Chapter 6: Conversations and Blood
It had been three days since they learned about the bond Hope accidental created with Josie. Three very long days of no communication between them. Hope would see Josie in the halls and would smile, but she kept her promise to keep her distance and give Josie time to process.
Three monsters had come and been defeated, but they hadn't made any headway on shutting down Malivore for good. Marcel had traveled to Taiwan to investigate a possible second pit location. He had traced the company known as The Triad to several locations around the world. Some of which were already shut down. They had yet to hear from him.
Freya and Keelin had reluctantly returned to New Orleans. It had been over a week since they'd seen their daughter and were missing her immensely. They planned to return, but until then, Rebekah was due to arrive to take their places.
Hope was sitting on the front steps waiting for her aunt to arrive. Penelope had been sitting with her, but it was past curfew on a school night. Not that, that had stopped her, but Caroline has caught her and sent her off to bed.
Hope stood when a black limo pulled up to the school. The driver got out and ran to open the door for Rebekah, who stepped out of the car gracefully. "Hello darling," she said with a smile on her lips. She pulled Hope into a big hug, lifting her niece off the ground, then put her back with a kiss on her cheek.
She turned to the driver and told him to take her things inside, then he was free to leave. She wrapped her arm around Hope's shoulders, then they walked into the school together. "So, I hear you went at proposed to a girl."
Hope blushed. "I'd hardly call it a proposal."
"Then what would you call it darling," Rebekah asked.
"Asking her to go steady," Hope said unsurely.
Rebekah laughed. "Come then, I want to hear all about this girl, but first I'm parched. I hope Alaric keeps decent blood here."
They made their way to the kitchen, where Hope pulled out a blood bag for her aunt. "I don't think you're going to like it."
Rebekah took a sip and grimaced. "Animal blood. Ghastly. Ugh. I suppose it'll have to do for now. I don't think Alaric will be pleased if I start eating the students due to starvation, since I stupidly went and promise not to eat the locals."
Hope chuckled, "I think you're right. It took Auntie Freya, Aunt Keelin, and Caroline to convince him to let you come."
Rebekah looked surprised. "Caroline vouched for me, did she? Is hell freezing over?"
Hope laughed. Growing up she had talked to Rebekah the most out of her aunts and uncles next to Freya of course, but Freya had the advantage of physical being in the same space as her. Since her father had sacrificed himself, Rebekah had made it a habit to always be home when Hope was, giving them lots of time to bond. Freya, who had years with Hope, always made sure Rebekah got plenty of one on one time with her.
Rebekah took a mug from the cupboard and emptied the bag into it, then heated the blood up. "So," she said, then took a hesitant sip. "Tell me all about this girl who's captured your heart."
"Her name is Josie," Hope said, and watch her aunt in amusement.
Rebekah's eye widened, "As in Josie Saltzman. One half of the Saltzman twin. The daughters to the very man who despised your father, for good reason, with a passion and the woman who would very much like to see me daggered in a box."
"Maybe," Hope said.
Rebekah laughed. "You know your father was madly in love with Caroline. He swore she would be his. It was quite adorable, in a sickening kind of way. I can't tell if this is a bout or irony or poetic justice."
"Well since she still hasn't talked to me yet, neither will work," Hope said.
"She'll come around. No one can resist the Mikaelson charm for very long," Rebekah assured her. "So, tell me about her."
Hope smiled softly. "She's amazing. She cares so much about everyone around her. I can't wait for you to meet her. That's if she ever talks to me again."
"Like I said, it's only a matter of time," Rebekah said comfortingly. "Come, lets head to your room before Alaric catches us out of bed and uses it as an excuse to ban me from campus."
They grabbed Rebekah's suitcases, which were sitting just inside the door and headed to Hope's room. When she opened the door, she found all of her lights on, which she was positive she had turned off before she left.
She smiled when she realized why they were on. Penelope was sitting on her window seat, still in her uniform, and a smirk on her lips. "I thought Mrs. Forbes-Salvatore told you to go to bed?"
"Yeah. She didn't say where though," she snarked.
Rebekah laughed, "I like this one, Hope. You must be the new best friend."
