Over the time, things had been getting better for Hope and Josie.
They managed not to have any more drama and they even settled the whole college thing.
Not that it even needed to get settled in the first place. Hope had everything worked out already—for the both of them.
"Are you ready?" Josie asked Hope as she brought down the last suit case that they had packed.
Hope looked over her shoulder and smiled, "Yes, I'm ready." Hope assured as she stepped up to the car. "But no, I'm not ready to leave you." Hope turned around as she hooked her arms around Josie's shoulders.
"I'm not ready to leave you either but time tells and it's finally over. High school is finally over. We get to go and have fun at college together. We just have to get through this summer away from each other." Josie frowned before she felt the warmth of her wife's lips.
Hope sent her a small smile before resting her head against Josie's chest. "Everything is going to be okay, it's only 2 months."
"2 months is too long without you. I still feel like I should go with you."
Hope shook her head. "No, because then you won't be able to go and do what you wanted to do. Make new friends, and throw yourself a bachelorette party, or go out and drink, have fun and enjoy before we step into the real world and become adults."
"But what if we don't spend enough time when we are adults? What if our last moments as kids are what we need to spend together."
Hope raised her eyebrow, "I would and I will always make time for you. You're kind of the love of my life." Hope said in a playful tone.
"Yeah well, I kind of like you too." Josie sent her a sad smile. "I love you, Hope. I also want you to have the best time without me because once we arrive at S.P.U you are never getting rid of me."
"Aw, man." Hope playfully pouted before she broke into a smile. "Okay, last kisses and then we will see each other in august." Hope pulled back and leaned up as she pecked her wife's lips almost a thousand times and then pulled back with a toothy smile, "Yeah, I'm going to miss this."
Josie grinned, "you sure you don't want to have airplane sex? I heard that was on your todo list. Funny how I was on that list too. I say we kill 2 birds in one stone." Josie suggested as she wrapped her arms around Hope.
The auburn haired girl hummed, "as tempting as that sounds, I'm going to have to pass, we both know that we would never be leaving that airplane bathroom once we walk into it."
"True." Josie shrugged, "it was worth a shot."
The shorter girl then chewed at her bottom lip, "We can definitely do that after the summer break is over. I'm going to be one in need."
Josie smiled. "Yeah, I know. We're going to be making those baby dolls like crazy." She half joked.
Hope shook her head in disbelief but her lips read something different; a smile. "I want to make baby dolls with you too."
Josie cupped her face. "Yeah and after that we are going to have the real trolls." Josie winked as she leaned in and gave her wife another kiss to the lips. "Okay, seriously, no more jokes, get your ass in that car before I chase you down and go to Italy with you."
"Who said I was joking..." Hope whispered as she leaned up and placed small kisses to her wife's jaw line. "I don't joke about things like that..." she whispered again.
Josie looked around to see if anyone could see what was going on and she was thankful that they couldn't because she felt so embarrassed and flustered. "Hope..."
Hope stepped back before she grabbed her suitcase and got into the car. "I'm waiting on you, Jo."
Josie glared at her before walking over to the driver's seat and getting in, "you are one mean leprechaun, you hear me?"
"Okay, bigfoot."
Josie gasped as Hope broke into laughter, "Hey! My feet aren't that big! And I look way better than bigfoot."
Hope continued to laugh as Josie shook her head and drove out of their parking garage.
"Fine, you aren't bigfoot but you have to stop calling me offensive names."
"I don't know, you do make one cute leprechaun. Like a little stuffed animal though." Josie commented as she turned up the volume for the music.
"So, you think I'm a stuffed leprechaun?" Hope asked in offense. "Imagine what others think about me." She joked as she gasped.
—"They think you're perfect. Trust me, I should know."
"Hmm, I don't know if I should trust you so much. Maybe you can earn it."
Josie grinned, "Does that sex on the airplane thing still stand?"
"You wish."
"And you're known to be lucky, so give me luck and make my wish come true." Josie winked as Hope just rolled her eyes.
-
They had been standing there for 10 minutes now; hugging. Hope made a smart move when she decided to wake up and be ready 2 hours before her flight because she knew that Josie was going to do something like this.
But the hours were down and the minutes were up. Josie watched as Hope pulled away and she felt the soft lips of her wife's kiss her cheek as she turned away and disappeared into the hall of gate 8.
The brown haired girl tried her best not to cry but she couldn't just sit there and act like she was happy because she wasn't.
She wanted to scream from the rooftops and tell the whole world that things were going to be okay.
