you will die," Alaric said. He would kill her himself if he had to. There was no way he was going to allow Hope to die in Landon's place.
"So be it," she said.
They sat in silence for a few moments.
Alaric cleared his throat. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that. Hopefully we can retrieve Malivore's body and use that instead."
"You said you don't know how to get it out of the pit, and you don't know what to do with it once you do get it," Seylah said.
"These things always have a way of working out…somehow," he said.
"I'm not as optimistic," she said. "I've done everything I can for that boy, and I will die for him if I have to."
"In that case…" Alaric trailed off, suddenly remembering when the last time a child he was looking after was saved by using her biological parent's life force. "I hate to say it… but what if I can guarantee both Landon and Hope will survive Malivore's death, but… you would have to die in the process."
"Yes?" she asked.
"What if you really could die in his place?"
"I'm listening."
"There she is," Lizzie said, rising with a grin from her seat in the courtyard.
Despite the rude awakening, Hope was glad to see her friend. She grinned and went to hug her.
"It's good to see you," Hope said into the hug. She pulled away. "Outside. Not inside behind a locked door," she finished pointedly.
"Pssh," Lizzie brushed her actions away and sat back down. "I was trying to find you. How was I supposed to know I'd walk into that?"
"You could've knocked?" Hope said, sitting next to her.
"Where's the fun in that?" Lizzie shrugged. She had been too impatient to find Hope. When she wasn't in the room Freya had directed her to, she was annoyed she had to search further. A locked door wasn't going to stop her.
"Where's MG?" Hope looked around.
"Freya took him out. Getting him stocked up on Bambi blood or something," Lizzie shrugged. "She had to pick up her order for Thursday too."
Hope breathed a sigh of relief. At least Aunt Freya wasn't home to notice she wasn't where she was supposed to be. She tried to be respectful of her aunt's wishes. She tried to stay in her room last night, she really did, but she was too used to sleeping with him. She wasn't ready to sleep without him. Not yet. And it wasn't like she was having sex with him.
"So?" Lizzie asked.
"So, what?" Hope asked.
"How was it?" Lizzie asked, smirking. "You know…" She nodded back toward the room Hope had vacated earlier.
"We haven't…" Hope blushed.
"Well, why not?" Lizzie asked, frustrated at still being the only sexually active one in her group. One day these people will know how awesome sex is! "Your shippers are waiting here."
"I thought you were Team Landon," Hope asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I reserve the right to switch teams. Not that I have, mind you," Lizzie was quick to clarify. She may have softened toward Clarke, but she certainly wasn't going to admit it.
Hope shrugged. "He hasn't pushed for it at all. I'm actually kind of surprised. I thought he would. He's so much older; I figured it'd be something he'd want to do immediately."
"True, he is old," Lizzie nodded. "At least he's younger than your father, which is more than I can say about my last boyfriend."
Hope laughed. "Maybe it's not something he's that interested in? I mean, we do other things, but never that…"
Lizzie snorted. "Not interested in? Yeah, right. What, you think way back when he could just go to the free clinic to get his swimmers checked? How do you think he found out he's sterile?"
Hope frowned at her. "But he said—" That he would've been killed that first day. He wasn't exaggerating, was he?
"Oh!" Lizzie grasped Hope's arm. "I got it!"
"What?"
"He's impotent. He totally can't get it up. No wonder he hasn't pushed for sex," Lizzie nodded as if she had all the answers.
"Lizzie!" Hope squeaked, tearing her arm away from the blonde's grasp. "Stop! He isn't!"
"I feel totally better about my ship now," Lizzie said with a proud smile.
Hope didn't feel better at all, in fact, she was feeling downright disgruntled. There was no way Ryan had a problem like that, why else would he be so into everything they did together? But he did put his pride on the line when she admitted she still had feelings for Landon. Maybe that was why? But then, why wouldn't he tell her? No, that just wasn't possible. He was waiting for her to be ready…right?
