To avoid any more staring, Alexandria threw the hood of her jacket over as her head hung low. Alexandria needed to clear her head and she knew that wasn't happening so long as she was on the Salvatore School grounds. But as she approached the gate, she spotted someone who made anger rise in her throat.
She saw Dorian and Alaric deep in conversation, exchanging papers as they stood outside the latter's car. A wave of burning-hot anger started to simmer and boil in Alexandria's core as she stared at her former Headmaster. Her jaw clenched as she remembered all that he had done to her. It made her skin crawl as she thought back to how he had chained her up and locked her away from everyone and everything. A vulgar thought passed through Alexandria's mind as she desperately wanted to make him feel the pain he had inflicted on her.
"Alex. Lizzie told me you were back–" Alaric said as he spotted her but stood up straighter when he saw how furious she looked.
Her body started to move without her thinking and she pushed Dorian aside and grabbed Alaric by the collar of his jacket.
"Wait–" Alaric exclaimed but was cut off as the hybrid punched him across the face. His head whipped to the side as he tasted blood in his mouth.
Dorian gasped and was about to step in but Alaric stuck out his hand to stop him. Alexandria pulled Alaric back up by his collar and punched him again with her other hand, and proceeded to follow it up with another, and another.
Alexandria's chest heaved up and down as she stared down at his hunched figure as he leaned against the side of his car.
"Are you done?" Alaric groaned as he brought a hand up to his face and noticed a bone out of place in his nose.
"That's all you have to say to me? Pretty sure if I punch you another time, I'll break your jaw, which doesn't sound too bad now that I think about it," Alexandria spat but stepped back from Alaric and Dorian.
Dorian looked at the two with disbelief but couldn't exactly blame the hybrid for acting out after he heard Alaric had done.
"As much as he probably deserves it, can you two please put this on pause because I think we have a serious problem," Dorian stepped in to stop Alexandria from continuing.
Alexandria rolled her eyes. "What now?" she sighed. Alexandria was furious at the man in front of him but his next words left her alarmed.
Alaric took a sharp breath before he reset his nose and wiped off the blood on his face. He exhaled deeply before he continued, ignoring the lingering pain in his face. "At the pit, was there anyone else besides you, Hope or Landon? Josie returned everyone's Malivore memories so I have to ask, do you remember anyone else?" Alaric rushed over his words as he attempted to stand up straighter.
"I dunno, I was too busy dying to take note of anyone else who was there," Alexandria sassed. "Why are you asking?"
Alaric gestured to Dorian to show the files he was holding to her. "I ran some tests, there was another person in the room where the Malivore pit was. I didn't know who or what it was until..." Alaric began and nodded at Dorian to continue.
"Until I ran a test on Vardemus and it came up as a match with the DNA from the Malivore pit," Dorian finished as he showed the two files to Alexandria.
As Alexandria took a closer look, she saw how the two files showed test results showing an identical match. "Vardemus? You mean the guy that's the new Headmaster?" Alexandria clarified with both of them as she looked up from the files.
Alaric and Dorian both nodded. "It could be a monster pretending to be Vardemus, we don't know. But we need to find him and we need to find him fast," Dorian said as he looked between Alaric and Alexandria.
"What does he look like?" Alexandria asked as she began to think about what it all meant.
Dorian pulled a photo out from the file he was holding and showed it to Alexandria. The hybrid noted the features of the older-looking man before she vamped back to the school.
~ * ~
Alexandria vamped through the students, scanning each face in search of 'Vardemus'. She had never even seen the man, but knowing that he was a potential monster made her beyond anxious.
As the hybrid searched the lower floor of the school, she found nothing out of the ordinary. None of the students seemed to be in any immediate danger so she sped over to the Headmaster's office.
She barged through the door and her attention was instantly drawn to Josie passed out on the floor. Alexandria fell to her knees and brought the witch into her lap. The steady beat of her heart relieved her but she was still knocked out cold.
"Josie? Wake up," Alexandria gently shook the girl as her eyes drifted to her surroundings for any sign of Vardemus.
The room was entirely different from the last time she had been in the office. The furniture had changed immensely and had a completely different aura.
"Please, Josie. Now is not the time to be sleeping on the job," Alexandria panicked as Josie had yet to stir but eventually, the witch started to wake from her unconscious state. "Oh, thank fuck."
Josie slowly peeled her eyes open but she shot up from her spot seeing Alexandria over her. The hybrid pushed herself back with her hands up in surrender, giving Josie some space.
