-⊰-※-⊱-
Hope looks at the clock on the wall, her frown deepening one more time. She's been pushing off her training session with her aunt Rebekah for the past twenty minutes. She was just so sure that Penelope would show up... She always shows up. The Mikaelson girl sighs, accepting that her friend is not coming today.
Rebekah places a gentle hand on Hope's shoulder. "Maybe we can start training and Penelope could join us when she gets here?"
"I don't know... Should I go over to her room and see if she's okay?"
"I think she just needs a little time darling." The blonde woman watches as her niece bites her lip, visibly hesitating on what to do. "She'll come around when she's ready."
"Right." Hope nods. "Okay... Let's start."
The tribrid follows her aunt and tries to push every thought of Penelope out of her mind, but it doesn't work. She ends up on the ground way too many times that day, but that was to be expected. Rebekah is one of the Original vampires, of course her fighting skills would be superior. And besides, the Mikaelson girl can't say she's totally focused...
The remaining of the day looks pretty much the same as her training session. She spends time with her aunt, with lingering thoughts of a certain witch running through her mind. The thing is, Penelope never shows up that day, and it makes Hope worry a little more with each passing hour. Rebekah is the only thing keeping the tribrid from going to the Park girl's room and see if everything is okay for Penelope.
Time. Penelope needs time, that's what Hope's aunt keeps repeating, and maybe the tribrid is tired of hearing that, but she won't tell her aunt about it. She'll give Penelope time, but it doesn't mean she doesn't feel the witch's sudden disappearance.
— I never thought I would miss Penelope Park teasing me... How did she became such a familiar presence in my life this quickly? Well, I guess that's how it feels when you've got a friend...
-⊰-※-⊱-
Second morning of training without Penelope Park.
Second morning of getting her ass kicked by her aunt.
When Hope's back collides with the floor, she groans in pain. Being a tribrid has nothing on an Original vampire who has lived through over a thousand years. Hope tries to get out of Rebekah's grip, but the hold her aunt has on her only gets tighter, and her smirk only gets more smug. After another failed attempt, Hope taps Rebekah's arm in surrender.
"Oh, wow..." Hope's head snaps in the door's direction, instantly recognizing the voice. "That's a first."
Somehow, Penelope's wink is so far from annoying in that moment. Hope's eyes are glued to the witch who's slowly walking into the room with her gym bag. The smirk on Penelope's face puts a small smile on Hope's.
"So, can I join even though your aunt is here?" The raven haired girl teases.
Hope nods quickly. "Uh, yes. I mean, of course you can." She then looks at Rebekah "Right?"
Rebekah roll her eyes and stands up, releasing Hope in the process. The blonde woman chuckles as Hope just sits up.
"You're acting as if we weren't waiting for her to join us." Rebekah teases.
Despite the blush covering her cheeks, Hope chooses to ignore her aunt's words. She watches as Rebekah grabs her water bottle and drinks from it, and understands that they are now officially having a break. Quickly, the tribrid stands up before carefully walking to the Park witch. Penelope's teasing smirk is still on, and as soon as she sees that Hope is close to her, she opens her mouth to speak, but the tribrid beats her to it.
"Hi..." She says softly "Are you okay?"
The concern in Hope's voice is enough to totally shatter Penelope's walls. The smirk slips and leaves place to a slightly shocked face.
"I'm sorry." The Mikaelson girl quickly blurts out. "Maybe you don't wanna talk about it, and that's okay. I've just... been worried."
Hope's words make Penelope's heart skip a beat, and for a moment she can't even meet the tribrid's eyes. So, she sets her bag on the floor, and it gives her a couple of seconds to recover.
"It was hard. I mean, my parents have done things like that before and maybe I should have expected this one... but it still hurts."
The ravenette sighs, and crosses her arms over her chest, a defensive gestures she's well aware she's using. Penelope finally looks Hope directly in the eyes, and the concern she reads in them pushes her to say more.
"I knew that my brother's arrival would change things, make them..." Penelope pauses, hesitating on her next words. "Worse, but I didn't expect it to affect me that much."
Tears are slowly building up in her eyes, and Penelope quickly wipes them away. She's not willing to cry again, no after spending the day before doing just that. Then she shrugs, trying to seem tougher than she feels in that moment. Just as she's about to brush it off, Hope reaches out and gently forces the witch to uncross her arms. When it's done, the tribrid carefully takes Penelope's hands in hers and squeezes. Hope's simple gestures are enough to totally break the walls the ravenette girl was trying to raise, and instead of trying to fight it, she allows herself to be vulnerable once again.
"I just needed a little time to process everything... and cry a little." She then gently squeezes Hope's hands back. "I'm sorry for worrying you."
The Mikaelson girl's smile is soft and it warms Penelope's heart, making her glad she decided to open up a little more.
"Girls!" Rebekah calls out. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but are we gonna train or what?"
Penelope smiles and starts walking to where the Original vampire is standing, but then Hope tugs on her hand, forcing her to turn around and meet the tribrid's eyes again.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Hope gently asks again, and Penelope nods. "Will you tell me if you aren't?"
This time the Park witch decides to use her words to reassure Hope. "I will."
The tribrid offers her friend a tight-lipped smile, worry still clouding her mind, but she knows she has to let it go for now.
"Okay."
They waste no time to get back to training after that. The three of them decide that it'll be Rebekah vs Hope and Penelope. For a short moment, the two girls manage to keep up with the vampire, but soon enough, the witch runs out of stamina and surrenders. The short haired girl sits to the side and watches her friend fight against her aunt.
The fight is brutal, sometimes it just looks like a blur due to them fighting at vamp speed. When she can actually see what's happening, the witch can't help but be thoroughly impressed. It seems neither Hope nor Rebekah wants to lose it. At one point, Hope falls to the floor following one of the blonde's attacks, and Penelope thinks it'll be over. But then somethings seems to switch within the tribrid.
Hope is suddenly back on her feet. She lifts her head and gets her hair out of her face, allowing the ravenette to watch in awe as the Mikaelson girl's face changes. The purple glow flowing through the veins covering Hope's face knocks the air out of Penelope's lungs. Her eyes are glued to the scene unfolding in front of her.
Rebekah's smirk barely has time to form before Hope is knocking her to the ground. The tribrid overpowers the Original vampire like it's nothing. The blonde hits the floor with a groan, but her famous Mikaelson smirk quickly appears on her lips.
— You don't wanna lose in front of her, huh?
The Mikaelson woman isn't ready to give up just yet though. She tries to get up, but in the blink of an eye, Hope straddles her, holding her down. The intensity on her niece's face gets worse every time she has to tighten her hold, and it makes Rebekah understand that the fight is over. She won't win this one, Hope won't allow her to.
Eventually, Rebekah taps the tribrid's arm in surrender. In a split second, Hope's hold on the Original vampire slackens and she lets herself fall on the floor next to her aunt. The Mikaelson woman watches her niece from the corner of her eyes. Hope's eyes are tightly shut, and there's tension in her jaw. Rebekah silently watches the blue veins slowly disappearing from the tribrid's face as Hope struggles to regain total control over herself.
Penelope watches the whole process silently. She sees everything unfolding and for a moment she wonders just how much strength it must take for Hope to control herself so quickly. The differences between the tribrid and a normal vampire — even an Original — keep making the witch more and more curious.
As soon as Hope's face goes back to normal, a smug smile graces her lips, making Rebekah and Penelope both roll their eyes. Hope's smile doesn't leave her face as she gets on her feet and help her aunt up. As soon as Rebekah is on her feet, she uses their joined hands to pull Hope close to her.
"Show off." Rebekah teases in such a quiet voice that only Hope can hear her.
Hope's cheeks reddens. "Sorry..."
The Original vampire chuckles, and then opens her mouth to answer when Penelope interrupts them.
"Are all the chicks in your family this badass?" The short haired girl asks them. "Like... Damn!"
Rebekah gives the raven haired girl a proud smirk, then she looks back at her niece.
"I like this girl!" Her glance then quickly shifts back to ravenette witch "And, yes darling. We are. Thank you very much." She finishes with a sly wink.
Hope glances between her aunt and the Park witch, a slow smile forming on her face. The way Penelope seems so happy to hear the Rebekah actually likes her warms the tribrid's heart. She feels two things at once. On one side, she's happy her aunt and her friend are getting along, and on the other side... It scares her a little.
