(Sophia's dress for the party)
SALVATORE SCHOOL
A woman wearing a wedding dress walks through the halls.
In his office, Alaric spoke on the phone with Caroline, "I know what you're doing is important, Caroline. But how do I tell the girls that their mom isn't gonna be there for their 16th birthday? I can't exactly tell them what you're really involved in."
Caroline sighed, then changed the subject. "How about you? Did you find anything else about the knife?"
Alaric shook his head. "No. I-I am nowhere near cracking this case. I have a knife, I have a symbol, I have a place, sort of, but I don't know what any of it means, a-and I don't know what's connecting it, and I don't know what monster is coming next."
The woman walked into the office: Josette "Jo" Laughlin. She looked at the headmaster. "Ric?"
Alaric turned to face Josette. "I've got to call you back." He told Caroline before hanging up the phone.
Ric stared at the woman: the love of his life, the birth mother of his twins, and his fiancée whose brother killed her. Now, she was alive, in his office, wearing a blood-stained wedding dress.
"Dorian!" The headmaster called. Luckily, Dorian was just passing by.
When he heard his name, Mr. Williams instantly ran into Alaric's office to see him pointing a crossbow at Jo. "Are you okay? Whoa, whoa."
"Ric, if you could just put down the crossbow. My freak-out level is about 11 right now." Jo spoke, holding her hands up.
Dorian looked at the woman before turning to Alaric. "You know her?"
"I know who she's supposed to be." Alaric said.
"Who?"
"The love of my life." Alaric raised his crossbow again to shoot.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait."
"Hold up. Hold... hold up, Ric." Dorian stepped closer.
"Listen to Dorian." Jo said. "Are you Dorian?"
Dorian nodded. "Yeah."
"I'm Jo."
"You're his dead wife? I mean... fiancée, I mean, uh..." Dorian stopped. He turned towards Alaric, "You don't think she's actually..."
"No, I don't." The headmaster stated.
"Did you see how she got here?"
"I was sort of, um... yanked awake and then I was just here." Jo told them.
Alaric chuckled. "Nothing suspicious about that."
Dorian looked at him. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Kill her now before she attacks?" Alaric asked.
"Wait, what?"
Dorian looked at the headmaster. "I-I... I was more, 'Let's interrogate her.' Because if she's the next monster, then maybe she would know more than the dryad did."
Alaric sighed and brought down the crossbow. "Okay, but no one sees her. Especially today."
Dorian nodded. "Good idea."
"I need Emma."
***
Emma was sitting in her office drinking some coffee as she listened to Sophia. Hope had just walked out, and Sophia walked in right after, sitting down across from the guidance counselor. "Obviously, it didn't mean anything. I mean, he might be my mate, but he might not. We've been friends since we were eleven, but... I don't know. He may never speak to me again." The brunette paused when she realized what she just said.
"What if he doesn't? What if I ruined one of my first friendships with someone? I'll be stuck wondering if he actually likes me as a friend or as a girlfriend. We haven't made it official yet. I won't be able to be in the same room as him, even though we're both wolves and we hang out together. I'm loyal to the pack, but then I heard Alyssa Chang talking about it with the witches, and I have no idea how she got that information. I don't know how the two factions would feel. And..." She took a deep breath. "Who am I right now?"
Emma chuckled. "A normal teenager? I've had this conversation with your cousin. Though I do love hearing you two talk about something as simple as having a crush on a boy." She stood up to leave. "You do not need a counselor, Sophia. You need a friend, and I am not talking about the werewolf pack."
Sophia opened her mouth to protest, but closed it when Emma finished her statement. The guidance counselor gave her a knowing look, then walked away. Sophia sighed.
***
Rafael was in the grand hall, gathering the wolves to help set up for Josie and Lizzie's sixteenth birthday. "All right, let's get the rest of these chairs and tables and get 'em out of here. All right? Let's go, let's go."
Rafael started to walk around the room to check on how things were going when Sophia and Hope entered. Rafael turned towards them. "Is this how it feels to be an alpha?"
