I own nothing but my own words.


Chapter 6: Trouble's Brewing


"Can we talk?"

Jade raised an eyebrow, but she stepped back to allow Josie enough space to walk into her room.

Grateful she hadn't slammed the door in her face, Josie quickly made her way inside and closed the door behind her.

She sat on the edge of Jade's bed.

Jade didn't join her. Instead, she stood with her arms crossed, waiting for Josie to begin.

"How was Dungeons and Dragons?" Josie asked, attempting to lighten the mood. After yoga class, she spent the rest of yesterday feeling sorry for herself and trying to figure out where she went wrong. By the end of the day, she was still uncertain about many things but she was sure of one—she didn't want to lose Jade.

"Is that really what you want to talk about?" Jade asked.

"No," Josie shook her head. "I'm just getting there…"

Jade sighed. "It was fine. I was glad Raf was there because he knew about as much as me. I won't ask how your night went. I'm sure you had much more fun."

"Yeah, it was fun…" Josie looked down. "Right up until Hope and Lizzie left me out. Again."

"Oh, no," Jade shook her head. "Don't try to paint yourself the victim here. You canceled on me to go out with them. That's a far cry from leaving you out."

"I'm not trying to do that," Josie denied immediately. "And I shouldn't have canceled. I'm so sorry, Jade!"

"So you said, before you went ahead and did it anyway," Jade said. Then she sighed. "Look, do you even want to do this anymore? We said we'd give it a try, but this isn't what I had in mind. Maybe it's best to call it quits and just be friends again."

"No," Josie stood up quickly. That wasn't what she wanted. "I don't want to break up. Please don't break up with me."

"Why shouldn't I?" Jade asked. "You can't tell me you want to be with me and then make your friends your number one priority. You drop everything for them. Including me."

"It's not their fault," Josie hastened to say, remembering Lizzie telling her not to make Jade hate her. "Please don't hate Hope or Lizzie."

"Hate them?" Jade asked. "Why would I hate them? I'm not dating them. I'm dating you, and you make your own decisions. You choose them over me all the time. I'm not saying to not spend time with them, I know how important friends are, but it's like you only give me time when you remember I exist! That's not fair to me. So let's just break up. At least then you can spend all your time with them without feeling guilty."

"Oh my God," Josie said, covering her mouth. "I'm a horrible person. I did all that, didn't I? I made you feel that way… I'm sorry. It's not… I just…" She looked around, trying to put her thoughts into words.

"Spit it out, Jos," Jade insisted. "Why should I forgive you? Why should I keep taking a chance that you won't hurt me again?"

"Because I swear I'll do better," Josie insisted. "You are so important to me."

"I just don't feel it," Jade shrugged, trying to act nonchalantly and succeeding. She cared about Josie, she wanted to be with Josie, but they couldn't go on this way. They just couldn't.

Josie took a deep breath.

She was going to have to tell Jade everything. It was the only way she would believe that she was really willing to do better.

"I haven't been blowing you off because I don't care about you," Josie began.

Jade opened her mouth, but Josie raised a hand to plead with her to let her continue.

The redhead stopped and waited.

"I've been blowing you off without realizing it because… I'm losing Lizzie and Hope," Josie admitted.

"You're not losing them," Jade replied. "Not when you're always with them."

"But not for the big stuff," Josie said. "Not when it counts."

"I don't follow," Jade said.

"Last year, with Malivore, when I raised him as my darker self, I put my powers away since I didn't feel I could trust myself with it anymore," Josie said. "And I enrolled in the local public school, magic free."

"I know all this," Jade said.

"What you don't know, is how much of a strain it put on mine and Lizzie's relationship," Josie said, sitting on the edge of the bed again. "We were inseparable before that. But suddenly we spent our entire day away from each other. I made new friends. I put Lizzie on the back burner for the first time in my life."

Josie laughed to herself, "It's funny. It was nearly a year ago that I told her we should be our own people. I accused her of never giving me a moment to myself. And look, there she was, giving me all the space I needed…

"And we argued about that too," Josie noted. "She said she felt like I had forgotten her when I started at Mystic Falls High. I apologized and resolved to do better."

"So that's why you've been like this with me?" Jade asked.

"No," Josie shook her head. "I'm like this because after that, Lizzie snuck off to New Orleans to help Hope."

"To fight Malivore," Jade said.

"Yes," Josie nodded. "And that was the first time I felt truly left out by them. Hope didn't ask me to come, and why would she? Before she went on the run, I gave her a hard time for using me to help Clarke. I was so angry with her. We never really talked about that again… Also, I didn't have my powers anymore, so asking me to come probably would've put me in too much danger, and I know that, but it still hurt when I found out where Lizzie had gone."

"But you're all friends now, so…"

"We're friends because I forgave Hope without saying anything at all," Josie said. "But Hope and Lizzie had spent so much time together that week that they forged new memories and experiences. They became closer than ever before. I've been trying so hard to become a part of that. I want to share what they have with them, but no matter how hard I try, it's just not happening."

"So on Friday…"

"I hoped sharing that with them would help," Josie explained. "I just want the closeness with my sister back. I don't care that she and Hope are such good friends. I just want to be a part of it. But, Friday, it didn't happen. I accidentally overheard… they were talking privately, and Hope was open with Lizzie. More open than Hope has ever been with anyone before. She's come a long way since her self-imposed exile from all forms of relationships. I'm proud of her…I just wish I had been a part of that too…

"But I think it's finally time to admit I never will be," Josie looked down. "And no, I'm not trying to paint myself a victim. I'm just…"

"Trying to explain to your girlfriend why you've been accidentally neglecting her," Jade finished for her.

"I really didn't mean to hurt you," Josie said. "And I really will do better. I don't want to lose you."

Jade sat next to her. "I believe you."

"So you forgive me?" Josie asked hopefully. "You won't break up with me?"

Jade shook her head. "That's the most open you've ever been with me. And I'm glad you were. It helps to know, so I understand."

"Thank you," Josie said, relieved.

"For what it's worth, I think you should be just as open with Hope and Lizzie," Jade said. "Tell them what you told me. Maybe give them a chance to prove they want you to be as close to them as they are to each other."

Josie took a breath and shook her head. "There's a bit more… to do with Clarke. And I'm not sure I'm willing to open that can of worms with them and risk losing them—or at least Hope—forever."

"Think about it," Jade encouraged. "Until you talk to them, it's just going to fester."

"It'll be okay," Josie said, shaking her head again. "I need to shift gears and stop trying so hard. At least with them. With you though, you deserve all my attention."

"I'm okay with that," Jade smiled and winked, taking Josie's hand.

"So am I," Josie said, smiling back and ignoring the part of herself screaming that Jade was probably right.


"You don't look quite so gray anymore," Lizzie observed.

"Remind me never to drink again," Hope groaned, joining Lizzie at the outside table.

"Given the upchuck factor, I don't think you'll need a reminder," Lizzie wrinkled her nose.

"Probably not," Hope shook her head. After wobbling her way through yoga class, she spent most of Saturday in bed, burying her head under the covers. "Other than that, I had fun."

"Girls night out was definitely a success," Lizzie affirmed.

"Alyssa's already making noises about doing it again," Hope laughed.

"While I admit she wasn't quite as vapid as I thought she'd be, I really don't get it," Lizzie said. "She's spent the past ten years hating us. She, quite literally, kicked us off the planet. So why does she want to be friends now? I bet she's up to something."

"I don't know," Hope said. "I think maybe it's legit…"

"If you say so," Lizzie shrugged. "But that doesn't mean I want to spend more time with her and give her a chance to do something."

"Well, Saturday night will be the true test, I guess," Hope said.

"You're definitely putting a lot on the line, trusting her," Lizzie said.

"It's not that I trust her," Hope explained. "It's more that…"

"You desperately want to spend the night with Shrek, and you want to believe she'll hold up her end of the deal," Lizzie finished for her.

"Yeah," Hope said. "And, I really think she will…"

"So be it," Lizzie said. "Go, stay the night with your mud man, make your little mud babies, and hopefully Alyssa will keep her mouth shut."

"Lizzie…" Hope said reproachfully, looking around. "Don't."

"Right," Lizzie shook her head, wanting to kick herself. "I shouldn't have said that." Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? She just needed to stop talking. Forever.

"I don't want to think about it," Hope sat up straighter. "You were right though. I shouldn't be worrying. So I won't. Not anymore. At least not for a few years." Or for two years, at least, since the dream—which was a dream and not a premonition—indicated she would have the kid when she was twenty-one. But she wouldn't. Because it wasn't a premonition.

And she had way too many other things on her mind to worry about that right now.

"Good," Lizzie said. At least she said something right on Friday night. "You ready to do this then?"

"Ready," Hope nodded.

She reached her hand across for Lizzie to draw some power from her.

Lizzie did, then dumped the bag of feathers on the table between them.

"So, how are we supposed to do this?" Lizzie said, looking down. "I mean, we all know how to float feathers, we did that in first grade."

