"Thank you for coming tonight, Hope. It really means a lot to me," Freya tells her niece as Hope washes the dishes for her.
The night has been fairly pleasant so far, but Hope wants to make something very clear to Freya, "I didn't do it for you," She says simply, before glancing through the window to the yard, where Josie, Nik, and Keelin run around with Peaches.
Freya nods, growing melancholy after that.
"So...should I be worried about that kid who had all those things to say about your marriage?"
Hope finishes drying the last dish and puts it away before scoffing, "That guy is a drug dealer, Freya. He doesn't know what he's talking about, and I took care of him. He won't be bothering us anymore."
Freya studies Hope for a moment before nodding a single time and asking, "What are you doing getting involved with a drug dealer anyway? Don't tell me this is a hobby you picked up in the past 4 and a half years?" She half jokes.
Hope furrows her eyebrows at her aunt, and she's about to respond in a not-so-nice manner, but their conversation is interrupted when Josie enters the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Hope's waist from behind as she smiles warmly at Freya, "Thank you for having us over again. I know Peaches loves playing with Nik."
"It's no trouble at all, sweetheart," Freya forces a smile, though her eyes go right back to Hope, and Josie can suddenly feel the tension in the room as Freya says, "You didn't answer my question."
"You're right, I didn't," Hope says with a coldness in her voice that Josie truly doesn't recognize.
"Babe—"
Hope's voice and features soften as she looks at Josie, "We should get going, love."
Josie furrows her eyebrows, but she doesn't question Hope now, "O-Okay, let me just go get the dog—"
But Freya doesn't relent as she tries to piece everything together, though she has it all wrong, "Are you taking something to slow your healing? Does he deal magic herbs, or something—"
"No, I'm not. Not that that's any of your business."
Josie asks Hope softly, "What's she talking about?"
Freya answers for Hope, "The boy who claimed your marriage was a scam. What could he possibly have to gain from saying such a thing?"
"He—"
"Jo, you don't have to—"
"Yes, I do," She doesn't want Hope's own family questioning her, though she hates that she has to defend her marriage with the auburnette, it was always to be expected. That's what is sure to come with a fake marriage, "My sister, after we lost our mom, she went through a rocky path. She ended up in rehab..."
Josie trails off as Freya nods slowly in realization and understanding.
Freya sighs softly, "I'm sorry to hear that."
And Josie only nods with a weak smile.
Freya looks to Hope, "You took care of this?"
Hope nods.
And Freya looks down, "I'm sorry. I'm just...trying to make sense of everything."
Freya still doesn't understand why Hope hasn't fully healed. And she still doesn't completely understand why Hope joined the Marines in the first place. And this marriage is so new...But Freya also knows she's really in no position to question her niece.
"You two drive safe, alright?"
Hope nods, and Josie moves to give Freya a brief hug, and Freya furrows her eyebrows as she notices something.
She asks as she pulls away, "You're a witch?"
Before, Freya never sensed any magic from the girl, so she assumed she was human. But now, she can feel a small amount of magic in her.
Josie opens her mouth to respond, "Um—"
But then, they suddenly hear the front door open.
That's weird. Keelin and Nik are in the back.
"Where the bloody hell was my invitation?" The blonde original vampire asks as she rounds the corner into the kitchen.
Rebekah.
"We were actually just leaving. Jo," Hope ushers her head toward the door as she places a guiding hand on Josie's back.
But Freya stops her, "Hold on. She didn't have magic before. Where is this magic from now?"
Before Hope gets the chance to stop her, Josie answers, "I'm a witch of the Gemini Coven."
Realization suddenly washes over Freya's face, but she has to be sure, "What is your surname?"
"Mikaelson," Hope answers for her, taking Josie's hand.
"Her maiden name, Hope," Freya shoots her a knowing look.
But Rebekah beats her to the punch, "Saltzman."
The name sounds like poison coming from her mouth.
Freya adds, "A siphoner," as she crosses her arms against her chest.
"Bloody hell, Hope," Rebekah shakes her head.
At first, Josie assumes they're merely pissed about her being a Saltzman. Josie would expect that same reaction from her father when he figures out she married a Mikaelson, which is honestly a part of the reason she originally married Hope, just to piss him off more.
But they don't seem focused on the fact that she's a Saltzman for long, as their attention shifts to the fact she's a siphoner.
Freya scoffs, "Maybe the boy who spoke ill of your marriage wasn't as far off as you claim. This is why you married her, is it not?"