Sophia chuckled. "The pack's loyal, I'll tell you that."
Hope looked at him. "Who put you on party duty?"
"I volunteered. What do you want? I'm busy."
Hope sighed. "Listen, Raf, I know you're mad at us for sending Landon away, but... I promise you, it was for his own good."
Rafael dropped the table and turned to face the girls. "You've known him for two minutes, and you know what's good for him?"
"I know that I want him to be safe." Hope told him.
Sophia looked at him. "Listen, Raf, we just came here to apologize. And I know we've just met, but if you need anything..." Rafael didn't reply.
Hope dragged her cousin away. "Come on, Soph."
The werewolf thought for a moment before he turned around. "Actually, um... I do kind of need help with something. There's no fancy parties in grand ballrooms where I come from. I need to know what to expect for tonight. I don't want to let Lizzie down."
Sophia raised a curious brow. "Lizzie? Why would Lizzie..." She then looked at him in realization. "You're her date."
Rafael nodded. "Yeah. She personally invited me."
***
Josie walked up to her dorm and sighed before opening the door. She walked in to see Lizzie choosing jewelry. "Hey. I didn't see you at breakfast."
"I'm too excited to eat." The blonde ran over to hug her sister. "Happy birthday to us. Isn't it a beautiful day for a party?"
The girls released each other as Josie commented, "You're cheerful."
"Why wouldn't I be? Mom's coming home, I had sex with Raf, my pores are practically invisible..."
Josie was speechless. "Wait, what? You had sex with..."
"Last night. You know how Mom always says that things work out in the end the way they're supposed to? She's right. I wouldn't have time to represent the witches now with a boyfriend, so you getting the consolation prize is perfect." Lizzie smiled.
"Okay, I need your help." Lizzie held up two combs in her hands. "I'm going for Meghan Markle tasteful."
"Woot, woot!" The twins turned around to see Penelope with two cupcakes in her hands.
"Happy birthday, witches."
"Oh, look. It's Satan in a crop top. Come to burn my world down?" Lizzie asked.
"Retro. Princess Di before she got style. I dig it." Penelope smiled.
Josie sighed. "What do you want?"
"Oh, just to cheer you two up. You know, 'cause your mom's not coming."
"What?" The twins questioned.
"Oh, I heard them cancel her pickup at the office. I thought you knew. Oops."
Lizzie used her magic to slam the door in Penelope's face. She turned towards Josie, pissed off.
***
"I put a basic boundary spell to keep her in. Are you sure she can't do magic?" Emma asked.
"She couldn't before she died, so if she can now, I guess we'll learn the hard way." Alaric replied.
"Um, she's right here. And she's got a lot of questions." Jo spoke, who has changed out of her wedding dress and into regular clothes.
"Be careful with this one, Ric." Emma advised, leaving the office.
Alaric closed the doors. "Okay, let's talk. Who are you? What do you want?"
"I'm Josette Laughlin, almost Saltzman." Jo spoke.
"No. Jo Laughlin is dead." Alaric told her.
"I'm well aware. It's not every day you get murdered at your shotgun wedding."
"Okay. What's the last thing you remember?" Alaric asked.
"Morning sickness. My dress. Our vows. My psychopath twin brother with a very large knife. And then... ...nothing. How long ago was that? You look a little... seasoned." Jo said.
"About 16 years ago."
"16 years. I don't know what to say. How are you? How have you been?"
"Oh, just cut the... Just drop the act, okay?" Alaric told his very much alive fiancée.
"It's not an act, Ric. This is Mystic Falls. I'm not exactly the first person to be brought back from the dead."
"Yeah, well, things have gotten a little complicated around here lately."
The doorknob rattled as Lizzie and Josie stood outside. "Uh, Dad? Why is your door locked?" Lizzie asked.
"'Dad'?" Jo repeated.
"And when were you going to tell us that Mom wasn't coming back?" Josie asked from outside.
Alaric covered Jo's mouth. "I was about to. There-There's a strike at the airport in Mozambique."
"She couldn't compel a pilot and hop on a private jet?" Lizzie questioned.