Of course, Lizzie's alternative theory didn't make her feel much better. How did they figure out Ryan was sterile? He didn't go around having sex with everything that walked, did he?!
"You know what," Hope said with a fixed stare. "Maybe you should've stayed in Mystic Falls."
"Was it something I said?" Lizzie said gleefully then shook her head with a laugh. "I'm sure it's fine. He's fine. As to the other, you needed me."
She reached to the chair on the other side of the table and picked up a bag.
"Do you realize how many paintbrushes you have?" she dropped the heavy bag in front of Hope on the table. "You could've given more description. Thick, thin, long—was it for painting on canvas or the big ones you use for banners?"
"I was being mysterious," Hope opened the bag so she could spot the right one, but she didn't pull it out. It was still pretty well hidden in the bag. Why pull it out in case they were being spied on? She learned her lesson with that stupid eyeball.
She looked up when she felt a rush of air next to her.
"Are we painting then?" Kol asked with a grin.
"Oh my God, Uncle Kol!" Hope jumped up and hugged him tightly.
"There's my best girl," Kol said, returning her hug and leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
He pulled back as Davina joined them. "Second best," he corrected with a wink to his wife.
Hope pulled away and hugged Davina next. "I didn't know you guys were coming!"
"Freya convinced us," Davina said, hugging her niece. "And we were worried."
"Worried about what?" Hope asked.
"You, silly," Davina said, sitting down across from Lizzie. She reached a hand out to her. "I'm Davina."
"Lizzie," Lizzie said, reaching across to return the handshake.
Kol sat across from Hope. "Freya mentioned you, my wee lass, were having a spot of trouble. I must admit, I was disappointed not to hear from you myself. You know how I do so love trouble."
"Believe me, trouble isn't gone yet," Lizzie huffed.
"Kol," Kol reached out his hand toward Lizzie.
She reached back and had to laugh when he kissed the top of her hand in greeting.
"A pleasure," he said with a teasing wink.
"I'm sure," Lizzie shook her head and pulled away. She had enough of charming men with accents to last a lifetime.
Davina rolled her eyes and poked him. "Your manners are intact for sure."
He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips, lingering with a look of pure adoration.
Davina returned the look.
"There wasn't time to contact anyone," Hope answered him, smiling at her uncle and aunt whose love was heartwarming to witness even after all these years. "We had to run. But Lizzie's right. It isn't over yet."
"And your traveling companion?" Kol looked around, still holding on to Davina's hand. "I assume he's here?"
"Yes," Hope said. "He'll be down shortly."
"Good," Kol nodded. "I need to compliment his work."
"His work?" Hope asked, confused.
"Never you mind, bunny," Kol said. "I'm famished. I wonder if Freya has any of the good stuff."
"It's doubtful," Davina said.
"I think she's on her way back from the butcher," Hope said.
"Not exactly what I meant," Kol said with a sigh.
"Is your brother home yet?" Mac asked Maya when she arrived home from work, taking off her coat.
"Not yet, but he should be soon," Maya replied, sitting on the couch and chewing on a Twizzler.
"I'm going to change," Mac said. "Don't go anywhere. I need to talk to the both of you."
"Aye, aye, Cap't," Maya saluted.
Shaking her head, Mac went upstairs to lock up her gun and change into something more comfortable. Maya seemed back to her old self, which was good because Mac was about to lay some more heavy stuff on them, especially Ethan.
She hadn't told Ethan yet how the werewolf gene was triggered, and she asked Maya to wait until she could do it herself. In order to do so, she would have to also explain about the birds that everyone forgot about. And why they forgot about them. She figured the best way was to explain it all at the same time.
It was going to be a long night.
"He's home!" She heard Maya yell from downstairs.
"I'll be right down!" she called back.
Settling into the easy chair downstairs, she looked over her kids. "It's been a week, hasn't it?"
