Josie came out of her room, she was cheerful today. Hope had called her earlier to ask her to hang out in her room after school.
Someone stepped in front of her and Josie moved to let him pass, her hand going to her belly. She left it there, rubbing it gently, no longer worried about hiding her pregnancy. Everyone close to them had been informed and MG had informed the rest of the school. She laughed as she remembered how her friend had found out. They had all been in their room, getting ready to watch a movie when Josie had a craving for a Double Chocolate Muffin.
"Okay" she announced standing up "before starting the movie I'm going for muffins; does anyone want something from the kitchen?"
Hope shook her head
"Do you want me to go get them?" offered.
Josie rolled her eyes fondly, putting a hand on the tribrid's shoulder.
"Hope, it's just the kitchen, I think I can do it alone."
MG watched the exchange with a smile. Then he got up.
"I'll go with you, Jo. Do you want something, Lizzie? "
Lizzie was looking for the movie, she thought for a while before deciding.
"Yes, bring me some blueberry"
Nodding he followed Josie out of the room. Josie could see MG smiling next to her.
"what?"
"Nothing" he denied, but the smile was still on his face "just thinking about how different you look lately"
Josie frowned and looked at her stomach.
"It doesn't show that much! God MG, you can hardly tell I'm pregnant. "
Her friend's eyes widened and he pointed to her stomach as he screamed.
"You mean... shit, are you having a baby ?!"
The entire school room fell silent.
Josie crossed her arms and looked at him.
"Thank you, MG"
He looked embarrassed as everyone continued to stare at them.
Josie sighed, knowing it was partly her fault. She assumed Lizzie had told him. She pulls MG into an empty room.
When she was about to unleash her anger on the poor vampire for making the news public. He did something that caught her off guard. He smiled and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Congratulations Jo, it's amazing"
Then he abruptly withdrew.
"Are you okay, don't I crush you?"
"I'm fine MG, I'm pregnant, I'm not made of glass" she said as they left the living room on their way to the kitchen, people kept looking at her "I guess I'll tell Hope we don't have to worry about making the news publishes anymore "
"Hope?"
"The babies are mine and Hope's"
"Oh, weird," the vampire said, but he didn't argue.
Josie looked at her friend and then frowned at the thought in her mind.
"Wait, MG, if you didn't know I was pregnant, what did you mean before?"
"Oh that" the sly look was back on his face "I was talking about how you've spent a lot of time with Hope lately. I thought you two had finally gotten together, I see I was right "
Josie hated the fact that she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as she explained him the situation with Hope.
"Hope and I are not together"
He looked at her stomach in disbelief
"The evidence points to the contrary, Jo"
She rolled her eyes.
"It's a long story, one that I'm not going to tell you in front of the whole school. You'll have to wait for us to return to the room"
She took a step forward, but was stopped by the vampire's hand on her arm. She looks up to see the serious expression he wore, one that said he still believed in good people and happy endings. It was that sincerity that made him so good for her sister. He hugs her gently.
"Well, whatever the story is, I'm so happy for you, Josie"
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Thank you MG"
Penelope watched Josie in the kitchen making some tea, her hand on her belly and a secret smile on her face. She hesitated to approach.
"Hey Jojo, can we talk?"
Josie looked at her silently, resigning herself to an awkward argument, nodded.
"Yes, but let's go up"
"yes"
Penelope followed her back to her room. Josie settled into her bed, making sure to put a pillow behind her back. It had started to hurt at the end of the day and was trying to do everything to avoid it.
"how are you?" the short-haired witch asked.
"I'm fine, a little sick, but the tea helps," she indicated raising her cup.
Then they fell in silence.
"I heard that Hope, is the other parent" began Penelope "is she helping you? was she happy when you told her? "
Josie sighed, she had come to the real reason for this conversation, Penelope wanted to know if she and Hope were together.
"She was pretty scared when she found out, we both were. But now that she's had time to get used to it, yeah, I think she's happy. You know how important family is to the Mikaelsons "
"and you are happy?"
"That is not what you want to know, is it?"
"Are you and Hope together?" Penelope asked bluntly.
"No," Josie replied, knowing how much regret was heard in her tone.
"then how?" She gestured toward Josie's belly.
"I ended up pregnant?" she smiled "it's easy if you combine, slugs that lower your inhibitions and a bit of tribrid magic and a long short story, here we are"
Penelope saw the small bump sticking out of Josie's shirt.
"Look Pen, Hope and I were friends and now we are a kind of family. Beyond that I don't know" Penelope's eyes gleamed hopefully " but that doesn't change the fact that you broke up with me, breaking my heart in the process "
"Jojo, I had my reasons ..."
"I'm sure of it" she interrupted "everyone has them. They were probably good reasons. But I can't do this with you anymore and I think you know it "
Josie's cell phone rang and she looked at the name. Great as if things couldn't be complicated enough.
"Hey"
Hope's warm voice greeted her down the line.
"Hey I thought we'd meet for lunch"
"I know, but something came up" She looks at Penelope.
"Well then I'll pick you up, you're in your room right?"
"It's not okay, see you in the dining room" the last thing she wanted is for Hope to see her and make things worse.
"Josie, I'm already here" She said on the cell phone and opened the door. The brunette walked to the door to greet the girl. "Here, it's a smoothie, it's good for babies" She hand her a glass.
"Thank you," Josie said weakly.
"How are you and the babies?" She extended her hand over Josie's belly. It was something she had started doing after the ultrasound. The first time it had happened, she didn't know who had been more surprised, her or Josie.
Josie opened the door, her eyes focused on the herbal tea Hope held in her hand. She hands it over and Josie took it, completely ignoring her.