Hope leaving for Italy was just one prime example of them stepping into adulthood and Josie didn't like it one bit.
She hated the feeling.
Of course she wanted to grow up and get her own things and not depend on anyone but she didn't realize the big responsibility she would have to take on. She didn't even realize that adulthood had come into play with one snap of a finger.
She was married, she had a house, she was going to college and soon she would need to start her career. What was next, a baby?
But Josie couldn't blame anyone but herself. Besides, she was looking at things all in a bad way, what if things happened to go her way and it didn't turn out bad?
What ifs really sucked, and everybody knew that.
-
Josie made it back to her house and she was all alone in the empty place.
All she could think about was what Hope told her to do. Drink and have fun.
Hope knew that Josie wasn't the drinking person but Josie thought that maybe it would be fun. Maybe it would be nice. Maybe Hope had meaning in it.
So; Josie got up and she grabbed Hope's keys. She was on her way to her uncle; Tatum's house.
He always had something there after one of his late night hook ups.
Josie was hoping that he did. Drinking killed a feeling in you and only left one other. Josie was praying that the killed feeling would be how sad she felt.
Hope: I made it, and I'm safe if you're wondering.
Josie smiled at the text. She was getting used to being without Hope already; lies.
Josie: I'm always wondering about you. Have a fun trip.
It wasn't a lie. Josie was always worrying and wondering about Hope. She knew it and even Hope did.
Hope: I'm going to be texting you this whole summer, don't try and get rid of me yet.
Once again, a smile crept on her face and she sighed.
She didn't reply back because she didn't know what to say in all honesty. It wasn't a normal feeling that she was feeling.
But how long could a couple of months be without Hope? It was a nothing compared to if they had to go to different colleges.
-
Hope arrived in Italy and she stood staring at her family home with a bright smile. It was always home to her, the only problem now was that the same feeling she felt before wasn't the same feeling she had now.
Her home was Josie. Things felt a little empty.
But Hope expected it to feel that way. She wasn't in contact with her father, she was away from her wife and she was starting college soon. Who the hell would actually expect things to be different?
"Hope Andrea Mikaelson! Is that you?" Hope heard her aunt call as she looked up to see her. "You don't know how much I've missed you."
"Wanna bet?"
-
3 years later.
Hope was attending S.P.U, while Josie had got recruited early. That wasn't such a bad thing. They would have to spend a few months apart until Hope finished her college career. The only problem with that was that they were already having problems.
With the whole basketball thing. One minute Josie was going to play in the WNBA and the next minute she wasn't.
It was hard being a wife to a woman with such dreams like this—or even a man.
One injury and it's all taken away. One injury and Josie would assume that her life is over. She didn't want that. Hope didn't want that either. She hated seeing her wife all sad and to think that she could lose her career off of anything, really made her heart grow into a stone. Almost like she was going to be missing a soul and kill anyone who took that dream away from Josie.
She didn't care whether it was a mistake caused by an innocent person or a mistake caused by her father. Hope was sure that if anything happened to Josie then their life would be over.
For a moment back in time Hope thought about how happy and sad she was that Josie's career could have been over.
Hope could tell that Josie was drunk by the tone in her voice and it was a little embarrassing because Hope was standing in the room of her family.
She wanted to tell Josie she would call her back but she could sense how sad her wife was and she didn't want to leave her all there alone and drunk without anyone to talk to.
"Hey, Josie, honey. You need to get back to your hotel room." Hope says as she walks into a quieter room.
Josie shook her head, "Hope, I really love you. You know that?"
"I love you too, Josie. I love you so much that you don't even know, but I need you safe right now, so tell me where you are and I'll call up a friend to come pick you up and I'll catch the first flight down there. I'll be right by yourself come the morning."
Josie shook her head, "no way. Your family traveled all that way for you at the dorm and you're wasting your time talking to me...I'm sorry I'll just call you tomorrow."
"NO! Josette Olivia Mikaelson, you better not hang up this phone!" Hope yelled through the other end of the phone. "Tell me what's wrong and I'll kill whoever caused it."
Josie cracked a smile, "you can't it was nobody's fault but mine. I suck, I can't play basketball. What was I thinking?" She asked, puzzled.
"You're amazing Josie. You are the best basketball player ever, and that says a lot because I've seen curry play in an actual game."
"You're only saying that because you are married to me. You don't have to lie to me, Hope. I can handle the truth, it's not like I'm sober right now anyways. I'm not going to remember this in the morning."
