It was Summer break in the Salvatore School and the students could finally have it thanks to no monsters for now. Hope was going to visit her parents and her aunts in New Orleans but for the first time, she had extended the invitation to her friends. She never thought she would have them but here she was. She had MG, Josie, Lizzie, Rafael, and even Landon. All of them were with her every step of the way in the crazy Malivore journey.
Not a lot has happened in these months. Some things worth noting were that they were monster free for now, Landon was back in the school and was a Phoenix, Rafael was the alpha of the school pack, she got along quite well with the twins now, her pining for Josie had somehow increased if that was even possible, and the last and probably a quite shocking one was that Elijah had taken resident in Mystic Falls. He actually occasionally taught History in the school and the students honestly loved him. He didn't want Hope to be completely alone in the school so he had decided that it was best he was atleast near if she ever needed him. And that was it.
And right now, all the said members were packed up and ready to spend the Summer break in New Orleans in the Mikaelson Manor. Thankfully they didn't have to take a bus as Elijah had allowed them to take a few cars. Bentleys to be specific. But thankfully, Hope, Rafael and Josie knew how to drive. And that was more than enough as there were only two cars. So they were fine. The girls had decided to take one car and the guys had decided to share another.
The girls' road trip consisted of Josie calling shotgun, Lizzie making a face and going to sit at the back with an annoyed look, them bickering wholeheartedly, Lizzie making fun of the guys for always being behind them or just making fun of them in general, Josie singing with her ukulele which swooned Hope more than it should've, Lizzie smirking at the interaction, Hope trying to concentrate back on the route and not crash the car, songs, bad ones too, naps, a few breaks, and finally, they were there.
It didn't take them that long to reach the buzzing city. They had departed early so they could arrive while it was still morning to enjoy the food and the city. And when they entered, the city was lively and buzzing with life even this early in the morning. Jazz music flowed through their ears and they saw people and tourists mulling around enjoying their day. Though New Orleans had the most of Supernatural population--even more than Mystic Falls--it was a lovely city.
And soon enough, the two cars where pulling up in the driveway and being carefully parked. Everyone took their luggage out and as soon as they were about to knock, the door swung open to reveal Klaus and Hayley standing there with their special smiles.
Hope immediately ran towards them and hugged them while expressing how much she missed the both of them. She didn't get to see them a whole lot. Because of her mom being the alpha of the Crescent Pack, she had duties there. And her dad had to practically take care of the whole vampire and werewolf population of New Orleans and keep them in check as Marcel wasn't here. So that gave them very less time to spend with their daughter. But she was happy she got to spend Summer with them.
While Hope was expressing how much she missed her mom and dad, the others were watching this. The usually controlled and collected girl was so open and happy right now. It brought a smile to all of their faces. They liked seeing this part of Hope. A part where the burden of the whole world wasn't on her shoulders. Where she didn't stop herself from feeling. Where she was free. And herself. And that only happened when she was with her family and her friends occasionally.
"Come on in everyone" Hayley then addressed the whole group who were still standing outside.
They all dragged their luggage and stepped inside the Mikaelson Manor. And the place was even bigger than it looked on the outside. It was huge and looked vintage. The decor looked like it was centuries old. And in their case, it probably was. But all in all, it felt homey, safe, and welcoming.
After they were ushered in, Hope quickly started introducing everyone,
"So, mom, dad, these are my friends" she emphasized that word raising a playful eyebrow at her mom and dad and continued while pointing to Lizzie and Josie, "This is Lizzie and Josie Saltzman" she introduced first.
Both the girls waved in greeting with smiles on their faces. They had already met Hope's parents in the school numerous times.
"Ah yes! I remember the twins. A troublesome bunch you two. Nice to meet you both again" Klaus said with a smile.
"Welcome, Josie, Lizzie, it'll be fun around here" Hayley said then with a smile and a playful wink.
"Nice to meet you both again. And of course" Lizzie replied with her own smile/grin. In the coming times, she has started to grow to love Hope's parents too.
"Thanks for having us, Mr. Mikaelson, Mrs. Marshall-Kenner" Josie politely thanked them.
"Oh, love. How many times do. I have to tell you? Klaus is fine" Klaus said with a smile.
"Same. Hayley is fine too" Hayley added then with her own smile.
Josie nodded with a shy smile. She always adored Hope's mom and dad. They were so sweet. And caring.
Then Hope went on with the introductions, "And this is Milton Greasely" Hope introduced then.
MG confidently walked towards Klaus and grabbed his arm in a firm handshake, "Hey, Mr. Mikaelson. Call me MG. And nice crib you got here" he said with his sweet smile gesturing around the house because it was the most beautiful house he had seen. And he might've not met the man alot, but by the way Hope, and even the twins talked about him, he had no reason to be scared.
Klaus was definitely impressed by this new boy, "I'm glad you liked the house, Milton. Call me Klaus and maybe I'll stop calling you Milton" he replied with a grin/smirk. He quite enjoyed seeing the boy cringe at his own name.
MG did visibly cringe at his name but still got out, "Imma call you Mr. M. Is that fine?" he asked.
The others had a grin on their faces seeing MG cringe at his own name.
"For now, MG" Klaus nodded with a small grin.
MG grinned back and went over to Hayley.
Then he greeted Hayley with his easygoing smile, "Mrs. Marshall-Kenner. MG"
"Nice to meet you, MG" Hayley replied with her sweet smile.
Then Hope continued, "This Rafael Waithe" she introduced next.
Rafael gave a small smile in greeting and shook Klaus' hands, "Hello, Mr. Mikaelson. Thanks for having me" he politely thanked.
"My pleasure, Mr. Waithe" Klaus greeted the boy more politely.
Rafael gave a small smile in response and went over to Hayley and introduced himself too.
"Nice to have to have you here, Rafael" Hayley politely replied with her sweet smile.
Rafael smiled in response.
Then Hope introduced the last person, "And this is... Landon Kirby" hoping her dad won't scare the boy too much. Because honestly, no one has forgotten what happened all those months ago.
Landon hesitantly stepped forward, "Mr. Mikaelson" he greeted in a scared tone. He was still scared to death of the man.
"Townie! Can't say it's a pleasure, but welcome! Remember you'll be staying under my roof meaning that it won't be hard to torture someone. So I hope you won't cause too much trouble" Klaus said then in a fake threatening tone. Which everyone but Landon could see.
Landon gulped from fear and his heart rate picked up. He was starting to regret accepting the invitation to come.
Klaus internally smirked seeing the boy so uncomfortable.
"Relax, Landon. Don't listen to Klaus. He loves threatening people. You are very welcome here. The past is the past" Hayley then jumped in trying to calm the boy down whose heart rate was so high that it would've jumped out of his chest.
While all this, everyone around them, were trying not to burst out laughing. Even Rafael. But thankfully, Hayley intervened before they could and cause the boy more humiliation,
"Anyways! Hope will show you all to your rooms. After that, there's breakfast, so you all better not waste too much time" she added next.
Hope nodded with a smile and the others smiled back too and went towards their rooms.
_______
After they were all settled in, freshened up, and changed, they all came down for breakfast. And there, they saw a literal feast lined up on the table. All of their jaws visibly dropped and after composing themselves quickly, they descended.
Freya and Keelin had joined in this time too and were sitting at the table.
After everyone had settled, the positions were, Klaus and Hayley at the heads, Freya and Keelin beside Klaus, Rafael and Landon beside them, and MG, the twins and Hope mirroring the position on the opposite side.
"You do realize this is breakfast, right dad?" Hope asked then gesturing to the huge amount of food covering the table.
"Yes, love. I have a watch. But, I didn't know what your friends preferred so I compelled the best chefs of New Orleans to make a little of everything. And of course, your favorite Beignets" Klaus replied with a grin.