"We're not supposed to use our magic to move the feathers," Hope explained. "We're supposed to move the air around the feathers to get them to move."

"Why does it feel like that's the same thing?" Lizzie asked.

Hope shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

She held out her hands and focused.

"I'm never going to get used to you doing all this magic without spells," Lizzie said, watching her friend. "Especially new ones."

Hope glanced up. "I've been holding myself back for too long, scared of losing control. Ryan convinced me to stop doing that. And I haven't lost control yet."

Aunt Freya had warned that a temper tantrum from a first born Mikaelson could decimate entire villages—or cities, if they were using modern terms. Her mother did everything she could to prevent that from happening with Hope. Fortunately, her disposition had always been calmer than most children. It was like she was born with the knowledge that she had to maintain control at all times.

"And I hope you never do," Lizzie said, focusing on the feathers too. "Movent aerem."

One of the feathers wiggled, but it might have just been the wind.

"Guess this is harder than I thought it would be," Lizzie huffed.

"Shhh," Hope hushed her. "Just focus."

Hope stared down at the feathers, concentrating on the air around them.

Then, slowly, the feathers in front of her started to rise all at once.

She kept focusing on the air, an element only visible by the emptiness surrounding an object.

Holding the majority of the feathers in place, she began to manipulate the air around a few of them. She did so slowly but meticulously until she finished her goal with a smile.

Hope had used the feathers to spell R-Y-A-N in midair.

"Nice," Lizzie said, admiring her work. "Guess you're glad Ryan only has four letters."

"As opposed to…" Hope focused again, and worked to spell out M-G instead. "Names with only two letters."

"I was thinking J-A-C-K would be better for me," Lizzie said, before she focused on the feathers, muttering "Movent aerem" again, and directed the air to flow.

Her letters were a bit messy, not nearly as straight as Hope's, but she did it!

Letting the feathers drop with a breath of relief, Lizzie shook her head. "Need a lot more practice with that one."

"You'll get it," Hope said. "In the meantime… what is up with Jack? Did you call him?"

"Nope," Lizzie shook her head.

"I thought you liked him?"

"I do," Lizzie said. "But he doesn't know I'm seventeen."

"So, tell him?" Hope said. "I mean, he's probably not that old. He's younger than your last boyfriend, I'm sure."

"Sebastian was never my boyfriend," Lizzie was quick to correct her.

"No, he was just someone you shared intense intimate moments with," Hope said, amused. "Definitely not a boyfriend."

"There you go again," Lizzie said. "You don't have to be in a committed relationship to have sex with someone, Hope."

"Believe me, I know that," Hope said. "Fine. Sebastian wasn't your boyfriend. I'm sure Jack's younger than your last lover. Better?"

"Much."

"You should call him," Hope encouraged. "I mean, unless…"

"Unless?"

"Unless there's someone else you'd rather date?" Hope asked slyly.

"Ha, ha, please," Lizzie rolled her eyes. "There is literally no one else I'm even remotely interested in."

"If you say so," Hope shrugged with a secretive smile.

"I do," Lizzie insisted. She knew exactly who Hope was referring to. She cursed herself, wishing she reacted differently on Friday when she found out about Alyssa's crush on MG and what happened while she was in the prison world. She refused to mention MG now. Doing so would only reinforce Hope's belief that Lizzie wanted to be with MG.

She didn't.

And she would prove it.

"I'm going to call Jack."


"How much longer do you think you'll have to do this?" Landon asked, closing the cell door as Raf left after yet another changing session.

Rafael shrugged, "It's only been a week. I guess I'll know I can stop whenever I can be near Hope again."

"Because she told you not to come near her," Landon said.

"Yeah," Rafael nodded. "I'm cured whenever I can finally walk down a hallway without having to go into a random classroom to avoid her."

That wasn't so fun, Rafael thought.

He could feel Hope even now. He knew she was outside. He couldn't go near her though a part of him really wanted to. Walking into a classroom that was in session had garnered him a lot of strange looks from students, and the teacher hadn't been too happy with him. Fortunately, he didn't get in trouble, but he couldn't leave the room until Hope left the hallway.

"Maybe you'll be fine by Friday?" Landon said hopefully.

"I don't know," Rafael shrugged again. "But I'll go with you no matter what. I won't make you go to the family dinner alone."

Landon sighed.

Seylah insisted Landon come to town for dinner on Friday. The entire family was supposed to be there. He knew his mother was trying to create a connection, but he was resistant. He tried to do that back when he first met her, and it hadn't ended well. Once he remembered it all, he couldn't help but think that she would rather be dead than to know him. She didn't have to jump into Malivore. She knew he wasn't allowed to stay at the Salvatore school—at the time anyway—so she could've insisted they go on the run. He wasn't a child anymore, which was one of her reasons for giving him up when she worried she couldn't protect both of them. But no, instead she sacrificed herself to protect him.

Just like Hope had done.

And, just like Hope, it felt like his mother had found someone to replace him.

Chad wasn't a bad guy. Landon could tell immediately. Chad was misguided and found himself in a situation he never would've seen coming. He didn't hold any of Chad's previous actions against him. Chad was forced to kill Rafael that first time. And even if he wanted to hold that against him, he couldn't because the guy had agreed to Hope's plan to jump into Malivore to help defeat The Necromancer. That had also saved Rafael at the time too.

So, no. Chad wasn't his real problem. But Landon resented him for the connection he had with Seylah. Even knowing he could have that connection too if he tried.

But Hope had taught him a hard lesson about trusting people.

Seylah had proven time and time again that she would die for him, but she never showed that she wanted to live for him. She didn't really know him, and it was probably too late for that anyway.

Yet, he still visited her. He still put up with Chad. Something in him resisted pushing them away completely.

He didn't want to think too much about it though. Not when he didn't fully understand it.

"I'm not worried about dinner…" Landon answered. Well, he was but that wasn't the reason he wanted Rafael to hurry up and break the bond.

"What's up, bro?" Rafael asked.

"I should've told you this before, though you've been a bit occupied," Landon took a deep breath. "But… the wolves aren't happy… with you."

Rafael raised an eyebrow, "And as alpha, they should come to me with their problems."

"They should…except their problem is with you being alpha," Landon said.

"They'll have to get over it," Rafael said tightly.

"Will they, though?" Landon asked. "Do you even want to be alpha?"

"Of course I do," Rafael replied. "I wouldn't be if I didn't want it."

"You only did it for me though," Landon pointed out. "And then you…"

"I, what?"

"You gotta admit, you disappeared a lot this school year… you've probably been gone more than you've been here."

"I spent the beginning of the year stuck in wolf form," Rafael argued. "And then I was too busy dying, I guess. And meeting my father was your plan."

"You met your father because you ran away with me," Landon said. "You left your pack behind to protect me."

"So now you're telling me how to be alpha?!"

"No," Landon shook his head. "I'm asking if you really want to be. Hope said she'd talk to the pack if you needed her to…because trouble's brewing."

"If trouble is coming, I'll deal with it."

"While you're stuck in a dungeon changing for the umpteenth time?" Landon asked.

"Yes!" Rafael snapped.

"Okay, okay," Landon held up his hands in defeat.

"Sorry," Rafael said, realizing he got a little too heated. "I didn't mean to get so angry."

"It's alright," Landon said. "Full moon on Thursday, right? You always get more angry before that."

"Yeah, but I don't have to change on a full moon anymore, do I?" Rafael said. "So, that shouldn't be an excuse anymore."

He wouldn't be changing on the full moon that week. Since Doctor Saltzman didn't know how wolves would react around a hybrid wolf and vice versa, that was the one day he wouldn't be changing in the cells with everyone else.

It would be the third full moon since he turned into a hybrid that he didn't change with the other wolves.

Kind of gave credence to the idea that maybe he didn't belong with the wolves anymore.

But he wasn't going to admit that.

At least not yet anyway.


"Girls!"

"Hi, Jed," Josie and Jade said in unison as the wolf in question came up behind them and put an arm around both of their shoulders on the way to their lockers before class.

"I see you finally made up," Jed said.

"Uh huh," Josie said.

"I'm surprised you noticed," Jade said. "Usually you're completely oblivious."

"Na," Jed shook his head and pulled back when the girls arrived at their lockers. "I knew, just didn't want to get involved."

"Luckily, Jade forgave me for being as oblivious as she seems to think you are," Josie smiled softly at her girlfriend.

"I'm not oblivious!" Jed denied. "Give me more credit than that."

"I think we've taught him a new word," Jade said with a teasing smile.

"Ha, ha," Jed smirked. "You know, wolves aren't meatheads."

"No, not all of them," Jade teased again.

"I've got Spanish next," Josie said, looking through her locker for the textbook. "Wanna walk with us?"

Jed shrugged, "I've got a free period, why not?"

Josie closed her locker and looked around.

"Where did Jade go?" Josie asked.

Jed looked around too, confused, "Uh… bathroom, maybe?"

