She's Mine

Chapter Thirty-Six

Hope POV-

Caroline, Alaric, and I are standing back giving the girls some privacy. Caroline looks over at me with a concerned look, "Did Josie say anything?" Caroline and Alaric look so hopeful that maybe one of their daughters is handling the news well. "She said maybe five words to me then walked with her hands in her pockets staying a few feet away from me." It hurt me. I thought for sure she would look to me for comfort. She is my fiancée; we are supposed to handle things together. Caroline and Alaric nod their heads.

Josie POV-

"Jo, what are we going to do?" Lizzie looks up at me with tears quietly streaming down her face. "I don't know, Lizzie, we will find a solution. Neither one of us is going to die." Lizzie collapses next to me placing her head in my lap. I slowly start stroking her hair. I have always been the one who calms her down when she has an episode. "We are going to figure this out."

Hope POV-

Lizzie just laid down in Josie's lap. Neither one of them appear to be saying too much. Eventually, both of them stand up. They walk over to us with their arms linked. "Both of us are going to go to bed now," Josie turns to me before adding, "I am going to sleep in Lizzie's room tonight." With that, they walk around us and start to head back to the cabin. Alaric turns to me, "Let's head back, too."

We get back to the cabin and Lizzie's door is shut. I walk into my room and shut the door behind me. I get ready for bed and just lay there staring at the ceiling. Why won't Josie talk to me? I turn off my side table light and say goodnight to Josie in my head. No response. I roll over and attempt to sleep. I failed.

I wake up in the morning after having barely slept and reach over to Josie's side of the bed. It was still empty. I quickly get changed and head downstairs. No twins. I walk into the kitchen and Caroline is standing at the counter sipping her coffee. "Good morning, Hope, did you get any sleep?" I look up at her and she can see that I didn't. She automatically turns around and gets me a cup of coffee. "Don't worry, they both will come around."

We spent the rest of the trip hanging around the cabin. Most of the time, the girls would stay in Lizzie's room only coming out for food. The day came for us to drive back to Virginia. We all piled into the car and Josie sat in the back row with Lizzie. The three day drive back felt like it would never end. Both of the girls slept almost the entire drive. I couldn't help but watch Josie. I didn't understand why she was pushing me away. I wanted to give her the space she needed but it has been days. I took turns driving with Caroline and Alaric. It was an awkward car drive back with very little said.

We finally make it back at about seven that night. Josie and Lizzie quickly retreat back up to their room. I drop my suitcase in my room before walking out to the woods. I can't even make it out to the woods line before I have shred through my clothes immediately turning into my wolf mid jump. I know Josie just felt it but I need to run. I run circles in the woods enclosed in the Salvatore school gate but it isn't enough. I jump the fence and keep running.

I eventually jump back over the fence and make my way to the Old Mill to put on some clothes that I keep stored out there for when I shred through mine. I have barely slept in days so instead of changing back into my normal self I curl up into a tight ball and fall asleep on the wooden deck that overlooks the Salvatore School property in the Old Mill almost immediantly.

Josie POV-

I wake up to see Lizzie playing on her phone laying in her bed. "Good you are finally up," Lizzie slides off her bed and comes to sit on mine. I roll to my back so I can look at her. "Jo, we need to talk about why you have basically abandoned Hope." I roll back over onto my stomach to hopefully stop the conversation. Lizzie doesn't leave. "Has she changed back yet?" Lizzie saw me wince last night when Hope went for a run but I never felt the pain again." Lizzie grabs my shoulder forcing me to look at her. "No, I haven't felt her change back yet," Lizzie looks concerned. "Jo," she grabs my hand. "What happened?"

Lizzie POV-

I don't know why Josie has stopped having any contact with Hope. They are literally engaged. "Jo, what happened?" Josie pushes herself up so her back is resting against her bed frame. "When Mom and Dad told us, all I could think about was that Hope could lose me. Just like her parents and her uncle. I don't want her to lose me. If I push her away maybe that would be for the best. She can move on and my potential death won't destroy her," Tears flood Josie's eyes but she continues at a quieter volume. "Why would she want to marry me if she is not even guaranteed a full life with me?" Josie's voice is breaking as she speaks. She has expressed no emotions since we found out about the merge. I knew this breakdown was bound to happen.

"Lizzie, I don't want Hope to lose me. This way-" Josie looks down to the ring on her finger. "This way she can be mad and move on. I don't want to be another person that she opened up to that dies on her." I nod my head. "Have you talked to Hope about this? You guys are engaged, Jo. I mean, she has a say in this too even if you want to pretend she doesn't." I look down to Josie's hand as she slips off the ring. "Now she doesn't."