Hope hadn't even seen the Beignets yet. And as soon as she did, her face lit up in a bright smile.
"You really like your Beignets, don't you Mikaelson?" Lizzie teased with a friendly smirk.
"Oh shut up. You'll love them too when you eat them for yourself" Hope replied rolling her eyes.
"Thanks for doing all this, Mr. Mikaelson" Josie thanked then as no one seemed to be doing that.
Klaus nodded with a smile. Knowing that girl will never drop the Mr. Mikaelson.
"It is refreshing to see Hope has made friends who are not her family" Freya said then with a grin.
"Aunt Freya! I had friends before!" Hope whined in embarrassment.
"Yeah, Hope? Name one" Josie surprisingly asked with a smirk.
When Hope failed to answer, the whole table chuckled at her.
"So do you see why I had to force her to make friends?" Hayley said then with a grin to Josie.
Josie grinned back and nodded.
"Why is everyone against me today! Even you, Jo?" Hope then said with an almost pout.
"Hey, I'm glad your mom forced you! If she wouldn't have, we would've never became friends" Josie stated with her sweet smile looking into Hope's eyes.
Hope looked back into her eyes with a smile.
"And us! Don't forget us!" Lizzie suddenly exclaimed. And by the smirk on her face, she caught the staring trance between them.
"Yeah, Lizzie, definitely you. Thanks for dialing down the bitch" Hope then said with a grin snapping out of whatever staring trance she got caught up in.
Lizzie feigned offense with a fake hurt expression and the whole table laughed at them.
But the small moment between Hope and Josie did not go unnoticed by the family even if they hoped to god it did. But the family simply shared secret smiles and didn't say anything.
After that, there were a few more small talks at the table before they were finished and then Klaus spoke,
"So. Since you all did travel all the way from Mystic Falls, I would suggest you rest for a while. Then, I will take you all to visit the city. If that is fine with you all that is" he said with a smile.
"That'll be dope, Mr. M!" MG exclaimed with a smile.
"I kinda always wanted to visit the city..." Landon added in unsurely too.
"We are gonna go shopping, right?!" Lizzie exclaimed then.
"Lizzie!" Josie chided.
"That'll be cool" Rafael politely thanked.
"I can't wait for everyone to see the music at night!" Hope finally added with a smile.
Klaus had a loving smile on his face while Hayley replied to this one,
"Alright! Everybody, calm down. I can't wait for you all to see New Orleans. And yes, Lizzie. Of course there'll be shopping" she said with a grin.
Lizzie grinned back and Josie sighed wholeheartedly in annoyance. Her sister can't stay away from shopping. Then everyone started bickering wholeheartedly and talking about what to do next while she just stood there taking it all in with a small smile on her face.
She then also saw Hope shaking her head fondly at all of their antics too. But she had a smile on her face. It brightened her own too after seeing her carefree, happy, smile. One she didn't get to see quite often at school. But she can't blame her. Being away from your parents sure does suck. And as if knowing someone was looking at her, Hope turned her head to meet Josie's gaze and gave her that same smile, maybe a bit shy. But this one contained an emotion she couldn't name. Josie shyly smiled back and averted her gaze.
Then finally they all stopped their antics and went to rest before their big evening ahead. And many more to come because they were spending their whole Summer, 4 freaking months, here. With Hope's awesome family! This was going to be amazing!
________
Everyone was told to come to compound after they had slept and rested profoundly. Josie was the first one awake. Lizzie was still sleeping comfortably. It wasn't late yet so Josie had decided to let her sleep for a while longer and freshened up herself and left her room to head to the compound.
Though when she was on the balcony, she heard laughter and chatting coming from the compound. When she leaned over, she saw Hayley, Freya, and Keelin giggling and urging Klaus and Hope. They were having a... Paint battle? It looked like they were competing who could draw better. They both were giggling among each other too. She rarely got to see a free side of Hope in the school and the sweet, fatherly side of Klaus that it immediately bought a smile to her face. And looked like while Hope was painting the Eiffel Tower in Paris at night, Klaus looked to be painting the Colosseum in Rome.
Josie's jaw dropped and her eyes widened at seeing them. Because they were mesmerizing. Hope's painting was a point of view of someone looking up at the Eiffel tower and it looked so real. People crowded the areas around, couples holding hands, people posing for photos, people relaxing. All of it was shown on this one canvas.
And Klaus was the same too. He showed a big picture of the Colosseum with intricate details at it's texture and color. There were also people shown milling around the Colosseum, people clicking photos and much more. And it looked very real too. To be honest, both the paintings looked very real and very precise. Almost as if they had personally been there. She thought Klaus probably had but she didn't think Hope had. But nonetheless, they were beautiful. She didn't think that Hope painted that good. She knew she painted but didn't know to that extent. But well, what can't the girl do? She's beautiful, can save lives, be a badass, and still look cute while doing it. She was brought out of her admiring and thinking by Freya and Keelin yelling,
"Time's up!! That's it!! No more touching the paintbrushes now!" they exclaimed.
Hayley let out a chuckle at them.
Klaus and Hope both signed the paintings and put their paintbrushes and pallets down with an eye roll.
"So. What do you think, Aunt Freya? Who won?" Hope asked her aunt.
"Well...." she started thinking looking at the artworks in front of her. Because damn! How is she supposed to choose?!
"I love Paris so I'm going with Hope" Keelin said then with a grin.
Klaus rolled his eyes playfully at her and Hope squealed in excitement.
"Well... I love how she has depicted the Eiffel Tower here so I'll go with Hope" Hayley added with a grin directed at Klaus.
Hope grinned wide and hugged her mom.
"I always loved history and Rome so forgive me littlest wolf, I'm going with Klaus" Freya said then.
Hope fake pouted but there was a smile behind it too.
Then she added looking at her dad's work, "Dad, this is amazing!! It looks so real! Did you ever visit Rome??" she exclaimed in awe.
"Once or twice" Klaus answered grinning.
Then he added, "Yours is quite beautiful too, sweetheart. You've gotten quite good. I'm impressed" complimenting her with a proud smile.
Hope's smile widened, "Thanks! I tried. I mean I could've done it better but-"
"No, it really is beautiful, Hope" she got cut off by Josie walking down the stairs and coming towards her.
Hope blushed and looked down but muttered, "Thanks, Josie"
Josie smiled in reply and went near the canvas, "It looks so real. I've always wanted to see what the Eiffel Tower looked like from up close at night. Now, I've seen it. The small details showing the people and stuff around really makes it feel like it's a small story on a canvas instead of just a painting. It's lovely" she said with a smile admiring the artwork momentarily forgetting everyone else around her.
While everyone around them smirked discreetly and watched how both the girls were so oblivious, they were also impressed by Josie's ability to read paintings so well.
"Th-Thanks. I tried my best. My dad actually visited the Colosseum while I just had pictures and Auntie Bex's stories to go by" Hope replied with a slight blush still on her face.
"I still love it" Josie replied.
That made Hope blush even more somehow.
Then Klaus decided to intervene to add some more, "And I'm pretty sure Hope would love to take you there someday, right love? It's the city of love after all" he said with a smirk.
Both the girls deeply blushed at his comment. And Hope squeaked out, "Dad!" embarrassingly.
"What, love? Rebekah said it is really beautiful" Klaus replied with a smirk.
Freya, Keelin, and Hayley were all trying not to laugh at them. They were so adorable and sweet and oblivious it was unbelievable. But to save the girls more embarrassment, Hayley intervened,
"Alright. Alright. That's enough teasing for now. Hope and Paris is the clear winner of this game and that's it" she said with a grin.
Hope mouthed her a 'thank you' and Freya and Keelin chuckled at that. Klaus simply rolled his eyes.