Josie furrows her eyebrows at that. Because I'm a siphoner?
"She doesn't practice magic, Freya. That's not why I—"
"You really expect me to believe that when there's magic coursing through her right now?" Freya raises an eyebrow at her, "So what? You married her because you think—"
"I married her because I love her," Hope says simply, making Josie's mouth run dry at the words, before they all hear the back door open, and in comes Peaches with Keelin and Nik.
Keelin pauses when she notices Rebekah has joined them, noting the higher tension than before, "Maybe we should go back outside...?"
"Don't bother. We were just leaving," Hope responds, calling the dog and taking Josie's hand in her own before leaning down to leave a kiss to Nik's head, "Thanks for playing with Peaches, buddy," She forces a smile, not wanting the child to be dragged into the drama.
Nik wraps his arms around her neck, "I'll see you soon, Hopey!"
Hope nods a single time, "Yeah..See you soon, Nik." Though she knows that's highly unlikely with how this conversation is going.
Keelin hugs Hope and Josie as well, "I should get him in the bath. I love you both, drive safe," Keelin says genuinely. She's disagreed with the way the Mikaelson's handled Hope's 'episode' years ago, but she understands why they did what they did, too. It's definitely an issue she and Freya have had to work through over the past several years.
"Nik, I'll meet you in the bathroom in a second," She ushers him off before turning to her wife and mumbling so the kid doesn't somehow overhear, "We just got her back. Don't push her away again," She urges Freya before following after their son.
Freya sighs, crossing her arms.
But Rebekah is less quick to heed the warning, stepping closer to Josie, "If you so much as even think of lifting the—"
Hope steps in front of Josie protectively, "If you so much as even finish that sentence, I will put a dagger through your chest, lock you in a box, and drop you to the bottom of the Pacific for the next century. I'd pick your next words carefully if I were you."
Josie feels like she loses the breath in her lungs at that.
And she's terrified herself for whatever Rebekah chooses to respond with.
The blonde vampire steps closer to Hope, something triggered in her as well. She whispers disapprovingly, "You remember him more than you think."
That threat sounded eerily similar to her brother, Niklaus.
Josie furrows her eyebrows in confusion, while Hope's jaw locks like she's holding herself back and her eyes flash gold for a split second.
Whatever Rebekah meant by that statement, that was Hope's breaking point.
And Josie decides that now would probably be a good time to get the hell out before this gets worse, "Hope, come on," She whispers to her wife softly.
Hope relaxes just enough to nod at her wife's request when Josie caresses her bicep.
Freya sighs as Hope takes a step to guide Josie and the dog outside, "Hope..." The aubrunette pauses and Josie silently begs and prays, Please don't piss her off right now, but Freya tells her honestly, "If you truly love her, you won't let her take that magic."
It's far too much for the Siphon to handle. It's dark and immense. It's dangerous. And the outcome of it being removed from the Tribrid would be detrimental.
And Freya assumes Josie already knows about the hex itself, since they're married, so she turns to the brunette, "If you love her, you won't—"
"That's enough," Hope tells her with finality, and Josie locks eyes with Hope aunt, seeing so much emotion running through her eyes, sadness, fear, dread. But she sees love too, and some sort of protectiveness that she's seen in Hope before.
Hope doesn't say anything else as she guides Josie and Peaches out of the house, and Freya and Rebekah allow them to leave.
A little ways down the road, Josie glances over toward a silent Hope, who seems to have a lot going through her mind right now.
She mumbles to her wife, "I'm sorry, Hope."
She doesn't exactly understand what just happened, but she knows Hope is overwhelmed and hurt.
Hope furrows her eyebrows before glancing over at her wife, who has already turned back to keep her eyes on the road, "You have nothing to apologize for."
Josie sighs softly. She feels like she kind of does. She's the one who talked Hope into going to her aunt's house again. But she also knows it's not her fault things went south.
She also has a million questions she wants to ask, but she knows now isn't the time.
But...there's one question that needs a straightforward answer. She doesn't need details if Hope isn't ready to share. And she thinks she knows the answer already, it would make sense, but she needs to hear it from Hope.
"Hope?"
"Yeah?" Hope seems to sense what's coming, and she's not as closed off as she would normally be. After what Josie just went through with her family, Hope thinks she deserves an answer.
"Did your...Did your family hex you?" Even saying that sentence out loud makes her even more confused. How could a family possibly do that to their own niece? There's no way it's true.
Hope glances over to Josie, letting out a soft sigh before looking back at the road, "Yes. My family hexed me."