-⊰-※-⊱-
The week goes on smoothly for the tribrid. The twins fall back into her life like they never left it at all. Their whole dynamic is the same as it used to be, and Hope couldn't be more happy for that. They sit together to eat, spend time together after class and even have a sleepover or two.
Another thing that makes her week so far from devastating — as she thought it would be —, is the addition of Penelope Park into Hope's life. It comes as a welcome surprise, and a wonderful bonus to having the twins back in her life and Rebekah's presence.
As the week comes to an end, her dad's death anniversary comes, and Hope doesn't feel as sad as she did the years before. Her aunt Freya surprised her with a family meeting via astral projection. She got to see all her family in the same room, it wasn't like a real reunion... but it was good enough.
Some time during the week, Rebekah notices something that makes her curious. Hope seems to be wearing the same three outfits all the time. She asks around about it, and the twins and Penelope confirm it, Hope does in fact wear the same thing all the time. Rebekah then suggests a shopping trip to remedy that situation.
Hope doesn't immediately looks thrilled, but she quickly sees it as an opportunity to get something for Penelope. She's been wanting to find a way to show her she's grateful for theirfriendship , and now she knows exactly what to give the short haired witch. The shopping trip was the perfect opportunity to get it.
The gift she plans on getting for the witch only makes her more and more happy about the idea of going shopping. After all, that's something they used to do a lot when they were younger. Hayley and Caroline — and Rebekah, before the Hollow — would always take her and the twins on these little shopping adventures. They only stopped when Hope's mother died, but time called for new traditions.
And due to the fact that her aunt Rebekah and Penelope were getting along super well, it was no surprise when the Original demanded that the witch joined them. Safe to say Hope wasn't at all opposed to that. Despite her feelings towards the ravenette getting somehow stronger and a bitconfusing to say the least during these last couple of days, she's happy Penelope is going to apart of their old tradition.
-⊰-※-⊱-
On Saturday morning, Hope finds herself standing next to Penelope and Lizzie in the common room as they wait for Josie. The brunette siphoner is in a corner of the room with Jade, she's been there for a lot longer than she said she'd be. The tribrid hears the conversation Penelope and Lizzie are having, but her eyes are on Josie and Jade. Hope smiles softly as she sees Josie laugh with her whole heart before leaning in and placing a lingering kiss on her girlfriend's lips.
"They're so cute, it's sickening." Lizzie says as she looks at the couple with disdain.
Josie walks over to them as Jade waves her goodbye. Hope, Lizzie and Penelope wave back, all of them smiling. When Josie is close enough, Lizzie rolls her eyes and then starts walking out of the room, soon followed by the other girls.
"Took you long enough." The blonde twin says over her shoulder.
Josie shrugs. "You're the only one complaining."
"Girls, no arguing, please?" Hope says with a small smile.
The Saltzman twins exchange a glance before both of them shrug, and just like that Hope knows it's over.
Soon enough, they get to Caroline's room, where the twins' mother and Rebekah are waiting for them.
"What took you girls so long?" Rebekah asks them.
Lizzie's eyes shine. "See!"
Josie rolls her eyes, ready to snap back, but then Hope sighs loudly.
"Enough. We've been over that. Let's just go now, okay?"
Everyone nods, making Hope relax instantly.
"Darling, why don't you take the girls in your car?" Rebekah suggests with a soft smile. "I'll go with Caroline, that way we'll have room for the bags, and you guys can have a fun road trip."
"Yeah." Hope agrees, suddenly smiling. "That sounds good."
"Wait." Penelope interrupts them. "You have a car?!"
Hope's smile gets bigger, and she quickly tells Penelope to follow her. When they get to the school's garage, the tribrid shows off her 1968 Shelby GT350 Convertible. Penelope's eyes widen when she sees the car.
"Dude...! How do you even have this?" The raven haired witch asks, walking towards the car, but she quickly stops and turns back when she hears soft giggles. What she sees is Hope, Josie and Lizzie sharing a look, identical smiles on their faces.
"What?" Penelope asks with a frown.
Hope walks around the car, letting her hand stroke the smooth surface.
"It was an 18 birthday present from Uncle Kol." She starts. "But it was actually my dad's car. Uncle Kol repaired it and then gave it to me, good as new."
Realization hits the raven haired witch, and she feels stupid for even asking.
— Oldest family in the world Penelope. Of course they'd have awesome old stuff.
Hope watches with a fond smile as the witch's eyes take every single part of her car in. She didn't think Penelope Park would be so fascinated by a car, but now that she sees it, she can't help but enjoy this part of the Park girl.
Penelope opens her mouth, and Hope waits to hear what she has to say, but then the witch closes her mouth. The tribrid watches as her friend bites her lip, clearly keeping herself from saying something.
Or asking something...
"You can drive it if you want." Hope speaks up, waiting for the short haired girl's reaction.
Penelope's head snaps in Hope's direction, her eyes wide with surprise, but still cautious.
"Really?" The ravenette asks, disbelief clear in her voice. "You sure?"
Hope nods her head and gives the witch a soft smile before saying; "So... Do you wanna drive it?"
"Yes, please!" Penelope says promptly, nodding her head excitedly.
Hope chuckles fondly at the girl's excitement.
"Enjoy it then." she says, throwing the keys over to her.
"Oh, I will." The witch gives the tribrid an genuine grateful smile. "Thank you."
Hope and Penelope jump a little when a voice adds itself to their conversation. They almost forgot they were not alone.
"Wait." Lizzie says, her eyes wide. "Hope, give me your blood."
The tribrid frowns, confusion written all over her face. "What? Why?"
" Satan's driving." Lizzie states, like it's the most obvious thing in the world, but then a small smirk appears on her face. "I need insurance she doesn't kill us all."
"Oh please! As if I would risk ruining this beauty." Penelope says, pointing to the car. "Plus, I would never hurt Hope or Josie... I can't say the same about you though, Voldemort .'" She teases.
Hope and Josie share a look before they both start laughing at Lizzie's shocked face.
"Bitch." The blonde says before hopping in the backseat of the car.
Josie follows her even though her laughter hasn't really died down yet. Then, it's Penelope and Hope who hops in the front seats, and just like that they're ready to go.
-⊰-※-⊱-
They've been driving for a while. Chatting, singing along to music, and making jokes... But Hope realizes at some point that Josie doesn't seem to be having fun like them. She looks in the rear-view mirror, trying to subtly see what's going on with the brunette. Josie is on her phone, texting. The tribrid says nothing for a moment, looking if the siphoner will eventually stop, but she doesn't.
"Hey Jo, is it Jade you're texting?" Hope tries to ask without sounding like she's been observing her for the past minutes.
Josie quickly looks up to meet Hope's eyes. "Oh, uh, yeah."
"Why didn't she join us?" The tribrid softly asks.
The brunette looks down like she's trying to decide on what to say before looking back up.
"Jade... doesn't feel like she's ready to be around so many humans yet." Josie sighs. "She's scared something will happen and that she'll lose control."
Hope nods, immediately understanding Jade's fear and knowing where it comes from.
"I could... teach her how to control her urges if she wants."
Josie looks unsure, and she avoids the Mikaelson girl's eyes.
"Jo... I won't let her hurt anyone. If something goes wrong, I'll stop her. Even if it means compelling her."
"What?" Penelope cuts them off. "But Jade's a vampire, you can't compel her."
"I can..." The tribrid shrugs. "I'm an original too. It's a long story. I'll tell you later."
"Of course you are..." The raven haired girl chuckles as she shakes her head. "As if you weren't badass enough."
Lizzie's laugh fills the car.
"Badass? This cuddle monster here?" She says as she points at the tribrid. "Oh please... Hope is almost as soft as Josie."
The auburn haired girl rolls her eyes. She's trying her best to be annoyed at her sister's teasing, but the way Penelope's smiling is enough to break that fake annoyance, and soon she joins the collective giggles.
When the giggles die down, Josie speaks up. "I'll ask her when we get back then. Thank you Hopey."
The sad look on Josie's face is gone after that, instead the brunette smiles softly. She's happy Hope is willing to get to know her girlfriend. They both mean a lot to her, and it means the world that the tribrid wants to let Jade into her life.
"Of course! Besides... it'll give us an occasion to have a little talk." The tribrid says with a wink.