Josie, after regaining her composure, decided to let Klaus know too how beautiful his painting was as she practically drooled over Hope's painting (and her) this whole time,
"You-Your painting is beautiful too. I've always loved Rome when it came to it's history and especially the Colosseum. I love how you've captured the view one would see while gazing up at it and also shown the emotions one would feel. And also how even if you didn't need to you've added people around. Really makes it seem real. It's amazing" she complimented.
Klaus gave her a soft smile, "Thank you, love. I'm glad you like my work too. If you want, you can see more like these in the art room. And I see you know quite a bit about painting yourself. Are you an artist?" he asked.
Others around them were a little shocked at hearing that. Klaus' art room was not for a lot to see. Hope and his family were the only ones that had seen it. But they weren't surprised by it. Klaus adored the girl. And not just because of Hope's crush on her, but because she was so... Josie. Anyone could like her.
Josie lightly blushed at the compliment and invite but answered, "No, no. I just really love art. I just love how one can show so many emotions on one piece of paper and express so many things it's surreal. I can't really draw but I love it when other people do. Especially Hope" she replied sending a smile to the girl who visibly went red. Josie didn't know how she was being so bold but she was going with it.
Klaus smirked/smiled, "That's great to hear. You have a good taste in art. And artists" he said not especially saying Hope. And looked like she was grateful.
Josie nodded with a slight blush.
"Woah damn!! These are dope! Did you make them, Mr. M?!" they heard MG exclaim from the stairs rushing down to see closer.
But before Klaus could even answer, MG exclaimed again looking at the signatures,
"Holy smokes, Hope! I didn't know you could paint this good!" he said looking at the painting of the Eiffel Tower and Hope's signature delicately carved at the bottom right corner.
"Thanks, MG" Hope replied with a small smile.
Then he moved towards Klaus' painting, "Woah... I see where she gets it from. I never knew how dope the Colosseum was until now" he admired with shocked eyes.
"Good to hear you like our works, MG. And yes, the Colosseum holds a large amount of history. Something I'm pretty sure your school books teach??" Klaus asked with a playful eyebrow raise.
"They do. But it's too boring. If they showed me this, then I'll probably be acing every class" he casually replied shrugging.
Everyone around him chuckled at him that soon turned into laughter joined by himself.
"Why's everyone laughing?" they heard Lizzie asking coming down from the stairs followed by Rafael and Landon.
"MG thinks he'll ace every History class if Mr. Mikaelson's paintings were shown as a reference" Josie answered with a grin.
"What.. What painting are you talking about-" Lizzie started not being able to see because of MG blocking her way but then he moved away and the paintings were revealed,
"Holy moly!" Landon exclaimed first. Not caring who was around because those paintings were that good.
Lizzie just stood frozen with widened eyes and jaw dropped. Rafael had widened eyes and a surprised look too.
"Pick your jaw up from the floor, Saltzman" Hope teased.
Lizzie snapped her mouth shut but exclaimed coming closer, "This is so... Good. Wait, did you make this one??" she asked pointing to the Eiffel Tower still mind blown.
"Yeah. I made the Eiffel Tower while dad made the Colosseum" Hope replied with a small smile.
Lizzie nodded admiring both the artworks and seeing the intricately and delicately carved signatures of Klaus and Hope on them.
"This is honestly so good, Mr. Mikaelson. Hope. I mean I don't know a lot about art, but this is like... Mind blowing" Landon carefully complimented then.
Hope gave him a smile in acceptance and Klaus actually didn't give him a hard time and nodded in acceptance with a small smile.
Landon smiled back relieved Klaus didn't give him a hard time again.
"Yeah, this is like some professional stuff that bids for millions" Rafael added his compliment too.
Hope chuckled at that but accepted the compliment nonetheless. Klaus did the same.
"Alright. Enough drooling over some paintings. You all have a city to explore. Go pack some stuff you want to take with you and meet us here" Hayley interjected.
Then she added, "And will you be fine storing the paintings by yourself, honey?" she asked Hope.
"I can help. If that's fine?" Josie blurted.
"That'll be wonderful, Josie. We'll go and pack and you guys can meet us there?" Hayley asked.
"Yeah-Yeah. We'll meet you" Hope replied.
Everyone nodded and went on their way. And after they were gone, Hope did a motion to keep her hair out of her face and heard Josie giggle beside her.
Seeing the confusion on the young Mikaelson's face, Josie answered, "You kinda have a bit of golden on your cheek..." she said with a grin pointing to her cheek.
Hope went to wipe it but in the process got some black too.
"Now you have some black too..." Josie let her know the same with a grin.
Before Hope could try again and end up with more colors, Josie stepped closer and added, "Wait. Here. Let me" and softly put her hands on Hope's cheek and gently wiped the color off.
Then she proceeded to tuck her hair behind her ear with a soft look on her face and looking into Hope's eyes which she momentarily got lost in. Hope was not only frozen but also lost in Josie's eyes too.
Josie was the one that snapped out first and took a step back with a smile saying, "Perfect"
Hope blushed at that but somehow still said, "So are you"
Her eyes widened at her boldness and Josie blushed hard. Both of them had it bad for the other and didn't even realize it.
The girls then got to work to take the paintings to the art room in comfortable silence stealing glances at the each other that the other didn't know about.
And Josie was definitely blown away after seeing the art room. It was not only locked with a spell, it was also filled with numerous paintings. Both by Klaus and Hope. There were sections that separated both of their paintings. It was surreal really to see so many amazing paintings in one place.
"If you want, later I can tell you the story and inspiration behind these? I don't think mom would want us being late right now" Hope spoke bringing Josie out of her trance.
"I would love that, Hope. Thank you" Josie replied with a big smile.
"Anything for you" Hope replied with a soft smile. Woah, where is she getting this boldness from??
Josie blushed deep red at that.
"Let's get outta here before mom or your sister comes looking for us" Hope added then to with a smile/smirk.
Josie nodded with a small smile and they both left the art room and went towards the others.
_______
After they had joined, Lizzie and Hayley had packed both the girls' things for them. So they had to just leave by now. To make the day faster, easier, and more enjoyable, they had decided to divide into 2 groups. The guys and the girls. The guys would be with Klaus and Keelin while the girls would be with Hayley and Freya. Both the groups had decided to visit some of the supernatural aspects of the city and finish the day with the small festival held at the city everyday. All had agreed and went on towards their adventures.
_______
Klaus and Keelin had took the boys to meet the vampires and werewolves of New Orleans to learn about them and spend some time around supernaturals that weren't from their school. It was well needed and the boys learned a lot of things from them. Rafael learned a lot more about wolves, himself, control, his abilities, and lot more. MG learned more about urges, control, how to use his abilities in the best way, cool tricks, etc. Landon didn't have a place but Rafael and MG never left him alone and all the factions reluctantly but surely welcomed him too. On Klaus' glares and Keelin's orders.
They also made some friends along the way too. It was fascinating to see how well the vampires and wolves worked. You would never expect the wolves to be so unproblematic in such huge numbers. The wolves were divided into several different packs and lived in different parts of the city and had different rules with each pack. They all had individual alphas for their separate packs but Klaus was the ultimate alpha of them all. He laid out the rules and he controlled them whenever he pleased. They mostly had their own freedom to do whatever they pleased but if there was any trouble, disputes, or misunderstandings, it was Klaus who looked at it and solved it. Keelin sometimes helped too but she had other duties too so Klaus was the one that handled it all mostly.
And the wolves listened to Klaus' every word. Not necessarily because they feared him. Although, that was one of the reasons because Klaus had a reputation and no wolf wanted a painful death but that wasn't the only reason. They respected him too. Because whatever reputation he might have, he always did right by his pack. By the wolves. His other family. It didn't matter that he was a hybrid. He always made sure that the wolves had everything they wanted and didn't feel like they were left behind. Though not a lot of wolves wanted or agreed to have a hybrid as their alpha, they didn't have a choice. Because the majority was on Klaus' side and they knew that rebelling against Klaus Mikaelson was a death sentence. Klaus, or the Mikaelsons, were more powerful than ever and no one can cross them and come out alive.