"I'm right here, guys," Jade said, standing in the same spot she had been the entire time.

"I guess?" Josie said, looking around again. "Huh."

"Hello!" Jade waved her hands in their faces. "I'm right here!"

"Well," Josie said, looking back at Jed. "Guess you'll just be walking me to class."

"Works for me."

Jade watched them walk away as she tried to grasp what was going on.

None of it made any sense.

The last time something like this had happened to her was when…

She finally figured it out. She flung her head back and laughed out loud.

"Wendy!" she exclaimed. "Where are you?"

"Gotcha!" Wendy said, popping out of a supply closet.

"Cloaking?" Jade said. "Really? You couldn't just stop by the Salvatore school and say hi like a normal friend?"

"Not really…" Wendy said, shifting back and forth. "And it'd be cool if we could, you know, talk in private?"

"What's going on?" Jade asked, frowning slightly. "You look worried."

"I'm kinda in trouble and need some help?"


"So, this organization is after me," Wendy said as she walked around the supply room after she dragged Jade inside with her and locked the door.

"What kind of organization?" Jade asked.

"I don't know what it's called, I just know that they're trying to capture me," Wendy said. "They're humans but they know about supernaturals…and I don't think they like witches."

"What did you do?" Jade asked with a knowing look.

"Nothing, I swear!" Wendy insisted.

"You forget, I've known you a long time," Jade said. "I know when you're lying."

"So I may have broken into this place and stole some things," Wendy shrugged. "But everything isn't as easy for me as it's been for you."

"You think my life is easy?" Jade asked in disbelief. "I have to struggle for control every day of my life. Being a ripper isn't much fun."

"Well, you sure seemed to have fun when you didn't care," Wendy said.

"My humanity was turned off!" Jade exclaimed.

"I know, I know," Wendy said. "So, you have no problem coming back from prison and being in another one."

"Going to high school is far from prison," Jade replied.

"For me, that's what it was like though," Wendy said. "Coming back to the Salvatore school, following his rules again, trying to live in a world where we lost track of everyone we had ever known. I had other friends before, but who knows where they are now? Besides, how would I explain that I haven't aged a day in the past ten years? And my only family, my mother, do you know what happened to her? She died in a car accident two years ago."

"I'm so sorry," Jade said, knowing how difficult that must be for her. Jade's own parents had been killed in the vampire attack that resulted in her being turned.

"And, it may not have been perfect, but I lost Diego too," Wendy continued, holding her sadness back as the anger rushed forward. "We were together for so long. I really loved him, you know? And just because he couldn't control his anger, he got left behind."

"He tried to kill Doctor Saltzman," Jade had to say "After Doctor Saltzman had agreed to be the anchor left behind so that all of us could come home, even Diego."

"One right doesn't fix ten years of wrong," Wendy snapped.

Jade wouldn't agree with her. She couldn't. Now that her humanity was firmly in place, she actually agreed with Doctor Saltzman. He thought they were three unruly teenagers who couldn't be controlled and went on murderous rampages. While they hadn't meant to kill those kids, they had done it, and it was only a matter of time before it would happen again. Diego and Wendy had lived in that prison world right alongside Jade the Ripper and Kai Parker. All four of them had taken great delight in hunting each other down, turning on each other, being ruthless murderous killing machines for sport.

At the end of the day, Wendy was just as bad as the rest of them were. Jade just wanted to believe she would be better once she got back to the real world. But nothing had changed for Wendy like it had for Jade.

"Look," Wendy took a deep breath. "I didn't come here to argue with you. I came because… you're it, Jade. You're the only person I have left. I need you."

And, at the end of the day, Wendy was still Jade's best friend. She couldn't turn her back on her, no matter what she did. She would help her any way she could and hope it wasn't too late for Wendy to make a better life for herself.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Hide me? Help me disappear?" Wendy said. "I'm worried they'll track me here if they figure out who I am and my connection to you. I probably shouldn't have come, but I had to. I didn't know where else to turn."

"I'll figure something out…" Jade said, already thinking. "How do I reach you though?"

"I can call the school tonight?" Wendy offered. "But they could be listening."

"Meet me here tomorrow?" Jade suggested. "I'll figure something out by then."

"Thank you," Wendy said, face showing her relief.

"You don't think they're already watching me, do you?" Jade asked.

"I really don't know," Wendy said. "I've managed to make it across the country without running into them again, but…"

"That either means you lost them, or they know exactly who you are so they'd know exactly where you'd turn up," Jade reasoned, feeling a chill. She would need to keep an eye out. "If they were watching me, they would've seen me disappear in the hallway when you cloaked me."

Wendy shook her head. "I made sure I didn't do it near any windows, and no one in the hallway was paying you guys any attention when I did it."

"I hope you're right… though my missing class might look suspicious," Jade said.

"They can't find me if they can't see me," Wendy reassured her, though she was reassuring herself at the same time.

"Are you going to be okay tonight?" Jade asked.

Wendy nodded hesitantly, "I think so…"

"Good…I should probably go," Jade said, already formulating an excuse for being late. "But don't drop the cloaking spell until I go into the bathroom. I don't want anyone to see me walking out of a supply closet. Especially if…"

"I get it," Wendy said. "Will do."

Jade nodded while thoughts flew through her mind.

"By the way, Diego would take exception to you calling wolves meatheads," Wendy said.

"That's funny, because he was the biggest meathead of all," Jade said, then smiled gently. "I miss him too." And she did. He had a lot of anger issues, but he was her friend. And they were all far from perfect.

Seeing Wendy look away as she got choked up for the first time, Jade held out her arms, "Get over here."

Wendy immediately came over for a hug. Jade returned it tightly, wondering silently to herself if this was the first real human contact her friend had in the past few months.

She also wondered how she was supposed to help her… especially since she had a sneaking suspicion she knew exactly who was after her. An organization hunting down renegade supernaturals? There was only one she had ever heard of.

Triad.


"Hey, Jos?"

"Mm hmm?"

"Yesterday, you mentioned something about Clarke," Jade said later that afternoon while they were doing homework together lying on their stomachs in Jade's bedroom. "That there was some issue with him too?"

Josie sighed and dropped her head into her book, "Quite possibly my least favorite subject of all time."

"Sorry… I was just curious…"

"No," Josie shook her head and turned to her side, facing Jade. "It's okay. I felt better after I told you about the girls, telling you about Clarke will probably be good for me too. Maybe."

"So…"

"It's simple," Josie said succinctly. "I hate him."

"I never would've guessed," Jade said, surprised.

"You know he pretended to be the new headmaster here, right?" Josie asked.

"Yeah," Jade laughed. "Still can't believe your father stepped down."

"Clarke did it because he had this whole grand scheme," Josie said. "He wanted to take over Hope's body, but he needed a witch to do a powerful black magic spell in order for it to happen."

"Hope, his girlfriend, Hope?" Josie asked.

"The very same," Josie rolled her eyes. "Apparently, at least for them, it wasn't a very far stretch to go from enemies to lovers."

Jade shifted uncomfortably. She could probably say the same of her and Kai, though there was a lot of back and forth with that for them. They never cared about each other though, and any fool could see Hope and Clarke were head over heels in love.

"He found his witch," Josie continued. "This school was the perfect place. Some of the witches here had no problem experimenting with black magic, especially since they'd been told for so long that they weren't allowed to do it. They were excited to join his secret little club. He made them feel special. He made them open up to him. He gained their trust. All the while, he was just biding his time, hoping at least one of them would eventually gain enough practice to do the spell he really wanted without passing out in the middle of it."

"And he was still allowed to come on campus after all that?" Jade asked.

Josie scoffed, "He's evil and manipulative, and somehow he has everyone forgetting all of that. But I couldn't forget. How could I forget when it was me? When I was the one he did all that to? When I was the one who was finally strong enough to do the spell?"

"Josie…" Jade knew about the mora miserium. It was the only reason Jade was out of the prison world now. But as far as she knew, the sand clock was filled with the effects of black magic because Josie had siphoned all the magic out of a samurai sword in order to save Lizzie. She knew that Hope and Lizzie had done everything they could to get the darkness out of Josie when it threatened to destroy her. But she didn't know all this. She didn't know…

"I knew I shouldn't mess with black magic, and up until then I had only dabbled," Josie said. "But he encouraged me. He gave me the spells. I told him all my insecurities, especially with Landon when Hope came back before everyone remembered her. He insisted on 'helping'. But he wasn't helping me. I was helping him. He used me."

"Didn't your parents invite him to dinner a few weeks back?" Jade asked, perplexed.

Josie laughed spitefully. "That's the thing. He helped free me and Lizzie from the merge. So suddenly Mom considers him her favorite person in the world. Dad still doesn't like him, but he puts up with him. And I wish I could hold it against Mom, but I can't because I haven't told her all this. I've been trying so hard to be close to Lizzie and Hope again that I haven't told any of them that I'm not okay with him being around."

"And why would you be?" Jade asked. "Being forced to be around someone like that… and one of your best friends is dating him?"

