Aaron can hear his heart beating in his ears as he looks around at the other Squad members. New Orleans is gorgeous, but he has never truly been there. Whatever this is is supposed to be modeled after what Josie saw when she went—dark alley that would normally be filled with people now deserted except for Hope Mikaelson.
He can't find the rage he expected to feel. Stella Hale is his friend, as strange as that may seem. They are destined to be enemies, yet he would give his life to defend her. She already proved she would do the same, so why can't he feel angry about what happened? Why does he simply feel pity?
He holds his breath as Hope walks down the street, a beignet in her hand. "You're a long way from home," she calls out, turning as Cleo comes out of the shadows. She drops the pastries, and Aaron almost wishes he believed this would go differently.
"You're not an easy person to find," Cleo replies. "I came to talk."
"So, now, are all the other people getting into position around me gonna join the conversation? You can come out now."
Aaron shares a look with the others as they follow Hope's instruction, coming into the dull light around them, surrounding Hope. Aaron stays close to Josie, a hand on his sword at all times. Hope simply grins as she looks at them all. "This looks like the worst album cover of all time. I'm gonna give you all the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn't get my message? Maybe it was too subtle."
Josie picks her chin up. "As angry as I am for what you did to Stella, we're regretfully here to help."
"That's noble. But fourteen hours in a van and that's the best you come up with? Guess Stella really was the brains. Bringing the traitor along wasn't a good idea either."
"Don't let her get to you," MG states as everyone begins shifting on their feet, preparing. "She's just trying to provoke us."
Hope's eyes glow amber in the dark, fangs popping out of her gums. "You should have kept your stupid Squad out of my sight."
"Hope, listen to us," Cleo says. "It doesn't have to happen this way."
"No, it doesn't. But on the other hand, it kind of sounds like fun. Externa conatus." A force of magic slams into Aaron's gut, sending everyone to the ground.
The vampires recover first, making them Hope's first target. She runs up to Kaleb and tosses him into a wooden table; a table leg shoots through his chest, waiting for Hope to rip it from his body and toss it into MG's. As Hope gets busy incapacitating Cleo, Aaron grabs Josie's hand, letting her siphon magic as he taps his stamina and strength runes. By the time Josie is ready and lets go, Hope is already ripping Jed's heart out and decapitating Ethan.
"Ad somnum." Josie closes her hand into a fist. They watch as Hope drops to the ground, but Aaron knows it can't be that easy. He's proven right as Hope surges up to her feet, deflecting his sword, twisting his arm until the blade plunges through his own chest instead.
He gasps awake to find himself back in the gym instead of that New Orleans street corner. Squeezing his eyes shut, he forces himself to his feet and shakes off the aching in his muscles where he can still feel the echo of his sword.
Josie wakes two seconds later, a dark look in her eye that quickly disappears when he helps her up. She had been off since Stella's incident, not that Aaron can blame her. The students had arranged something special for Stella, all lighting a candle in her honor at the hospital. When Josie had walked out with Lizzie, it was like she was putting on a show. She may be a great actress, but Aaron can see through it; the only problem is, he can't decide what's really buried underneath.
Cleo wakes with a scream, her hand going for her throat as Kaleb rushes to her side. MG slowly closes the therapy box as they all exchange hopeless looks. "Ok, so, what's that?" Kaleb asks. "Hope seventeen, Squad zero."
The bell rings above their heads. MG sighs, "We're gonna be late for class."
Most of the Squad begin going off, but Josie lingers back, so naturally, so does Aaron. Cleo, too, seems too scared to walk out of the gym, despite Kaleb's coaxing. "Cleo," Josie asks, wringing her fingers together, "what happened after we all died?"
Cleo hesitates, forcing a smile on her face. "The usual."
"Don't worry," Aaron pats her shoulder. "We'll figure something out. There has to be a way. Jo, do you wanna..."
"Yeah." Josie nods, but her gaze lingers on Cleo before she follows him out of the room. "So, Lizzie's locked away. Do you think you could maybe help her?"
Aaron frowns. "What do you mean?"
Josie purses her lips. "Maybe better if I show you."
Aaron stays a step behind her as they walk through the school towards what used to be Alaric Saltzman's office. Though Isaac had moved in as headmaster, the werewolf has been away, dividing his time between his Alpha at the hospital and the school. It seems Lizzie has taken the opportunity to pull every book she can and filled every possible surface with notes.
"Skipping class now?" Josie asks as they walk in.