Josie freezes. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Hope looks back ahead, and then turn the music up really loud. Life is a highway - Rascal Flatts
"Hope!" Josie yells.
The tribrid turns around and the pout on Josie's lips makes her laugh instantly. She laughs so hard that she has to wrap her arms around her stomach.
Without knowing, the twins and Penelope share almost the same thought. They all think about how good it feels to see Hope looking like this; Happy... free .
Josie soon joins the tribrid's laughter. She's happy to have Hope back in her life, even if it means putting Jade through a Mikaelson shovel talk.
They spend the rest of the road trip enjoying each other's presence. The wind is blowing through their hair. The music is loud at times, and silent at other times. They talk a little, they sing a lot. Basically, it's filled with them being happy.
One thing Hope can't help but notice is how she's often taking quick glances at Penelope. She notices small things she never noticed before, and finds them incredibly cute and beautiful . Like the way her eyes seem to close a little when she smiles, or how she squints them, scrunching up her nose, when the sun it's too bright. Or the way she puts her hair behind her ear when she laughs or when the wind blows it over her face. The way the corners on her mouth quirks up into this lovely grin when they're driving through an empty road and she gets to drive a little bit faster. And she finds it incredibly hard to take her eyes away when Penelope smiles so brightly that Hope thinks she'll be blinded if she stares for too long. But she doesn't seem to care, cause the ravenette witch probably has the most gorgeous smile Hope has even seen in her life...
Sometimes, Penelope catches her looking, but it's not awkward, it's more like a complicit look. Like they're sharing something, even if Hope is a little confused as to what that something is.
From the backseat, the twins watch it all unfold. They see the looks, the blushes... They both like the way Hope's smile looks so easy around Penelope. Both of them know exactly what is going on, but they won't spell it out for the tribrid. Hope needs to figure it out herself.
It doesn't stop Lizzie and Josie from sharing a knowing look though. They'll eventually get to tease their sister about this.
-⊰-※-⊱-
After about two and a half hours of driving, Penelope parks the car next to Caroline's, and they all get out. The sun is shining, and the weather is perfect for shopping. Not too hot, and not cold. They don't waste time before walking into the mall. Hope's eyes immediately go to the small jewelry shop she came here for. She wants to go there first, get this out of the way and enjoy the rest of her day, but then someone's tugging on her arm.
Penelope pulls Hope in the direction of a fancy clothing store, and the tribrid quickly understands that everyone is going there. She sends one last look to the jewelry shop, sighs and then follows the short haired girl willingly.
Hope walks behind Penelope as the witch looks around with a wide smile. She should've known shopping would be something Penelope enjoys doing. The tribrid's eyes wander from time to time. She looks over at the twins, seeing them both happy to be shopping for new clothes. Caroline and Rebekah are not far from them, mostly just chatting.
Hope's eyes go back to Penelope when the witch puts some clothes in her hands.
"You should try this." The Park girl's eyes sparkles. "I bet you'd look hot."
Hope playfully rolls her eyes. "Not my style. But thanks."
It's only Penelope's first attempt to make the tribrid try some clothes though. At each flirty comment, Hope starts to realize some of the suggestions are not actually that bad. She knows she'll have to buy some clothes eventually, that's why they're here in the first place. She just can't focus on clothes right now.
She made sure to call the jewelry store in advance to pre-order her little gift for Penelope. She's now just waiting for them to call, and to be honest, she feels rather nervous about it. She wonders if her friend will like it not.
When Hope's phone rings and she recognizes the jewelry store's number, the tribrid quickly excuses herself to Penelope and picks up the call away from the witch. They tell her the bracelet is ready, and a big smile appears on her lips. She hangs up quickly and goes back to the short haired witch.
"Pen?" Hope says as she gets close to the girl.
Penelope turns her head and smiles at Hope. "Yeah?"
"I need to go pick up something I ordered before coming here." Penelope opens her mouth to speak, but Hope quickly beats her to it. "How about you pick some clothes for me while I'm gone? It shouldn't be long, and the clothes you picked earlier looked great."
Penelope looks at her with a pout on her lips and Hope almost gives up on leaving, but then the witch sighs.
"Fine."
Hope gives her a soft smile. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes tops. And then I'll try on whatever you chose. Promise." She pauses for a second when Penelope gives her a mischievous smirk, so she quickly adds; "Just... be reasonable."
"No promises" The witch says slyly, wiggling her eyebrows in a teasing manner.
Hope shakes her head and with one last look, she walks away.
-⊰-※-⊱-
From where she's standing with Caroline, Rebekah sees her niece leaves Penelope behind. Of course she knows why Hope is leaving, but seeing the witch alone makes the Original want to go talk to her.
"Do you mind if I-" Rebekah starts.
"Go." Caroline says with a knowing smile. "I'll go check on the twins."
The Original vampire gives a grateful smile to her friend before walking over to the short haired witch.
"My niece left you behind." Rebekah says with a teasing smile.
Penelope quickly turns around to stand face to face with the blonde woman. The teenager gives Rebekah a little smile and then shrugs.
"She said she needed to go pick something up."
Rebekah nods. "Yeah, she told me about it."
Penelope eyes suddenly catch Rebekah's purse. "Is that from the new Prada collection?! But how? They just announced it!"
The blonde woman smirks. — I'm liking this girl more and more every second.
"It is." Rebekah says with a nod. "Well, I did had a hand in the creation of a few fashion brands, you know? Prada was one of them."
Penelope's eyes grow wide. "You what now?!"
Rebekah just shrugs. "Yeah, and it comes with some privileges." The smug smile on the woman's lips only make Penelope stare at her, impressed. "Besides... Going to the conventions is always fun."
"That's so cool!"
"Perks of living for a long time." Rebekah says, her voice sounding a little bored.
"Wait a minute. Now it makes sense..."
Rebekah frowns, suddenly confused. "What does?"
"How Lizzie and her mom always have the new stuff as soon as they're released, sometimes even before." Penelope releases a frustrated sigh. "I've been trying to make that girl spill for the last two freaking years! You've been her secret supplier all along."
Caroline appears behind Rebekah with a smirk.
"What can I say? Having a fossil as your best friend comes really in handy sometimes." She winks making Penelope laugh and Rebekah fake gasp.
"You just love me for my connections..." The Original says pretending to be hurt, but there's a hint of an smile on her lips.
Caroline's smirk turns into a real smile as she scoffs. "Uh...Duh! Who else gonna get me new season stuff before public release?"
"Bitch!" Rebekah says with a matching smile.
The two women share a laugh with Penelope. The witch then silently looks at these two women with a little sad smile, as she thinks about the fact that she'll never have the kind of relationship Rebekah and Caroline seem to have with Hope and the twins with her own mother.
It doesn't take long for Rebekah to notice the sad look on the young witch's face. It suddenly dawns on her that Penelope's mother probably never took her daughter out for a shopping trip, or even to do something remotely fun. Once again, the situation the young Park girl is in breaks Rebekah's heart.
"By the way..." Rebekah says softly as she looks at Penelope. "If you want something, just let me know and I'll have it sent it over to you."
Penelope's eyes widen. "Are you serious?!"
Rebekah chuckles fondly. "Of course. It would be my pleasure."
By knowing Rebekah the way she does, and by the kind smile on her face, Caroline takes that as her cue to leave. She gives her best friend's arm a quick squeeze and sends a soft smile to the ravenette witch before leaving them alone.
Then, Rebekah remembers it's the first time Penelope is joining one of their shopping trips and still doesn't know how it works.
"Oh! By the way... the girls already know this, but since it's your first time with us..." Rebekah says while pulling her wallet out. "Here." She says handling the girl a credit card. "Today's on me."
Penelope frowns.
"Buy whatever you want. And I mean it. Whatever you want. Don't even bother looking at the price, if you like it, buy it."
"Wait, you're paying everyone's stuff today?" The witch asks, disbelief written all over her face.
"Yeah, that's how it works." Rebekah says nonchalantly "It took a lot of convincing for Caroline to agree with this though. She thinks I spoil the girls too much. But come on... we have more money than we could ever spend, so... why not?"
"I get why they love you so much." Penelope shakes her head, amused, "You're the best."
"I know."
After that, Penelope keeps looking for clothes. She finds a couple of pieces for herself, more than she would have normally taken since Rebekah generously offered to pay for it, but her focus is mainly on finding Hope some good looking clothes.