"Sorry, I found you passed out on the floor," Alexandria apologised.
Josie shook her head and brushed off her deliriousness. She saw Alexandria a few feet away from her and she felt guilty for acting as she did. But she couldn't utter an apology as her father rushed into the room.
"Josie!" Alaric exclaimed as he knelt down in front of his daughter.
In the corner of her eye, Josie saw Alexandria silently get up from the floor and take a few steps back. She met the hybrid's gaze briefly but Alexandria looked away almost immediately. "Dad, what happened to you?" Josie said as she saw the redness on his face.
"Don't worry about me, are you alright?" Alaric quickly dismissed.
Josie's eyes darted between her father and Alexandria. "I think I did something bad," Josie confessed in a whisper.
"It's okay, it's okay. We'll figure it out," he reassured her as he brought her in for a hug. As Alaric pulled away, he turned his head to Alexandria. "I need to get Josie out of here and evacuate the school."
"I can get her out of here fast while you start evacuating the school," the hybrid suggested.
Alaric made sure that Josie was comfortable and let her lean against the table. Alaric got up from his spot and made his way over to a specific bookshelf in the corner of the room to open a secret stash of weapons that was still hidden even from the new Headmaster.
He grabbed his signature crossbow out before he closed the stash and turned back to the two girls. "Go, quickly. Get her to safety far away from the school, somewhere in town and come straight back," he ordered Alexandria and she nodded stiffly.
The hybrid turned her attention to Josie who had a hand over her eyes. "Can you stand?" she asked but the brunette witch shook her head slowly. "Okay, I'm gonna pick you up, is that alright?" she spoke softly as she moved closer to Josie.
Josie let a small agreement fall from her lips as she found herself feeling lightheaded, a sort of reeling sensation.
Alexandria picked up Josie gently and sped out of the school doors. However, only a few seconds later the hybrid had to stop when she saw the discomfort on Josie's face.
Josie almost collapsed on the ground as she felt her stomach doing numerous flips. Panic and worry settled within Alexandria as she rushed to aid the witch but she just held her hand out to stop her.
"God, how do you do that and not get sick?" Josie gasped out as she hunched over to try to calm herself.
The Sinclair's eyes narrowed at the witch. "Do what?" she asked as she scanned her surroundings.
Alexandria had stopped by in an alleyway in town. As she peered out, she saw that most businesses were closing for the day, leaving the area relatively empty.
"The vamping," Josie clarified as she crouched down and placed a hand on the pavement under her.
Alexandria whipped back around to Josie behind her. "That?"
Josie took a few deep breaths and when she finally felt her stomach calm, she stood back up slowly. "I get car sick, vamping is like on a whole other level," she told Alexandria as she walked up to her.
"Sorry, are you okay now?" Alexandria asked and Josie nodded. "The Mystic Grill is just up ahead. I can drop you there but I'll have to go back and help your dad," the Sinclair spoke as she moved out of the alleyway.
Josie shook her head. "Go, I can walk from here," she declined her offer.
"Are you sure?"
Josie gave her a pointed look. "Just go, who knows what mess my dad might've gotten into," Josie reassured her and began walking over to the Mystic Grill with a hand hovering over her stomach.
~ * ~
Reluctantly, Alexandria had left Josie by the Mystic Grill and rushed back to the Salvatore School. By the time she had gotten back, she found students all making their way out of the gate. Word had spread fast of the potential threat lurking in the school and no one was keen on staying to have a peek.
But in the crowd of students, Alexandria couldn't find Hope. Fear spread throughout her body as she sped back into the school. It was eerily quiet and deserted but Alexandria rushed towards the stairs, searching every room on her way only to find the odd student who was late to the evacuation.
The more time went on the more Alexandria's worry increased. "Hope?!" Alexandria called out but was left with no answer as she ran up the stairs to the foster brother's dorm room. But before Alexandria could call out again, she stopped in her tracks as she found the door busted down.
Alexandria stepped over the broken door to see that the Mikaelson girl was nowhere to be found. She scanned the room and noticed that the balcony door was open unlike how it was when she left.
She went over to the balcony and was met with the cool breeze of the night but as she looked further, she saw two figures fighting in the distance followed by a scream. Alexandria immediately recognised one of them as Hope and her heart began to race.