The vampires weren't any different too. But they did have a different way of things working out. The vampires were one big population that lived together and alone at the same time. The were scattered across the city either in groups or individually. They were small groups that were made which had their individual leaders but all the vampires had one main leader too. Lower than Klaus but higher than all the others.
Her name was Gemma but people called her Gem. She was twenty-five years old biologically and three hundred years old chronologically. And she was one beautiful woman if one should point. She was also the second in command to Marcel too so it seemed right for her to still be it. She was a remarkable leader. Powerful for her age, understanding, a friend, and did right by everyone. Everybody admired her. And she admired Klaus. People would say being three centuries old would be enough for her to hate the man but she didn't. She admired and respected how drastically the man had changed for his family and his daughter. Some people didn't want to see that but she did. And she had met Hope too in her time here.
Gem admired Hope too. She admired her strength and her courage. She admired the little girl that had to grow up too quickly. Hope didn't let a lot of people in since the Hollow. But that hadn't kept Gem from trying. She was persistent and stubborn afterall. So when anytime Hope would accompany her father to the vampires, she would always strike a conversation with her or help her if needed. At first the girl had given her cold shoulders but soon, she had warmed up to her. They had become good friends slowly but surely. And everytime Hope would come to visit, they both would either spend time together or with the vampires. The vampires had warmed up to her too. No one questioned that she wasn't one anymore. They were all normal around her.
And after learning a lot about the history of Vampires and Werewolves of New Orleans, it was late in the evening now and the boys were about to leave.
"Thanks, Gem, Mr. M, Mrs. Mikaelson, for this amazing trip. Can't believe I didn't come here sooner! I learned so much!" MG thanked the people standing in front of him with a big smile.
Rafael and Landon had expressions similar to the statement.
"Good to know you learnt a lot, MG. If you have any problems with your vamp urges, let me or Klaus know. We'll be there" Gem replied with a smile.
Keelin nodded too with a smile agreeing.
Klaus then added, "Yes, it is pleasing to hear you've learnt things and of course, call if you need anyone other than your human headmaster to talk to" he said with a smirk.
"I still can't believe you guys have a human headmaster in a supernatural school. How hasn't he been killed already??" Gem then added with an amused look.
"Oh he has died multiple times actually. But came back all of those. Unfortunately" Klaus replied with a smirk.
Everyone chuckled at that.
"Anyways, love, we should get going. Thanks for entertaining the boys" Klaus thanked Gem with a smile.
"Of course. It was my pleasure. They are always welcome. See you later, Klaus. Say hi to Hope for me" Gem replied with a smile.
Klaus nodded, "I will. See you, Gem" he said with a smile and they all left to meet the others for the music festival.
_______
Meanwhile, the girls were taken by Hayley and Freya to take them to the French Quarter and meet the witches there. The witches that resided in the French Quarter were powerful and some came from old families too. The girls, especially the twins, also needed to converse to and learn spells from witches that weren't from their school. But it was really fascinating for them to see all the different covens and their traditions. They were fascinated to see that the witches truly respected Freya and Hayley, even if she was a Hybrid. They weren't just necessarily scared of them. They admired them too. Freya controlled the witches and it was apparent. She was the most powerful of them all so what else would you expect? But Freya also gave them their freedom. She only stepped in when their was some feud so the covens can live independently.
The French Quarter witches didn't dare comment anything about the girls being a siphoner or them coming from the Gemini Coven. Most didn't mind and a witch was a witch for them but the few lot, kept their mouths shut and presence scarce because going by Freya's instructions yesterday, it wouldn't end well for anyone to insult or berate them based on their powers and Coven.
And the girls talked to a lot of witches, elders and new ones, and learned quite a lot. The twins more than Hope but it was fascinating. They also visited the shops the witches owned to see the charms and talismans they sold. They were blown away by the uses and history behind all of them. And both of them absolutely fell in love with how Freya explained things. She made it so fun and easy that you couldn't take your eyes off. No wonder Hope loved magic so much and always worked on spells with her aunt Freya. They like, needed her in the school to teach them magic. They needed to make that happen! But anyways, their time had soon come to an end and they had decided to meet the others for the music festival before heading home.
While between all this, Hope couldn't keep the smile off her face sometimes when she saw how happy Josie looked when she got a spell right or when her aunt was teaching her some history or spells. The smile she had was so bright it could compete with the moon. It was refreshing to see Josie so happy and learn more about her nature. They really need to teach more spells in the school. She'll talk to Alaric about that. Or make her aunt do it if he doesn't listen. Anyways, soon she had decided to stop staring after being caught by her aunt, her mom, and Josie herself multiple times. Lizzie was actually too busy focusing. Surprisingly. Anyways, before Josie figured out that she had a massive crush on her because she was staring like a creep, she stopped stealing glances. Although she does know Josie has been flirting with her recently and she has been flirting back too, that didn't mean that she knows what to do.
But between all this, Hope didn't notice that she wasn't the only one stealing glances. Though Josie didn't have a lot of moments because she didn't want to miss what was being taught but she got a few rare moments here and there. For example, when Freya would show Hope something new and the smile she would grow was so cute and addicting to look at. Like you'd want to look at it again and again. When Hope would meet the witches of the French Quarter. It was nice to see her so open and herself with other people. And when there would be something all of them didn't know, Josie would sometimes glance towards Hope without meaning to and catch her cute concentration face. But alot of those times, Hope would either already be looking at her or would turn to when she would feel someone looking. So after exchanging shy smiles and cute blushes, Josie had decided to stop staring at Hope Mikaelson. And her sister was already giving her smug looks and she was sure Freya and Hayley saw it too but didn't say anything. So she decided to stop. She does not want her crush to know about her crush on her because she was staring like a creep. Though Hope has been flirting with her and she has been flirting back with her too recently, that didn't mean she knows what to do.
_______
The Music Festival,
All of them met back at the small festival that was held at the heart of the town. The boys and the girls had huge smiles on their faces and eagerly shared and bragged their day to one another after meeting up. The adults had soft, loving, smiles on their faces seeing their daughter and niece so happy and seeing her friends so joyful. After a long while, everything was looking normal and content. Something they had wanted to feel for a long time. With the child that brought it all.
Soon when all the bragging, comparing, and gushing about their day was over or temporarily halted, MG spoke,
"So, what is this festival all about, Mr. M??" he asked eagerly.
"Well, this festival is celebrated everyday to symbolize love and joy" Klaus explained using fancy words.
"Or, just so people can dance everyday to good music and get drunk if they please" Hayley added with a smirk.
"Pretty much sums it up" Freya said then with a grin.
"But, it does represent that. It just that by the coming years people don't really care what it represents. They just come here for the good music and the alcohol" Keelin added.
"Cool!" MG exclaimed with a huge grin.
The others also nodded taking it all in with grins.
Then they heard the music shift from upbeat to slow. All the people coupled up even if it was someone they didn't know.
"Let's dance!" MG exclaimed.
Then he somehow went super nervous in a matter of seconds and spoke, "Um.. Lizzie.. Wanna dance?" he asked offering his hand gaining a fraction of his confidence back at the end.
Lizzie smiled fully and took his hand saying, "Why not" but she was blushing too.
Rafael pulled Landon with him and they both danced with each other. They were laughing like little kids but they enjoying it nonetheless. It was good to enjoy like this. It felt good being brothers again without threats looking over them. It felt good to not care about the world or others. Just them.
Everyone chuckled at them.
"Wanna dance, darling?" Freya asked next to Keelin offering her hand in a chivalrous way.
"Of course" Keelin smiled and took her hand and let her lead her towards the dance area.
"Care to dance, love?" Klaus asked Hayley with a smirk/smile.