She's looking at a white blouse when she sees Hope coming back from the corner of her eyes.
"You'd look good in that." The auburn haired girl says with a smile.
Penelope turns her head and looks Hope in the eyes. "I was actually thinking it would look good on you... But since you said that, I think I'll keep it for me."
"You should definitely keep that." Hope says with a newfound bravery, Mikaelson smirk firmly in place.
To Hope's surprise, a light blush slowly appears on the witch's cheeks but quickly it leaves place to a sly smile.
Penelope can't help but feeling quite proud. — Game on, Mikaelson.
The tribrid silently watches as Penelope reaches for a small pile of clothes and hands them to her.
"I chose these for you." The ravenette says. "Follow me."
She guides them to the back of the store, to an ample hallway where the fitting rooms are located. Penelope opens one of the fancy red curtains and gestures for Hope to go inside. Once the tribrid is inside, the witch follows suit, closing the curtain behind her. Hope quickly turns around and meets Penelope's eyes.
"You... you'll be changing in here too?" Hope asks, eyes wide, her previous confidence quickly disappearing.
"Of course." Penelope says slyly, then teasingly she raises an eyebrow. "I wouldn't lose this opportunity for anything."
"You're such a flirt..." Hope says rolling her eyes, hoping that the fake annoyance would mask her nervousness.
"I know, it's part of my charm."
"It's annoying."
"Nah, you love it." Penelope says with her confident smile. "Come on now."
"Ugh... fine."
The witch quickly makes herself comfortable on the bench of the spacious fitting room and tells Hope which shirt to try with which pants. Hope grabs the pieces of clothing tightly, still very nervous at the idea of taking her clothes off in front of Penelope. Which she finds a little stupid cause she changed clothes in front of people before. She does it in front of Lizzie and Josie all the time for fucks sake. But there's something in the way Penelope looks at her. Something different. Something special.
"Can you... look away for a second?" She asks shyly, but the witch shakes her head no.
"I don't think I can." Penelope says in such a soft way that, suddenly, Hope no longer cares that she's not going to look away. The ravenette stares at her with a gentle look in her eyes. Silently encouraging Hope to go ahead.
The tribrid is a little surprised when she hears no comment as she takes her clothes off. Penelope silently waits for her to change, so Hope does. She puts the black skinny jeans and white top on, just like the witch told her. Something looks off to her though, so she quickly looks back to Penelope.
"Wait." The short haired witch says.
The tribrid follows Penelope with her eyes as the witch stands up and gets closer. The Park witch looks at Hope for a couple of seconds before she starts working. First, she rolls both of the sleeves until they're just below Hope's elbows.
"Do you mind if I...?" Penelope asks as she looks down at the waistband of Hope's pants.
Hope nods, giving Penelope her consent to continue her work, but she still avoids looking at the witch because she's a little too close right now. The raven haired girl tucks the front of Hope's white shirt into her pants, just enough to make it look good. Then, Penelope gently unties the tribrid's hair, letting the auburn locks fall freely on her shoulders. The witch takes a step back and looks at her work, and for a moment Hope thinks she's done, but then she steps closer again. Penelope undoes two buttons on the tribrid's shirt and opens it a little.
"There you go..." Penelope says with a little smile. "I knew it... You're hot in these."
Hope takes a few moments to look at herself in the huge mirror before finally allowing her eyes to meet Penelope's again. "You've got good taste, I'll give you that."
"Of course I do, how do you think I always look fabulous?" Penelope winks and they share a little laugh. The witch waits until they're both done before talking seriously again. "So... did you like it?"
"Yeah, I really do. What else you got?" Hope asks with a raised eyebrow.
"I know you love black so..." The short haired witch hands the tribrid a black piece of clothing with a smirk. "Try this, I think you'll look great."
"A crop-top? Really?" Hope asks with a amused smile. "I wonder what Lizzie would say... ' Oh look! A tribrid in a crop-top ' "
"Idiot." Penelope chuckles "Come on, put it on. I'm curious."
Hope unbuttons the shirt and takes it off, placing it carefully into a basket before putting the loose crop-top on. And once again, she's pleasantly surprise at good it looks on her.
"Told ya." Penelope says upon seeing the pleased smile on Hope's face.
Hope gladly takes the next few outfits the witch hands her after that. To both of their pleasure, all the outfits look amazing on the tribrid. Hope is almost sad when she realizes there's only one left. She strips to her underwear once again, knowing full well Penelope's eyes are glued to her body. However, there's nothing in the ravenette's gaze that makes her uncomfortable this time. In fact, at each change of clothes she noticed it was getting easier and easier to be almost naked in front of the other girl. She takes her time to change, feeling strangely calm at the fact that Penelope is shamelessly checking her out.
At this point, Hope knows Penelope is somewhat into her, she's not stupid. She doesn't like to think too much about that though. What she does think about is how she can't explain to herself the sudden calm she feels, when she was so nervous earlier. She doesn't try to either.
She puts the last outfit on, a beautiful white peasant blouse and some jean shorts. When she looks herself in the mirror, a little smile stretches her lips. She loves that look, and the clothes are very comfortable.
"You should keep that on." Penelope says, her smile mirroring Hope's.
"Yeah... I think I will." The tribrid meets Penelope's eyes through the glass. "Well... your turn now, I guess."
The short haired girl's smile turns into a smirk as she stands up. Hope starts moving to go sit on the bench, but Penelope's voice quickly stops her.
"Actually... I think you'll have to stay there."
The ravenette then turns around, and Hope can't help but roll her eyes.
— Oh great! So now she's shy?
Soon enough, the tribrid understands just why Penelope turns around. She's actually gratefulshe did. The witch grabs the bottom of her shirt and slowly pulls it over her head to take it off, exposing her back to Hope and... as she suspected; no bra . And now that she comes to think of it, Penelope really doesn't look like the kind of girl to be bothered in wearing bras. In fact, Hope can't remember ever seeing her use one.
Penelope looks over her shoulder when her shirt is off, sending a quick sexy wink to Hope before taking her pants off too. Then, she reaches for a pair of fishnet tights and puts it on with a black pair of jean shorts. For the top, she decides to go with a loose black sweater. Penelope looks down at herself before deciding to slide the sweater down her shoulder to show some skin. Satisfied with her look, she turns around to face Hope.
Hope's eyes travel from Penelope's head, as she's fixing her hair, all the way down to her bare feet. Everything about the witch's look is black, her hair, her clothes and even the nails from both her hands and feet are painted black.
The tribrid gives a teasing smile to her friend . "What were you saying about me loving black again?"
"Oh well..." Penelope shrugs "What can I say? Looks good doesn't it?"
"I-It really does."
Hope hates the fact that she stuttered, but thankfully, Penelope says nothing about it. The witch turns around, quickly stripping this time. She tries a couple more outfits, each time asking for Hope's review. The tribrid doesn't say much, because she's afraid if she tries to speak, she won't be able to form words. Her mouth is dry and her pulse is racing.
— It should be illegal for someone to look this good . — She thinks, watching the curve of Penelope's body as she pulls off the most recent shirt. She'd feel bad for how obviously affected she is by the other woman, but frankly, Hope can't imagine anyone keeping their cool when faced with a shirtless Penelope Park.
— She knows exactly what she's doing to me , and she's enjoying it . — Hope realizes. The thought makes her heartbeat pick up even more.
A few combinations later, Penelope reaches for a pair of jean shorts that are lighter than the black ones she was previously wearing. There's two holes in them, each of them under both of the pockets, and the ravenette loves their look, especially when combined with the fishnet she decided to keep on. Penelope turns around once again. She pushes the shirt over her head, showing her naked back to Hope one more time — fully aware of the effect she's having on the older girl — and takes her time choosing what top to try on next. Her eyes ends up on a tight cropped tank top she picked up earlier.
— Perfect — Penelope thinks, a smile already playing on her lips as she puts it on.
Confidently, she turns her body to face the Mikaelson girl and her smile instantly turns into a sly smirk when she sees the surprised look on Hope's face.
Hope tries to play it cool but she fails. Her gaze quickly falling on the girl's chest.
The white soft, flexible fabric caresses Penelope's breasts like a second skin leaving little to the imagination. Hope's eyes widen at the sight of hardened, pierced nipples poking through the soft material.
