I Hate That I Love You

Chapter 25

Hope was standing at the front gates of the Salvatore School. Her Aunt Freya was arguing with Alaric Saltzman. She could have listened in on their conversation easily, but Hope chose not to. Instead, she recalled the conversation she'd shared with her father right before she had left Vienna.

"I still hate you," Hope said, levitating two of the human bodies behind her as her father dragged along two others with his hands. "But..." Hope hesitated. "I understand why you think it's necessary. To stay away from me."

Klaus paused, then turned around. "Hope-"

"Don't," Hope interrupted him. "Don't give another unnecessary explanation or try to apologize. I've... Come to terms with it."

Klaus's gaze faltered. "I've only ever done what I thought was best for you," he said so quietly that only Hope, with her vampire and werewolf hearing, could make out his words.

"I know that now," Hope nodded. "Maybe one day, you'll realize you're wrong. But until then..." She extended a hand towards him. Dropping the bodies, Klaus stared at it warily.

"We're the world's most immortal beings, dad." Dad. The word tasted strange in her mouth. "Maybe it'll take a year, a decade, or even a century. But we have what others don't: The luxury of time. So... We'll be able to find our way back to each other." She said this as a statement, not as an unsure question.

Klaus hesitantly took her hand, then held it between his palms. "Thank you for everything, Hope."

"My dad is furious you dragged his students halfway across the world on a mission to work against three of the deadliest beings of all time," Lizzie said as she walked up to Hope. "But he's also grateful. That I'm back in one piece, and all. And I think he knows he owes you an apology, but his ego won't allow it."

Hope gave Lizzie a genuine smile. "I'm just glad you're feeling better." She reached out to Lizzie and gave her a quick kiss, which transitioned into a really long one.

Someone cleared their throat from beside them. "Aunt Freya," Hope said, not bothering to pull herself away from Lizzie. "Hi."

"Hi," Freya nodded. She was glad her niece had found someone to keep her Mikaelson genes in check, and even more glad that Hope had found someone she could trust. Hope hadn't had that for a while, now. "Ready to get back to the Academy?"

Hope's eyes lingered on Lizzie's. "Actually..." Hope shrugged. "I think I'll stay here for just a little while longer."

"You know my dad doesn't approve of us," Lizzie told Hope once Freya had left.

"Do you care?" Hope asked.

"Are you kidding?" Lizzie laughed. "I mean, I'll probably getting triple the amount of the 'stay away from Hope Mikaelson' assembly lessons now that we're officially dating, but-"

"The what lessons?"

"A legendary centuries old huntress, a backstabbing manipulative bitchy ghost doppelganger, and a thousand year old crazy vampire couldn't keep us away from each other for long. I don't think my dad's going to be a problem."

Who would have thought that one stupid night from so long ago could turn into something like this? Lizzie now had someone to lean on, someone who could lean on her. The kind of relationship she had always dreamed of having. Granted, never once in her dreams had she seen herself with Hope Mikaelson, of all people... But given the choice, she wouldn't change a thing. Who needed a mysterious bad boy when there was a five foot three mythical tribrid by your side?

"Thank you again, Lizzie... For not giving up on me."

"I never will."

So the world saw Hope as a monster, just as she'd had them believe. She wasn't so proud of that fact anymore, but what did that matter, anyway? What did that matter, when she'd learned how to trust again? She had a whole several lifetimes to live out in front of her, and an amazing person to spend it with.

There was nothing more she could ask for, and for the first time since her mother had died and her father had left... Hope began to believe things could be perfect again.

This was the final chapter of "I Hate That I Love You", Thank you so much for sticking with it till the end, I absolutely loved writing this story, and I loved all your reactions to the hizzie scenes I wrote!  Go check out my other books too for more tvdu content!

I love you all so much :)