"Good morning to you too, Jo" joked the tribrid "hello, my babies" greeted her children, her hand touching Josie's belly without thinking. When she felt the brunette go completely still, Hope gulped, realizing what she had done. She looked into her eyes trying to explain "it's just after yesterday, seeing how the babies have grown and everything that happens with the Necromancer. It made me realize even more how important this is, you and the babies. I don't want to miss a thing, like my dad did to me. I want the babies to know who I am from the beginning "
When Josie just looked at her, Hope started to remove her hand, but Josie covered her hand with hers. Her smile was soft as she told her about her morning.
"We're fine today, a little sick, with a craving for something sweet. And Hope, the babies know you, you're the one I curse when I throw up" she jokes.
She made a sympathetic face at that.
"The hoodie you gave me is what covers our children at night, you're the one who calms me down when I'm scared and that also calms the babies" she squeezed her hand while looking into her eyes "and now the babies will know what it is the touch of their other mother "
Lost in her memories, it took a minute for her to realize that Josie hadn't responded. Her responses ranged from sarcastic to sweet depending on her mood, but she always responded. Confused, she followed her gaze and saw the last person she expected to see in the twins' room.
"Penelope"
It wasn't until she felt Josie tugging at her that she realized she was still touching her, so she dropped her hand.
"What are you doing here?"
Josie watched her ex put her bitch mask back on.
"You know, I wanted to see how Jojo was, and congratulate her on the pregnancy" the witch said.
"Yes it was a ... nice talk Penelope, but we have to go," Josie said.
"Okay, I think I should go too"
Hope watched as the witch left the room, but not before giving Josie a flirtatious wink. She felt like her wolf wanted to come out and tear the bold witch apart.
"you're good?" she immediately asks Josie.
"I'm fine" Josie smiled "let's eat, your babies are hungry" she joked making the tribrid laugh.
She takes Josie's jacket and help her put it on, another thing the siphon had gotten used to.
Josie spent the entire afternoon in Hope's room, lying comfortably on the tribrid's bed, while Hope made more popcorn.
Hope went back to bed and handed the bowl of popcorn to the witch. Who was lying across the width of her bed. Hope lifted her legs and placed them on her lap. She watched Josie rub her calves. Frowning, her hands covered the siphon's and she began rubbing circles.
Josie sighed relaxing on the pillow. The cramps in her legs finally decreased. Hope really did have magic hands, she thought. Able to focus on the movie without the pain.
Josie shifted again, making her foot touch Hope's crotch.
"Josie!"
"I'm sorry, but I can't feel comfortable," she complained.
Hope moved and paused the movie.
"Get up"
Frowning, the brunette got up, watched as Hope placed the laptop on her nightstand, facing the bed, then she lay down vertically.
"Lie down in front of me" she indicated "I read it in one of the pamphlets, it serves to sleep"
Reluctantly, Josie lay down in front of Hope.
"I don't think it works"
"Josie, you have the babies, I have you." Hope put her hand on Josie's side spoon her. "Now watch the movie" she used her magic to play the movie again.
Josie ignored the blush that was beginning to cover her face from the position they were in and leaned back further on Hope, using her arm as a pillow. Hope's hand went from where she was resting next to her, to where her babies were. Josie covered her hand with hers, intertwining their fingers.
Maybe the doctors were right, she thought sleepily. Hope's chest supported her back and the warmth of Hope's wolf side made her feel more comfortable.
Hope smiled when she noticed that Josie was already asleep. Leaning her head against Josie, her mind travelled as she tried to pay attention to the movie.
Lately it seemed like she was always thinking about Josie. She filled her thoughts as much as her life and dreams. Her day didn't start until she saw her and it wasn't complete until she heard her laugh. Every day that passed she had to fight harder against her attraction to the brunette, if she was honest with herself, it had been there since she was 14 years old and now Josie was more beautiful than ever, she glows.
Hope knew that if she told her, Josie would only give her an awkward smile, but it was the truth. It was something she had noticed all along now. When they argued, when she laughed, when she thought no one was looking at her and put a hand to her belly, a hopeful look on her face. Josie was the most beautiful person in the world to her.
Tiredness began to creep over her, she snuggled closer to Josie and closed her eyes. The sound of the movie began to fade.
A buzz woke Hope up, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Realizing it was her phone, she reached for the nightstand and answered.
"Hello?"
"Hope, Josie is gone, it's late and I can't find her and she leave her phone in our room" Lizzie's frantic voice.
"Lizzie, calm down, she's here" she said without thinking
"You knew where she was all this time and you didn't tell me, Fido?" said the angry blonde "and what do you mean here?"
"We fell asleep watching a movie, wait"
Hope put the phone to Josie's ear.
"Jo?"
The brunette took it. Hope buried her face in Josie's neck, inhaling deeply the sweet scent of her skin, instantly comforting her, wanting to go back to sleep. She didn't bother trying to hear what Lizzie was asking because Josie's answers made it quite clear.
"yes, it was horrible to let you worry like that"
Pause.
"No, we weren't considered"
Pause.
"No, we didn't have sex"
Hope's eyes snapped open, she raised her head and saw Josie smile with her eyes closed.
"Yes, I'll tell you everything in the morning. I love you too, Lizzie. Goodbye" She puts the phone on the nightstand. "Do we have to make a big deal out of this?"
"What exactly does a big deal entail?" Hope asked.
"I get out of this bed and go back to my room" she said as she settled more against the tribrid, she hated leaving her warm arms for the cold bed that awaited her in her room.
Hope pulled her closer to her.
"No, we don't have to make a big deal out of this"
"Fine" she smiled with her eyes still closed "because I really don't want to move"
"I don't want you to move either," Hope admitted softly.
Within minutes they were both asleep once more.