— Oh come on! That's just not fair! Why does she have to look this fucking good?!
The tribrid feels her heart hammering hard and fast inside her chest, and she hopes that Penelope can't hear it too, otherwise she'll never hear the end of it.
The smirk on Penelope's lips only seems to get wider the longer Hope's eyes stay on her chest, and she can't help but feel extremely satisfied with herself. She knew she'd definitely have some effect on the older girl, but this... is way more than she expected.
"My eyes are up here, Hope." She teases softly after a few amusing seconds.
Hope's face reddens and her eyes snap up so quickly she feels dizzy. The tribrid's not entirely sure if the fast movement is the real reason for her dizziness though. She swallows hard as images of Penelope's chest still flashes in her mind.
"Sorry." She mumbles, embarrassed.
Penelope chuckles softly.
"Don't be. I mean..." She waves her hand over her chest, smirk still firmly in place. "I would stare too." The witch says with a sexy look, amusement clear in her voice.
Hope's eyes were fighting a losing battle to stay on Penelope's face, before she gives up and let them drop to the witch's amazing body practically on display. Penelope's chest draws Hope's attention like a magnet. The tribrid finds herself unable to take her eyes from it, making her heart race and her mouth go suddenly as dry as desert.
— Damn... I should get mine pierced too. — She muses, her mind going into dangerous places, but finding herself powerless to stop it.
But then — god knows how long later — Penelope's beautiful chuckle shakes her out of whatever trance she was in.
"You totally should." Penelope says, not even trying to hide the overjoyed tone in her voice. "Fair warning though; It hurts like a bitch."
"Shit!" Blood rushes to Hope's face as quickly as her eyes shoot up once again. She feels like digging herself into a hole. — I didn't mean to say that out loud!
"I-I'm sorry!" Her eyes meet Penelope's mischievous — and stunning — hazel ones, and the sly smile on her face momentarily steals all the air from Hope's lungs.
— What the bloody hell is happening to me?!
Penelope just shrugs before she gently gets Hope to move from in front of the mirror. She sways her body softly while checking herself out on the mirror in front of her. She stands there totally at ease — as if she wasn't wearing an almost see through top —, feeling proud and confident as ever. A permanent smile on her face as Hope's eyes follow her every move.
"Can... can you please change?" Hope stumbles over her words, her heart feeling like it's trying to jump out of her chest.
Penelope takes a step forward and Hope takes one back, making the witch raise an eyebrow.
"But I thought you were enjoying the view..." She teases.
Hope is avoiding her eyes, and honestly, Penelope is absolutely loving how adorably shy Hope looks right now and how she's able to drag this sort of reaction out of the tribrid.
Hope's emotions makes her features change, and it seriously makes Penelope happy to see she can cause the auburn haired girl to get this flustered. It warms her heart to see the tribrid being affected to this point, and she can't deny the fluttery feeling in her stomach at seeing Hope like this.
Penelope's hazel eyes shine in delight at seeing how Hope's face is covered by this adorable shade of pink, quickly getting red as she keeps on blushing. How she keeps trying to look away, but her blue eyes always end up meeting hers again. Or how her mouth opens several times but no words comes out.
Every little detail enthralling her to the point where she finds herself falling even more for the auburn haired girl.
"Am I distracting you?" Penelope teases again, her voice coming out way softer this time.
Hope's feels more blood rushing to her face, making her blush get even darker.
"Y-yes." She mumbles.
"Why?" Penelope asks innocently while batting her eyelashes, but Hope can clearly hear the teasing tone to her voice.
The Mikaelson girl gives the witch a pleading look, but Penelope only raises an — annoyingly perfect — eyebrow, waiting for an answer.
"You know why." Hope pleads, but the raven haired girl's not having it.
The Park girl takes a small step closer to the tribrid, and Hope takes another one back.
"Penelope..." Hope whines. "You know you're hot..."
"Do I, now?" It takes an weirdly amount of will power for Penelope to play it cool and not show the effect those words had on her. Instead, she looks deep into those ocean eyes, crooking her head slightly to the side, urging the girl to properly answer her question.
"You know you are." Hope insists, the deafening thumping of her heart not allowing her to notice how Penelope's heartbeats also races. "So why do you need me to say it?"
"Oh! So you think I'm hot." The witch teases.
Another step closer. Another one back.
"That- That's not what I said." Hope says, feeling trapped.
A fake gasp leaves Penelope's lips, and she places her hand over her heart, making Hope's eyes flicker to her chest once more. She quickly catches herself though and looks back into the ravenette's eyes.
"No?" She says, her lips making a pout she clearly learned from Josie.
She didn't know it was even possible, but somehow, Hope thinks that Penelope's pout looks even cuter than Josie's... — Oh god... Kill me now!
"Okay!" Hope relents, trying to prevent the raven haired girl from taking another step closer.
Penelope looks at her, her hazel eyes shining in expectation.
"You- You're hot okay? You're infuriatingly hot , Penelope." She finally confesses, feeling like her face is on fire. "Happy?"
Penelope indeed gives her a happy smile while nodding her head.
"That's all I wanted to hear." She winks, before taking a few steps back
"Can you please change now?" Hope begs once she feels like she can breath again. "Like... Pretty please ?"
The witch can't help but giggle, totally amazed. "Well... Since you asked so nicely, of course."
She turns back around and pushes the top over her head. She folds it carefully and places it on her own basket, adding to the small pile of clothes.
— I'm definitely buying that. Thank you, Rebekah!
Penelope takes off her shorts and tries a short blue dress next, but she can't reach the zipper in the back.
"Zip me up?" The raven haired girl asks sweetly.
Hope sighs, already knowing it's probably a bad idea, but still doing it. The tribrid almost curses when her fingers brush Penelope's skin. She's so focused on her own goosebumps, that she doesn't even notice the shiver running down the witch's back.
A "wow" escapes Hope's mouth when Penelope turns around to face her. She looks absolutely gorgeous.
— Why does everything about her looks beautiful to me now?!
The Mikaelson girl tries to shake those thoughts out of her head but they keep coming. At some point, she finds herself imagining how it would feel like to actually date Penelope Park. When she realizes this, she quickly scolds herself.
— It cannot happen Hope. You already got her as your friend. That's good enough. That's dangerous enough. That's scary enough...
But she can't help it. As soon as Penelope's eyes meet hers, Hope speaks again.
"You look amazing!"
"Oh wow!" This time, Penelope can't totally play it cool and her eyes grow a little wide. " Another compliment?! Must be my lucky day... I'm seriously flattered." Despite trying to be her teasing self, her voice comes out sweet, and Penelope finds herself swooning inside.
— This girl is gonna be the death of me... — She thinks. — When did I became this mess?! Ugh! Get it together Penelope! Who am I kidding?! I'm so fucking whipped...
Penelope takes a quick look at the price tag, biting her lip when she sees the numbers on it.
"Isn't it too expensive though?"
Hope doesn't even bother to look at the price. "You like it, don't you?"
"Yeah..."
"Then it's not too expensive." Hope says softly, before playfully adding "Besides, If you return this, I think auntie Bex might kill you."
Realization quickly crosses Hope's face as she takes Penelope's outfit in. The bracelet would complement it perfectly, but suddenly she feels nervous all over again.
Hope takes a deep breath. "I... huh- I got you something."
The tribrid says that shyly while glancing a the small bag sitting on the bench. Penelope follows Hope's gaze, her eyes falling on the little bag too. Curiosity quickly seeping into her as she sees the Mikaelson girl reach her hand and then an even smaller velvet bag comes flying to her hand. Hope takes a step closer, looking down at the bag in her hand, deep in her thoughts. It takes her a couple of seconds to look up again and hand the bag to the ravenette.
Penelope takes the bag in her hands delicately. At first, she just holds it, but then the curiosity comes crashing back into her and she looks right back into Hope's eyes. The tribrid understands the silent question immediately and offers a nod in answer. It's all the witch needed to open the small velvet bag in her hand. She empties the bag's content in her hand, her eyes widening a little as she sees a small bracelet.
The bracelet seems to be made of little silver leaves all entwined together to form a delicate and simple piece of jewelry.
Hope can't take her eyes off of Penelope since the ravenette's eyes are literally shining as she's looking at the bracelet.
Penelope quickly looks up. "Could you put it one me?"