Maya snorted and Ethan laughed.
"Brace yourselves because there's more," Mac said.
"We're listening," Maya said.
"Seylah isn't just a friend of mine," Mac said. "She's my sister."
"What?" Maya sat forward. "Since when!?"
"She's my half sister, from my dad," Mac continued. "She lived in Israel for years before coming to the states over twenty years ago. She found me and befriended me before she finally told me who she was. We became the best of friends."
"Why is this the first we're hearing about it?" Maya asked, looking at Ethan to include him. He looked just as confused.
"Because something happened to her," she explained. "And every person who had ever met her forgot about her, including me."
"Is this a vampire thing?" Ethan asked. "Because Jed was telling me all about them and compulsion today. Fortunately, that doesn't work on me." He looked back and forth between his sister and mother. "You two should really start taking this stuff called vervain every day. Or wear something with it."
"One day visiting the school and he's already mister-know-it-all," Maya huffed.
"No," Mac spoke over her kids. "She was tossed into a place that erased all memories of her. Then, about eighteen years ago, she was tossed back out of that place. She was pregnant and since no one remembered her, she found me and befriended me again but she didn't tell me who she was. It was the year you were born, Ethan."
The kids both grew quiet, listening attentively.
"She never spent any time around you guys, and she had her reasons for that. She remained my friend during that entire time, until last year when the son she gave up tracked her down. She had to throw herself back into the place that stole memories to protect him. She left behind something for me that I took to restore the memories though. And it didn't just restore the memories of the past eighteen years, but all the memories. I knew she was my sister again…
"I didn't know how to find her, but I could search for her son, my nephew, and your cousin," she said. "So I did. I tracked him until the trail ran cold here, at Mystic Falls."
"So he's the reason we had to pack up everything and leave? Our home? Our school? Our friends?" Maya asked with a slight attitude.
"Maya, he's family," Mac said. "And I also hoped to find Seylah because at the time I didn't know about the place that stole memories. I just knew she was missing and I needed to find her."
Maya swallowed and nodded. She understood. The idea of forgetting a sibling was super scary. What if something like that had happened to Ethan? She would hunt him down too.
"Seylah's out of the pit now though," Ethan said. "So you found her."
"What about her son?" Maya asked.
"There's the rub," Mac said. "The place that steals the memories is called Malivore. Except it isn't a place, or at least it wasn't originally created to be a place. Malivore is Landon's father. Landon is your cousin."
The perplexed looks on their faces were familiar as she had been right there before.
"His father sent Seylah back to give birth to Landon so he could grow up and one day his father would rise and take over Landon's body, to use him to launch a new species, the descendants of Malivore...
"So, that's where we're at," Mac breathed out. "Malivore is in Landon. We're trying to find a way to get him out of Landon without killing Landon in the process."
"This is… whoa," Maya said, shocked.
"And the reason I needed to tell you all of this now is because when Malivore rose, the pit or place that he was apart of? It still exists. Malivore can open portals to this place whenever he wants and these monsters can come out of it. When the monsters go back into the pit, everyone who sees them forgets all about them and what happened when they were here."
"Is that what happened with the girl in the woods?" Ethan asked.
"Yes," Mac nodded. "And it's what happened at the school when the windows were shattered and Dennis died."
"So Malivore and these monsters killed Gretchen and Dennis but no one can remember them doing it?" Ethan asked.
"Yes and no," Mac said. "Gretchen, yes, and until last week we had thought the same thing had happened with Dennis too."
"You don't think that now?" Ethan said.
"No," Mac rubbed at her forehead then dropped her hand. "Ethan, honey, in order to trigger your werewolf gene, there's something that has to happen so you turn on your first full moon."
"Okay…?" he asked.
"It doesn't matter if it's an accident…but you have to kill someone," Mac said softly.
Ethan shook his head. "Mom, no. I didn't do that."
"Honey, do you remember anything about what happened that day?" she asked.