"She'll explain everything later. Okay? But right now I just need you to go because I am wrapping your presents."
"No, you're not. You're lying through your teeth." The girls placed their hands on the doors, siphoning magic to open it.
The doors opened and the girls saw their dad with his arms around Jo. Alaric quickly let go. "Who's this trollop?" Lizzie asked.
"Oh, my God."
"I need you to leave right now." Alaric told the girls.
"I'm sorry. How old are you?" Josette asked.
"16." The twins replied in unison. Lizzie added,
"Today. It's our birthday."
"You're twins?"
"What are we interrupting here?" Lizzie asked.
"I'm serious. Do as I say and now just go." Alaric told the girls.
Josie stared at Jo. "Lizzie. Lizzie, it's her."
"Her who?"
Josie walked over to a shelf and grabbed a picture frame. In it was a photo of Alaric and Josette on their wedding day. "Her."
Lizzie looked at Josette. "Holy crap. You're Bio-mom."
"This is impossible. I wasn't even showing at our wedding. How..."
"Your family's crazy coven magically implanted them in Caroline when you died. She's their birth mother." Alaric told Josette.
"Caroline? So you two..."
"No. She married Stefan Salvatore. Who basically died on their wedding day, too, but that's a long story."
"They're still very close." Lizzie piped up.
"We opened this school together." Alaric informed.
"She's overseas right now doing very important recruiting work. I'm Lizzie. After my mother's mom." The blonde twin introduced.
"And I'm Josie. Josette. Like..."
"Me." The girl smiled at Josette.
***
Sophia and Hope decided that the latter would help Rafael to practice dancing. "So, the emcee will then announce Lizzie and her escort."
"Her what?" Raf asked.
"Kind of like a debutante ball." Hope explained.
"I grew up in a foster care."
"Okay. Well, they had stairs, didn't they? So, you're gonna meet her halfway down." Hope said as Rafael walked down the stairs.
"How do you know all this stuff?" Rafael asked.
"One of my aunts has been around for more than a thousand years. This kind of thing is her jam." Hope responded as she walked down the stairs.
"So, what, I just stand here?"
Hope held her arm up. "Then you take her arm. Sort of like you're putting yours on top. Yeah, like that. And then you descend together. And now you bow."
Rafael chuckled. "Yeah, you're messing with me."
"You think this is bad? You know it's only gonna get worse, right? Lizzie Saltzman has been planning her sweet 16 since she was five. You probably should've thought twice before asking to be her date."
"Well, I didn't ask her. All I know is that I can't let her down now." Rafael told her.
***
Penelope was helping the students decorate the hall when MG and Sophia walked up to her. MG spoke. "You're lucky I respect women and that I shun all forms of toxic masculinity, or else you and I would be throwing down right now. Even if you can kick my ass."
"Dude, I am here to help."
"By telling the girls that their mom isn't coming?" Sophia questioned.
"Oh, that was just for Lizzie, who is taking Rafael as her date instead of you, MG. So why are you doing all this to try and make her party perfect?" Penelope asked.
"Cause a man's got to shoot his shot." MG said.
"Oh, my God. No. I can't take it anymore. As your friend, I demand that you retrieve your little MGs from Lizzie's grip." Penelope told him.
"Not when I can taste victory." The vampire spoke.
Penelope sighed. "Fine. I'll make you a deal. I will keep Werewolf Prince Charming away from the party long enough for you to shoot your one, final, inevitably failed shot. And when it's over, and the Queen of Mean has broken your heart all over again, promise me that you will let Lizzie go."
Sophia turned towards MG after Penelope walked away. "What was that?"
***
Josette sat down on the couch as Alaric and the twins watched her. Alaric had brought out the crystal lie detector. "All right, one more time. What's your name?"
"Josette Laughlin." The crystal glowed blue.
"And what's your profession?"
"I'm a doctor. I was, anyway." The crystal glowed blue again.
"Repeat after me: I'm here to harm you." Alaric told her. "I'm here to harm you." Josette repeated, and the crystal glowed red.