Hope nods, getting even closer to the Park girl. The tribrid tries to swallow down her nervousness, but it's no use. She takes the small bracelet and puts it around Penelope's wrist. Everything goes right until Hope has to clasp it, that's when her hands start to shake. At first she mentally yells at herself to just stop shaking, but it doesn't work. Penelope says nothing, she patiently waits with a small and soft smile on her lips.
Hope finally clasps the bracelet and lets out a relieved sigh. She watches as Penelope's eyes are still glued to it.
"Do you like it?" The Mikaelson girl softly asks, trying her best to hide the nervousness in her voice.
Penelope's eyes snap up to meet Hope's. "Hope... It's beautiful, I love it."
Hope finally smiles too. "Yeah?"
The raven haired girl nods, looking back at the bracelet. The longer she looks at it — studying every little detail —, the more she thinks she already saw it before. It takes a few seconds for her to remember exactly where.
"Looks like the one Josie wears." She finally says.
"That's 'cause it's the same one..." Hope replies, smiling shyly. "I gave the twins this same bracelet a few years ago."
Hope almost chuckles as a cute little frown appears on Penelope's face.
"Lizzie has one too? How come I never saw it before?"
The tribrid's smile turns into a teasing smirk. "Do you often look at her feet?"
Hope's teasing just seems to confuse Penelope even more.
"What?" She asks, baffled. "Why would I look at her feet?"
"Lizzie wear hers around her ankle." The Mikaelson girl finally explains when she's done chuckling.
"Oh right... that makes sense." Penelope lets her fingers run over the silver bracelet, and soon curiosity gets the best of her again. "Why are you giving me the same one?"
Hope's smile falters a little. Deep down she knew her gift would prompt some questions, but she honestly isn't all that well prepared to answer them. Still, the tribrid takes a deep breath before giving an explanation.
"Josie and Lizzie mean the world to me, you know that." Penelope nods, so Hope keeps speaking. "I wanted to, I don't know... give them something to show that. A little something for them to know how important they are to me and to protect them."
Hope points the bracelet around the raven haired witch's wrist.
"I put a spell on their bracelets. It serves as a link to me. Well, more exactly to my magic. I wanted to make sure they would always have a big source of magic whenever they need one."
The words take no time to sink in for Penelope, and soon enough there's a soft smile on her face.
"That's so thoughtful of you... and beautiful."
Hope shrugs, avoiding the witch's eyes.
"They're my family." She gives as a simple explanation. "Anyway... I'm giving you this with the same purpose."
Penelope reaches for both of Hope's hands and holds them, gently getting them closer than they previously were. She chases the tribrid's eyes, wanting her next words to really have the desired impact on Hope.
"You're really amazing, you know that, right?" Penelope says softly before pulling Hope into a tight hug.
It takes a couple of seconds for Hope to reciprocate the hug. During this time, it's just Penelope holding onto the tribrid with a surprising strength, her fist balling into the blouse Hope is wearing. The Mikaelson girl hesitates a little to return the hug, to let herself be even more vulnerable than she already is. But then, she lifts her hands and places them on the witch's back. Penelope lets out a relieved sigh, her head resting on the tribrid's shoulder. Hope's body starts to let go of all its tension as she allows herself to return the hug, and eventually, melt into it.
No matter how much Hope tries to keep certain thoughts out of her mind, it doesn't work. They keep coming nonetheless, and she can't get rid of the realization that, being here; In Penelope's arms, is where she belongs.
— 'I'm giving you this with the same purpose.' Hope's words echo in Penelope's head
"Wait a minute. Are you saying..."
Hope ponders her next move for a couple of seconds, but not enough for Penelope to start talking again. She takes a deep breath before leaving a soft kiss in the juncture between Penelope's neck and shoulder.
— ' You're important to me too.' Goes unsaid, but both of them understand the meaning behind the kiss.
Penelope feels a shiver running down her body at the contact of Hope's lips to her skin. For a quick moment it even makes her knees weak, and she's not even mentioning the way her heart is going crazy.
"Thank you." She whispers into Hope's ear. Never letting go of her.
They get lost in each other's embrace. None of them wanting to let go, and seeing no reason to.
Until Lizzie's voice is heard calling for Hope.
The Mikaelson girl sighs, and reluctantly lets go of Penelope. The witch allows Hope to pull back, only because Lizzie's voice is getting closer. Otherwise, she's not sure she would've ever let go of Hope.
The tribrid gives her friend a sorry smile before turning around and opening the curtain just enough to poke her head outside.
"Hope! Finally." Lizzie groans "I've been looking everywhere for you. This store is huge." She complains playfully, letting out a exasperated sigh, before pointing to another changing stall at the very end of the hallway.. "Go there, Josie's waiting for you with a dress we found that's gonna look perfect on you."
Hope opens her mouth, but then quickly closes it again. She sighs and glances back at Penelope. The witch gives her a shrug and smile, and the tribrid understands that she should go.
Hope looks back at Lizzie. "Where is Josie?"
"There!" Lizzie points to the stall again. "Go ahead, I'll join you soon."
"Yes ma'am."
As soon as Hope is gone, Penelope replaces her at the curtain. She quickly looks down at Lizzie's feet. The bracelet is there, just like Hope said it would be. The witch looks back up, and she sees the frown on the blonde's face. Penelope doesn't dwell on that, instead she focuses herself back on her own bracelet. They're really identical. Lizzie's chuckle makes Penelope look right back up, giving the siphoner a glare. The blonde girl only replies with a knowing smirk.
"Shut up, Saltzman."
Lizzie's previous light chuckles are quickly replaced by a full blown laugh. It attracts some attention, mainly Hope's, who pokes her head out of the fitting room she's in with Josie.
"What is going on?" The tribrid asks.
Instead of replying, Penelope closes the curtain behind her, hiding herself and making Lizzie roll her eyes. Hope frowns, confused by what is happening, but she decides to let it go.
"Liz, you're coming?"
The blonde girl nods. "Coming!"
She joins her sisters in the fitting room, leaving Penelope alone in her own.
Unbeknownst to them all, Rebekah has been watching the little scene from afar. As soon as Lizzie leaves, the Mikaelson woman heads to Penelope's changing stall. Just as she's getting there, the Park girl steps out, looking clearly distracted, 'cause she's still barefoot and wearing the dress she tried on with Hope. Her eyes are still glued to the bracelet. She's so touched and amazed by it that she can't tear her eyes from it.
In fact, she's so distracted by it that she nearly collides into Rebekah. It's only stopped by the Original putting her hands on the ravenette's shoulders. Penelope quickly looks up at the woman, a blush covering her cheeks.
"You look beautiful, darling." Rebekah says fondly after taking a quick glance at her dress.
"Thanks..." Penelope says quietly while mindlessly placing a few strands of her raven hair behind her ear, and once again her gaze falls to her wrist.
Rebekah's eyes follow Penelope's and soon fall on the bracelet too.
"That surely brings back some memories..." Rebekah says cryptically.
Penelope's gaze shift from her bracelet for the first time since Hope gave it to her and she looks at the blonde vampire, curiosity getting the best of her.
"What do you mean?"
"Your bracelet." Rebekah says simply, just making Penelope more confused.
Then it hits her. "Oh... It's the same one she gave the twins, isn't it?"
Rebekah nods, a sweet smile on her lips.
"A couple of years ago, Hope made Hayley go to every single jewelry store in this town. She was after the perfect gift for the twins. I stayed on the phone with her all day. She was just so determined." Rebekah chuckles at the memory. "She wouldn't even let my sister help with the spell she put on their bracelets, she wanted to do it on her own. And being the smart-ass she is, it was no surprise when she actually came up with the perfect spell..."
Rebekah takes the time to place Penelope's hair just like it should be, making sure it's true to how the Park girl usually have it. She looks down at the raven haired girl, fondness written all over her face.
"Even though she won't say it, you must be really special if she gave you the same gift."
A wide smile brightens up Penelope's face, a smile she definitely can't hide, and doesn't really want to. But suddenly she gets a concerning thought that makes her smile disappear, giving place to a rather panicked expression.
"Shit!" She curses as her eyes go wide. "You don't think she also sees me as a sister, do you?"
The panic in the girls voice makes Rebekah's heart flutter. — This girl is so gone for my niece.
The Original's amused smile doesn't help Penelope regain her calm. However — God knows how —, she manages to concentrate just enough to place a quick silencing spell around them.