"Well, as you're the only one left, I guess it'll do" she said in a playful voice and took his hand.
"So generous of you" Klaus replied with a grin and led her away.
Hayley gave a short chuckle at that.
Hope also chuckled at her dad and mom's antics and shook her head fondly. Josie was looking at all of this with a smile. Hope's family was really one of a kind. But in a good way.
Then Hope turned to her and asked with a soft look, "Hey Jo, wanna dance?" she asked with a smile.
Josie smiled seeing hers, "I would love to" and took her hand and led them to the dance area.
Soon after, all the couples were swaying softly to the music. Exception of Rafael and Landon who were just messing around. But other than them, all of them were enjoying this moment. Hope was gently guiding Josie at points where she seemed to not pick up but Josie was doing fine nonetheless. She had her arms on Josie's waist while Josie had her arms on her shoulder. They weren't super close. Some space was left between them. Both too nervous to reduce it. But that wasn't a problem for too long because as the time passed, they both got more and more comfortable. Giggling and blushing at something the other said or did. There was some flirting involved here and there too. And then all it took was one song change for them to reduce the gap between them. It was a slow and soft romantic song.
So soon they were practically in each other's arms as Josie took one step and Hope took the other for them to be nose to nose. Josie had her face in the crook of Hope's neck while she had rested her head lightly on top of her shoulder. They were gently swaying at the music when Josie softly murmured,
"Hey, Hope?" she softly whispered without moving away.
Hope hummed in acknowledgment.
"Thank you for this" she said then with a smile.
And Hope could feel her smile on her neck. It made shivers run down her spine but she said,
"Of course. I can take you here whenever you want" she replied leaning a bit back to look into Josie's soft brown eyes.
"I like that idea" Josie replied with a smile getting lost in the ocean that was Hope's eyes. They were so vibrant and open to her it made her heart swell.
Hope nodded back with a smile herself lost in Josie chocolate brown eyes that looked so soft and welcoming.
The girls were brought out from their reverie by the music changing to something upbeat again. They shared a shy smile and light blushes and decided to join the others with still linked hands. None wanting to let go if the other wasn't.
When they reached, no one even acknowledged that they were holding hands. They just acted normal. Like they didn't know anything. But what the girls didn't know, was that it was quite the opposite. They had shared smug smiles and loving looks before coming to a group decision not to tease them. Yet.
"Let's see them moves, people!" MG exclaimed then.
All of them eagerly joined him while he showed off his own moves and the others contributed a bit. The adults had decided to sit this one out and just observe them. And MG could definitely dance. He had some moves. Rafael and Landon added to it too while Rafael's movies being quite decent and Landon's plain awkward. The twins also enjoyed a little and Hope contributed here and there. But it was fun. Very fun. And that is how they spent their time at the festival. Enjoying it thoroughly with the ones they loved.
After it was time to head back, they all ate dinner at a nice restaurant to calm their hungry stomachs after the activities they did today and then decided to go back to the Manor to rest their tired minds and limbs.
_______
It was late in the night when MG woke to go down to get something to eat. He enjoyed a lot with the Mikaelsons today. They welcomed him into the family with open arms and made him feel like home. He had a family with the Super Squad but this actually felt nice. They didn't question him about anything. Just went with it. It felt good to see people that care about him. Mr. M was kind and caring even if he didn't want anyone to see it. People had painted him evil but MG just honestly could not see that. Sure, he knew the man could be as evil as the books said when he wanted to be, but that didn't mean that he should hate him. How can anyone hate him?! He's so sweet and caring and also scary when he wants to be. He honestly loves him already.
Mrs. Marshall-Kenner was awesome too. She was exactly like the mother everyone wanted. She was sweet, caring, your best friend, strict when she wanted to be, and scary when it required. He didn't spent a lot of time with her today but even in that much, she was welcoming with a loving smile on her face. He appreciated that. All of them did actually. He also saw that she loved Hope with all her being and she wasn't afraid to show it. He was happy that Hope had family like her. She deserved it.
Freya and Keelin were the same too. Awesome and open. He knew Freya was one of the most powerful witches of the world but she was so sweet you wouldn't know it unless you knew her name or who she was. Keelin was dope too. After spending the whole day with her he realized that she didn't joke around as much as the others but when she did, it was hilarious. She was the more serious out of them all but it was fun to be around her. Her sweet nature made everyone want to be around her.
He honestly loved all of Hope's family and seriously doesn't know why hadn't he visited or met them sooner. They were so dope!! He also looked forward to meet the remaining of her family. He doesn't care what the books say. He never did. He never judges someone like that and never will. And Hope has told him that him and her uncle Kol would get along really well. So he's looking forward to that.
But that's not why he's here so late in the night. He was hungry and decided to get some blood. Animal blood. The one he brought from the school. He still can't be around human blood without losing control. After that last incident, he hadn't tried again. The others have told him to but never forced. He was scared. Scared that he would become a monster. So that's why he decided that if animal blood will prevent that, then he will drink it for the rest of his life.
"Midnight Snack?" he heard someone ask.
He turned around embarrassingly fast with the blood bag in his hand, "Mr. M! Yeah..." he replied trying to compose himself. It wasn't quite Midnight. It was way later than that actually.
Klaus smirked, "I see. Well, can I join you?" he asked showing his mug which contained blood too.
"Of course! You don't have to ask!" MG replied with a smile.
"Ugh. Is that animal blood you're drinking? I don't get how that disgusting substance can pass for blood. I've told Ric so many times to change your vamps diet" he replied when the disgusting smell of animal blood hit his nostrils.
"I don't think that's a good idea.... I better stick to animal blood..." MG nervously replied fidgeting with the blood bag in his hands.
"Why not?" Klaus asked confused but curious.
"Well... Um...." MG tried but stuttered over his words.
"It's alright. Take your time. You don't necessarily have to tell me" Klaus replied taking a sip from the mug sensing the boy's nervousness.
"No! I want to! It's just...." MG tried again to explain but failed.
Klaus patiently waited for him to continue if he wished to and stood there sipping from the mug.
MG did continue, "It's just... I don't want you to look at me any different... Like.. Like.. I'm a monster" he said then ashamed of himself and refused to meet Klaus' eyes.
But Klaus on the other hand grew a warm smile on his face and respected the young vampire even more. So he spoke trying to reassure him,
"Don't worry. Nothing will make me think that. You are talking to me after all. The Great Evil" he said trying to lighten the atmosphere around them.
It worked atleast a bit as MG spoke, "I can't control myself around human blood... I can't.. I can't stop. I'm a Ri-Ripper" he said with tears in his eyes.
Klaus placed his mug down and put his hand gently on MG's shoulder, "Milton, you are not a Ripper. Just because you have the qualities of being a Ripper, does not mean you are one. I have met a lot of people in my lifetime who were just like you but never once succumbed to their urges. And some who did, became one of the best controlled vampires I know" he softly explained.
"But I can't.. I can't control myself at all. If someone bleeds in front of me, I'm a danger to them! I killed Landon once because I was angry. If he wasn't a Phoenix and hadn't come back, I would've been responsible for his death!" MG replied with a few tears betraying him.
"That is because you have no training to control your urges at all, Milton. Your school provides you with cheap blood and gives you no training to control yourself in front of real blood because your headmaster doesn't realize there's a world outside of the school too. But once you have that training, you will be fine" Klaus replied with a warm look.
"But where will I get that training? Dr. S is never going to let the vamps drink human blood much less give that kind of training. Not after one of the vamps secretly fed off of the locals and almost outed the supernaturals" MG replied.
"I will train you. You are here for 4 months, no? That will be a good amount of time for you to adjust to human blood with people to watch over you. Me and Hayley will help as best as we can while I will convince Alaric to change the Vampires' diet and start a new curriculum for the Vampires. And I'm sure your friends will be eager to help too" Klaus kindly replied.