Penelope stood and sauntered across the room and offered her hand to Rebekah. "Penelope Parks."
Rebekah took the hand politely. "Hello Penelope Parks. I'm Rebekah, but you can call me Auntie Bex."
Hope laughed at the look on Penelope's face. It was some where between shock and awe. She dropped her aunt's bags onto her bed the went to her dresser to pull out pajamas. She pulled a second set out for Penelope.
"So maybe you can tell me more about this Josie character, since my niece seems a bit tight lipped tonight."
"Auntie Bex. That's not such a good idea," Hope warned.
"No…" Penelope said. She took the pajamas Hope was offering her. "It's okay," she assured her.
"Alright. What's going on?" Rebekah asked.
Penelope smile softly. "Josie is my ex. Hope is just trying to spare my feelings."
Realization crossed Rebekah's features. "And you are still madly in love with her?"
"Very much so," Penelope sad replied.
"And yet your best friends with my niece, despite the fact that she is basically magically engaged to the girl you love."
Penelope shrugged her shoulders. "Josie made it clear she doesn't want to get back together. She doesn't want me, but Hope does. I love Hope too, and I'm glad she's my friend. I want them both to be happy. If they make each other happy than I'm happy."
"Well then. You know the best way to get over someone you love?"
"Grieve them for a hundred years, find them but don't get back together for years, then dump him, only to marry him in the end," Hope snarked.
"No silly. That is what you call an epic love story," Rebekah proclaimed. "I'm talking about a fling. No strings attach sex."
"Aunt Rebekah," Hope whined.
"What? I had the most delicious summer with Matt Donavan when I was trying to get over Stefan. We had the most decadent time in the 20's, Stefan and I. You see he was my play thing after I believed Marcel had died. I feel madly in love with him though. Then my brother, Hope's father, daggered me and kept me in a box for almost a century. When I woke, Stefan was in love with perfect Elena Gilbert, and I was left forgotten. Matt was simple, but fun, and did the trick nicely. So, what's your type? Are you strictly into girls or do fancy the boys as well? I myself have been with mostly men, but ladies to have a certain appeal that men lack. They taste much better too."
"Auntie Bex," Hope shrieked, causing Penelope and Rebekah to laugh.
"What's wrong Hope? Are your virgin ears burning?" Penelope teased.
"Virgin? I thought you had that thing with… what's his name… the human who's the cause of all this monster fuss."
"Landon," Hope replied. "And we only kissed. Twice. Nothing more."
"Hope's not allowed to have sex until Freya makes sure she can't impregnant Josie."
"Oh yes, Freya did mention that. I thought she was messing with me at first. She did sound like she was hitting the bottle heavily at the time.
"You should have seen Dr. Saltzman's face when I thought of the possibility. Priceless."
"I wish I could have seen," Rebekah said.
Rebekah ask Hope a question, but she didn't hear it. She was distracted by an overwhelming nervous feeling, that were not her own, and were getting stronger. "Josie's coming."
Penelope and Rebekah looked at her in surprise. "How do you know?" Rebekah asked.
"Hope can feel what Josie feels sometimes," Penelope answered quietly.
"Well isn't that handy."
"She's nervous. Really nervous. Her heart is beating out her chest," Hope told them.
The came a knock at the door that startled all of them. Hope looked at the door, suddenly unable to tell if she was feeling Josie's anxiety or her own.
"Well open it," Penelope hissed.
Hope didn't move though, so she got up and answered the door herself. "Hey JoJo, what's up?"
Josie looked surprised to see her there but recovered quickly. "Is Hope here?"
Penelope opened the door wider and stepped to the side. Josie hesitantly stepped into the room and stood awkwardly by the door.
"So, this is the girl who capture my niece's heart," Rebekah said. Hope mentally facepalmed. Rebekah went over to Josie, visibly sized her up, then offered her hand. "Rebekah Mikaelson."
Josie took the hand hesitantly, "Josie Saltzman," she replied.
"We're just going to go and give you two some privacy," Penelope said, the grabbed Rebekah's arm. "Come on Auntie Bex. Let's go." She dragged Rebekah out the door, leaving them alone.
Josie smiled lightly at Hope. "How are you?"