"It's more than just dating," Josie said. "She's already talking about forever with him."

"She's a teenager," Jade said. "We all talk forever until it's not."

"You didn't see their apartment," Josie said. "It's their home. It's, like, they practically have their entire future figured out. She's not letting him go, not anytime soon. And, then there's Lizzie."

"What about her?"

"She called him 'Ryan' last week," Josie shook her head. "She didn't realize it, but I heard it. She's softening toward him. They bicker whenever they're near each other, but I know Lizzie. She doesn't hate him. And he doesn't hate her. She saved his life, so that's why he helped free us from the merge. He didn't do it for me. He did it for her."

"Wouldn't he have done it anyway because you guys are Hope's best friends?" Jade asked.

"He made it clear to all of us that the only reason he was doing it was for Lizzie," Josie said. "I think they're becoming friends, and honestly, it feels like the biggest slap in the face. Not only does Lizzie know what he did to me, she also knows he's the one responsible for MG being turned into a vampire."

"Whoa…" Jade knew everyone deserved another chance, she was proof of that, but this guy was clearly bad news. "No wonder you hate him."

"I just don't understand why everyone else doesn't," Josie said, frowning and plopping her head down on her notebook.

"But… he did help take out Malivore," Jade couldn't help but think that was a good thing.

"Yes, he did. He freed us from the merge too," Josie said. "So all is forgiven, right? I should be grateful." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not."

"So…what if I knew a way to get one over on him?" Jade asked, plan developing. "It would definitely annoy him a lot."

"I'm down to do anything that would inconvenience him," Josie perked up.

"You can't tell anyone…" Jade warned. "Not even Lizzie."

"I won't tell a soul," Josie said. "Your secret is safe with me."


"Wendy?" Josie whispered the next day after making sure the hallway was clear and opening the door to the supply closet.

When no one answered, she continued inside and closed the door behind her.

"It's me, Josie. I know you're in here," Josie said. "It's alright. Jade sent me. You can trust me, I promise. I won't tell anyone you're here."

Still, no Wendy.

"She was worried the organization after you was following her. She figured if they noticed she was late to class yesterday, they'd be on high alert so she sent me on my free period. I want to help you," Josie continued.

Jade said Wendy was desperate but she would also be a hard sell. She didn't trust easily.

"And if you don't believe I want to help you, you can believe I'd do anything to help someone going against Triad," Josie said vehemently. "Jade's pretty sure Triad is after you. And I happen to hate the guy in charge there."

Josie looked around, but Wendy was taking her sweet time deciding.

"That's okay," Josie said. "I get that you need a minute…so listen while you decide."

Josie leaned against the door, and relaxed.

"Jade figures the best place for you would actually be the Salvatore school for now. At least until we figure out how to help you disappear more permanently," she began. "The head of Triad—his name is Clarke, by the way—isn't allowed at the school right now. And all of his men are human, so there's no way they can get into the school undetected. But since you're a witch, we could definitely sneak you in."

Josie kept a close watch on the room, wondering when she would reveal herself.

"The only problem is, we would have to keep you in the basement until we figure out something to help you blend in better, and since Thursday is a full moon, you know very well the basement will be occupied," Josie said. "So, either stay where you're at until Friday, or there're a couple of empty houses where I just happen to know the security codes."

She pulled out a note with the addresses and codes on them. It was a short list: her mother's childhood home, the Mikaelson mansion, and the Lockwood estate.

"The only one I can guarantee no one will be at is the first one, but it'll be good to have other options in case you need to run," Josie continued. "Since no one will know you and I have ever spoken, much less would offer you help, there's no way anyone would connect you to me or those places."

"Did Jade tell you what I did?" Wendy finally appeared and asked, hesitantly.

"No," Josie said. "If helping you disappear screws Clarke over, I really don't care what you've done."

Wendy walked closer and took the list from her.

"You really don't like him," Wendy observed.

"No," Josie said, eyes flashing. "I really don't."


Hope was in a deep sleep when she became aware of a loud insistent knocking on the door.

"Oh my God," Alyssa moaned and rolled over, burying her head under her pillow. "Tell whoever it is to go away."

Thinking something might be wrong—it was the night of the full moon—Hope climbed out of bed and opened the door.

"Lizzie? What's wrong?"

"Good! You're still here. And awake! I couldn't sleep," Lizzie said, bursting into the room and brushing past Hope.

"Um, but I could?" Hope yawned.

"Why are you here anyway and not with the wolves?"

"I don't gotta change," Hope shrugged. "And it's better for Doctor Saltzman to reach me in case there's trouble."

"Can you do this somewhere else?" Alyssa moaned. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"I thought you wanted to be friends, Alyssa," Lizzie snapped.

"I never said that," Alyssa denied.

"Funny, Hope said you were asking her about going out again."

Alyssa made a face and rolled away.

"So, how about we decide where we'll go on our next girls' night, and then you go back to bed?" Hope asked Lizzie hopefully. She really wanted to go back to sleep. And where was Josie?

"I hardly think that will cure my insomnia," Lizzie grumbled.

Alyssa threw back her covers and sat up, "Fine. I'll help with that."

"Told you she wants to be friends," Lizzie said to Hope.

"Where's Josie?" Hope asked. "You didn't want to include her in your insomnia fest?"

"She's on her way," Lizzie announced.

Five minutes later found them all arguing on Hope's bed.

"The club was fun though," Josie said.

"Yeah, if you like random guys hitting on you, which I guess Alyssa might," Lizzie said snarkily.

"Does it have to be on a weekend though," Hope complained.

"It's, like, once a month," Lizzie said. "Shrek can live without you for one night."

"Okay!" Josie exclaimed. "If we're ever going back to sleep," she glared pointedly at her sister, "I propose we make this easier."

"How?" Hope asked.

Josie sprang up and went to Hope's desk. Digging out some index cards, four pens, and grabbing a tote bag, she came back to the bed and passed them out, placing the bag in the center of the four.

"Look, its February," Josie said. "That leaves us four months 'til graduation. We'll all put one idea in the bag. We'll pull one out each month and that's the one we'll do next. No arguments. I think that'll be best."

"Who cares what you think?" Lizzie snapped.

Josie looked at her, open mouthed.

Even Hope was shocked. "You realize you said that to Josie, not Alyssa right?"

"So?" Lizzie shrugged, annoyed.

"Are you feeling okay?" Hope asked, reaching out to touch her friend's forehead.

Lizzie pushed her hand away before she could touch her, "Don't. I don't want to be touched right now."

"Okay," Hope pulled her hand back slowly. "Is something wrong Lizzie?"

"Uh, yes?" Lizzie said irritably. "I can't sleep, remember?"

"Right," Hope frowned at her.

"So, are we doing this or what?" Alyssa asked, holding up her folded index card. She already wrote her idea on it and was waiting to put it in the bag.

"Yes," Hope said, looking deliberately at Lizzie. "We're doing it."

"Fine," Lizzie huffed and turned away with her card.

Hope looked at Josie, raising her eyebrows in question.

Josie looked just as bewildered as she felt.

Hope didn't really care what they did, so she scrawled the first thing that came to mind. It was boring and might even convince the girls not to bother going out if that was the option.

Josie and Hope tossed their cards in the bag then waited for Lizzie to finish with hers.

"Lizzie?" Josie asked when her twin stared down at the card too long.

"Okay, okay," Lizzie said. She wrote on her card, folded it, and tossed it in the bag. "There!"

"Great," Josie said, closing the bag and shaking it. "Now, let's see what we're doing in March!"

"Why do you get to pick it?" Lizzie asked.

"Because it was my idea," Josie replied, more than a little annoyed at Lizzie at this point. After this she didn't care what her sister said, she was going back to bed.

"And we're…" Josie pulled out the card and raised an eyebrow as she read, "going to Busch Gardens and Water Country USA? What kind of girls' night out is that?"

Lizzie shrugged and Hope frowned.

To Hope, that sounded like an all day and night event… that would last more than one day. It could potentially take up an entire weekend. She wasn't doing that unless Ryan came with them.

"I was actually hoping for that for April," Alyssa said, haughtily avoiding looking at them. "You know, for spring break."

"You can't be serious," Lizzie scoffed. "It's one thing to spend a couple hours a month with you. But spring break? Absolutely not. I've had enough of other people ruining my spring breaks."

"I thought you didn't blame me for that anymore?" Hope asked, puzzled.

"I don't," Lizzie said then glared pointedly at Josie. "I blame the person who was really responsible."

"I said I was sorry for that," Josie defended.

"Actually no," Hope said, turning to glance at Josie. "You never actually did apologize."

"She sure didn't," Lizzie said. "Not to you and not to me."

"I'm sorry," Josie said softly, feeling ashamed once again.

"Too little, too late, don't you think?" Lizzie said.

"Okay!" Josie exclaimed. "Obviously this is gang-up-on-Josie night. I think I'll go back to bed."