Lizzie looks up, her eyes bloodshot as she glances between them. "No time for class when we could be looking for a solution. We all grieve differently."
"Please don't talk like that," Josie snaps. "Stella's not dead and neither is Dad."
"They're not exactly alive either," Lizzie replies. "And I think if we could just get to Dad, he'll know what to do, know something that can help us. Stella needs time to heal, but Dad's soul is gone. We need to find a way to get it back. I thought we were supposed to meet up hours ago, but you're late and you've brought Aaron. What's going on?"
"We were trying to figure out what to do about Hope," Aaron says cautiously as he inches further into the room, crossing his arms.
Lizzie scoffs as she stands, arching a brow at Josie. "I find that hard to believe since yesterday you were vowing vengeance in front of her uncle."
Josie stares ahead. "We all do things we don't want to. At the end of the day, something needs to be done. And, let's be fair, Lizzie. Stella's crumbling, and you're more concerned with Dad who would be celebrating."
"You saw the same memories I did. Stella was only thinking about how good of a cousin Hope was. She wouldn't want us to just give up, so I'm trying in my own way."
For a second, one tiny second, Aaron thinks he may see a smile on Josie's face. It can't possibly be, he reasons, because Stella is down and her father is essentially gone and she is barely holding it together. Josie wouldn't be smiling at a time like this.
Aaron takes another step forward, both twins turning to him. "Look, if anyone is powerful enough to heal both of them, it's Hope. We can't fix every problem alone."
"Watch me." Lizzie places her hands on her hips. "Or don't. Because you'll be off doing whatever else. I am trying to get help, just not the help you want apparently."
Josie sighs, biting her lip. "If you figure out a spell, I'll be there. I promise." She turns and whispers, "Please just... Don't let her do this alone."
He nods as she continues out of the office. Once she is far enough away, he meanders over to where Lizzie stands at the bookshelf, her fingers running over books. "You know, I don't think she's doing too well."
"Duh."
"Look, I'm here to help you." Lizzie ignores him. "Thought we were friends, right? Let me help you."
"You don't think I'm doing the right thing."
He shrugs. "I don't know what the right thing is, Liz." She blinks and turns to look at him. "Maybe it's Hope, maybe it's your dad. I'm willing to try. But what I really want to figure out is whether this is how Josie grieves or if it's something else."
Lizzie narrows her eyes. "You think something's going on?"
"I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it is just the pressure of knowing Stella's in a hospital bed and Hope put her there, but something feels off. And I'd like a partner in crime to help me figure it out. If you're willing."
Lizzie purses her lips. "After we find a way to talk to my dad."
~~~~~
Faith likes the car ride down to Georgia. Despite all the strange rumors about the woman, Hope lets Faith do pretty much whatever she wants. Hope could kill her with a simple snap or a muttered word, but Faith doesn't mind. She grew up in a world where failing a spell meant no one would protect her from everyone else—it meant disappointing the people she needed praise from and getting punished as a result.
She had learned to perfect her smile, but she feels like Hope can see through it.
Truthfully, Faith isn't very scared of the tribrid. To Faith, Hope is just a scared little girl who can't deal with her emotions, so she pushes them away in an effort to forget they exist at all. Faith does that too but it doesn't usually end in murder.
Why they drive up to some suburban house in the middle of Fayetteville is beyond Faith, but Hope had stopped by a fast food joint and gotten Faith some French fries and fried chicken.
As Hope parks the car, she shifts in her seat and turns to Faith as she munches on the food. "Stay here. Don't come in."
"Why?" Faith asks as salt crumbles in the corners of her mouth. "You meeting a boyfriend or something? Can I meet him? Or is it family?"
Hope rolls her eyes. "Or something. Stay here. I'll be back."
"What should I do in the meantime?" Faith calls out as Hope slams the door shut.
"Eat food!"
"It doesn't fill me up."
Pausing at the porch, Hope smirks back at her. "Then find some real food and save some for me."
Faith still hasn't gotten used to the whole predator thing and the drinking blood thing and the intense bouts of anger she has managed to starve off. She dreads the next full moon, whenever that may be. Time with Hope doesn't seem to pass—it's not quick or slow, just as if she were stuck in an endless loop that never ends. A good kind of never ends because Faith does not want to deal with the reality of being a hybrid. She had always been taught that others were wrong, that only witches were truly meant to be in the world as companions to humans. Now, she is anything but.
She nibbles on a fry, glancing back to the house as some man answers the door.