"We were having lunch outside and then… next thing I remember Jed and I were on the roof, but we didn't see anything. We told you that when you came to question everyone. We didn't see what happened to Dennis."
"You didn't remember," Mac said.
Ethan shook his head. "It's not possible."
Mac pulled out her phone and drew up the video Alaric had sent her of that day. "I can't submit this into evidence, and it doesn't show anything that happened on the roof, but this is what happened that day."
The kids both watched the video. Maya's mouth dropped open and Ethan kept shaking his head.
"It doesn't prove anything though," Ethan said. "I didn't kill Dennis. I didn't. I couldn't have."
"Ethan, you saw the video. If you were on the roof with those birds attacking, anything could've happened by accident," Mac said. "Dennis's file is closed. We've already listed it as an accidental death. That will not change…
"But you need to know the most basic thing about becoming a wolf because you're going to find out," Mac said. "I'd rather you learn here, from me, and not somewhere else."
Ethan put his head down in his hands and Maya scooted over to rub his back to offer comfort.
"I know it's hard, especially since you can't remember," Mac said. "But you'll get through this. We'll get through this. As a family."
"Who is it?" was the muffled question asked through the door.
"Doctor Saltzman," Alaric called back.
The door opened and Rafael looked out.
The boy had this perpetual worried look on his face, as if at any given minute he would receive the news that Landon was dead. Alaric had taken him out of the field for his own safety and the safety of everyone else. But without that, Raf was completely out of the loop—a place he wasn't used to, especially when it came to Landon.
"Raf," Alaric said, gesturing to his side. "There's someone I'd like for you to meet."
Rafael's eyes were drawn to the woman standing there, watching him curiously.
"This is Seylah," Alaric said. "Landon's biological mother. She'd like to look through his side of the room."
"Rafael," Seylah said, nodding in greeting. "If you have time, I'd like to ask you some questions as well?"
"Um, okay," Rafael shrugged uncertainly. "Come in." He quickly picked some dirty clothes off the floor and tossed them into his hamper.
"I'll leave you to it," Alaric said, then left.
Seylah walked inside, taking in the room and its lush furnishings. The school provided well for the students, she would give it that.
"This is my son's?" she gestured to the side of the room Rafael wasn't currently occupying.
"Yes," Rafael nodded.
"A musician," she said, noting the guitar.
"Uh, yeah," he said. "He's pretty good. He writes his own stuff some times too."
"So many posters," she observed, looking around before sitting on the edge of the bed.
"He's a bit of a sci-fi buff," he said. "He's seen all the movies. Don't even get him started on Star Wars." He laughed softly.
"And music," he continued. "He's into that indie stuff. I prefer more mainstream, but he's always looking for the stuff no one's ever heard of. Give it a chance, you know?"
"You know him well," Seylah said, rising once more to explore.
Rafael shrugged with a slight laugh. "I should. He's my brother. The only family I have." He had a father now too, but that was so new. Too new to put on the same level as Landon.
"I am glad he has had you," she said.
He nodded.
"Mind if I look through this?" she said, picking up a journal she found on Landon's desk.
"I…why?" he asked protectively. "Why are you here? Why would you even care about him now?"
"My dear boy," Seylah said, sitting down at Landon's desk. "I've always cared about him. In fact, that's the reason I am here now."
"It is?" Rafael asked, surprised.
"I may not be long for this world," she explained. "I'd like to spend that time getting to know my boy as much as possible."
"Better late than never, I guess," Rafael said. "Go ahead."
She nodded and opened the journal but continued to address him. "You can learn a lot about a person by the company they keep. Thank you for answering my questions."
Feeling strangely as if she approved of him, he shifted uncomfortably wondering why it would matter to him at all though it kind of did.
"I'll be over here if you have any others," he said, going back to his desk to work on his last assignment to be completed before the holiday break.
"Thank you."
She was happy.