The auburn haired girl sighed, "You are fucking amazing, Josie. If you can't see it then you need some damn glasses."
"I just don't know how things could go so wrong."
"Well maybe-"
"I want to start our family. I want to start it and then we can have a little us of our own and you're 23 and I'm 22. What's a better time to create a family?"
Hope sighed, "Josie, I-"
"I just want something that I can hope for. I want to look forward to something and right now I'm looking forward to having a baby. Then I can look forward to watching them smile, or laugh. I'm even ready to cry. That says a lot."
Hope chuckled a bit along with Josie. "You really want this?"
"As soon as possible." Josie whispered as her voice made her seem to have sobered up. "I love you, I love us, and I'm going to love a mini us. I just need to know if you're ready for that just as I am." Josie chewed at her bottom lip.
Hope sighed at the memory before getting up from her last class and making her way to her dorm. She was in for one hell of a day.
-
Josie on the other hand was getting onto a bus. She thought her life was over a few months ago but it wasn't, and thank god that Josie kept trying because if she didn't then she wouldn't be having the opportunity to make it big.
This was only pre WNBA. If she made it to the actual playoffs and got the scout to recruit her then she could have so many things in check for herself.
Hope would be looking at a 7 bedroom- 4 bathroom-house with a pool and jacuzzi, and enough space for their future children and even an office for Hope as they dreamed.
That was the money of a millionaire though. Josie was sure she could do it. After everything that she had overcome, this seemed to be the easiest thing ever.
"I hope you girls are ready to be playing for fun because I'm getting the eye of that Scout!" One the girls announced as she walked onto the bus.
Josie grinned as she started to hear everyone else yelling about them being the best of them all—Josie didn't do that.
She knew where she stood and that's why she placed her earbuds into her ear as she rested her head against the chair and closed her eyes. She had a 20 minute drive ahead of her and she didn't want to get into any fights with the other girls.
It wasn't like she couldn't take them. It was more so that she was putting her future out there other than stupid meaningless fights that could get her kicked off of the team.
-
As Hope rushed towards her dorm, she felt a pain in her belly.
"Hey, are you okay?" One of her friends asked her.
Hope nodded as she groaned from the feeling of her belly growing out. "I'm fine, someone just thought it would be a good idea to kill me before they were even here." Hope gritted through her teeth.
"I can help you get back to your dorm if you would like." The friend said,
The auburn haired girl shook her head, "I don't think so, Josie would kill me. Especially if it got out that I had someone in my room that shouldn't have been." Hope admits as she runs her hand over the paining spots.
The person raised their eyebrow and sighed, "Doesn't that sound a bit possessive?"
"What do you mean?" Hope asked as she took deep breaths in and out.
The person shrugged, "You're 23, almost out of college and if you ask me, that seems pretty damn grown. You're old enough to make far more decisions than you think. So, why let a man tell you what you can and can not do?"
Hope scrunched her nose in disgust, "I would never let a man tell me what I can and cannot do. My wife on the other hand, she can tell me to do just about anything and I would do it." Hope admits.
"Wife? I didn't know you were..." the person closed his mouth as if he was unable to say the following words that he was leading up to say.
Hope crossed her arms as the little aches of pain went away, "into women? I don't see a problem, you are too."
"Yeah, but married? At 23 with a thing living in there..." the person pointed just above Hope's waist, "and you're a woman married to another. That doesn't sound a little weird?"
"That sounds perfectly fine to me. A lovely wife, a good career..." Hope tilted her head to the left, "and the tricks with her tongue...oh man." Hope chewed on her bottom lip with a smile capturing her lips from the thought.
"You don't feel...stupid? Going around telling people that your wife is good in bed."
The auburn haired girl shrugged, "With tricks like hers, it should be awarded." Hope winked before she walked off and headed towards her room.
She tried her best not to pause in her tracks because she was afraid that she wouldn't have done that power move that she so called thought she did.
Once she got into her dorm, she felt her phone vibrate. Hope reached into her pocket as her other hand ran over her belly.
The phone was answered as Hope raised it up to her ears.
-
Josie walked into a gym as she looked around at the place. It was all she ever dreamed it would be.
She pictured it to be some old vintage place that they show in the movies but this was the real thing.
"Forbes! Over here!" Josie heard someone call out as she turned around with her sports duffel bag on her shoulder.
The brown haired girl walked over and frowned, "it's Mikaelson,"
"Oh, I thought you were Josie Forbes."
Josie scratched the back of her head, "I am—well, kinda. My name is Josie Forbes by birth but I was married just over 3 years ago making me a Mikaelson."