"It's my birthday," Alyssa interrupted, still not looking at them.

"What is?" Hope asked.

"The week of spring break," Alyssa replied.

"But…" Lizzie thought back. "Don't you always stay on campus on spring break?"

"I do," Alyssa said. "Don't really have anywhere to go." Not when she accidentally killed her parents with magic when she was eight years old. She wasn't completely destitute because the school had helped make the fire that destroyed her home look like an accidental gas leak so the insurance money—from the house and her parents' deaths—had been put into an account for her. She used that to do something special on her birthday every year, but with no one around to spend it with her…

Hope felt terrible. Even if Alyssa had any friends, most of them wouldn't be around to help her celebrate during spring break.

"Lizzie…" Hope began, "I think we should—"

"Absolutely, we'll do that on spring break," Lizzie said, sitting up suddenly. Her expression changed completely. She smiled widely. "I'll talk to Dad about making the travel plans immediately! I wonder if he's still awake?"

"Wait 'til morning, please," Josie insisted, raising her eyebrow again at Lizzie's sudden mood change.

"You're absolutely right," Lizzie said, nearly bouncing in her seat now. "So, what about March?"

"I'll pick since you picked April's," Hope said to Josie, grabbing the bag, ready to get this over with. "And for March we will be…." She read the card and groaned, closing her eyes. "Karaoke bar."

"Yesss," Josie said.

"A bar?" Lizzie said.

"Trust," Hope said, leaning toward Lizzie. "I will not be drinking this time."

"You might want to for that one," Alyssa said, wrinkling her nose.

"Only you, sister of mine," Lizzie reached out and pulled Josie against her, hugging her tightly.

"Okay..." Josie said, looking at Hope, bewildered again.

"Now can we go back to sleep?" Hope asked.

"Sure!" Lizzie said, releasing Josie. "Make sure you put that bag away and don't peek, Hope. We'll need it for May and June."

"Yes, ma'am," Hope grabbed it and tucked it away in her desk.

"Oh, and Hope…" Lizzie said sweetly.

"Yes…" Hope didn't like that look. She knew that look.

"Remember when I said you and Clarke so owed me?"

"Uh huh…" That was because she invited Alyssa along to girls' night. She wasn't going to like this, was she?

"Well, I finally messaged Jack," she said.

"Good for you!" Hope smiled, though she was still confused by what that had to do with her and Ryan.

"Yeah…" Lizzie smiled demurely. "So, you and Clarke are doubling with us for dinner on Sunday night." No way was she meeting a strange guy she met at a club all alone, not on the first date.

"Wait, what?"

"Goodnight, Hope!" Lizzie grinned and quickly left the room.

"Uh," Josie said, feeling resigned. Of course Lizzie wouldn't think to double with her and Jade first. And, apparently a triple was out. But she wasn't going to let it upset her. She was just going to spend time with Jade…and maybe Wendy? Feeling better, remembering that hiding Wendy was hindering Clarke, she pushed the resentment away.

"Goodnight!" Josie said to Hope, forcing a smile.

"Goodnight…"

Hope crawled back in bed, grumbling.

"Thank God they finally left," Alyssa mumbled, pulling her face mask back over her eyes and lying down.

Hope didn't bother replying to that, but she didn't feel quite the same amount of animosity for her roommate that she usually did. She always thought Alyssa was just a bitch, a bully who wanted what everyone else had and was intent on destroying it if she couldn't have it. She never took the time to get to know her… Of course, Hope had never taken the time to get to know most people.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad… being friends with Alyssa.

Maybe.


"Thanks for this," Hope said as she climbed into Ethan's truck.

"No problem," he said with a smile and put the vehicle in drive.

"Lucky for me, you had to go into town tonight," she said. Though, she would've just gotten a Lyft otherwise, but she didn't mind spending time with one of her favorite cousins.

"Yes," Ethan nodded. "Family dinner…of which you kind of should be a part of."

"It's Seylah's dinner, Ethan," she said. "I'm not part of her family."

"But you're part of mine," he shrugged. "I get it. Next time maybe Mom'll host. Then you can come."

"Maybe…" she murmured, though she knew it wasn't going to happen.

"Going into town early means I get to see Mom and Maya for a while before dinner, so you actually did me a favor needing to be dropped off at Ryan's," he said.

"You don't get to see them as much anymore, even being so close, huh?" she asked, grateful for the change in topic.

"Nope," he shook his head. "Maya keeps me updated for the most part. Or she just sends memes."

"Hey, so, I heard there's some trouble with the wolves?" Hope asked. "About Raf? Do you know anything about that?"

Ethan took a deep breath and released it. "Yeah…"

"Is it just talk, or does someone want to challenge him for alpha?" she asked.

"The wolves don't think anyone should have to challenge him…" he said. "That he's not really a wolf anymore."

"Do you agree with that?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head. "I think he should be challenged."

"…does that mean you think he's not fit to be alpha?" she looked at him.

"Depends how he fights when he's challenged," he said.

"When he's challenged?" she noted his word usage. "But if the other wolves don't think he even needs to be challenged… Ethan…" She realized he never answered her original question. "Someone wants to challenge him."

"Yep,' he nodded.

She lay her head back against her seat, sighing, "It's you, isn't it?"

"Yep," he nodded again.

Great, she thought. How was she supposed to reconcile this? She told Landon she would talk to the wolves if Raf still wanted to be alpha, but she hadn't heard anything from him since.

"You haven't trained that long," she said.

"My stick work needs some help," Ethan said. "But my hand-to-hand isn't bad. Unless it's with you, but I won't be fighting you."

"You're so new to being a wolf though… are you sure you want this responsibility?" she asked.

"Look, I've learned a lot since becoming a wolf," he said. "I also know that you're either alpha material or you aren't. It doesn't matter how long you've been changing."

"Do you even change anymore?" she asked.

"Every full moon," he nodded. "I may not have to, but the rest of the pack does. I'm not leaving them alone in that just because I'm a Crescent."

"Labonair," she corrected.

"Same thing," he said.

"What I mean is, you can't change at will just because you're a Crescent," she shook her head. "Only wolves who witnessed my mother's wedding gained the power to change at will. You definitely weren't there for that. I've been trying to figure out why you can. The only reason I could come up with is you're being a Labonair. The ceremony must've worked differently for those of our bloodline."

"Well, alright… then, I'm not leaving the pack to change alone just because I'm a Labonair," he corrected.

Caring about the wolves was definitely a step in the right direction. She couldn't help but wonder if Rafael had ever actually cared about any of them. She certainly never saw him spending time with them. Ethan, on the other hand…

"You don't think I should do it? That I can win?" he asked.

"I…" She really didn't have any say in any of it. She made her choice long ago when she kept herself separated from the other factions and declared herself the head of her own. Agreeing to help Rafael wasn't for any other reason than her guilt over Raf being in his present predicament because of her.

"I think you should," she finally said. "If you want it, if you understand what it means, what you have to do. If you put the pack first."

"Glad to have your vote of confidence," he smiled slightly.

"It makes sense actually," she said. "Didn't you say the Mayor's internship was your dream job? You're kind of into that stuff, aren't you?"

"Hope, at my old school I was student council president," he boasted slyly.

She laughed, "I guess being alpha is right up your alley then."

"Pretty much."

"What does Jed think about all of this?" she asked.

"Now that," he said, frowning slightly, thinking of the friend who had become more and more distant with him lately, "I don't know."


"Nothing to raise suspicion since Monday."

"Nothing?" Clarke asked, listening through his Bluetooth headset as he put the dish in the oven.

"Either the girl's more clever than we gave her credit for, or she hasn't made contact yet and the vampire was just late to class."

He didn't believe that for a minute, but then they didn't know what he knew about the target. Wendy Von Brandt had spent ten years in a prison world bored out of her mind and making mince meat out of her friends for fun. Why Alaric thought releasing that on the world was a good idea was beyond him. Clarke understood Jade, but not Wendy. She had become Clarke's mess to clean up and he had a client who wasn't happy with their lack of progress.

Fortunately, business was booming otherwise from both the government and private sectors, but he was still annoyed. They usually had no problem containing most supernaturals but trying to track down one witch was proving to be a problem.

But, if there was one thing he knew about being imprisoned, when released most sought out the familiar. Wendy may have left for the west coast, but Jade would be her first stop now that she was in trouble. The witch didn't know enough about the world to survive on her own, not yet. Too many things had changed over the past ten years.

Jade was predictable for the most part. While they couldn't observe her at the Salvatore school, they could see her comings and goings. And he had agents in place at the public school too. Jade had never once been late for class, not until that past Monday. Even more disconcerting was that none of his agents knew where the vampire had gone during that missing time.

The witch was in town.

He walked into the living room, tossed a discarded blanket and pillow from the sofa to the recliner and sat, "She's in town."

"How should we proceed?"

"Keep observing the friend—and the friend's friends too," he said.

"The girlfriend and the wolf."

