The sun hadn't fully risen in the sky yet when Josie slipped from under Lizzie's grasp. She carefully untangled herself from the warm embrace and tiptoed her way to the door.
Her night had been restless, a spiral of overthinking and worry. Her thoughts were still a jumbled mess, but one thing rang true through it all:
She needed to see Hope.
Her trip to her dad's office was short and she didn't waste any time knocking. She pushed the door open to find her dad and Rebekah on opposite sides of his desk. Josie got the unnerving feeling she walked into an argument.
Alaric loomed over piles of books, his eyes heavy with dark circles. Judging by his disheveled hair and untrimmed beard, Josie guessed he didn't go to sleep after leaving her room. Rebekah, on the other hand, had taken a chunk off the desk and was brushing the splinters on her hands.
Josie faltered for only a second before she remembered her mission. She stalked to her dad's desk and let her voice boom from the depths of her throat, "Where's Hope?"
Alaric blinked a few times, taken aback by the fierceness in his otherwise reserved daughter. He side-glanced at Rebekah, who crossed her arms over her chest. He sighed, apparently exhausted, "Somewhere she won't hurt anyone."
"Hurt-- Are you serious?" Josie yelled, disbelief written across her face, "Hope's never wanted to hurt anyone. Everything she ever does is to protect this school!"
Never before had Josie felt an urge so strong to scream. If her mind was a mess before, now it was on crisis as she tried to understand her dad's logic.
Alaric ran a hand over his face, "I will not hear any of it, Josie," He deadpanned, "We've given her enough warnings. My top priority is keeping my students safe, and Hope has proven to be out of control."
"I can get through to her! Just let me talk to her, please!" Josie cried, she turned to Rebekah, hoping she would take her side. But the vampire held a solemn look on her face.
"It pains me, believe me, but my niece needs to learn her lesson."
Josie shook her head before returning her fiery eyes on her dad. She circled the desk until she stood right under his large frame.
"This is wrong and you know it," She hissed.
"She stays put," Alaric glowered darkly at Josie, "And you stay away from her."
Josie hit her fists against her dad's chest. He didn't move.
His indifference made her bristle, reaching into anything to gauge a reaction from him, "History does repeat itself. Last time you pulled something like this, Mom had to call Vardemus to replace you."
Alaric took a deep breath, "She. Stays. Put."
Josie shoved him one more time with a grunt. She wanted to protest, but in that moment Freya and Kol entered the room. If Hope was in the confined, it meant her family agreed with her dad's decision. She wouldn't win the argument. Reluctantly, she stomped out of the office, making sure to slam the door on her way out.
It was still too early in the morning, breakfast was still being prepared, so Josie took the opportunity to sneak into the basement while all the Mikaelsons were busy. If her dad thought a simple warning would keep her away from Hope, he was severely mistaken. The moment he refused to give away her location, he lost the game. He couldn't bring himself to say it because deep down he knew it was inhumane.
Saying it would make it real-- Hope was in the transition cells.
Josie descended down the stone steps with speed. Even though her parents had remodeled the basement to be a more comfortable place where werewolves could transition, it still held the same dark and moldy atmosphere of every other dungeon. Small streams lined the sides of the narrow hallway, carrying away water to the creek. The trickle masked her steps as she searched every cell for Hope.
She reached the end of the first hall without luck, so she made her way back to the beginning to look in the opposite direction when a metal door caught her attention.
She didn't usually come to the cells, and the few times she had she left quickly. In fact, she can't remember if she ever explored this part of the school. In her mind, it was a dangerous place meant for wild werewolves.
The door was large and heavy with a crossbar over it to keep it locked and a single window. Josie tried to lift the blockade, huffing after it didn't budge no matter how much she pushed.
Her neck tingled-- only important things were kept under such security.
Josie stood on her toes and peeked through the small window. On the other side there was a single stream of light illuminating the damp cave, but she couldn't see beyond jagged walls. She stared at the lock, cursing herself for not being able to use magic.
It'd be so simple to do a spell on it, she thought.
She took a step back and her foot clanked against a cold pole. It was a broken bar from a nearby cell. Josie took it in her hand when an idea came to her mind.
The school didn't focus on standardized human knowledge but since the Salvatore school was registered in the state's database as a boarding school, they still had to keep up with the curriculum.
Hence Josie applied the little she actually learned in physics class.
She buried the bar under the crossbar as far as she could and, using the door handle as a leverage point, pressed her entire body weight on the bar. Slowly, the heavy crossbar slid upwards, orange rust raining as it moved. Josie pushed one more time and the door clanked, finally unlocked.
Her arms ached with the exertion, but she put the cell bar to the side and opened the metal door.
Behind it was a long hallway with a rock wall as a dead end. And to her right was a tall, shallow cave, as if someone started digging but stopped after getting four meters in. The single stream of light dripped through an opening as wide as the window on the door, too high to actually get a glimpse of the outside world. The poor lighting made it hard for Josie to see, but once her eyes adjusted, she gasped.
Hope Mikaelson levitated several feet off the ground, cross-legged and, apparently, asleep.
Her bloody clothes were gone, replaced by an oversized shirt and Salvatore sweatpants. She looked so small and at peace it was hard to believe she waltzed into the school with a decapitated head mere hours ago.
Josie walked closer, entranced by the copper shimmer of Hope's hair. The light hit her face at the perfect angle to make her look almost ethereal. Josie could've stared at her forever and not get tired of her delicate features.
Suddenly Hope's eyes opened.
"Josie," She breathed.