"You will do all that for me??" MG asked with a shocked look.
"Well, of course. I help everyone who needs assistance. And you are a good kid, Milton. You have found a great family with your friends and in my daughter. I don't want you to lose that" Klaus replied with a sweet smile.
MG smiled big at that and practically threw himself at Klaus and hugged him as tight as he could. Klaus chuckled but hugged him back nonetheless.
Then after coming out of the hug, Klaus spoke, "You can start from tomorrow morning if you wish. The more time you have the better. But I won't force you. Enjoy the city if that's what you please to do first" he said with a small smile.
"Can't we do both?? We'll do the training and stuff in the morning or sometime in between and enjoy the city too?? I love this city but I also wanna train!" MG replied practically whining.
Klaus gave a short chuckle before replying, "Yes, we can do that. Now go on and have some sleep. No one is going to be sleeping past breakfast" he said.
MG's eyes widened when he saw the clock, "But that's like.. Like.." he stuttered trying to come up with how early that was.
"Very early. Yes, I know. But my dearest sister will wake everybody up no matter when they've slept. I'm enduring it now you have to too" Klaus replied with a grin playfully jabbing at Freya.
MG grinned at that too but finished his bag fast before vamping back up and to his room trying to sleep before he's woken up early in the morning.
_______
The Next Morning,
It was fairly early in the morning. No one had awoken yet. But Josie had somehow found herself awake at this hour. Her sister was soundly sleeping enjoying the rest after yesterday's activities. But her body had somehow gotten enough rest and had awoken her at this ungodly hour. So instead of staring at the ceiling and waiting for hours to pass, she decided to take a walk. She didn't know if anyone would be awake right now so she decided not to make alot of noise.
She decided to visit the kitchen to make herself some Coffee to rid herself of her remaining sleepiness. Though that proved a bit hard since she didn't know where everything was. So she tried to find everything while trying to not alert the whole house of her actions. Most of them had super hearing but still. So after fumbling for a while, she managed to find everything. So she stood there while the water was boiling.
"Good morning" she heard from the entrance and jumped embarrassingly too much.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. You're awake early. Very early" Hayley said with a small chuckle with her own cup of coffee in her hand.
Josie composed herself and answered with a small smile, "Good morning to you too. And yeah, my body just woke me"
Hayley hummed in acknowledgement and moved to get the boiling water and added the contents to it wordlessly.
Josie just watched her practically make her coffee for her.
After using some super speed, she was done with the task. She handed the cup to her answering her question, "Wanted to speed up" with a smile.
Josie smiled and took the cup thanking her silently.
It had been a couple of minutes of comfortable silence while both the woman were sipping on their coffees reveling in the taste. While Josie was silently wondering and looking outside subtly where Hope was if her mother was here, Hayley could practically hear her thoughts so she spoke with a small smile,
"Hope is out with Klaus for an early breakfast. She woke up too early for anyone's liking so Klaus took her out to get something to eat instead of her waking Keelin, and Freya in that process, to run"
Josie's eyes widened in mild surprise at that. She did not think that she was that obvious of her thoughts. But she still got out a small, "Oh. Okay" in reply with maybe a light blush on her cheeks.
"Don't be surprised. You weren't looking outside very subtly" Hayley replied with a smirk.
Josie blushed even more at that.
Hayley gave a chuckle.
Then she spoke again with a more serious look, "I'll stop teasing you now. But being serious for a moment? Do you like her?" she asked with a warm look.
"Um.. Yea-yeah. I do" Josie stumbled over her words at such an outright question.
Hayley smiled at hearing that with a soft, motherly, look on her face. Then she spoke, "Good. She'll kill me if she knows I told you this, but she likes you too. And I'm pretty sure you already knew that. It's on you two now when you want to do something. So all I'm going to say right now is, take care of her. Make her feel loved. And don't hurt her, of course"
Josie did have an idea but hearing that, her tension and nervousness eased. So nodding with a smile, Josie replied, "I'll never hurt her"
Hayley smiled nodding. Already knowing full well she won't.
After realizing that that was it for her 'shovel talk', Josie couldn't help but blurting, "That's it? You're not going to say anything more? Usually shovel talks include a few threats..."
Hayley gave a short laugh at the young girl's question but answered, "Threats are usually for people the parents don't trust. But I trust you'll do right by her" she said with a soft smile.
For some reason, Josie's body responded by getting emotional at that. Well, not for some reason. The reason was very clear. Hope's mom trusted her. Approved of them. Practically gave them her blessing. She didn't think she would be able to get approved by Hope's parents but of course she did.
Hayley saw all this, put her mug down, and pulled the young siphoner in for hug.
Josie did the same and immediately melted into it and hugged the woman back. And after a few moments, they both came out with smiles and Josie finally answered the question,
"I promise I'll do right by her. I'll never hurt her, I swear" she said. She knows she can't promise something like that but she will. Because she's going to try like hell to keep it and make it real.
Hayley nodded with a smile knowing Josie is the right one for her daughter. She never thought she would say those words while talking about Hope's significant other. But here she is. But there is something about that Saltzman girl that makes her believe she made the right choice.
"Is it okay if I go to the art room?" Josie asked then. She wanted to visit it again while she wasn't rushed. The place was beautiful, she wanted to admire it.
"Of course. Go ahead" Hayley replied with a smile.
Josie nodded with a smile and went on her way picking up her coffee along with her.
_______
She slowly siphoned the barrier spell off and went in. The place hit her the same it did the first time she saw it. She was entranced looking at everything. She slowly moved through them admiring the different artworks by both the artists. There were sceneries, monuments, people, and more. Though one particular painting made her stop and look at it longer. It was a painting of a beautiful meadow ravished by lighting and thunder. It looked beautiful though. The thick gray clouds surrounding the green plains looked so surreal. She could see the different emotions dancing in the painting too.
"I was kinda angry at the world when I drew that...." she heard a voice say from behind her. A voice she knew so well.
The voice mildly startled her but not really at the same time.
Hope walked closer with a smile and a steaming coffee mug in her hand.
"It's beautiful though" Josie spoke then.
"Thanks. Mom let me know you were here" Hope said then.
"Yeah, I woke up too early" Josie said next sipping her already too cold Coffee.
"I can relate to that. My mom practically shoved me with dad so she could get some extra sleep and I don't wake up Aunt Keelin and Aunt Freya in the process. And if that meant my dad not getting any sleep, then oh well, collateral damage" Hope said with a light chuckle.
Josie chuckled too.
Then they moved a bit further into Hope's section while Josie said with a grin, "You really are a troublemaker, aren't you, Hope Mikaelson?"
Hope grinned back, "I'm a Mikaelson, after all"
Josie chuckled at her lightly shaking her head fondly looking at the canvases.
Another painting caught her eye. This one was of a beautiful lake. The water shined so beautifully against the sun and the trees bloomed happily in the background. And that's when she realized. She had seen this lake. She had been there, actually. This was the lake back at the school.
"I was missing the school, believe it or not. The lake is one of my favorite spots to go to so I drew it" Hope answered from beside her.
Josie nodded, "You make it look more beautiful than it actually is" she said then.
Hope gave a short chuckle at that.
Josie smiled along and went to take another sip from her Coffee. But before she could, Hope gently stopped her and muttered a spell and almost immediately, the Coffee was steaming again.
"Hot Coffee gone cold tastes disgusting. I don't even know how were you drinking that" Hope explained then.
"Okay. It wasn't that cold" Josie replied with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say" Hope replied and went to sit on the nearby window sill.
Josie soon joined her too without saying anything other than the fond shaking of head.
"It's so... Peaceful" Josie commented looking at the city below them. The city was quiet with a few people mulling about.
"Yeah. One of the many reasons I love coming here" Hope replied with a smile.