Hope put one finger up, then whispered the incantation to a spell she wrote herself. A wall of blue wrapped around the room, then disappeared into the ceiling. A moment later they heard Penelope said, "Damn it." Hope smiled. "We can hear them, but they can't hear us," She explained.
"That's a nifty spell," Josie marveled.
"I'll teach it to you, if you'd like," Hope offered.
Josie smiled shyly. "I would."
Hope gestured for her to sit on the bench at the end of her bed. They sat, somewhat awkwardly at first, then giggled.
"This is ridiculous," Josie said. "We shouldn't be this nervous."
"And yet we are," Hope replied with a smile.
"I'm sorry to come so late, but I couldn't sleep, and I could feel you were still awake," Josie apologized.
"It's okay. I'm… I'm glad you're here."
Josie gently took Hope's hand. "Thank you for giving me time to process what we learned," she said. She traced her thumb over the lines on Hope's palm. She looked up and smiled again. "I actually decided yesterday what I wanted to do, but I couldn't figure out how to talk to you. I was afraid you wouldn't want the same."
"I want to do whatever you want to do," Hope offered, hoping to ease her anxiety.
"I know," Josie said. "You've been sending it through the bond all day," she explained.
"I have been," she asked. She hadn't realized she was doing that.
"You have," Josie insisted. "It's okay though. It made me realize that maybe this is something we should decide together."
"You're the only one who gets to choose, Josie. It has to be your choice, not mine."
Josie squeezed Hope's hand comfortingly. "Do you want to be with me? Answer me honestly."
"I…" Hope started but stopped as she decided how to say what she wanted. "I… I guess I'd like to see where this goes."
Josie smiled again. "Me too," she agreed. "I don't want to formally break the bond yet. If you'd like to, I'd very much like to be your girlfriend and see where we end up. Then, when we're both ready, we decided together whether to break the bond or complete it."
"I… I'd like that very much," She sighed in relief.
"Good… Great."
Hope smiled widely as relief flooded her whole system. She leaned forward and captured Josie's lips with her own, putting every happy feeling she had into it. She felt Josie's hand come up and grasp the back of her neck, pulling her closer. Josie pulled away to catch her breath. The widest smile Hope had ever seen was on her lips and took her breath away.
"I should get back before Lizzie notices I'm not there," Josie said. "Can we have breakfast together tomorrow? Maybe before everyone else wakes?"
"I'd love that," Hope said.
Josie's smile suddenly turned into a frown. "Penelope is okay with us, right? Us being together isn't going to hurt your friendship is it?"
"She's still hurting, but she want's us to be happy," Hope said. "I think she'll be okay over time."
"Good, because I'd like it if we could all be friends," Josie said.
"I'm sure she'd love that," Hope assured her.
Josie smiled widely and leaned in for another kiss. This was gentler and caring. She pulled away. "I'll see you in the morning. Say around six in the dining hall. I'll have everything ready for us." She pecked Hope on the lips, then flounced out of the room.
Rebekah and Penelope, who were sitting on either side of the door, turned and peeked into the room expectantly. Hope smiled widely at them and then whisper the incantation to drop the spell.
"So," Rebekah began as they reentered the room. "Am I going to be planning a wedding soon?"
Hope told them what Josie had said and could barely hold in her excitement as she told them they officially girlfriends. She could see the hurt in Penelope's eyes, but she could also see the love and genuine happiness for her. They stayed up until well after midnight chatting, about everything from Josie to Rebekah's obsession with getting Penelope laid.
Hosie-Legacies-Hosie
Josie sat at the table, nervously waiting for Hope to arrive. She had everything ready to go, for their breakfast, she was just waiting on her girlfriend. She giggled. It was still strange to call Hope her girlfriend. Nice, but strange.
She felt Hope coming before she saw her and stood to great her. Hope smiled as she walked through the doors, which made Josie's heart flutter. She loved Hope's smile. It her opinion it was the best thing in the world to see, especially first thing in the morning.
Hope captured Josie's lips in a tender kiss, then said, "Good morning, beautiful."
"Morning," she replied happily. "Come. I have a surprise for you." She grabbed the basket off the table and pulled Hope along. Hope gently took the basket from her and linked their arms together and allowed Josie to lead her where she wanted.