Clarke could see Hope practically glowed, surrounded by family and friends.
Earlier, he had been formally introduced to her uncle Kol and his wife when he joined her just as the pair took their leave to settle into their room. Kol hadn't said anything so much as smirked at him. He got the feeling the man wanted to say more but wouldn't in Hope's presence.
He had been starving by then, so Hope had showed him to the kitchen. Her aunt left out a tray of pastries for the guests. Knowing he didn't have a big sweet tooth, she grabbed everything out of the fridge for him to make omelets for the both of them—and Lizzie when the twin followed them and demanded to be fed too.
It was early evening now, dinner had ended a bit ago, and everyone was enjoying the weather outside. Hope and the twin were playing with the child who had recently learned to walk. They were taking turns encouraging him to come to them and turning him around to return to the other.
"Ryan," Freya approached him. "Have you met my brother and his wife? You didn't say much over dinner."
"I have," he nodded. He was still taking everyone's measure and he didn't have much to say at this point. Freya had been busy most of the day, disappearing for quite some time even after MG had returned to the compound, so they were no closer to figuring out a plan to get Landon out of Malivore.
Kol and Davina were relaxing near a small fire pit, far enough away and closed off so the child couldn't get into it. Not like anyone took their eyes off the baby anyway. He seemed to be the center of everyone's attention. Clarke had never spent much time near any children, especially not one that young. He assumed given the child's name that he was named after Hope's father and Freya's brother. He silently wondered if the child would one day live up to that mantle. For now, he was pure innocence, giggling and squealing as he waddled back and forth between his cousin and her friend.
Freya's wife, Keelin, whom he had met before dinner, was sitting off to the other side in her scrubs talking to MG. Apparently she enjoyed the same films as he with a special appreciation for someone named Scarlett. Clarke rarely wasted his time on things like that. His reality was more than enough compared to any made up one and constantly kept him on his toes. Keelin would be leaving again soon for her next evening shift.
Freya looked down at her phone and smiled. "Girls, we have one more guest joining us. She has informed me she'll be here any minute."
"Auntie Bex?" Hope asked, looking up hopefully.
"Not yet," Freya said, smiling at Lizzie. "I see now where you get your persistent attitude from."
"Whose?" Lizzie asked, glancing up.
Hope's eyes got wide, "Wait… you don't mean…"
"You would not believe the traffic out of the airport on a Tuesday night!" Caroline exclaimed, making her grand entrance and carrying a large bag over her arm. "Must be from the holiday."
"Mom!?" Lizzie jumped up and went running.
Hope bounced to her feet too, picking up Nik as she went. Her mouth dropped open and she looked around before pushing the child toward Clarke who was the closest to her. "Hold him!"
He didn't have much option but to take the kid before she went running after Lizzie and her mother.
Holding the child away from him while it kicked its feet in the air, he was wondering how exactly he ended up in this position.
"I've got him," Davina laughed, swooping in to steal her nephew away. She went off, talking baby gibberish to him, while Clarke let out a breath of relief.
Freya laughed. "Let me go greet our newest guest."
Clarke suddenly found himself alone in close proximity to Kol Mikaelson. Keelin and MG were sitting further away and not paying them any attention, too busy watching the reunion across the way.
"Nice work," Kol said. "I'm referring to that lovely display you left in Nebraska."
Clarke didn't bother replying. He didn't need anything from that, least of all approval.
"Behave," Davina warned Kol, passing by with the child on the way to pick up one of his toys.
Kol smirked at her and the child, before regarding Clarke shrewdly. He stood suddenly from his chair.
"You know, being an original vampire, I can't give my wife a child and, believe me, it's not from lack of trying," Kol said with a knowing look. "Freya, she told me all about you."
Clarke nodded slowly. What was the man getting at?
"Be that as it may," Kol said lightly before stepping closer to Clarke, threatening close. "I know how these things work…
"You mess with my niece?"