"Don't forget the fairy," he said. He didn't think Jade would be stupid enough to involve any of them though. Jed had given up his former bullying ways to help save the world—he had read his file. And Wade, well…

"The fairy never leaves campus."

"If he does," he said, but that kid didn't get involved with things that made him uncomfortable.

Josie would usually definitely help Jade, but one of Wendy's least favorite people was Alaric Saltzman. With the damage the witch could do, it was doubtful the twin would help knowing that an off-the-rails Wendy could mean her father dying in a burst of flames.

Still…

"The girlfriend," he said. "Make her a top priority too."

"Yes, sir."

And it wouldn't hurt to keep track of everyone arriving and leaving. That was the only way for Triad to keep tabs on that sector.

"Make a list of everyone who goes into the Salvatore school and leaves."

As he turned off the device, he thought, not for the first time, that having a witch, vampire, or wolf to go undercover would've made this a million times easier.

Instead, he would have to call Saltzman and give him a head's up.

Hearing the key in the front door lock, he grinned and immediately put that thought on the back burner.

"Honey, I'm home!" Hope laughed when she saw him.

"What, no 'baby'?" he teased her with a smirk.

"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?" she said, coming over and plopping down next to him.

"Not tonight anyway," he looked around the room. "Nice mess."

"I'll take care of it," she said. "It's just a few pillows. No biggie."

"Uh huh," he said, raising an eyebrow. "And the kitchen?"

"I didn't have time before we had to leave," she said, pulling her legs up and turning toward him. "We were in a rush to get to yoga without getting caught."

"Which I'm glad you didn't," he said.

"Are you gonna stop complaining about the mess and kiss me, or…?" she teased, indicating that she could just get up instead.

He had been planning to do just that anyway.

Reaching for her, she immediately fell into his arms and giggled when he turned her so she ended up sitting sideways across his lap.

Before kissing her, he trailed his fingers down her cheek, tracing her smile, making her smile even wider.

"We have…" he looked at the clock, "twenty minutes til dinner is ready."

"I can work with that," she murmured, eyes focused on his mouth.

"Me too," he whispered as he pulled her close and finally kissed her.

Twenty minutes later found Hope lying flat on her back on the couch with Ryan lying on top of her resting between her thighs—both still fully clothed.

His mouth had barely left hers to come up for air. She definitely didn't mind. He knew what she liked, and his tongue rubbing against hers at the moment was driving her insane with need.

An insistent buzzing finally broke through their pleasure filled haze.

"What's that?" she pulled back to moan out before his mouth covered hers again.

"Dinner," he mumbled against her lips.

She groaned, knowing he needed to get up so it didn't burn.

He didn't seem to mind as he made no move to stop.

She nearly lost herself in him again, but remembered when she heard another beep.

"Ryan," she grasped his head and pulled him back slightly. "You gotta get that."

Groaning, he dropped his head against her chest for a moment, "We can let it burn."

"Then what would you have for dinner?" she asked.

"You," he said.

Laughing, she pushed at his shoulders, "Get up."

"Fine," he climbed off her and got up.

"You set up for dinner and I'll just lie here," she said with a smirk.

"Don't forget the pillows," he mentioned on his way to the kitchen.

"Right," she groaned and sat up, looking around. There weren't just pillows. There were blankets and whatever else the girls had snooped through and not put back when they were done. It wouldn't really take long, except she should probably wash all the sheets and cases before putting them back in the linen closet. She would do that tomorrow.

At least she didn't have to clean the bathroom! That was the one place she made sure was clean before they left. After spending half the night on the floor losing everything she consumed, she wasn't about to leave anything gross as a reminder the following week. Lizzie had graciously handed her the mop while holding her nose the entire time.

She stood and got to work.

"I assume the state of the apartment means the real world agreed with you?" he asked as he pulled the dish out of the oven.

"It didn't agree with my stomach, if you must know," she said.

"Curious," he said.

"What is?"

"It's not like you to lose control," he said.

"I was trying something new," she excused.

"Wish I'd be here to see that," he said.

"Too bad!" she laughed.

"Next time."

"I'm not doing that again," she said.

She finished clearing everything up, "Good as new."

He finished setting the table, and then looked around, frowning slightly.

"Aren't you supposed to study this weekend?" he asked, realizing she didn't walk through the door with any textbooks.

"And I will," she said, coming in to sit at the table. "Tomorrow."

"Won't you need the books tomorrow then?"

"I'll bring them over tomorrow."

"Aren't you staying the night?"

She shook her head, "Not tonight. Tomorrow."

"But wasn't the deal for whenever?"

"Yeah, but I still have yoga every Saturday morning," she said. "I'd rather sneak into school during the day instead of first thing in the morning when it's obvious I wasn't there all night."

"It's not a required class, right?" he said. "Just drop it."

"I can't," she said. "It's for Lizzie."

"Right," he shook his head. He had to admit. He had gotten his hopes up. But there was always Saturday. In the meantime…

"Have you noticed anything different with Josie?" he asked, sitting down across from her.

"Josie?" she asked, surprised because he never asked about her. "Not really, except she and Jade may be on the rocks since Josie blew her off for girls' night."

His team didn't mention anything about that. In fact, according to them, they were closer than ever.

"I have noticed some stuff with Lizzie," she said, frowning with worry. "It was kind of out of the blue too. She was fine all week, then boom. Suddenly she was really irritable and her mood swing nearly gave me whiplash."

"Aren't irritability and mood swings par for the course for her?" he asked.

"I guess? But she isn't usually that irritable," she said.

"The darkness in the bond is supposed to drive some to insanity," he said. "But she isn't bipolar because of it."

"Then maybe I shouldn't be worried about the bond, just about the disorder," she said. "You can decide for yourself on Sunday."

"Why…"

"Oh, didn't I mention," she said nonchalantly, "Lizzie met a guy at the club last week. She's having dinner with him Sunday night. We're going with them."

"Guess its good I don't fly out til Monday morning," he smirked.

"Guess so," she grinned.


"Can you pass the pepper?"

Rafael had to smile to himself as Landon reached for Chad's latest request.

For some reason, Chad decided he had to sit next to Landon at dinner—then proceeded to annoy Landon to no end by asking him to pass everything.

Though Rafael was invited to the 'family' dinner, he still wasn't sure if he was considered family to everyone.

"There is some news," Seylah said, nodding at Chad.

"This should be good," Maya said with a teasing smile.

"Seylah thinks I'm ready to train at the academy," Chad said.

"So you'll finally be a real deputy?" Maya asked.

"I thought he already was a real deputy?" Rafael asked.

"I am!" Chad insisted, aghast that someone would say any different.

Mac hid a private smile, "Close enough." She bent the rules on the traditional role, but she never put him in any danger.

"Can you pass the rolls?" Chad asked.

Landon sat his own fork down slowly and deliberately, trying not to show his annoyance as he picked up the basket right in front of them to hold out to him.

"How is school, boys?" Seylah asked.

"Okay," Ethan said around a bite of food.

"There was a full moon this week," Mac said. "Everything go okay with that?"

"Yeah," Ethan nodded.

"You too, Rafael?" Seylah asked.

"That was the only night I didn't have to change," Rafael said. "You didn't have to either, right?" he asked Ethan.

Ethan shrugged, "I always turn with the other wolves."

"Why?" Maya asked. "I mean, you don't have to."

"Just because I don't have to doesn't mean I shouldn't," Ethan replied. "They're my pack."

Rafael looked down at his plate. There were reasons he couldn't turn with them, but Ethan was right. He should've been there. Maybe he would break the sire bond by the next full moon.

"Oh my God," Maya said suddenly, mouth dropping open.

"What?" Ethan asked.

"Is there garlic in this?" Maya said, pointing at her plate and staring at Rafael in horror.

"Ha ha," Ethan said, "Very funny. You know better."

"Spoil my fun," Maya laughed, poking her brother.

Rafael shook his head, amused.

"And you, Maya?" Seylah asked. "The internship?"

Mac looked up at that too. She hadn't heard much from Maya about it. She mostly got an annoyed, "Mom!" whenever she asked.

"Oh that," Maya looked down and moved her mashed potatoes around. "I'm not sure I'll keep doing that."

"Why not?" Ethan asked. "It's a dream job."

"Plus, working with the Mayor is kinda cool, right?" Chad interjected.

"It's your dream job," Maya said to Ethan. "And Mayor Donovan is alright," she answered Chad. "But… it wasn't what I expected."

"How so?" Mac asked.

"I figured I'd be filing paperwork and answering phones," she shrugged. "It's not like that."

She didn't want to get into it. Caroline said she referred her to the job so she could get the human perspective of vampires from one of her human friends. But Maya was pretty sure they created the internship just for her. Turned out, being a human who knew of the existence of supernaturals made her the perfect person to turn into a narc. Keep an eye on things at the school in case there was trouble. She didn't like it. And she was kind of confused. If Caroline wanted her to like vampires, why send her to Mayor Donovan who wasn't their biggest fan.