Josie lead them out the kitchen doors into the dark morning. The sun hadn't begun to rise as they made their way across the school ground to the old mill. Josie led them up the stairs to a little spot where she already had a blanket set up. There were dozens of lit candles scattered across the floor and blanket. "I know it's not much, but I've spent a lot of time here the last few days, and I want to show you something. We have to wait for it to happen though."
She smiled at Hope. "May I take a little power?"
"Of course," Hope replied.
Josie siphoned a little bit of Hope's magic, then whispered the word to a spell she had been practicing. All at once the candles were raised up to just above their head like the ones in Harry Potter. She smiled at the awe filled look on Hope's face.
"Just like in the book," she said, then looked at Josie with a big smile.
"Just like in the book," Josie repeated. She pulled Hope over to the blanket. She had positioned the blanket at a spot that over looked the grounds, with no tree's in their line of sight. It would give them a perfect view of the sunrise. She opened the basket and pulled out the containers one by one. The cooks were already up prepping for the morning meal, and they were kind enough to make them each an omelet and cut up some fruit for them to share. She even packed something else for Hope, just incase she needed it.
Hope was still happily staring up at the lights.
"Hope," Josie said, gathering her attention.
"Magic amazing sometimes," She grinned. "I don't think we stop to appreciate it enough."
"I agree," Josie replied. "Um… I wasn't sure… That is, we've never really discussed… I mean you're a very private person… and your dad, he was a vampire. So, I heated up some… you know, just in case."
Hope followed along and tried to decipher Josie's rambling. "Oh…" she said, when she finally understood what Josie was asking. "I guess we have a lot to discuss," she said awkwardly. "I don't drink blood, but that was so sweet of you to think about." She grabbed Josie's hand. "I haven't unlocked my full vampire side yet. I do have some vampire abilities already. I was already stronger and faster and had better hearing than a human before I triggered my wolf side. My blood is vampiric. It's why I heal so quickly, and I can turn any wolf or human into a vampire."
"But you don't drink blood," Josie said.
"No. I also can't compel anyone. My hearing is good, but not nearly as good as MG's and he's also faster than I am, unless I'm in wolf form." Hope bit her lip then hesitantly asked, "Would you be okay if my vampire side was unlocked, because there's a good chance I'm going to wake up one morning a full tribrid."
Josie smiled, "I will be perfectly okay with you being a full tribrid."
Hope smiled and sighed in relief. She picked up a strawberry slice and offered it to Josie, who opened her mouth. They spent the rest of their breakfast talking about nothing and everything, while taking turns feeding each other.
Then, just as they had finished all their food, Josie pointed out to the horizon. Hope turned to look at what Josie was pointing at and marveled at the sight. She hadn't even noticed the sun was rising. Josie moved to cradle Hope in her arms. Hope turned in Josie's arms and give her a soft kiss on the cheek, then snuggled into her arms as they watched the night sky brighten with mixtures of orange, red, and yellow, floating in a sea of blue.
When the sun had completely risen, they packed up the containers and headed back to school. They dropped the containers off in the kitchen. Hope grabbed a mug out of the cabinet, then quietly asked, "Do you think you could help me with something?"
"Sure. Anything," Josie replied.
Hope led her to the nurse's office, where she carefully unlocked the door with a spell, and slipped in with Josie. "You can't tell anyone I'm doing this. Your dad will flip."
"Okay," Josie said. She was curious as to what she was going to do.
Hope opened one of the draws and pulled out a needle with a long tube, and a tourniquet. She put them in her pocket and careful snuck them back out. She led them to the nearest bathroom and locked the door with a spell.
She set the mug on the counter by the sinks and pulled the needle and tourniquet out of her pocket. She rolled up her left sleeve and handed the tourniquet to Josie. "You're not squeamish about drawing blood, are you?"
"No," she said. She took the thick rubber tube from Hope and tied it around Hope's arm. "I just need you to hold the tube in the cup while I hold the needle in," Hope told her.
Josie took the end of the long tube and put it in the mug, while Hope put the needle in one of her veins. Red blood began flowing through the tube and into the mug.
"Why are we doing this?" Josie asked.