Gracefully, her bare feet touched the stone floor and she walked until she was a breath away from the witch. The raw emotion in her eyes almost made Josie melt on the spot.
"I thought..." Hope whispered, more to herself than Josie, her voice wavered, "I'm so glad you're ok."
Josie's heart clenched and on instinct she reached for Hope's cheek, only for her hand to collide with a hard surface. She recoiled, watching as a green barrier made itself known.
"What the--"
"Did you really think they'd just leave me here?" Hope said with sadness. She pressed her hand forward until it came to a stop against the green barrier. It sent ripples over the entire cave, like when a rock disturbed water, "They're not taking any chances."
Josie pushed away the annoyance quickly building in her chest, at least she was with Hope, even if she couldn't touch her.
"How are you? What happened?" The questions tumbled out of her mouth. A part of her felt just as trapped by seeing Hope confined. She didn't deserve this and it pained Josie to know she was incapable of doing something about it.
Hope looked away, "I... I had to do something. I hated seeing you like that. The Necromancer once said he knew how to save you. He said he'd tell me if I worked with him..."
Josie's eyes grew wide, "You didn't--"
A wry laugh escaped Hope's lips, "You saw how that ended. I planned on bringing him in so he could get rid of Dark Josie, but he was going to die before we even made it to the jeep."
Josie quirked an eyebrow, shooting her a mischievous look.
"Fine. I killed him before we got to the jeep," Hope rolled her eyes.
"And did you?" Josie continued, "Find a solution, I mean."
At this Hope took a sharp breath and moved away from the barrier. Josie followed her movements as she paced around the cave. Her face scrunched into an anxious grimace, which only put Josie on edge. Despite her curiosity, she waited until Hope found her words.
"Yes."
She ran a hand through her hair and finally faced Josie again. But instead of excitement, like Josie was feeling, a deep anguish obscured her blue eyes.
"What is it?" Josie pressed, concerned.
"It's useless," Hope growled, unable to meet Josie's eyes, "Everything I did was in vain... I'm so sorry."
The witch placed her palms against the barrier, yearning to feel Hope's warm skin and take away her pain, "Hey, look at me," Blue, teary eyes turned to her, "I'm fine... and I will be as long as you're with me. We're good at finding loopholes, we just have to try harder at this."
A single tear rolled down Hope's cheek, a sad smile played on her lips, "Aren't I the one supposed to be comforting you?"
Josie mirrored the smile, "You can't hog the role of hero."
In truth, she had a strong urge to reassure Hope. She didn't know Klaus Mikaelson personally, having only met him once when she was younger and for a very brief moment, but there was a common denominator in all of the different versions she'd heard of him in her lifetime.
Paranoia.
A trait cemented into him from an early age that festered for millennia. He fought enemies with ease and cunning, but he suspected his family more than those who wanted him dead. Josie couldn't imagine fearing the same people who were supposed to love her unconditionally, protect her against the cruel outside world. But for Klaus, it was his reality.
Now Hope's family had placed her in a cell. What does that do to a teenager?
Maybe they were trying to discipline her, teach her a lesson. No doubt they still loved her, but right now, more than ever, Hope needed that love. Not an iron fist. She needed the warmth of security, knowing no matter how bad she messed up, there would always be someone ready to welcome her with open arms.
"I love you," Josie blurted out, desperate to let the other girl know she would be that person for her. Always and forever.
Hope's eyes softened and pressed her palms over Josie's. Guilt sombered her expression, "Even after what I did?"
Josie didn't have to think about her answer, "Especially after what you did. You love ferociously and with all your heart, how could I love you any less knowing you did all of it for me?"
Relief washed over Hope in droves. Since her brain caught up with the fact that the Necromancer's head hung from her fingers, dread of losing Josie simmered in her heart. She wondered if she'd gone too far. If Josie would see her as a monster and run as far as the world would allow.
But she didn't. She came to her, telling her she loved her. Hope wanted to kiss her, to taste her lips and skin that had imprinted themselves on her.
"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you," Hope breathed, "I love you too. So much."
They leaned their foreheads together, the closest they could come, yet still separated. They stayed like that for a long time, basking in each other's presence and the calm that came with it. Something had shifted between them. Their feelings ran deeper than ever, and stronger than with anyone else.
"I- uh..." Josie stuttered, which caused Hope to look at her with attention, "I have to tell you something."
Hope nodded, silently asking her to continue.
Josie took a steadying breath, "Someone impersonated your aunt Freya," Hope's eyes widened, "Before I passed out, she gave me a cup of tea for my headaches. But when I woke up and told her about it, she said she never saw me after I left the library."
Hope brought a hand to her chin, mulling over the information.
"Then I remembered you took Clarke's ring from Lizzie's floorboard. Is it possible someone else has it?" Josie said.
As if a switch had been flipped, the warmth of Hope's eyes vanished, overwhelmed by a seething rage. She gritted her teeth and punched the barrier so hard pebbles fell from the roof of the cave.
"Hope, it's ok. Breathe," Josie said, watching as Hope's eyes burned golden and dark veins lined them, "Focus on my voice... breathe."
The tribrid closed her eyes and did as Josie instructed. Slowly, the black veins receded into fair skin. When she opened her eyes, they were back to their clear blue and brandished a determined look.
"We have work to do," She said, "How do you feel about killing two birds with one stone?"
Her smoky timbre sent a chill down Josie's spine, "You know we're in this together. What do I have to do?"
A sharp glint burned in Hope's eyes, "You have to die."