"You know, even at this ungodly hour, everything looks so beautiful" Josie said next with a small smile gracing her lips gazing outside, admiring.
"Yeah. Beautiful" Hope replied with a smile. Though her gaze wasn't outside but at the girl sitting in front of her.
"So, what did you and your dad do this early?" Josie asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
"Breakfast" Hope deadpanned with a grin.
Josie rolled her eyes.
"No really, we did eat breakfast. The only difference was, we broke in because the shops were closed" Hope nonchalantly added.
Josie's eyes widened in surprise.
Hope laughed at her face.
"Hope! C'mon!" Josie complained.
Hope came down from her laughter, "Alright. Alright. We didn't break in. Dad compelled the chef to make breakfast this early. Although, if we hadn't found the chef, we probably would've broken in. But atleast we would've paid for the things we consumed so it's not that bad" she said with a smile.
"You and your dad are....." Josie started trying to find a right word.
"Different? Not normal?" Hope guessed.
"Awesome. Cool. Badass" Josie corrected her with a smile.
Hope smiled back hearing that.
Josie then added, "I wish my dad was like that. So nonchalant and normal about me, us, doing stuff like that. Because like you said, it wasn't bad if you were paying them back. My dad is just so...." she huffed out at the end.
"Human? Not an original hybrid?" Hope guessed with a grin.
Josie chuckled, "Yeah. That"
Hope joined her too.
After both of them came down from laughing on Alaric for no reason, Josie spoke again,
"Hey, Hope", when Hope looked at her in acknowledgment, she continued. "I know it's been like, two days but, thank you for inviting me here. This place is awesome. Your family is awesome. Thank you" she finished with a smile.
Hope smiled back a full smile and replied, "Of course. And I too know it's only been two days but, if you ever want to come back, just say the word. My family already loves you more than me to make that happen" she finished with a chuckle.
Josie chuckled back and then replied, "Well what can I say? It's hard not to love me"
"True" Hope replied looking right into Josie's eyes. A hidden message behind that answer she hoped the young siphoner would get.
Josie got that message loud and clear and couldn't help the smile that creeped onto her face after hearing that.
Hope smiled back knowing she didn't read everything wrong and just messed everything up.
But unfortunately, their moment was shattered in very small pieces by the loud call coming from Hope's phone.
Hope groaned and took out her phone to check who the hell was calling her right now of all times. Lizzie. Of course.
"I knew I should've left my phone in my room" Hope muttered in annoyance still not picking up the call.
Josie chuckled, "You are too dramatic. Now pick up or Lizzie will come looking for you herself" she said then.
Hope mumbled a 'fine' and picked up the call.
"Finally! What took you so long, Mikaelson?? And where are you? I can't find you anywhere. Neither can I find my sister. Wait.... Are you two-"
"She's with me and we are still in the house enjoying the city, Lizzie!" Hope immediately said cutting Lizzie off with a huff of annoyance before she could say whatever she was about to.
"Fine. Whatever. Come near the main area though. I'm bored" Lizzie said and hung up.
Hope sighed and put her phone back in her pocket.
"She was assuming we were having sex, wasn't she?" Josie outright asked.
Hope was taken by surprise by the boldness of the statement but quickly recovered and replied, "Yeah. She's Lizzie. What do you expect?" she said with a grin.
"True" Josie grinned back.
Then she added, "Let's go though. Or she will tell that to everyone she comes across" she said getting up and holding out her hand for Hope to take.
The mention of everyone got Hope moving and she gently took Josie's hand and they both left towards Lizzie after locking the room back up again. None even realizing how normally they took Lizzie's assumption.
_______
It was one late and chilly night when Hope found herself awake and antsy. She knew what this meant. Her wolf wanted to run. And she hadn't ran in quite a while. Especially when she was back home. It was a completely different feeling when she ran in the Bayou. She felt loved, safe, among being free and happy. Her mom's pack resided here and they stayed in the Bayou if they wanted to shift. Because thanks to the union, they could shift at will too. Hayley's second in command took care of the pack while she visited the mansion for the break to be with her. And the Bayou was a huge place. The wolves resided, shifted, and built new houses and yet it still looked empty.
So with a smile on her face, Hope descended the stairs quietly to not wake everyone else up and slowly started to make her way out. But while she was doing that, her nose caught a scent. Peanut butter. It was coming from the kitchen. She doesn't know how did she even catch it but chalked it up to her wolf being excited.
So she quietly approached the kitchen to find none other than Josie Saltzman gently leaning against the counter eating peanut butter and bread. She looked to be enjoying the silence around her and slowly eating her beverage. And she somehow looked beautiful while doing that too. She was also wearing her sleep clothes which consisted of an oversized t-shirt and probably shorts underneath. It was summer after all. But she still looked cute in that too. And before Hope could continue her creeping on the girl, she decided to make her presence known,
"Can't sleep?" she asked startling the girl in the process.
"Sorry" Hope sheepishly apologized from the entrance and walked towards the younger girl.
After composing herself, "It's fine. And yeah. So I decided why not eat something while I'm at it?" Josie replied with a smile.
Hope hummed in reply and joined the younger girl leaning against the counter too.
"Want some?" Josie asked gesturing to her snack.
"Sure" Hope replied with a small smile.
Josie then carefully tore half of it and handed it to Hope.
Then after biting and chewing thoroughly, Josie asked, "So, what about you? What're you doing up so late?"
"My wolf was getting antsy. Woke me up in the middle of the night to run and as I hadn't done that in quite a while, I decided to oblige" Hope replied.
"So shouldn't you get going instead of being here?" Josie asked.
"Why? Hate my company that much, Jo?" Hope asked with a smirk.
Josie rolled her eyes, "I love your company. And you know what I mean"
Hope smiled hearing that. And then replied, "Yeah, I do" and after thinking about something, she uncertainly added, "Wanna come?"
Because she didn't know if Josie would want to go. But she asked because she wanted to show Josie that side of her. Her wolf. Only her family had seen it--excusing Landon seeing it accidentally--so she wanted to show Josie too. She cares a lot about her and she wants to share every part of her with her.
Josie's eyes widened when she heard the offer. Because she knows that only Hope's family has seen her wolf. And she knows how much it means to her. So when she realized that Hope wanted to share that part of her with her, a big smile grew on her face and she replied,
"I would love that"
Hope smiled big too hearing that.
Then Josie quickly added, "Let me change a bit first? It won't take long" she said gesturing to her attire.
Hope nodded with a smile and waited in the kitchen while Josie headed up towards her room quickly but quietly.
It was merely 10 minutes later when Josie came down wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts looking evermore beautiful.
"All done. I looked so ridiculous in that" she said coming to stand in front of Hope.
"I thought you looked cute" Hope casually stated with a slight smirk.
Josie blushed and Hope's smirk widened. Then she offered her hand and spoke, "Shall we?" with that signature Mikaelson smirk in place.
She took her hand with the blush still in place and they both quietly left the house.
They both decided to walk as it was dark outside and using a car would make too much noise or even wake the sleeping wolves. They walked in comfortable silence stealing glances at each other, occasionally talking, playful bickering and light but casual flirting.
Soon after they arrived at the entrance of the Bayou. Hope carefully lead them both towards the deeper and currently unhabited part of the Bayou. After walking for a while, they reached a small cabin. Hope lead them inside,
"I got this Cabin after the wolves that lived here decided to stay close to the pack and abandoned it" Hope explained softly.
Josie nodded with a small smile and looked around the place. It was a fine sized Cabin which looked to be redecorated no doubt by Hope herself. There were some beautiful lights illuminating the place, bookshelves full of various books, a desk with a notebook and writing and drawing materials, a bed, a mini cupboard, and a small couch. It was all really beautiful.
"When I'm in New Orleans, I come here when I want to get away from everything. It provides me some peace of mind" Hope added more with a small smile seeing Josie take in the place.