"How did you meet my dad?" Josie asked.
"That's not, uh, a question." Alaric spoke.
"I walked up to him at a college party. He was the only guy over 20." Josette smiled.
"Was it love at first sight?" Josie asked.
"Jo. Don't be so nosy." Lizzie told her sister.
"Not quite." Josette replied to Josie's question. "I flirted with him and asked him for a sip of his drink. He told me he was a germophobe. But I thought he looked like Indiana Jones, so..." The crystal glowed blue.
Lizzie sighed. "This walk down weird old people memory lane is fun and all, but we have a party to get ready for."
"Will you still be here after?" Josie asked her biological mother.
Alaric cleared his throat. "I will be there when I can. But right now the office is off limits." Josie smiled at Josette before she and Lizzie walked away.
***
Alaric, Dorian, and Emma sat in the library. Alaric sighed. "I-I don't get it. She hasn't tried to escape, not a word about the knife. She knows things that only Jo knows and let's not ignore the fact that I remember her, so she's not like the other creatures."
"Blunt force hasn't gotten them what they want, so they've moved on to psychological warfare. Tread lightly. If Jo is another monster, she can do more damage to you than any dragon." Emma spoke.
"It was something she said." Dorian showed the two a book. "Here. There's an eyewitness account of a group of World War I soldiers buried in France who came back to life and massacred a village. After, they didn't remember hurting anyone. And they all said they'd been 'yanked' back into being. Like Jo."
"Wait, so someone or something resurrected them and used them to attack a village?" Alaric asked.
"Without them even knowing it." Dorian replied.
***
Lizzie and Josie are getting dressed for their party. Josie was helping Lizzie with her hair.
"We can be mad at Mom all that we want for missing our party, but we cannot cheat on her with Mombie Dearest." Lizzie was saying.
"I'm done. I'll catch up with you, okay?" Lizzie nodded and left in her blue dress. Josie set the brush down on her nightstand. She noticed a red envelope on her pillow. She picked it up and opened it, inside was a small jewelry bag and a note that read: 'Hope your birthday wishes come true, Hope and Sophia'
Josie set the note down and picked up a little black bag. She opened it, seeing a silver talisman from Hope and a bracelet from Sophia, both presents coming together as a set. She put both of them on.
Penelope appeared in the doorway, dressed for the occasion. "Hey, Jo Jo. Need an escort?"
"Sure. Do you know anyone whose heart isn't made of stone?" Josie asked.
"Look, I am sorry about earlier. I saw a chance to make Lizzie suffer and, uh... I shot my shot."
"Why can't you just ease up on her?" Josie asked.
"She sucks the air out of every room you're in."
"She's my twin. We can share oxygen."
"Are you sharing love interests now, too? Because she's the only one with a date. See? You have crawled so far down the codependence rabbit hole that you think taking care of yourself is selfish. But it's not. So when are you gonna take care of you?" Penelope asked.
"I take care of myself just fine."
"Oh, really? Party starts in five." Penelope looked at Josie to see that she didn't have her dress on. "It's a shame you spent all of that time helping Lizzie get ready." She walked away.
Josie got dressed and grabbed her brush. She made her way to her father's office.
Josette was going through Alaric's office. She opened a cabinet and took out a book. A small mirror stood inside the cabinet. Jo's reflection was shown, but it looked more like a real-life zombie, something that just crawled out of the ground.
Josie entered. "Do you know how to braid?"
***
In the Grand Hall, the party has began but Lizzie wonders where Rafael is. MG reveals that he is stepping in for Rafael, and tells her that he knows everything about her, leading to her favorite song being played as the two start to dance.
***
"Aren't you gonna be late?" Jo asked as she finished braiding Josie's hair.
"Oh, no. It's cool. No one will notice." The younger girl replied.
"At your own party?"
"Maybe if I had a date."
"Is there someone special?" Josette asked.
"That is a complicated question."
Jo sat down. "Humor me."
"Well... Last year, there was this girl, um, but she dumped me. And now there's this boy. Um, but Lizzie has dibs, so..."