With lightning speed, he reached down, grabbed Clarke's arm at the elbow, brought his hand up in the air, and slammed his own hand against Clarke's open palm.
"You protect her," Kol said softly which made the threat even more chilling.
Letting go and stepping back, Clarke looked down at the two foil packets in his hand.
"Now's not the time for another miracle baby," Kol said.
Then he took his leave, joining in to greet the latest guest. "Caroline! So lovely to see you again, my sweet."
Clarke quickly shoved his hand in his pocket. Kol was clearly out of his mind. There was no way that was a possibility, even if he were having sex with Hope.
Was it?
"What are you doing here!?" Lizzie asked, hugging her mother tightly.
"Well," Caroline said, hugging her back just as tightly, "I have been spending the better part of two years searching for a way to stop the merge. I decided if you're confident the answers are here, with this Clarke, then this is where I need to be."
"I'm so glad you're here!" Lizzie said, hugging her again.
Hope grinned at the two of them. She hadn't seen Caroline in forever, and while she knew Lizzie had spent the entire summer with her, Hope also knew that life was so much better when your mother was there every single day. Or, would at least be able to get there after a short road trip.
"Also, all your cloak and dagger secretive stuff had me worried," Caroline said.
"There's stuff happening, but it's not important," Lizzie brushed it off. "You're here!"
"Hi, Caroline," Hope managed to say sweetly.
"Hope!" Caroline finally noticed her. "Hi, sweetie." She gave her a quick hug too.
"Caroline," Freya said, arriving a moment later. "Glad to see you could make it okay. I'll show you to your room?"
"Later," Caroline said, tossing her bag onto a table. "First, I want to look my child over, and then I want the merge information."
"Shouldn't Josie be here for that?" Hope asked. "And Doctor Saltzman?"
"I would have her astral project," Lizzie said with distaste, pulling out her phone. "But since she rendered herself magic-less, I guess I'll just have to go the old fashioned route and Face Time her. She can get dad to join her."
"Your sister needs time to figure things out," Caroline said, noting Lizzie's disdain for Josie's choice. "Give her time. It's not easy having power you can't control."
Lizzie sighed, knowing her mother was right. It just made her and Josie so off-balanced. If one twin had magic and one twin didn't, what was so twinning about that?
"Caroline!" Kol Mikaelson exclaimed, joining them. "So lovely to see you again, my sweet."
"Kol," Caroline said dismissively.
"Aw, now, don't give me that," he said. He took Caroline's hand and swept their arms out, looking to the girls. "Ladies, Miss Caroline Forbes, the most lovely distraction—to my brother at least."
She pulled her hand back. "That's enough of that."
Hope shook her head at her uncle's antics. "I'll get Ryan."
"Good," Lizzie said. "Maybe we'll finally get some answers."
"So, where'd you get your info?" Caroline asked Clarke.
Clarke felt like he was teaching a class, surrounded by the others paying apt attention to his every word. Hope sat next to him and he could tell she found the whole setup amusing too.
"My father," he answered.
"Malivore told you about the merge?" Lizzie said. "How did he find out?"
"From the creatures he absorbed and tortured," he explained. "They knew things he had no way of ever learning from any other creature. The rest was easy enough to put together."
"Why would he even want to know about the merge?" Josie asked through the phone.
"Because he was intent to learn everything he could about his creators, including the witch in the trio that created him," he revealed.
"You mean…" Hope started.
"The head of the Gemini coven at the time of Malivore's creation was the witch," he confirmed. "Where do you think the whole 'absorption' idea came from? The Gemini twins are forced to absorb each other, just like Malivore absorbs creatures."
"So why did he tell you?" Alaric asked. "Weren't you working against him at some point?"
"Yeah," Lizzie said. "That's why he became a sea of blackness, right?"
"I didn't always," he explained. "For years I followed him and he put up with me. During that time he did reveal things to me."
