My Expiration Date Is Why I Can't Let You Love Me - Hosie

Chapter Thirty Seven

"So you know I have to die... permanently", Hope says walking closer to the man.

Blood started to drip of off the hospital bed and onto the floor. Veins started to pulsate around Hope's eyes, the tribrid raises her eyebrows at the man. "Yes! Yes! I know okay! You have to die to stop the merge. But if you do it then you're stopping the merge forever. When Lizzie and Josie have kids, if they have twins then they won't have to do the merge. And so on", the man rushes to say scared his going to lose consciousness soon from his blood loss.

Hope scoffs, "You know it doesn't even surprise me that you know how to permanently stop the merge and weren't planning on telling anyone as well." Starting to cough up blood Alaric spoke, "So will you do it?"

"Here you are on your death bed and still needing something from a Mikaelson", Hope scoffed again. "I'll exhausted every possible option before I have to die to save the girl I love. Because this may sound selfish but I want to be with Josie. But if I can't find anything else to stop the merge, then... yes I'll do it. For Josie", Hope replied to Alaric's request.

"So you love my daughter?" Alaric asked Hope with more blood leaving his mouth and abdomen as well. "I do", Hope said stabbing the man one last time in his abdomen leaving the scalpel and hospital room.

I turned the corner and saw Josie sitting on one of the hospital chairs, my face lit up at the sight of what is Josie and her beauty. That was until I saw her red face and wet cheeks. I ran up to her sitting in front of her, "What's wrong my love?" I asked her grabbing her hands and bringing them into mine.

"You... you have to die... permanently... to stop the merge" Josie said in between sobs. Hope slapped herself mentally for letting Josie hear that conversation she had earlier with her father. Hope brought Josie into a hug and started leaving kisses down her girlfriends neck, making her giggle. "Hey", Hope said grabbing Josie's face so that it is resting in her hands.

"That's something we don't need to worry about right now. That is our last option okay? I've got almost all of the witches in New Orleans looking for another way out. And Valarie a heretic who was from your coven as well. I've got this Jo." Josie brought Hope into a deep kiss. "I appreciate that. I've been so worried about you losing me, I never thought that it could be the other way around", Josie said into Hope's lips, breaking away from their kiss.

"I love you, you know that right?" Hope said, her thumb caressing Josie's cheek. She mentally wishes she didn't say it not knowing how it'll make the brunette feel in this moment, but also wishing she had said it way earlier.

"You love me?" Josie asked her girlfriend, this made Hope feel anxious and her heart began racing. "Of course I do. I always have and forever will", Hope said poetically. Josie pulled Hope by her face bringing her into a kiss, this kiss wasn't like their others brief, passionate, heated, or risky. This kiss was full of love and romance that the girls each had for each other. It was them getting to know every inch of each other's lips and mouth, with the feel of each other's tongue as well. It was the perfect kiss after saying 'I love you'.

The girlfriends broke apart when air was needed. Josie took this moment to quickly get something off her chest before Hope had the chance to speak. "I love you... always and forever", Josie said breathlessly, smiling and giving Hope a knowing look for her choice of words. "Always and forever", Hope giggled to the brunette, before bringing her back into that same love filled kiss.

The sound of a doctor clearing his throat to get the girls attention brought them out of their kiss. The girls broke apart groaning from their loss of contact, Josie more than Hope, which Hope chuckled about. "Can we help you doc?" Hope said sounding annoyed. "Not you but her. You're one of Alaric Saltzman's daughters aren't you?" The man asked looking at Josie. Josie physically tensed up by the mention of Alaric's name, Hope noticed and took her hand placing little kisses on it. "I am. Why are you asking if I may I ask?"

"I'm his doctor, I'm here to inform you that your father has passed. From a sever loss of blood. A very sudden and very tragic death. I'm sorry for your loss Ms Saltzman", the man said like he had been compelled. Josie looked at Hope confused, while Hope looked at Josie the same way. Hope put her hands up in surrender, "It wasn't me. When I was in there he was still alive. He still had a chance to live. A tiny chance but a chance still."

"It was me. I finished the job", the girls heard a familiar voice come from behind them. "Mom?" Josie questioned her mom. "Yes. I was clearing out his office and let's just say I found out he had done many terrible things. I couldn't let him live. Im sorry Jo", Caroline said with guilt written all over her face. Josie hugged her mom tightly, "It's okay you did what you thought was right."

"Yeah, Caroline it's okay if you didn't do it then I would have gone back to finish the job myself", Hope chuckled, receiving a death stare from her girlfriend. "Im joking. I was gonna let his body do it for him", Hope said defending herself. "No one needs to know what you did. We can go with what you compelled the doctor, even say his stitches from his earlier injury ripped open, leading to this." Hope said trying to make everyone feel better.

Josie smiled up from her moms shoulder to look at Hope and mouthed an, 'I love you' to her. Hope said "I love you too", and blew Josie a kiss. Caroline broke away from the hug with her daughter, with a huge smile on her lips. "You guys have reached the 'I love you' stage?" Hope hummed, and Caroline grabbed her hugging her too. Breaking away from Hope Caroline said, "It would really help if we kept this our little secret, especially from Lizzie. We'll go with exactly what Hope said", she said looking at both girls.

Once the story was settled amongst all three women, Caroline returned back to the school.

Leaving Hope and Josie at the hospital deciding what to do next. Together.