Josette smiled. "Does she know you like him?"
"No. That would be... bad."
"Being 16 and having a strong twin sister isn't a cakewalk. But anybody who spent five minutes with you would know how special you are." Jo told her.
"You're only saying that because you're..." Josie cut herself off.
"It's okay. Caroline is your mom. She did a great job." Jo smiled.
"Lizzie's exactly like her. You would never know that she's not her biological mom." Josie said.
"And you take after me."
Josie let out a laugh. "I'm really happy you're here. I honestly think that Dad is really lonely."
"He's a pretty terrific guy, your dad. But you can catch me up later. You have a party to go to."
"Actually, do you want to come with me?"
***
Josie took Jo around the school grounds. "So Lizzie's in love with Raf, but MG's in love with Lizzie. It's this whole thing."
"What?"
"There's this alcove that's up super high, so you'll be able to see everything." Josie smiled.
Jo suddenly passed out, causing Josie to run towards her. "Jo? Hey. Jo? Somebody help! I'll be right back, okay?"
Josie got up to get help when she heard Jo get up. She turned around, seeing Josette. Her eyes were white and her face was skeleton-like. She smiled before she attacked Josie.
***
Sophia entered the grand hall. The other students were enjoying the party, but that was not on the hybrid's mind right now. She looked around the room. She walked towards Lizzie and MG.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow MG." She told Lizzie. "Is that okay?"
Rafael suddenly approached the group, and MG stepped aside to let him take over. "I'll forgive you... just this once." Lizzie told the wolf.
Sophia turned to MG. "Have you seen Hope?"
MG shook her head. "No. I haven't seen her all day."
Hope then walked into the room, causing MG and Sophia turned towards her. Sophia walked up to her cousin. "Where were you? I thought something happened."
"Penelope's boundary spell." Hope simply responded, and Sophia slowly nodded her head, remembering the conversation with MG and Penelope.
***
Dorian and Alaric are searching for Jo, when they find her in the garden, looking completely normal. Alaric held up his phone. "Call off the dogs. I think I found her."
"I think I'll keep 'em on standby."
"Something's wrong." Jo spoke.
"How did you get out?"
"Josie wanted me to come to the party, and so, she siphoned the spell again. I know it was stupid, but I just... I wanted to see their Sweet 16." Jo was hysterical.
"Okay, just tell me exactly what happened." Ric told her.
"I don't know. I-I was with her one minute, and then..." She held out her hand, showing him. "Ric, I lost time. I don't know. I must have done something to her, but I just, I don't know." Jo passed out in his arms. Her eyes turned white as they did when she talked to Josie, causing Alaric to catch her. In a demonic voice, she spoke, "There's a knife in your possession that will buy you the answer." Scared, Alaric dropped Jo on the ground.
She got up. "No need to rush. I'm sure your daughter has an hour before she runs out of air."
Alaric pinned her to a tree. "Where is she?!"
"Dr. Saltzman." Alaric turned around and saw Hope and Sophia. "What's going on?"
"I need your help."
***
Penelope left the party to look for Josie when she saw MG sitting outside the old mill. "Hey. Have you seen Josie?"
MG looked up. "She's probably having the time of her life, like I was until Prince Charming showed up and turned me into the pumpkin. I have hate in my heart." He stood up. "I'm ready for battle. We're gonna duel."
Penelope shook her head. "No, we're not doing that. I'm holding you to our deal. As of this moment, Lizzie Saltzman's cancelled."
MG sighed, and the two turned around when they heard footsteps approaching. They stared at the Mikaelson cousins, both of them holding a shovel and a flashlight in their hands. "You gonna howl of the moon wearing that?"
"No time for small talk. We need to go. Now." Sophia told the two.
"Actually, we could use your help finding Josie." Hope said.
"What happened?" The witch asked.
"Apparently, her possessed biological mother buried her alive in the cemetery." Hope told them.
"We're coming with you."
MG and Penelope grabbed two axes before they followed Sophia and Hope.