"Please tell me she doesn't see me as a sister." she pleads.
Rebekah can't help the loud laugh that escapes her then, because this girl can't be serious. But, when she calms down enough to get a good look at Penelope, she understands that the ravenette is totally serious. Penelope's eyes are wide and worried, and it makes Rebekah's laugh die.
"Oh..." The Original vampire lets out. "You were serious... I don't think you should worry about that love."
Penelope doesn't seem to find this comforting at all. "But-"
Rebekah quickly cuts her off. "Trust me, darling. I know my niece."
The raven haired girl opens her mouth to say something, but she gets cut off when the twins' mother calls out to Rebekah, asking the Mikaelson woman to join her. Rebekah quickly tells her she'll be there soon before focusing her attention back to the teenager in front of her.
"You have nothing to worry about." The blonde woman says kindly, but then she shakes her head. "Well, I shouldn't say ' nothing '..." She mutters, more to herself than to Penelope, before adding; "You'll just have to be patient with her."
The Mikaelson woman's words make Penelope's head spin. She wishes Rebekah would have given her more details, more advices, but then she quickly says goodbye and goes to join Caroline. Penelope is left there, alone and a little confused.
Penelope sighs and decides now is not the time to dwell on that. She looks at herself in the mirror once again, and it makes her remember she has to change into her own clothes again. She then thinks about how hot it is slowly getting outside, so she goes inside the fitting stall again and changes into a lighter outfit. When she's sure it fits her well, she rips the price tags and places them with her clothes to pay for them too. She takes all her clothes, and Hope's, before getting out of the stall.
It doesn't take long for the twins and Hope to get out too. The tribrid immediately walks to the raven haired girl, taking her clothes and Penelope's in her hands. Just as Rebekah and Caroline join them, Hope's stomach growls, making everyone's eyes turn to the tribrid.
"Why don't you girls go find something to eat while we pay?" Caroline suggests.
Everyone quickly agrees, and the girls give their clothes to the two women. Penelope goes to Rebekah soon after that, handing her the credit card she was given earlier. The Mikaelson woman quickly refuses, shaking her head.
"Darling, this was just the first store." Rebekah raises an eyebrow, an amused grin playing on her lips. "We still have a lot of shopping to do."
"Oh... Okay." Penelope says. "Thank you again."
Then she puts the card back into her pocket, offering a thankful smile to the Mikaelson woman before following Hope, Lizzie and Josie out of the store, heading to the food court.
After they ate, the girls spend the remaining of the day shopping. They're having so much fun that none of them realizes how late it is until Caroline mentions it, so Rebekah quickly suggests they spend the night at a hotel.
Caroline takes one room with the twins while Rebekah, Hope and Penelope share the other. As soon as they get into the room, Rebekah claims the shower. It leaves Hope and Penelope to have small talk as they wait for their turn. When the Mikaelson woman gets out, it's Penelope's turn. Hope watches her get into the bathroom, unable to look away. Rebekah says nothing, but she knows all too well what is going on.
It gets even more obvious when Penelope steps out of the bathroom in her brand new pajamas. She looks so good that Hope's eyes are literally glued on her, well until her aunt Rebekah gives her a little push and tells her to go shower too. The tribrid grabs her own pajamas, disappearing into the bathroom with a darkening blush.
Hope decides to make her shower quick, wanting to spend more time with her ravenette friend . When she gets out of the shower, Rebekah seems to already be asleep. The tribrid always wondered how she could fall asleep so quickly. Then, it dawns on her that her aunt took one of the beds, and she's taking all the space on it, meaning Hope will have to share the other bed with her friend . But it's not like she wasn't expecting this to happen.
"Uh..." Hope starts to speak while laying on the bed.
She's about to ask if it would be okay for her to cuddle into Penelope, but she decides against it, so she just shakes her head, the words dying in her throat. Hope knows that her friend is somewhat into her, and she doesn't want to make her uncomfortable so the tribrid sits on the bed while keeping a safe distance from the ravenette, but she makes sure to face Penelope.
The raven haired girl watches as Hope lays down, but she doesn't like how far she is.
"Why are you there?" She asks with a cute frown.
"What do you mean?"
Instead of answering, Penelope moves a little closer. She gently puts her hands around Hope's waist before pulling her closer, only for the tribrid to resist. The witch can't stop the pout that forms on her lips.
"Come here..." she says softly.
Just like that, Hope's resistance falls and she allows herself to be pulled closer to Penelope. —Well... I tried. — Once she's close enough, she wastes no time to cuddle into the witch's side.
"That's it. That's better." Penelope says, then playfully she adds; "For a second I thoughtVoldemort was wrong and you weren't as much of a cuddle monster as she claimed you to be."
Once again, Hope finds herself blushing. — Seriously, what is happening to me?! — Despite that, she snuggles a little deeper into Penelope before muttering bashfully; "Shut up."
Penelope's fingers softly play with Hope's auburn locks, and they lay in comfortable silence. The witch's touch is slowly making the tribrid feel safe, at ease. Hope sighs, and buries her face against Penelope, letting the warm feeling wash over her for as long as she can, but soon her thoughts catch up to her, and she can't help but open her mouth and disrupt the silence of the room.
"Pen... why do you call Lizzie Voldemort ?" She asks, lifting her head just enough to meet the witch's eyes.
"Because, Voldemort is the ' dark lord '." Penelope states, sounding like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "She calls me Satan, so I thought it was appropriate."
"Oh... So he's what, a villain?"
"You can't be serious." Penelope says, totally shocked.
Hope just looks at the raven haired girl with a confused frown. She feels like she has to explain herself.
"I know it's from Harry Potter, I just... never read it." Hope says sheepishly, already fearing the girl's reaction.
"You what?!" Penelope exclaims.
She is looking at Hope, mortified. — The tribrid at least has the decency to look ashamed. — The raven haired witch then shakes her head in disappointment before adding;
"You know... I wish I was drinking something right now so I could do a spit take."
Hope can feel herself blushing under Penelope's incredulous gaze.
"I mean... Josie and Lizzie were always talking about it when we were younger but... I never actually read it or watched any of the films. Or if I did I don't think i've paid any attention to it..."
Hope is trying to defend herself, but she realizes she's probably doing a very poor job when Penelope rolls her eyes.
"Oh my god... I cannot believe this!" Penelope deadpans. "Honestly... I feel personally attacked."
"Why?! Come on! It's not that bad..." The tribrid tries to reason with her friend, but she only receives a glare, which makes her flinch inside. "Is it?"
"Yes!" The witch says back. "It's terrible, Hope!"
"I uh..." Hope sighs and then she pouts shyly at the witch.. "Sorry?"
"Uh-uh, sorry is not enough. This Is absolutely unacceptable and I refuse to let it stand. Next weekend we're doing a Harry Potter marathon." Penelope says decisively, leaving no place to argue.
"Okay." Hope says with no intention to argue.
It doesn't take long after that for the Mikaelson girl to surrender herself to sleep. As Penelope's fingers keep softly playing with her hair, Hope feels her eyes closing and for once she doesn't feel like fighting it.
The morning after, Hope realizes she had no nightmares that night, something that only ever happened when her sisters would hold her through the night. Apparently, Penelope seems to have the same effect on her, maybe even better. It's the most peaceful night she had in a very long time.
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They get back to the Salvatore Boarding school on Sunday night. Hope immediately asks Caroline if she can wolf out, desperately needing to let her wolf out a little. The vampire woman quickly goes to check if the woods are clear before telling the tribrid she can go. Hope quickly excuses herself before leaving Penelope with her aunt in her room, knowing she'll find them still there later that night.
Caroline then comes back to the room a few moments later to drop a few blood bags, knowing her best friend must be hungry and that Hope will most likely be needing it after her run too.
Soon after the headmistress leave the room, Rebekah takes her blood bag and starts sipping on it. Penelope watches the woman silently for a while, but a question is burning her mind.
"Hey, if you don't mind me asking. How did you and Caroline became friends?" The ravenette tentatively asks.
Rebekah stops drinking, and looks at the teenager with a little smile.
"Oh, that's a good story. Why do you ask?"
Penelope shrugs. "I saw how close you are to her, and especially to Lizzie and Jojo. I'm just curious I guess."
Rebekah hums as memories start to flood her mind.