Her gaze fell down to see that she was quite high up but that didn't stop her as she leapt over the railing and onto the ground below. Alexandria vamped over to Hope and she saw the second mysterious man with a dagger-like weapon in hand, holding it over her threateningly as his other hand was clasped around her neck.
Just as the man was about to drive the weapon into Hope's chest, Alexandria grabbed his wrist. "Don't even think about it," she sneered towards the man.
Hope felt immense relief wash over her as she saw the Sinclair girl had come just in time.
"Who's this?" the man scowled as he looked at her.
Alexandria twisted his wrist, making him yelp and let go of Hope. Alexandria pushed the man back and sent her fist flying into his face before she kicked him in the torso.
The blow knocked the wind out of the man and he yelled out as he stumbled onto the ground. A hand went to his cheek as he groaned out in pain and curled up on himself as pain spread throughout his body starting from his core.
The Sinclair felt something on her hand and her gaze dropped to see her knuckles covered in what seemed like mud and quickly wiped it off. "Mud? What the–"
Before she could question any further, the muffled cries of Hope caught her attention. She spun back around to see that Hope was still on the ground and she rushed to help her up. Alexandria immediately noticed the shackles around her wrist and quickly broke them apart.
"I thought you left?" Hope spoke as if she was in a daze. She felt lightheaded from the blood transfusion and none of her thoughts could connect.
"Ran into Dr. Saltzman who told me that there was a monster on the loose. I couldn't find you in the school and I started to panic–" Alexandria stopped her train of thought as she started to worry about the girl as she noticed Hope could barely stand on her own and had to lean on her for support. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Alexandria checked her for any type of injury but Hope's focus was on something else entirely as her eyes unwillingly drifted down to the Sinclair's lips. "Are you okay? Shit, you haven't even recovered, you look pale–"
Hope didn't let Alexandria fuss over her for another second and without thinking it through properly, she shut the brunette up as she grabbed the collar of her shirt and placed her lips on Alexandria's. Alexandria's own words got caught in her throat and she took a second to process what was happening. But when she did, she relaxed into the kiss. A hand snaked around her waist as she pulled Hope closer and let her other hand go to her cheek.
The two pulled away breathless after a moment and Hope felt blood rush to her cheeks. "Sorry– I should've asked first–"
It was now Alexandria's turn as she kissed her once more, not allowing her to ramble further. Hope couldn't help but smile into the sweet kiss but the two had to part as they heard the complaints from someone behind them.
"Oh, you two are so cute that it makes me want to barf," the man faked the action as he pushed himself to stand.
Alexandria turned around but still held onto Hope and she saw what looked like scratch marks going down his face. Although, instead of blood, it was black mud spread across his face.
"Don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you. My name's Clarke, Landon's better, superior brother," Clarke scoffed as he brushed off the dirt on his suit and smoothed out the fabric.
"Fluctus impulsa," Hope recited with a raised hand, sending Clarke back onto the ground once more.
Clarke let out a low grumble from annoyance as he stood back up. Alexandria glared at him but eyed the strange weapon in his hand. It looked like a mystical object with a twisted base of gold and silver metal that sprouted out into three individual prongs.
"Well, Clarke. Not looking that... 'superior' on the ground and with that all over your face," Alexandria retorted as she gestured to the mud on his face.
Clarke grimaced at the comment but he heard someone's footsteps running towards him. Clarke whipped his head around to see none other than his brother sprinting towards them. Landon skidded to a stop as his eyes locked with his brother.
"Speak of the devil," Clarke commented.
Landon kept his distance from him as he looked towards the two girls. "I heard someone scream–"
Clarke took a step closer to Landon and pushed his fist into his chest. "You should've jumped into the pit instead of her," Clarke sneered.
"I'm so tired of hearing your voice," Hope chimed in but she grew weak in the knees.
"Don't worry, you won't have to hear it much longer," Clarke said as he clutched onto the dagger even tighter.
Alexandria held onto Hope tighter and carefully sat her down on the ground. "Let me handle this," Alexandria told her and left no room for objection as she began walking closer to Clarke.
"Whatever you do, don't get stabbed by the trident. It's literally a body swap," Hope yelled out to her and Alexandria took quick note of it.
All of a sudden, Landon leapt into action as he tackled Clarke to the ground. Clarke quickly got the upper hand and started to punch Landon several times. He would've continued had Alexandria not grabbed the back of his collar and pulled away from Landon.
As Landon staggered back up to his feet, Alexandria caught a glimpse of a glowing crystal in his chest and it was then that she realised that he was actually SimuLandon.