***
Alaric entered the library and walked up to a safe. He opened it to find that it was empty and that the knife has been taken. He pulled out his phone and called Dorian.
"Hello, Ric." Dorian answered, sitting in a car with Emma.
"Where is it?"
"Asking for a friend?" Emma held the knife in her hands.
"I need the knife, Dorian. My daughter's life is at stake." Ric told him.
"That's why I moved it. I knew the monster was gonna make a play."
"I need you to bring it to me now."
Dorian started the engine. "Hero 101, Ric: you don't give the bad guys what they want, especially if we don't know what it does. I mean, this thing could spawn Armageddon."
"It has Josie!"
Dorian sighed. "We'll save Josie, Ric. We're not giving up this knife." He hung up.
***
MG, Hope, Penelope, and Sophia were walking through the woods. "MG, Soph, listen to her breathing."
"Hold on. I hear something." They stopped walking. "Shovel." Hope handed him the shovel and he started digging.
"Wait, MG. No..." Sophia started, but MG already dug a hole in the ground. An arm reached out and grabbed MG's leg, and a zombie crawled out.
Penelope hit the zombie with her axe but it continued crawling. "That won't work!" MG grabbed the shovel and shoved it into the zombie's head. He pulled it out. "To kill a walker, you got to go for the brain. Everybody knows that."
"Yeah, every nerd maybe. Just call it a zombie."
Sophia looked around as she heard growling. "Zombies. Plural."
More zombies crawled out, surrounding the teens.
***
Lizzie and Rafael dance in the hall, and when Lizzie suggests that the two of them perhaps will sleep together again, Rafael admits that the previous night had been a mistake.
This upsets Lizzie, who holds back her tears before asking where Josie is. She looks in their room but is unable to find her.
***
"Whoo! Two for two, baby." MG cheered as another head dropped to the ground.
"MG, we can handle the rest. Just find Josie." Hope told her vampire friend.
"Right, got it." MG sped off.
"How do you want to do this?" Sophia asked Penelope and Hope as more zombies approached them.
Penelope looked back at the girls. "I say we DIY and pretend they're Lizzie Saltzman."
Hope looked around. "Works for me." The three held a weapon each as they fought the zombies.
Sophia then noticed a zombie grabbing MG again. She sped over and swung her axe, hitting the zombie in the head. "MG, we're running out of time."
"Watch out!" A zombie neared Sophia and knocked the weapon out of her hand. Hope killed the zombie before it could do anything else.
"Damn it, MG, get up and find her."
"There's too much noise." MG got up.
"Well, listen harder." Hope told him. Sophia looked around, trying to help MG. The vampire and the hybrid closed their eyes, hearing muffled cries.
"We got her." MG and Sophia sped off.
Hope and Penelope followed the two, seeing them dig the ground which had something glowing from under it. A human hand stuck out, and MG grabbed it before pulling Josie out.
"The talisman. It worked." Hope let out a relieved sigh.
"So did the bracelet." Sophia added, equally relieved.
Josie was crying. "What're they supposed to do?"
"Well, the bracelet is a locator..." Sophia started.
"The necklace makes quiet things heard." Hope finished.
***
Alaric and Josette sat in Alaric's office after they heard the news about Josie. "She could have died because of me."
"But she's okay. And it wasn't you. I know that now. It's... whatever takes over. I mean, something is driving these monsters. A-a dark presence, we just can't figure it out. And until we do, we're just at its mercy." Alaric told her.
"This is wrong. This isn't safe for any of us. We have to get this thing out of me. Tell the girls to siphon its magic from me." Jo said.
"But the magic's probably the only thing keeping you ali..." Alaric stopped himself when Jo shrugged, if the twins siphoned magic from her, she'll die again. He added in a quiet voice. "Oh. Right."
Alaric got up to hug Jo. "Josie thinks you're lonely. Are you happy?"
"I am happy right now in the arms of my demon-possessed baby mama." Alaric told her, tears in his eyes.
They both chuckled. "I'm serious."
"I will be happy when the girls are grown. I promise."