"It's for my Aunt Rebekah," Hope explained. "She'll go crazy if she keeps drinking the school's animal blood. Apparently, it's terrible, and if I offer to let her feed on me, she'll refuse. It's nice having her here, but she only is because of what's happened between us. If I bring her a mug of warm delicious blood, she won't be able to refuse, even if she suspects it's coming from me. Which she probably will. She not as stupid as some of the stories about her suggest."
She pulled the needle out and waited until the last drop had landed in the mug. The she washed it and tucked it way to use later. "Are you okay?" She asked.
Josie smiled widely. "Perfectly. It's really nice that you're doing this for your aunt."
"It's the least I can do," Hope said. "I'll do almost anything to keep my family happy and somewhat sane." Hope took Josie's hand and let her lead them out of the bathroom and up to her room.
Penelope and Rebekah were both still sound asleep, which was a bad thing, because classes started in less than half an hour. Hope flipped the lights on, and set the mug on her desk, then went over to her bed and shook Penelope awake.
She gave Hope an evil glare before rolling over and going back over to sleep. Well she tried to anyways. Hope laughed, and then push Penelope out of the bed.
"Ow," she yelled. "What'd ya do that for?"
Hope flopped onto the bed and peeked over the side. "Classes start in like twenty minutes."
Penelope's eye's widened. "Why'd ya let me sleep so long?" She asked as she frantically untangled herself from the blankets.
"Why is it my fault? I wasn't here, remember? First date with Josie."
Penelope stopped struggling and looked up at Hope. "Oh yeah. How'd it go? Did you get to first base?"
Josie cleared her throat dramatically, which caused Penelope to sit up and give her a sheepish look. "Hi JoJo."
"Good morning Penelope," Josie smiled.
Rebekah chose that moment to groan very loudly. "You better have a very good reason for being so loud. Vampires need their beauty rest too you know."
"Good morning Auntie Bex." Hope stood up, and grabbed the mug of her blood, and took it to Rebekah. "I brought breakfast."
Rebekah uncovered her head and stared at the mug happily. "Oh, you sweet, sweet child," she cooed. She sat up and accepted the mug, taking a hesitant sip, expecting it to be as gross as before, except it wasn't. It was amazing. She took a big gulp, then looked at her niece. "Whose blood did you steal?"
Hope gave Josie an 'I told you so' look. "Does it matter?"
"It does, if it's going to get someone in trouble," Rebekah warned.
"I think we're good," Hope assured her. "Just enjoy it, and don't think too hard about where I got it. We need to get to class. I'll bring you another mug at lunch. If you get hungry in between then, you're stuck with the animal blood."
"Hope," Rebekah said warningly.
"It's all good, Auntie Bex. I promise," She said, then went over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."
"Always and Forever," Rebekah said.
"Always and Forever," Hope echoed. "Come on Penelope, we'll walk you to dorm and wait for you to get ready."
Penelope followed behind them, yelling good bye to Rebekah as she went. Hope went to grab Josie's hand, but she felt awkward being all couple-y in front of Penelope, so she gently took her hand back. Hope gave her a hurt look. Penelope, who witnessed the entire exchange, came up behind them and grabbed their hands to push them together.
"I'm okay," she said. "Don't be afraid to be together because of me. Be happy. Hold hands. Kiss. I'm okay with it. I promise." She ran ahead before either could argue with her.
"She's trying," Hope said.
"I know. I don't want to hurt her," Josie replied sadly.
"I know. I don't either," Hope agreed. "I just think the more she see's us, the easier it will be on her."
"Maybe you're right."
"I'll talk to her again tonight. Make sure she's doing okay," Hope promised. "Thank you again for your help. I know drawing blood to feed to my aunt isn't the most kosher thing to take part in, but I know she won't feed off me."
"It's okay."
"I had a great time this morning," Hope beamed.
Josie smiled just as widely. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."
"I did, but I get to plan the next date. Say tomorrow night at six?" Hope asked hopeful.
"It's a date," Josie agreed, she leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on Hope's lips. A few seconds later Penelope was rushing from her room, ready for the day.