"The same vampire who killed and turned my sister, killed my best friend. Being a part of this world has cost me a lot. As a human, knowing the truth, you need to be prepared. They could turn on you in an instant. Funny thing is, you knowing the truth means you're valuable. You can help keep an eye on things that the rest of us can't. The local high school for instance."

She was glad for Caroline's help, or she would be weird around Raf, but she didn't like the idea of being a narc. And seeing as how the majority of the vampires in Mystic Falls all stayed at the same boarding school, she didn't think there really was a problem to keep an eye out for. But, if she got paid to report nothing while working at the Grill, she didn't see any problem with the extra money.

"What's it like?" Mac asked.

Maya shook her head, "Just boring."

Searching for a new topic, her eyes landed on Landon across the table.

"What about you, cuz?" she asked. "You've been pretty quiet."

"Nothing new to report," Landon said, hoping dinner would be over soon. "Just helping Raf."

"Reach any new horizons?" Maya joked, referring to his flying.

"No," Landon said.

"Has the school turned up anything else about your abilities?" Mac asked.

"Yeah," Maya said. "I mean, isn't that the point of the school? To teach you how to be you?"

"I do fine with being me," Landon said with a forced smile. "Regeneration and flying are enough."

"But what if you could, like, produce fire all over?" Chad asked. "Not just in the wings. You could be the Human Torch! Or, volcano! You could spew lava and not even know it, and, like, years from now you could be talking and the lava just starts pouring out and you had no idea it would happen because the school never taught you that."

Everyone stared at Chad.

"What?" Chad asked. "It could happen."

"In that case," Landon muttered pointedly, "I'll be sure to keep my mouth shut."

"I'll speak with Alaric," Seylah said. "There must be a way to learn of your abilities."

"Why not just have Mom ask him?" Maya asked with a sly look at her mother.

"Maya," Mac said in warning.

"How was dessert last week?" Maya said suggestively.

"Gross," Ethan made a face. "Stop. Please."

"I'd much rather know if you're interested in anyone, missy," Mac said then looked at the rest of the kids. "And what about the rest of you?"

They all looked around and shrugged.

"No love interests at all, huh?" Mac said. "Now that's a first."

Rafael refrained from glancing at Landon. Raf had an interest alright, it just wasn't one he should have. No use mentioning her.

"It's getting pretty late," Landon observed. "I think Raf and I should get going so we're not walking back too late."

"Nonsense," Mac said. "What are you boys going to walk for? Ethan can drive you."

Ethan looked up like a deer in headlights. He normally wouldn't have a problem with that, except he already promised a ride to someone else…

"Um…" Ethan cleared his throat.

"Ethan," Mac said with a pointed confused look.

"Yeah, that's fine…" Ethan said. "I just have to make one stop first."

"Thanks," Landon said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He was really hoping he could just leave now.

"Can you pass the peas?" Chad asked.

Resisting the urge to dump the bowl over his head, Landon reached for the latest request.

Why couldn't Ethan have said 'no'?

"Landon," Seylah said, "There's a music event in town square tomorrow evening. Described as indie, I believe that is your favorite, no?"

"It is," he nodded stiffly.

"Perhaps you can join me?" she asked. "I wish to learn more of this indie music."

"Uh," that sounded like the last thing he wanted to do. "I'll let you know."

Rafael felt uncomfortable for the both of them. He knew Landon was resistant to spending time with Seylah, but he also knew Seylah would like to make some kind of connection with her son. In a bid to cover up the awkwardness, he turned the conversation back to Ethan.

"What stop?" he asked.

"I promised to give a friend a ride home too," Ethan said, grabbing for another roll himself.

"Can you pass the butter?" Ethan asked Landon from his other side.

When Landon gave him a look as if to say 'really,' Ethan shrugged apologetically. He couldn't reach the butter as it was in front of Chad—one of the many things he had asked Landon to pass.

"Oh, right," Mac nodded. "Hope."

Rafael and Landon both looked up quickly at her name.

"The stop is for Hope?" Landon asked.

"Yeah," Ethan said, shoving a piece of buttered bread in his mouth without looking at them. He knew it would be a problem, but his mother insisted. Landon—and even Rafael—were family now, so giving them a ride shouldn't be a problem. He just hoped his other family wouldn't mind too much.

"Yeah, well," Rafael put his napkin on the table. "That means I really do have to walk. I'm not allowed to be around her."

"Its fine," Seylah said firmly. "A short car ride."

"But—" Rafael tried to explain even though he thought they already understood.

"Hope's a big girl," Mac said. "And we all know you'd never hurt her."

He couldn't argue with that. He would rather die than ever do anything to harm her. Of course, he wouldn't be able to sit in the truck as long as she did, but he figured he could climb into the back of the pickup until they reached the school.

"I miss Hope," Chad said. "And Lizzie. Do you guys see them much?" He posed the question for everyone but looked at Landon when he asked.

"Uh, no," Landon replied, wondering—once again—why Chad kept insisting on talking to him.

"Maybe we should invite them for dinner next time?" Chad asked hopefully.

Maya nearly snorted when she laughed, "Maybe after you make it through the academy."

"Now that'll be cause for celebration," Mac said.

"Yes," Seylah said with her Mona Lisa smile, "a graduation party."

"Looks like we'll have a lot of those this year," Mac said, nodding around at the boys.

"Only if I can learn to control myself," Rafael said. Landon and Ethan were doing well in their studies and they knew enough about their powers that they were well on their way to graduating on time.

"You will," Seylah nodded firmly.

That was the thing about Seylah. She said a lot without saying much at all. From the first moment Rafael met her, he knew she approved of him as a person and accepted him as Landon's best friend. Since Malivore's defeat and Landon's insistence that Rafael be included in all family events as his brother, Seylah had only grown to accept him even more. So much so, that those couple words of encouragement meant a great deal to him. It meant she believed in him.

Hopefully Landon figured out sooner, rather than later, to accept his mother.

"I'm always down to party," Chad said.

"I couldn't agree more," Maya said with a wink.


"Are you on your second or third sketchbook?" Hope asked.

"Third," Clarke said into her hair, holding her from behind as she leaned against him and looked over the canvas in front of her.

"And I still can't read it yet?" Hope asked. She reached out and traced her paintbrush down the outer edge of the portrait.

"One day I'll read it to you," he promised.

"How many years have you covered so far?"

"At least the first hundred," he said.

"Three books per hundred years?" she asked. "You're gonna need a bigger bookshelf."

He shrugged.

"I think this is almost done, finally," she leaned back against him again to take in the entire canvas. Getting grounded for a month meant she couldn't work on the piece she planned to hang in their living room.

"Yep, it's a mountain lion," he said matter-of-factly.

"Stop," she said, putting the paintbrush down and wrapping her arms around his. "You know why it's important to me." The one she made in Wyoming was on the wall in her dorm room. She wanted one here too.

"Because you used magic to heal one once, yeah," he said.

"And because it makes me think of my mom," she said.

"Your mother was a hybrid," he pointed out.

"My mother taught me the value of life," she said. "All life. Healing that mountain lion after I had been forced to kill so many creatures reminded me not to lose sight of that…"

"I still think of the Pixie Queen sometimes," she continued. "I wish I had found some way to save her… You did release Jack O Lantern, right?"

She attempted to glance over her shoulder at him.

"Who?" he asked.

"Ryan!" she turned around in his arms.

"Yes, I know who you're talking about," he said, "And yes, I released him." Though he would never tell her it didn't matter if he had or not. The creature was completely lost without his queen. Clarke was pretty sure he wouldn't be happy ever again.

"Good," she said. "Thank you."

She felt the vibration of her phone and grumbled, "Darn it."

"What?"

"Ethan said he'd message me before he left so I'd be ready when he got here," she said, reading the message on her phone.

Leaving now. Landon & Raf are with me.

Why hadn't she just taken a Lyft? she grumbled to herself as she typed out her reply.

Park down by the gas station.

The gas station was about ten blocks away, but she didn't want the guys to know more than they needed to, especially not where their apartment was. Rafael attacked Ryan before. She wasn't letting him anywhere near him. And she certainly wasn't going to let Raf know where to find Ryan either.

"He'll be here in fifteen minutes," she said.

"In that case," he said, walking closer to her. "We should start our goodbye now."

"Good because I need something to tide me over til tomorrow," she grinned.

He wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him while he found a clear spot against the wall to press her against.

She moaned into his mouth and clutched at his shoulders.

Fifteen minutes definitely wasn't long enough, but she would take what she could get.


Ethan pulled to a stop and put the truck in park.

He quickly messaged Hope to let her know he arrived, but knew it would take a bit for her to get there. He understood her reasoning and he didn't mind waiting. He only felt bad that he had to put her in that position.

"I'm gonna wait over there so she can find me," Ethan said as he opened the door and jumped down. "Be right back."

Rafael sighed as Ethan's door closed and he reached for his own door in the backseat where he sat next to Landon, "Guess I'll get in the back now."