"It's beautiful. This place is beautiful. Thank you for bringing me here" Josie said then with a smile
"Of course. You can come here whenever you like" Hope replied with her own smile.
"What about the wolves?" Josie asked then.
"Oh they'll know not to do anything" Hope replied not elaborating. Like on the fact that her scent will be on Josie indicating any wolf to back off and tell them that Josie was hers. Hers... Oh damn. She really needs that run right about now.
"Yeah? And why's that?" Josie asked with a grin.
"Because.... You're my.... Friend. They'll know that and won't harm you" Hope explained still not elaborating with maybe a blush.
"Right" Josie replied grinning. She knew Hope wasn't elaborating for a reason and she was pretty sure she knew but she decided not to tease.
"Anyways, you can stay here and read some books if you like to pass your time while I run. Is that okay?" Hope asked then.
"Of course. Go ahead" Josie urged with a smile.
Hope nodded and walked out of the Cabin to change.
Josie walked towards the bookshelves looking through different books. And while she was doing that, she heard heavy footsteps coming towards her. And when she looked up, she saw a beautiful white wolf standing at the door holding clothes in it's jaws. And that's when she realized. This was Hope. God, she was beautiful in every way.
The wolf then placed the clothes down and walked towards the young siphoner. She stopped in front of her as if to let her admire her if she pleased.
"Can I-Can I touch you, Hope?" Josie unsurely asked.
In answer, the wolf softly nudged her head towards her urging her to go on.
So Josie slowly knelt and gently stroked the fur. It was so soft and warm and thick and clean. She couldn't stop stroking it and looked like Hope didn't mind because she was standing happily with her head down allowing Josie to run her fingers through her fur as much as she wanted.
Soon enough Josie stopped and softly said, "I'll let you run now. I'll be here when you're back"
The wolf nodded and backed away. Then with a happy bark, the wolf sprinted from the Cabin to run wild and free.
Josie then decided to pass her time reading books. Hope's collection was quite impressive.
On the other hand, Hope decided to not run for long as it was already late so after a few hours, she happily trotted back to the Cabin.
Josie heard her before she saw her. She gave her a smile in acknowledgment and the wolf smiled back in it's own wolf way. Then the wolf walked towards her and nudged her and started walking back out. It was as if Hope was asking her to follow her.
"You want me to follow you?" Josie asked to confirm.
The wolf nodded in response and started walking out. Josie wordlessly followed her to see where did Hope want to bring her. And soon enough, they were standing in front of the lake. And it was the most beautiful lake Josie had ever seen. The moonlight reflected perfectly on the lake that made it seem like the water was shining.
Josie then sat down at the docks and the wolf came up beside her and nudged her and gestured behind. Telling her that she'll be back after turning back. Josie nodded with a small smile and told her to go and that she'll wait here. The wolf nodded and trotted towards the Cabin and her clothes.
It was about 15 minutes later when Josie felt someone come up and sit beside her. She didn't need to turn to know who it was. So with her eyes still on the lake,
"Hey" she softly said.
"Hey. Did you like the lake?" Hope asked.
"Yes. I love it. It's mesmerizing" Josie replied with a smile.
Hope hummed in acknowledgment and went back to looking at the lake herself.
Then after a while, Josie spoke, "Thank you for bringing me here and showing me this part of yourself too. I really appreciate it. I hope you know that" she said with a soft smile.
"Of course. I wanted to share this with you. I only hadn't done it sooner because I thought you'd not want to go" Hope replied.
"Seriously, Hope. Ask next time would you? We could've been doing this for so long" Josie said in a teasing tone.
Hope chuckled.
Then after a few minutes Josie spoke, "By the way, your wolf is beautiful. You are beautiful" she said looking into her eyes.
Hope blushed under that gaze but still managed to get out, "Thanks"
Then they both fell into a comfortable silence looking at the lake basking in the moonlight and enjoying the slight chill the night provided.
And it wasn't until very late when they both decided to head back as they realized it was close to being morning now. They knew they were going to be sleep deprived in the morning but in all honesty, none would have it any other way.
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And in the coming days the Super Squad enjoyed New Orleans thoroughly with the Mikaelson family. They visited the infamous places best known for their music, food, landmarks, and more. They not only learnt a lot of things about the city itself and the things in it but also a lot about themselves. They also bonded with the Mikaelson family and learned a lot about them and their history. So that is why they were looking forward to meeting the other Mikaelsons one day.
Meanwhile, Klaus trained MG everyday for 4 months to teach him some semblance of control around human blood so he doesn't lose his senses when he comes in contact. And unsurprisingly MG did a lot better than anyone thought. He gained good control over himself and learnt how to control himself in front of a human blood bag as well as fresh wounds. He and Klaus bonded very well during the time too. Klaus saw himself in him. A boy trying to keep his innocence and not turn into the monster he's destined to be. Though Klaus couldn't keep his innocence, he made sure MG would. Klaus was like his big brother. An Original Hybrid big brother.. Yeah, there's that too. But he was. MG could always go to him if he had any problems or issues and didn't want to go to anyone else.
And Klaus also promised him that he will convince Alaric to add a few classes to their curriculum and make some changes. For example, letting vampires drink human blood and teaching them thoroughly how to not lose control taught by experienced teachers.
And in the meantime, MG also learned alot about Klaus. He saw his sweet, caring, fatherly, side. And he saw his scary, angry, original hybrid, side too. And he started admiring him. He couldn't believe how Klaus had worked so hard to redeem himself. After a thousand years of violence, giving it all up to be better for his child and family, was remarkable. And speaking of, he also loved to see the relation Klaus and Hope had. They were exactly like the cute father daughter duo you would want to see. He would always listen to her and give her everything she wanted in the blink of an eye. And Hope loved him with all her being.
And not just MG, all the group learned a lot about Klaus too. They finally saw how biased and disgusting those books had made him seem. Yes, he did do everything that was mentioned, he also did good. That was never mentioned. They were now seeing why the twins loved him so much. So they had made a secret agreement to request (force) Dr. Saltzman to take the book about him off of public reading. Because he was a wonderful person. Though yes he did have his scary side, he was awesome. And his relationship with Hope bought a smile to anyone's face. They were grateful that Hope still had him.
And not just Klaus, they spent time around Hayley too. And she was a wonderful person through and through. A great and an admirable alpha and an excellent mother. She was easy to be around because of her outgoing personality and always was the one that saved them from any kind of teasing or interrogation after a poor attempt to sneak to back in after trying to enjoy the city at late hours. Her relationship with Hope was goals. She was her best friend first then her mom. It was heart-warming to see their interactions.
Freya and Keelin were somewhere same too. Freya was the one that encouraged them to do risky stuff while Keelin scolded her while she did so and in the end agreed anyway. They both were great to be around and always had some piece of werewolf history or history in general from Freya's 1000 years on Earth.
All in all, Hope's family was great and no one wanted to leave when Summer break ended. But it was one of the best summer breaks anyone had in their lifetime and they would happily and eagerly come back for another.
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I'm sorry I didn't post this sooner. At this point I don't even have a reason. But hey! Did you enjoy it? Let me know!
Did you like how I captured Klaus, Hayley, Freya, and Keelin's characters? As well as the Super Squad?? Was there any changes I could've made? Don't hesitate to comment it! ❣️
Also, how did you like how I constructed the whole of Vampires and Werewolves of New Orleans? Let me know!
And of course, Hosie. How did you like them?? Is there anything I should've done differently? Let me know! ❤️
Lastly, did you have any favorite scenes? Drop em down!
And don't forget to vote to let me know you enjoyed it and comment if you want to! I love your messages ❣️
See you soon with another chapter. A fair warning tho, I haven't written it yet so there's that. But it also means I'm open to suggestions! Yeah. That's it. Bye! ❤️✌🏻