"Ok," Caroline put a hand up. "We know where you got the info, and why Malivore wanted it, so now I just want to hear about it, please and thank you."
He nodded. "The earth has always had the capacity for magic. In fact, one of the oldest witch covens is the Bennetts. And there are legends of creatures here, dating back eons ago, as you and we have discovered from some of the monsters released from Malivore."
"We know this," Lizzie said impatiently.
"What you don't know is that the Gemini Coven isn't from here, not originally," he said.
"Where the hell are we from then?" Lizzie asked.
"You've referred to Malivore as a hell dimension? Well, that's what it was. Another dimension and it had become its own hell. It was overrun by creatures created by black magic. For centuries, creatures had found their way through the dimensional portal linking there to earth but there hadn't been a significant amount. When the Gemini discovered the portal and were able to escape here, it became apparent more and more creatures were following them…
"They took it upon themselves to create a seal to close the dimensional portal and prevent more from passing through. To stop this world from becoming what they left behind. Only the seal wasn't strong enough to hold forever, not with the way they bound it using earth magic, so they chose to just this once use black magic to bind the seal to the most powerful among them."
"The twins," Caroline said, eyes wide.
He nodded. "They linked the seal to the twin bond itself, knowing that would last so long as the coven did. Only, the magic was too much for them to handle on their own. The black magic had consequences—driving some to insanity though some were able to deal with it—but together they could handle it. From then on, the twins were forced to merge, the stronger one becoming the most dominant, to maintain the seal. This was done by the age of twenty-two before the magic destroyed the mind completely…
"Since there's been no head to the Gemini Coven after your grandfather and uncle died, creatures have been making their way through. Once you merge, the seal will become intact again."
"So…we're, like, protectors of Earth?" Lizzie said, a bit amazed and excited.
"Lizzie," Josie said quietly with that look of hers that said she wasn't paying attention to the important part.
Lizzie realized, "That means we have to merge. There's no getting around it."
"Pretty much," Clarke confirmed.
"What the hell, Universe!?" Lizzie exclaimed, smacking her hand on the table.
"Even with the seal in place though, that doesn't prevent witches already here from using black magic to create more creatures, does it?" Hope asked. "Werewolves and vampires being the most obvious."
"This sounds so ridiculous," Caroline put her hands through her hair, resisting the urge to tear it all out. "Another world? A dimensional portal? What kind of sci-fi crap is this?"
"Think about it," Clarke said. "How do you think they came up with the idea for a prison world? And why keep Kai Parker alive? He killed how many of his brothers and sisters before they stopped him? He didn't deserve to live and he was too dangerous to allow to live and yet they decided to imprison him instead of killing him. Why?"
"Because they needed a backup," Josie realized. "In case something happened to the next set of twins. They couldn't afford to kill him and risk leaving the seal unprotected."
"Exactly," Clarke answered. "Plus, since he remained twenty-two and his sister put away her magic, it didn't drive her insane."
"So, that's why Malivore was created," Hope realized. "To clean up the mess from the creatures coming through before the portal was sealed."
"Yes," he said. "They just didn't realize how out of their control he would get. There's always consequences for using black magic. They knew that, and still they used it. But witches, especially the twins, have never been known to resist the darkness very well."
"Thanks for that," Josie said sarcastically.
He shrugged.
Lizzie shook her head, tapping her foot incessantly. "No, no, no. That can't just be it. What about a loophole? Nature always has a loophole. Where's my loophole?!"
No one had an answer.
"Besides the creatures who had passed through and were tortured to reveal the truth of where they came from and why they couldn't get back, only the elders in the Coven knew the truth—passing the information down to those that proved trustworthy. Even the merged twins wouldn't learn the truth until it was deemed appropriate," he continued.
"Why?" Lizzie asked.
"Can you imagine what Kai would've done with that information?" Hope answered for him. "He probably would've wanted to destroy the seal completely."