Hosie-Legacies-Hosie
Hope was the last to arrive for lunch, but Josie had saved her a seat between her and Penelope. Neither had told their friends (other than Penelope and Lizzie of course) that they had begun dating, or that they had a magical bond created by Hope werewolf side. Not even MG knew that yet. They wanted to tell everyone together. That way no one felt excluded.
MG was ecstatic, Landon was happy for them, Rafael seemed happy, but there was a sad glint in his eyes. The same one that Penelope often had when they talk about her link to Josie. She wondered if he had developed feelings for Josie too. Lizzie on he other hand, made a big show of fake gagging. Of course, she wasn't going to be thrilled that Hope was dating her sister. She hated Hope.
After lunch Hope enlisted Penelope in helping her to fill a mug of blood for her aunt. Penelope was a little more grossed out than Josie had been, but she helped none-the-less. It took her a little while to find her aunt. When she finally did, she's a little nervous to give her the mug, because she found her in Alaric's office with him and Caroline.
Caroline gave her a funny look when she handed her aunt the mug but didn't comment. She did, however, pull Hope to the side to talk with her about Josie. She took Hope to her office so they can speak privately.
"You're not in trouble. I just wanted to talk with you about everything," Caroline said. She sat in her desk chair and gestured to the one across from her. "Josie seems happy. She's told us that you will be deciding together whether you will be breaking the bond or completing it. I just want to tell you that Alaric and I will accept whatever decision you make. Though I do want to see how you are doing. This is a lot for anyone to handle."
Hope smiled, "I'm okay Mrs. Forbes-Salvatore. I'm happy. For the first time in a while, I am happy."
"You look like your father when you smile," Caroline said fondly. "It lights up your eyes, which is all him. I think he would have rain down hell on us for allowing his daughter to bond with someone without his permission, but he would have been so proud of you for doing it with Josie. He probably would have smirked and made a comment about being the Mikaelson to capture the heart of a Forbes girl."
Caroline wiped away a tear and smiled sadly at Hope. "I wish he could see the beautiful woman you're becoming. A woman I will be proud to call my daughter-in-law if that's what you and Josie decide. But if you decide to break the bond and part ways, I want to make it clear that Ric and I are always here for you. Whatever you need Hope, please don't hesitate to ask."
Hope tried to discreetly wipe away her tears, but it was obvious what she was doing. "Thanks Mrs. Forbes-Salvatore."
"Call me Caroline," she said. "My name's a mouthful."
"Okay Caroline," Hope said awkwardly.
"It'll take some getting used to," Caroline chuckled. "Why don't you head to class." Hope got up to leave, but Caroline stopped her at the door. "Be careful who is around when you give your blood to your aunt. Some of us can tell the difference between the animal and human, but not all of us can control ourselves. And please don't let Ric catch you doing it. God knows he's already on edge around her. If he knows she willingly taking your blood, he might shoot her with his crossbow a few times."
"She doesn't know it's mine," Hope told her. "I'm sure she suspects, but for all she knows, I could have been giving her Josie's blood."
"Yeah. Don't tell Ric that," Caroline insisted.
"You're way chill about this," Hope remarked. "I thought you were the one who instituted the animal diet."
"No that was all Ric," Caroline said. "I'm stuck on it for now, because I haven't had a chance to hit up the blood bank since I got home. I hate the animal blood, but I also have amazing control over my instincts. I have since early on. Not all do, which is why I agreed to the animal blood."
"I could bring you a cup when I bring my aunts," Hope offered.
"That's sweet of you, but I'll be okay," Caroline declined.
"That's why I didn't offer my blood to Auntie Bex. I knew she would refuse to feed off me."
Caroline snorted. "So, you blood drugged her instead."
Hope shrugged her shoulders "And I'll keep doing it as long as she's here. If it keeps her from going insane on the bunny diet."
"You're a good niece Hope," Caroline smiled.
Hope went back over to Alaric's office after that, to check on their progress. The next monster had arrived, and they were talking a break from researching Malivore, to figure out how to kill the thing.
She spent the afternoon with them, reading through book after book until they had finally found the answer. In a children's story book none-the-less. Once they had slain the monster, Hope went to shower. She was really getting tired of the monsters that exploded goo all over her.