Alexandria tugged Clarke back till he stood in front of her and decked him across the face twice. Clarke tried to shove her back but the hybrid threw an uppercut into his stomach. Clarke hunched over and tried to escape but Alexandria grabbed him once more and placed him in a chokehold from behind.
With the trident still in his possession, Clarke attempted to use the handle to hit the hybrid in the leg, but Alexandria swiftly caught his wrist once more.
Clarke struggled under her hold but the hybrid was far stronger than him. "I don't get it," Clarke began as Landon walked closer to them till they were only a few feet apart.
"Get what," SimuLandon spoke up as he glared at Clarke.
"What our father sees in you. Sure you can regenerate, but you have no magic, no power. Someone always has to swoop in and save you," he sneered and laughed that even in that very moment, the hybrid had saved him.
"As touching as this family reunion is, I'm gonna need you guys to wrap it up and decide what's gonna happen next," Alexandria chimed into their conversation.
"I don't care what you or our father think of me. Look, you don't need Hope. You need me. Forget about her," SimuLandon began and he locked eyes with Alexandria.
"What?! Landon, no!" Hope exclaimed as she attempted to stand.
Alexandria narrowed her eyes but she noticed SimuLandon's eyes shifted to the trident Clarke so desperately held onto. Clarke tried to pull his hand away but the hybrid tightened her grip on his wrist till he winced out.
It took a moment but Alexandria caught onto what SimuLandon wanted. She needed it to seem as natural as possible so she slowly loosened her grip on Clarke.
Clarke contemplated the thought and wagered his odds quietly in his head. While not as good, he knew that his chances of succeeding with Landon were far better than with Hope. After a moment, Clarke brought his foot down on Alexandria's to try to throw her off guard and push her away.
Alexandria grunted but instead of holding on, she let Clarke go. Clarke ran towards SimuLandon and drove the trident into his shoulder before anyone could react.
"Not what I planned, but at least phoenixes are immortal," Clarke rejoiced but his smirk was wiped off his face as SimuLandon stepped back and pulled down his shirt to reveal the crystal in his chest.
"Now you die tomorrow," SimuLandon shot back as he took the trident out of his shoulder. "Boom. I rule."
"I feel like I did majority of the work here but sure," Alexandria muttered under her breath as she rushed back to Hope and helped her up. Hope accepted the help and leaned against Alexandria.
"Did you know he was SimuLandon?" Hope asked curiously as they walked over and Alexandria nodded smugly.
Realising his mistake, Clarke frantically looked between SimuLandon and Alexandria who had outplayed him. "Oh, come on–" Clarke groaned but his body froze and he fell onto the floor.
A white glowing light travelled from Clarke's unconscious body over to SimuLandon and immediately his entire demeanour changed. His face hardened and turned to a scowl as he took a deep breath. "Well... this just took a turn," Clarke spoke lowly in SimuLandon's body as he took a cautious step back from the two girls.
"Would you like to do the honours?" Alexandria asked Hope as her lips formed a wide grin.
Clarke eyed her cautiously but knew he wouldn't be able to escape. "You're gonna whammy me, aren't you?"
"I am," Hope answered and pulled away from Alexandria. Hope raised her hands in front of her and a ball of bright orange electrical energy formed.
"Remember that I'm already dealing with the trauma of knowing I'm dying."
"I will," Hope responded cheerfully as she pushed her hand forward.
The ball of energy went straight towards Clarke and exploded on contact. The pure force knocked Clarke out completely and sent his body flying back several feet.
~ * ~
With Clarke locked in the transition cellars, the evacuation was lifted and everyone was finally allowed to go back to the school. But every student went back to their dorms except for one.
Alexandria sat at the front steps of the school with her knees up to her chest. She thought about going back inside but there was something nagging her. After a while, Alexandria heard the front doors opening and she sat up straight.
"I've been looking for you everywhere. Why are you out here?" worry laced Hope's tone as she shut the door behind her.
Hearing her voice, Alexandria went to stand and faced the girl. The hybrid buried her hands in her jacket pockets as Hope went to stand in front of her.
"I, uh... I'm gonna be heading out of town for a bit," Alexandria revealed and Hope looked at her strangely.
She took a second to process and met Alexandria's gaze who looked nervous. Her eyes shot down and noticed the bag lying on the ground next to her. "What? What happened to staying?" Hope asked with disbelief.