"This is also why, with their dying breath, the entire coven performed the spell to save Lizzie and Josie," Alaric said. "It's why saving the twins were so important."
Caroline covered her mouth, trying to hold the emotions in. She had been so determined. She was going to find a way to save her girls. She was so positive. But now…
Lizzie reached out and grasped her mother's arm. "It'll be okay, Mom. We're not the first to merge. It probably won't be that bad." She lied, but she knew there wasn't anything anyone could do about it.
They were born to protect the world.
At least MG might get a sci-fi boner out of it.
Hope told her aunt that Lizzie was going to stay in her room with her while MG would crash on the floor.
She knew Lizzie wanted to talk, but when she had left her room with a change of clothes for the next morning, she was talking to MG and didn't seem to mind that Hope was leaving to sleep elsewhere.
Caroline left soon after Ryan's talk. She had planned to stay, but once she knew the truth she wanted to head home to Mystic Falls to see Josie. Hugging only one daughter wasn't enough for her. She needed to hold the other one too, knowing that there really wasn't enough time now.
Arriving at Ryan's room, she didn't bother knocking, just let herself in.
"Hey," he said, already in bed, working away at his sketchpad.
Holding a finger to her mouth, she shushed him before casting a spell. "Auditus obstructionum."
"Okay, you can talk now," she said.
"What was that for?"
"Vampires," she said. "They hear everything. I'd rather my uncle not hear what's happening in here."
"I second that," he said.
"That was some story," she said, putting her clothes on top of the dresser and coming around to her usual side. "Thank you for telling them."
"A deal's a deal," he said simply.
"I don't know what they're going to do now," she said as she crawled under the covers. "I mean, they're my best friends. I like them as two though. Maybe since we know now, we'll have time to figure something else out before they get old enough?"
"Good luck with that," he said. "Seems pretty impossible to me."
"Aren't you supposed to be encouraging?" she asked.
"Have you met me?" he asked.
"Sometimes I wonder…" she said mysteriously.
She knew he would just take it as a joke, but she actually meant it. After her talk with Lizzie that morning, her mind was still reeling. She had worried before that he would have more experience than her, but if he had that much experience, she probably couldn't compare. Maybe she should do more to please him? She hadn't really thought about it before, but she could try to do something.
She reached for him and kissed him suddenly. He immediately returned the kiss while moving his sketchpad to his nightstand.
Fortunately, he had already removed his shirt, so when she pulled away from his mouth and began kissing her way down his neck to his chest, the path was clear.
He tried to remember to breathe while she explored with her mouth and hands. She had clearly been taking pointers from him because she bit at and licked at all the right spots.
She was actually enjoying herself. She had never taken the lead like this, just gave him permission to do what he wanted. She loved tracing the light muscles of his stomach with her fingertips before following the same path with her mouth.
Her hands slid further down his stomach and she stopped at his pants. She hesitated, and she could've sworn she felt him catch his breath too.
She considered but in the end she couldn't do it. Not like this. Not for that reason.
She didn't need to prove anything to him. He was the one who said he wanted her. She had let this stupid stuff get into her head and everything had been twisted.
She pulled away and shakily moved to her side of the bed, careful not to touch him again.
"Hey," he turned to her, noting the shaking. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice raspy from tears she didn't want to shed at feeling so overwhelmed. "I'm sorry I'm not ready. I know you're probably used to something different. Probably want something more. But I can't. Not yet."
"Hope," he ran a hand through her hair, wondering where this was coming from. "You're everything I've ever wanted. I want what you want. I don't need anything else."
Breathing out her relief, she turned back to him and was grateful when he pulled her against him, comforting her even though he was probably confused. She had never done this before, been insecure with him. She just needed to forget about his past. Eight hundred years was a long time, and while he may have slept with countless women in that time, she was the one he wanted to be with now.
She was going to strangle Lizzie tomorrow for doing this to her.
Trying merging with Josie after that.
To be continued…