"Hello, Clarke-y," she hears Hope say. She unfortunately also hears the couple having what sounds to be amazing sex two doors down as well as the screaming child across the street.
"Hope. This is a weird time."
"Yeah, you have no idea. Invite me in?"
A woman comes up behind the man with a large, insincere smile. "And who is this lovely creature?"
"She's a tribrid who can eat your face off," Faith mutters, angrily shoving another fry in her mouth. "Oh, don't mind me, I'm just Hope who gets to leave Faith in the car all alone."
"Keep talking and I'll give you something else to complain about."
Faith grins. "You like me and you know it. Also, uh, please don't kill me."
"Noted."
Another screech from the kid makes Faith wince, unable to hear the rest of the conversation. She isn't opposed to children existing, but it's not for her, no matter what her coven believed.
By the time Hope emerges with the man, Faith has downed most of the food, save for the cookie Hope had bought (more like compelled into getting). She takes it in her hand as she steps out of the car with a wide grin, holding it out to Hope as the man pauses to suspiciously eye her while Hope takes the cookie and bites into it. "Thanks," Hope says. "Maps?"
Faith nods and grabs them out of her seat and spreads them over the car. "I'm Faith, by the way," she says as she looks at the man. "Hope told me absolutely nothing."
"I'm Ryan."
"I thought you were Clarke."
"Clarke, this is Faith. She's a hybrid, so can we continue?" Hope arches a brow and crosses her arms. "Where is it?"
Clarke nervously passes between them and searches the maps before pointing. "This was the Triad corporation's data facility. If they kept records of the bloodlines of the original Triad, it would be there."
"Perfect. See? I knew you could be useful, Ryan. Why don't you come with, for old time's sake?"
Faith twists her lips as she glances away. Relief floods her when Clarke replies, "I can't. I've got responsibilities now, and I have a job, a relationship. I don't have time for supernatural hijinks anymore."
"Your loss," Hope says. "Say goodbye to your very serious girlfriend for me. Come on, Faith."
Faith sends Clarke a smile—one no one has ever been able to tell is entirely fake—before slipping back into the car. She yelps when it jerks forward, Hope accelerating faster than Faith expected. "Great, so—"
"We're not going anywhere. We still need him," Hope sighs.
Faith clicks her tongue and pouts. "I don't like him."
"Most people don't, but he knows Triad, and we need some bait. Don't frown, Faith. Clarke will outlive his usefulness soon enough. Just sit tight."
So, Faith does as she's told. She waits. She watches as Hope destroys whatever relationship Clarke had and lets Hope drag her to some corporate office where they sit in the car with yet another bag of fried chicken.
When Clarke inevitably walks out of the building with a cardboard box in his hands, Hope simply rolls down the window and smirks, asking, "You free now?"
Clarke reluctantly climbs in the back of the car after a glare from Faith when he tried getting in the front. It's a small fit in the luxury car, but neither Hope nor Faith minds nearly as much as Clarke. Despite that, he continuously bothers them by calling his girlfriend.
"Can we stop for a snack?" Faith asks. "I'm hungry."
"Again?" Hope arches a brow.
"Yeah, it's like I'm never full," Faith shrugs.
"Have you tried blood yet?"
She chuckles and looks away. "I mean, I tried yours?"
"Trudy!" Clarke exclaims. "I can explain everything."
Hope smirks in the mirror, saying. "Ryan, baby, come back to bed."
Clarke glares as he hangs up. "Can you please stop making everything worse? I need to fix this."
"I don't know, this is sort of fun. Oh, can I try?" Faith asks.
Hope scoffs. "Trust me, it's better this way. You don't wanna be Ryan, and you wanna know why? Because Ryan's dating Trudy, who, if we're being honest, is giving off a certain vibe of, I don't know, shall we say—"
"Upper thirties desperation?" Faith offers.
Hope nods. "Before you know it, Ryan is gonna be middle-aged with kids who can't stand him and a mortgage he can't afford and a wife who wants to know where he is every second of the day and a job as assistant regional manager at a place he can never leave because her dad owns the company."
Faith sighs. "Sounds like she did you a favor. Hey, why are you going for your phone again?"
"Trudy! Please don't hang up. I can explain."
Faith purses her lips. "How long are you gonna let him—"
Hope snatches the phone from his grip and tosses it out the window. "You're gonna see when we get there," she says. "Being Clarke is way better."
I really like Faith actually.
Hope you enjoyed!
-L