"We actually hated each other when we first met." She softly recalls. "It was only many years later that we got close. You see, when she found out she was magically pregnant, she panicked and went looking for my brother Niklaus. The way she was acting reminded me of when Hayley was pregnant with Hope, and just like with her, I felt compelled to help Caroline."
The Original vampire's soft smile doesn't go unseen, and Penelope soon smiles too. It's obvious Rebekah has good memories of this time.
"We started from there. But, sometime after Stefan and Camille died, she and Klaus started seeing each other, and we got even closer. Then, life got in the way and it was her turn to help me and my siblings. I must say, I was really impressed that she actually did help us. We didn't deserve it, me and my family have done terrible things over the years..."
"What changed?" The raven haired girl dares to ask.
Rebekah looks the young girl in the eyes, her smile getting bigger than before.
"Hope." She pauses before she keeps speaking. "You probably don't know this, but Hope was born pretty much in the middle of a war. She wasn't safe. So Hayley and Klaus gave her to me for me to keep her safe while they had everyone believing she was dead."
Rebekah takes a shuddering breath, emotions getting the best of her.
"I always wanted to have a child of my own, so... yeah, for a while she was mine. And I loved every second of it."
Penelope's eyes fill with understanding. "Oh..."
"Yeah, there's a reason why her name is 'Hope'. She was our hope of redemption, our hope of happiness. She's the reason why Caroline decided to give me a chance. She's the best thing that has ever happened to my family in a thousand years..."
The Mikaelson woman clears her throat. "But as I was saying; When the twins were 5 years old, Caroline came to us asking for help."
"The Merge?"
Rebekah nods. "Yes. At that point we were already close friends and I had grown too attached to the twins, and so did the rest of our family. Naturally we agreed in helping her find a cure. When she wasn't traveling with me, she was with Klaus, while everyone else looked in every single grimoire they had collected over the centuries. And then the Hollow happened... and we were forced to leave Hope. For a few years she only had her mom, Freya, Caroline and the twins around. And I couldn't have been more grateful of Caroline."
The softness in Rebekah's smile reappears, making Penelope almost sigh in relief. But then, there's sadness again, a faraway sadness.
"It was hard on Hope though..." She sighs. "We were forced apart a few times before, but never for that long. That sure left some marks on her. We all did our best to keep in contact though."
"I imagine it was hard for you too." The ravenette says.
"It was..." Rebekah lets a bittersweet chuckle out. "I've been around for a long time, went through a lot of pain, but... Those years we had to stay away from Hope were by far the worst years of my life."
She takes a sip from her blood bag before looking back at Penelope.
"But there was nothing we could do about it, so I kept traveling, and when she wasn't with Klaus, Caroline would often join me. She never stayed too long, she had her daughters, and now Hope to look over, but she would always go back with lots of gifts for the girls."
Penelope smiles and nods, prompting Rebekah to keep talking.
"Then, years later, Hayley died. Klaus and Elijah did too, not even a week later." She takes a deep breath. "I think in all these years that i've been on this earth, I never felt so useless. My niece was suffering and I couldn't help her. When she called me, crying, my heart broke. All I wanted was to hold her in my arms and make sure she would never feel any kind of pain again."
Penelope sighs. "I know the feeling..."
Rebekah gets a small teasing smile on her lips. "Do you now?"
The Park girl nods. "I felt the same thing when that Salazar guy attacked us and said all of those things to her. It was like I could feel her pain and all I wanted was to make it stop."
The teasing smile on the older woman's face quickly leaves place to a fond one.
"You really like her, don't you?"
Penelope stops breathing for a second. It's the truth, she knows it and Rebekah does too, so she decides to be brave and admit it.
"I do."
Rebekah nods, getting a pensive look on her face. Then, she slowly leans closer to the raven haired girl, as if to tell her a secret.
"Let me tell you something about us Mikaelson woman; We are stubborn."
Penelope rolls her eyes with a smirk. "I noticed that."
Rebekah remains serious. "We love way too intensely. That's why we guard our hearts with everything we've got. 'Cause we know once we give it away, there's no going back."
"What do you mean?" The Park witch asks with a frown.
"I met my husband Marcel a long time ago, and I fell in love with him then. But it took centuries and a lot of pain and hardship for us to be together. He met other people, fell in love... And I did too, but I was never able to love anyone the way I loved him. 'Cause my heart was always his."
"Oh... okay."
"Hope is no different." The blonde woman explains. "She's extra stubborn, 'cause she's had her heart broken before."
"Roman, right?"
Rebekah's face hardens as she hears the boy's name.
"Yeah, she was just starting to fall in love with him when... you know." She sighs, the memory still being a little too painful. "Anyway, the only reason why I'm telling you all of this is because she has trouble letting people in."
"I know..." Penelope says with a nod.
"Good." She pauses, but there's still more she needs to tell this girl. "What I'm trying to say is; She's got a tough past. She's been through a lot. More than any person at her age should, so she has her walls up." Rebekah smiles one more time. "But that don't seem to be a problem for you..."
Realization dawns on Penelope. "That's why you told me to be patient."
Rebekah nods. "Just remember; she might try to push you away or tell you that she is fine when she isn't. Don't let her. Be there for her. Make her know that you're not just going to walk away when things get tough. If she tries to shove you away, you shove her back."
"That's what I've been doing." The witch says. "We're making good progress."
"I noticed, and I'm happy she has you in her life now."
Penelope smiles, her heart swelling with happiness. "Thanks... I'm happy to have her too."
Rebekah smiles back, before she bites her lip, hesitating on her next words.
"Let me tell you one more thing; When a Mikaelson falls in love... it is Always and Forever ." She pauses, making sure the words sink into the teenager's head. "In other words, as long as you don't leave her or whatever, she'll be yours."
Both Rebekah and Penelope jump when suddenly the door opens. They look as Hope makes her way inside, her hair a little out of place, but with the widest smile Penelope has ever seen on her. Neither realized that during their talk, time flew by. It was kinda late now, the sun has been down for hours. When the Original vampire suggests that Penelope stays the night, no one protests.
After a much needed shower, the tribrid steps into her room once again. This time, Hope settles comfortably in her bed. She snuggles against Penelope without hesitation, hoping she'd get a repetition of the night they spent at the hotel. A peaceful night of sleep in Penelope's safe arms sounds good to the tribrid right now. The ravenette never protests, never says a thing. She holds the Mikaelson girl close, burying her nose in Hope's freshly washed hair. Both of them fall asleep thinking they could definitely get used to this.
The next morning, Rebekah wakes up before them. It's obvious to see that the two girls moved during the night, because, now Penelope is being Hope's little spoon. She watches them with a fond smile for a moment, before a wicked grin takes over. She quickly grabs her phone and snaps a picture.
A little bit after breakfast, the Original vampire announces that she has to go, to everyone's disappointment. She goes to gather her things in her niece's room, and she's not surprised to find Caroline, Lizzie, Josie, Hope and Penelope waiting for her in the common. They all look a little sad, and it quickly gets her emotional.
"Oh come on now, don't make me cry."
"The big bad Original would cry because she has to leave?" Penelope tries to tease Rebekah.
Rebekah glares at her, and she's about to say something back when something else comes to her mind.
She takes her phone out. "You better behave, or I'm posting this."
Rebekah shows the picture she took that morning of Hope spooning Penelope, and she can't stop her smug smile when she sees the raven haired girl looking totally mortified.
"You wouldn't dare!" Penelope says with her eyes wide.
"No?" Rebekah says teasingly. "You're sure about that?"
Penelope quickly turns to look at the tribrid, hoping to get some help from her.
"Hope! Help me here, please?!" She begs, for the first time, looking embarrassed.
Hope's face gets solemn. "Penelope, she has baby pictures of me. In the bath. I'm not getting involved."
Rebekah smiles proudly at her niece.
"Smart girl." She says with a wink.
"Traitor." Penelope mutters.
Hope only laughs, getting a soft smile out of her aunt. Rebekah loves seeing her niece like that. She loves that Penelope makes her happy... free.
When Hope goes to sleep that night, she can't help but feel utterly alone in her way-too-big-for-her bed. It's the first time in two days she sleeps alone, and she's not enjoying it. At all. She misses having Penelope by her side, misses the other girl's warmth and safe embrace. It takes her hours to actually fall asleep, and her sleeps isn't nearly as peaceful as it were the nights before.
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