"Married? At 23? Just before your career takes off? You think this one is loyal to you or your bag?"
Josie placed her bag down onto the floor right in front of her before she crossed her arms, "My wife is in love with me, thank you very much." She paused. "Who even are you?"
"Dana. My best friend is joining this team. I thought I should check out the girl's here to see if she has a chance of joining. She's flying down here tomorrow."
Josie chewed at her bottom lip, "well, fuck you and fuck your best friend. If you are trying to piss me off you have nothing coming."
Dana raised her hands up in defense. "Relax, tiger. I was only trying to make you see the truth before it's all gone. My best friend and her wife got married at a young age and they're doing better than ever. I fear that not everyone is meant to have their happy ending. You could think about all the happy stuff but soon you'll have to face reality."
"Well, you don't have to worry about a damn thing, Dana. It's not your business what my relationship is with my wife or with our future. You just tell your little friend that she's in for a challenge because I'm taking her spot." Josie leaned down to pick up her bag.
"You've heard of Stefanie Salavtore, right? Good luck beating that. Scouts have been calling her out since freshman year; and she wasn't even playing then." Dana winked before walking off.
Josie rolled her eyes before she dialed up her wife's number.
"Hello? Jo, are you alright?" Hope asked as Josie smiled to the sound of her wife's voice.
"Hey, Hope, I thought I would call you and talk to you about a couple of things. I've been thinking about coming to see you soon. We've been apart all year and I already suffer the symptoms of—miss my wife so much—Otis. It's a terrible disease."
"You sure you're 6 hours away because I might have caught that too." Hope half joked as she ran her hands over her belly.
Josie smiled even harder, "I just met someone here and she's an ass. I can only imagine how the coach is going to be."
"Well, you're brave and you can do anything that you want to do. Don't let some jackass bring you down or I'll fly down there and kick their ass for playing with my baby's feelings." Hope assured her honestly.
The brown haired girl grinned, "So, how's my girl?"
"I'm fine. I also have something to tell you."
"And what's that?" Josie asked as she saw a few people walk in.
Hope took a deep breath, "Okay, well, you know how you said that you wanted to get a head start on starting our family?"
Josie nodded, "I did say that. But we were kids and I think we should hold off on the whole starting our family thing."
"Umm, okay?"
Josie's eyes widened as she saw who walked in next. "Yeah, it's just going to be a lot with raising a little us and if I make it then I won't be able to be in our little one's life. I just want to do this right." Josie assured,
Hope laughed nervously, "Yeah, and it'll be stupid if I went out to find a donor because you said 6 months ago that your career was over and you wanted to start a family—you know? It would be stupid for me to do something like that because how mad would you be?"
Josie let out a small chuckle, "I'd be pissed. I mean I know I said I wanted a family but I drunk called you and I would want to be with you along the way every moment, especially our child's life."
Hope raised her hands up to her mouth before she started to chew on her fingernails, "Yeah, I wouldn't do that. That would be so stupid."
Josie nodded as her eyes remained on the coach and the coach's assistant.
"How mad would you be if I happened to be in the room with Jade Tulle right now?"
Hope paused for a moment, "I'd be pissed. I wouldn't want you next to that bitch. Thank god she's back home and you're all the way out there."
"Yeah, thank god. Honey...I'm going to have to call you later."
Hope nodded nervously as she continued to chew on her nails, "Okay, bye I love yo-"
The end button was clicked and Josie looked up as she met eyes with Jade Tulle.
Oh fucking hell.
-
The call ended and Hope looked up from her stomach as she slid her hands against it every so often.
She frowned at the sight of her huge belly and her wife's words. She wanted to give it more thought but there was a knock at her dorm room door. The auburn haired girl sighed before walking over to it.
The other side of the door revealed a hazel eyed girl with blonde hair. She had a smile that anyone might mistake for Hope's.
The Mikaelson girl smiled as she was brought into a hug.
"Amaia Mikaelson, What a lovely surprise to see you." The girl pressured more into the hug and Hope groaned, "Be careful, you might hurt the baby." Hope muttered.
Amaia pulled back and her eyes widened, "it's salvatore, and Aw, my baby cousin is having a baby." Amaia grinned from ear to ear. "Wait until I tell stef about this."
"stef?" Hope questioned as a tall brunette with brown eyes walked into eyesight. She leaned against the wall with a smirk heavy on her lips. "stefanie. The girlfriend?"
Stefanie shook her head as she pushed herself off of the door frame. "The wife."