"Raf, don't," Landon shook his head. "Just wait until she gets here. I know her. She'll tell you its okay."

Rafael let go of the door handle. A part of him was actually excited by the possibility. He hadn't been able to lay eyes on her since the dance. He was on the verge of hunting down a photo of her just to remember that smile more clearly—not like he would ever forget.

The last time he spoke with her hadn't been that pleasant. She sympathized with him, and he could tell she felt badly for everything he was going through. But he could also tell she wasn't happy with him. She was worried about what he was capable of. He didn't blame her. He attacked Clarke and nearly killed Lizzie in the process.

That night she let him know she didn't blame him or hold it against him, that she just wanted him to get better. Then she apologized for making him go against his free will right before she commanded him to never hurt Clarke again, never hurt or kill anyone—unless it was self defense—and, lastly, to never come near her again until the sire bond was broken.

Thankfully she left immediately after that or he would've probably torn the cell apart trying to get out of the room and away from her.

He wished she had told him to stop thinking about her too. It was torture, feeling her when she was close by and never being able to see her. The side effect, of course, meant he forced himself to change even more. If he could just break the sire bond, he would get to see her again.

But maybe he would get the chance tonight…

"Okay, I'll wait," he said, sitting back. He didn't feel her yet, so he could relax for the moment.

"Good, don't leave me to an awkward car ride," Landon said. "Dinner was more than enough."

Rafael laughed.

"I just don't get Chad," Landon shook his head.

"You can't always choose your family?" Rafael offered.

"I can though," Landon insisted. "I have. You're my family. And yeah, okay, the rest of them I didn't get to pick, but still, he's not blood."

"Seylah picked Chad," Rafael said.

"I didn't."

"She didn't pick me either," Rafael pointed out. "But she accepted me."

"That's different…" Landon trailed off though because he knew Rafael was right.

"You know it's the same thing," Raf said. "Just admit it and accept it."

"Fine," Landon said. "Chad's the son she got to pick. I'll just keep being the one she was forced to have."

"That's not the way she sees it at all, and you know it," Rafael said.

"Do I?" he asked in disbelief.

"Look, man," Raf turned to Landon, "You found your mom. And she wants to know you. Some of us aren't that lucky."

Landon looked down, feeling even more awful. If only things had gone differently when he first went to meet Seylah, back when he had been so hopeful. Back when he was optimistic.

"At least she's making an effort," Rafael continued. "You should go to that music thing. You know you would've already been planning to go if you knew about it. Just go with her. She might even surprise you."

Landon sighed. Raf was right. Of course, Seylah wasn't the problem with that one. Hope was. That was the first place he danced with her, the first time he had connected with someone he really liked. It had been almost like their first date. It brought back a lot of memories… But if he really wanted things to ever change with Seylah, he should probably try.

"I'll think about it," Landon hedged.

Rafael looked away suddenly. He felt her.

"I think I gotta go," he put his hand on the door handle again.

"Wait," Landon said, opening his own door. "I'll call out to her. Just keep your eyes closed or something."

"It doesn't work that way," Rafael said but he closed his eyes anyway.

Landon slid out of the back and kept the door open. He motioned to Ethan who had looked over when he heard the door open.

Ethan nodded. He knew what he was asking.

"Hey!" Hope called out, running up to meet him. She pushed a stray hair out of her face. "Got here as fast as I could."

"Raf's in the back seat," Ethan nodded to the vehicle. "If you don't say anything, he's gonna try to spend the ride in the back of the truck."

"Right," she grimaced.

"Sorry about this," he said.

"It's okay," she said. "Just a quick ride back to school, right?"

"That's the plan."

Hope looked across and nodded at Landon, who opened his door all the way.

"Raf, its okay!" she called out. "You can be near me for the ride!"

"Was that enough?" Landon asked, looking at his friend.

Rafael relaxed completely again, removing his hand from the door handle and breathing much easier, "Yeah."

"We're good!" Landon called back.

Hope nodded and followed Ethan slowly back to the truck. She couldn't help but think this was pretty ridiculous. At least things hadn't gone too far with Ryan that night. Considering Raf completely wolfed out on Ryan the last time, she didn't want to be the cause of more of that.

She sighed and climbed into the passenger seat next to Ethan.

"Hi, guys," she said softly, glancing back quickly.

"Hi, Hope," Rafael answered, knowing he was staring at her. He couldn't help it. If possible, she was even more beautiful than he remembered.

"Hey," Landon said.

Ethan shook his head and put the truck in gear. It was going to be the longest ride back to school.

The tension could be cut with a knife for the first several minutes.

Ethan wagered no one knew what to say. He almost asked Hope about her evening, but then he remembered she spent it with Ryan and that was a sore topic for the other guys.

Rafael didn't want to waste the opportunity to talk to Hope for the first time in weeks, but he struggled to think of something—anything—until he finally settled on something he had been struggling with all week.

"Hope," Raf said to get her attention. "Landon said you'd talk to the wolves?..."

Hope braced herself. That was pretty much the last subject she wanted to discuss, especially now that she knew Ethan's plans.

"What about?" Ethan asked.

"I said I'd talk to them if you decided you still wanted it," Hope said. "Does that mean you do?"

"Want what?" Ethan asked.

"Alpha," Landon said. "I'm sure you know what's going on. You are a wolf."

Ethan glanced at Hope and saw her wincing apologetically at him.

"Well, do you?" Ethan asked.

"Yes," Rafael answered even though he was still uncertain. He would rather talk to Hope about it, get her opinion, but in his bid to talk to her he forgot that Ethan was there and was one of the wolves in question.

"That's too bad," Ethan said.

"Ethan," Hope said quietly, trying to convey to him that now wasn't the time.

"So you agree with the wolves?" Landon asked.

"Well, yeah," Ethan said with some amusement, finding it funny that anyone would disagree.

"That's too bad," Rafael replied. "Because I am alpha."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Ethan said.

"The wolves should let me know if they have a problem," Rafael said.

"And yet they haven't," Ethan said. "Is it because they're afraid of you or because they just don't know you? You've been alpha for, what, over a year now? Do you even know anything about your pack?"

"You've been at the school for, what, three months now?" Rafael asked. "What do you know?"

"You'd be surprised," Ethan said.

"So, are you one of the ones who think being a hybrid makes me different from a wolf?" Rafael asked. "That I should just step down and let a real wolf take over?"

"No, I'm not," Ethan said. "I think you should be challenged."

"No one has the stones to do that," Rafael smirked.

"Didn't I mention you'd be surprised?" Ethan asked.

"Who, then?" Rafael asked.

"Someone who actually cares, who puts the pack first, who the pack can count on to be there for them every day—not just when it's convenient for them," Ethan said.

"It's not as if I don't care!" Rafael argued. "I've got to break the sire bond."

"Right," Ethan nodded. "And who knows when that will happen."

"I'll fight anyone who challenges me and I'll win," Rafael declared.

Hope looked down, straightening her shirt, waiting for the rest of this conversation to play out. It was definitely needed. She couldn't disagree with Ethan. She had witnessed her mother as alpha. There was a reason they loved and respected her. Ethan may be new, but he knew what was right.

"Then I guess you'll be fighting tomorrow," Ethan said.

"Ethan…" Landon finally connected the dots. "You're really going to…"

"Because I'm challenging you," Ethan glanced over his shoulder.

Rafael stared at him, a million emotions warring inside. His wolf was raging that anyone would dare to challenge his authority, his place in his pack. But the sane part of him was struggling to maintain control. This wasn't the hybrid, this was the wolf. And he knew how to control the wolf.

"Why not pull over and do it right now?" Rafael suggested despite his tenuous grasp on control.

Ethan shook his head, "In front of the pack. There won't be any question who alpha is when it's over."

"Whoa, Ethan, wait," Landon leaned forward. "Let's talk about this."

"I just did," Ethan said.

"Uh, Hope?" Landon asked. "Don't you have something to say?"

"Not really," she shrugged. "I'm not part of the pack. I shouldn't have a say."

Great, Landon thought. Now she chooses to go back on her word. Why wasn't he surprised? "But you said…"

"I said I'd talk to the wolves," Hope turned around as best she could in her seat. "I did. I talked to Ethan. And the wolves have the right to challenge the current alpha."

"Does that mean you agree with them?" Rafael asked her. Her words would carry more weight than anyone else's.

"It means I can't be a part of this," Hope said, making eye contact with him for the first time. "It's up to the pack."

"Technically, I can't fight him," Rafael said. He was commanded not to hurt anyone. It wasn't possible to fight Ethan without her say-so.

Hope sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this, Ethan?"

"You know it."

"Raf, you can fight Ethan," she said. "But you can't kill him."

"I wouldn't," Rafael denied, and maybe even a little offended.

Hope didn't bother replying to that. She wasn't taking any chances.

Ethan and Rafael would fight tomorrow for the prize of being named alpha over the school pack.

Thankfully, she wouldn't be there to witness it.


To be continued…