"Don't worry, I'll be back in a day or two, I promise. There's just something I've been meaning to do for a while," Alexandria said quietly as her head hung low.
Hope reached out and brought a hand to her cheek and guided her to look back up. "Hey... do you wanna talk about it?"
Alexandria leaned into her touch. "I wanted to visit my family," she told her and Hope's gaze softened as her hand fell to Alexandria's shoulder. "God, it's been six months and I never even went to visit them after they were buried," guilt laced her tone as she thought about her family.
Alexandria took in a deep breath and bit back the tears behind her eyes. "When you said you were going back to New Orleans to see your aunt and your family, it made me think about mine," Alexandria glanced over to the school behind Hope. "Thought now was a good enough time now that everything's calmed down a bit. Everyone knows I'm back and Clarke is locked up. I dunno... maybe it'll give me some closure. But yeah, um... I just wanted to see you before I left," the brunette gave her a sad smile as her heart ached.
Hope nodded as she understood the girl's reasoning. "Of course. I think it'll be good for you. Are you leaving now?" she asked as wrapped her arms around herself as the bitter cold of the night pricked at her skin. Alexandria smiled softly and took off her jacket to place it around Hope.
Alexandria took her car keys out of her pocket to show Hope. "Yeah, I'm gonna leave soon," Alexandria answered as she nodded slowly but she caught something behind Hope's eye that made her raise a brow. "You look like you wanna ask something," Alexandria noted and Hope's eyes widened slightly from being caught.
"Don't worry about it, it can wait," Hope dismissed as she crossed her arms over her chest but Alexandria gave her a questioning look. It didn't take long for Hope to break and give in. "Fine... I– I wanted to talk about..." her voice trailed off as she second guessed herself, wondering if it was even an appropriate time for such a conversation.
Hope was about to take it back before Alexandria jumped in and finished her sentence, "Us?" she filled in the blank and Hope tore her gaze away from Alexandria's.
Heat rose to Hope's cheeks as her mind went back to the kiss they shared earlier that night. "Sorry, it can wait till you get back–"
"I like you, Hope," Alexandria said suddenly, making Hope's heart race faster than anything else.
But the Mikaelson became worried as she saw a hint of doubt in Alexandria's features. "But?" she prompted quietly.
Alexandria took a deep breath as she gathered her words. "But, I have a lot of baggage..." Alexandria began as she gently took Hope's hand and placed it over her own heart. "And I want to be able to give you my entire heart with no conditions. I want to be able to give you what you deserve and right now... I don't think the person standing in front of you is worthy of even a second of your time," Alexandria admitted and paused for a moment to take a deep breath. Hope frowned as she learnt how Alexandria felt, but warmth spread in her chest. "I thought that maybe, visiting my family, something I have been avoiding for a long while, would at least be a start," she expressed quietly and trailed off as she looked at Hope.
Hope smiled sadly. As much as Hope wanted to argue against her, tell Alexandria that she was more than worthy and deserving, she knew that this was something that she needed to do for herself. "I'm really proud of you, you know?" the Mikaelson spoke truthfully as she brought a hand back up to her cheek. She gently caressed her soft skin and Alexandria's lips tugged up into a smile.
"Thank you... It means a lot," Alexandria said gratefully as she looked between Hope's eyes. She couldn't stop herself as her gaze briefly fell to Hope's lips.
Hope's breath hitched as Alexandria caught onto it. "Can I kiss you? Before you go," Hope asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Alexandria didn't trust her own words and only nodded slowly. Hope gently brought Alexandria closer and the two met in the middle for a kiss. Alexandria pulled Hope closer by her waist till their bodies were flush with one another. The kiss was soft, sweet and short. But it was enough. More than enough for both girls for the time being.
As the two pulled away, Alexandria leaned to rest her forehead on Hope's. The brunette sighed, letting go of any tension she previously felt. She knew that if she stayed a second longer, she wouldn't be able to leave. So, Alexandria lifted her head to place a small kiss on Hope's forehead before she pulled away further.
"I'll see you later," Alexandria whispered and the auburn haired girl nodded slowly.
Reluctantly, Alexandria parted from Hope and started to walk back to her car. Hope watched her figure become smaller and smaller in the distance with a frown etched on her lips. She wrapped Alexandria's jacket around herself even tighter, already missing the girl's delicate touch. Hope stayed planted in her spot outside the front doors. It was only when she could no longer see the tail lights in the night, that she dragged herself back into the school alone.