Jo pulled away. "Do they know what happens when they turn 22?"
Alaric shook his head. "No. Not yet. And we... don't want them to know until we've exhausted all options. That's why Caroline's missed their birthday. She's following some lead."
"You tell Caroline I said thank you for being my girls' mom."
***
Penelope and Sophia chuckled as MG spoke. "I'm serious, Peez. Soph. Something clicked while I was taking out those zombies. Uh, it felt right inside, like that was the real me."
"Meaning?"
"I'm a superhero." Penelope snorted while Sophia covered her mouth to hide her laughter. MG continued. "Like from the comics. 'Cause heroes don't just get the girl... They get all the girls."
Sophia let out a laugh. "Ew. That does not sound right."
"Totally." Penelope added. "Superman is such a slut."
Sophia laughed and gave the witch a high-five. The door opened and Josie stepped out of her room to go to the girls' locker room. She passed the three students. "Thanks for tonight, MG. Sophia."
"First hero thank you. Accepted! Up, up, and away." MG left.
"I have to go, too." Sophia turned around and left.
"Hey." Penelope called after Josie. "What about me? I helped."
The Saltzman girl turned around. "You're the reason I got buried alive on my birthday. I took your advice. I wanted something, and I went for it. I made the selfish move, and I ended up fighting a zombie. There's room for people in this world that just care about other people. Not everybody has to be a showboat."
"You're right." Penelope walked closer. "This world needs the selfless and the selfish to keep spinning. I happen to be the latter." She leaned in and kissed Josie.
Josie pulled away after a few minutes. "I hate you."
Penelope faked a smile. "I know."
***
The twins were in their room. Lizzie stared at her dad and her mother. "So, we just siphon the magic out of her until she's... what, dead again?"
"Oh, my God. Lizzie, what is wrong with you?" Josie asked.
"It's okay, Josie. It's okay. I'm already dead. I was a witch, just like you. And we believe in the natural order of things. I shouldn't be here. I love that I had this, but it's a lie. And now I need you to help me make it right." Jo said.
She smiled. "The longer I'm here, the more I remember where I came from. I used to watch you. I used to watch all of you. Like in a dream... ...where everything is warm and happy. I think I was at peace. So that's where I'll be. Waiting for you."
The twins looked at Josette, tears in their eyes. "I'm so sorry. I was awful to you."
"Oh, Lizzie. You have such a big heart. It's okay to let other people see it." Jo said.
The girls started to cry. "Oh, my beautiful girls. You are everything that I could have ever wished for. Everything. Be good to each other. Fight for each other. When you're older, you'll understand what I mean. But I need you to remember that I said it."
Josette held out her hand for the twins. Lizzie took it, but Josie shook her head. "I can't. I can't."
"Oh, Josette, this is the right thing to do. It's the only thing to do for you." Jo told her. Josie nodded, and the twins siphoned magic from her, watching as she fade away. Alaric sat next to his daughters, pulling them in a hug as all three of them cried together over the loss of Josette Laughlin.
***
In the cemetery, where Dorian and Alaric are reburying the zombies, they are interrupted by a new supernatural creature. They shined their flashlights to see.
"Who the hell are you?" Alaric asked.
"Oh. Your pathetic attempt at humor does nothing to mask your fear. Tremble then in the presence of the Necromancer!" The man cackled.
Dorian sighed. "Who?"
"The... Necromancer! Bringer of life and death. He who holds the Fates' threads. The cursed king of the underworld!"
Alaric shook his head. "It's not ringing any bells." He turned to Dorian. "You?"
"All I know about necromancers is from video games. And they're, like, low-level witch cannon fodder." Dorian spoke.
"I am no mere witch. There's only one me, I assure you. And now you've seen what I can do. Let's get down to the business of a certain knife." The necromancer spoke.
"If you're the one responsible for what went down today..." Alaric started.
"Yeah?"
"...you're gonna wish you were someone else."
"I told you. Death cannot hold me." The monster spoke.
"Buddy..." Alaric told him, grabbing a shovel. He knocked the creature out. "...we'll see about that."