Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tierney Smith as Lizzie Saltzman

"I say we light them on fire, then run."

<><><><><>

Lily Rose Smith as Josie Saltzman

"Why would we trust someone who just called us leeches."

<><><><><>

Jenny Boyd as Lizzie Saltzman

"I vote we kill them and be done with it. I mean honestly, all their whining makes me want to hurl myself off a cliff."

<><><><><>

Kaylee Bryant as Josie Saltzman

"Kai, we should probably leave before Lizzie decides to make them all spontaneously combust, which would probably be bad for business."

<><><><><>

Chris Wood as Kai Parker

"You honestly thought I would hurt them? They're my only siblings  that  don't make me want to commit homicide...most of the time"

<><><><><>

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Josette Laughlin

"You two really are a mirror image of me and Kai, just more violent."

<><><><><>

Chris Broche as Luke Parker

"They're my sisters but not? Can someone explain, cause it's just not computing."

<><><><><>

Penelope Mitchell as Liv Parker

"Does this mean I'm your older sister now?"

<><><><><>

Christopher Cousins as Joshua Parker

"I should have left them to die..."

<><><><><>

Vampire Diaries cast as themselves

Chapter Text

Joshua Parker left the office building where he just had a meeting with some of his advisors. Once again, they were discussing how he needed to have another set of twins soon, that way there was no risk that his eldest son would become the coven leader.

However, Joshua knew that his wife was exhausted from having children. They already had six and he didn't know if she could survive another pregnancy or birth, especially twins but it was for the good of the coven.

Joshua ran a hand over his face, planning to go back home.

He stopped in his tracks as he felt a burst of energy off to his right. He turned abruptly and jogged over. Whatever he was expecting was not what he saw.

Two girls, that appeared to be younger than his son Joey, who was eleven, laid unmoving on the ground.

But what caught his attention was the energy of familiar magic he could sense in the girls...in their blood. Something that was melded into them.

They were Gemini witches.

Not only that, but they were also Gemini twins.

Joshua ran forward but didn't touch them.

He closed his eyes and reached out with his magic, searching for the tethers of their magic but he couldn't find them.

He opened his eyes, confused.

How could they be Gemini witches and not have magic?

He froze as the realization hit him.

Joshua knew what it meant, they were siphoners like his eldest son. He stared down at them in horror.

There had never been a set of Gemini twins that were both siphoners, hell, before Malachai there had never ever been a siphoner in a set of twins.

He stared at the girls for a moment, before frowning and whispering a spell under his breath. The spell would allow him to tell how they were related to him.

The air fluctuated around them, then settled as a single word appeared in his brain.

Grandfather.

That was impossible.

Josette and Malachai were 16.

He had no older children, who could have possibly had kids.

Especially ones so old.

He had to interrogate them but where should he bring them?

Joshua frowned, before calling for his advisor, Kyle.

Lizzie opened her eyes slowly, and rubbed her head, trying to push away the headache she felt coming on.

Ugh, her head felt like she banged it against a wall yet she didn't remember doing that.

She looked around in confusion as she realized that she was no longer at the Salvatore Boarding School.

Instead, she was in a small room of sorts, sitting on a bare bed.

Where was she?

Lizzie noticed that there was magic within everything, similar to the boarding school, but also different.

The school had a protection spell around and whatever was around here was not a protection spell.

She looked to her right and spotted Josie sleeping softly beside her.

"Jo?" Lizzie said, quietly as she started to nudge her sister.

Now was not the time to be napping, they had things to do and people to possibly hurt.

"Liz…" Josie mumbled in confusion as she opened her eyes.

Lizzie watched as Josie realized the situation they were in.

"What happened?" Josie muttered, confused, as she began to get past the sleepy fog that was her mind at that moment.

Lizzie shrugged, she didn't know what to tell her. They must have been kidnapped or something. Although, if that was true, they were stupid kidnappers because both twins could easily siphon the magic Lizzie sensed and escape.

Josie sat up completely and rubbed her eyes.

"Where are we?" Josie asked, worriedly. Her eyes scanned the blank walls of the room.

Lizzie shook her head. "I don't know," She replied.

The last thing she remembered was 'studying for a test' in her room with Josie -they were actually practicing magic for fun but that wasn't the point- when a strange woman appeared in their room, and said something in an unfamiliar language. The next thing she knew, she was here.

"I'm scared," Josie whispered.

After those words were out, the single door of the room opened, causing both of the twins to tense.

A man walked in and considered the two of them.

Lizzie narrowed her eyes at the man, as she remembered what her mom had taught her in case they were ever kidnapped…

However, Lizzie discarded that advice because there was no way she was going to be nice and submissive to a jerk who thought the twins were easy prisoners.

Lizzie crossed her arms stubbornly. "Who are you?" She asked, glaring at the man.

Josie breathed in sharply, surprised by her sister's abruptness, and gave her a wide-eyed look.

The man simply raised his eyebrow.

"My name is Joshua Parker," He answered like it was obvious, as he observed them calmly.

"And we're supposed to know who you are because?" Lizzie asked, giving him a challenging look.

Josie just nudged her sister, trying to tell her to be careful.

"Because I am the leader of the Gemini Coven."

"Oh…" Lizzie said, staring for a moment as Josie paused beside her. The twins exchanged looks.

Something was wrong…

Lizzie was fairly certain that the entire Gemini Coven was wiped from the planet.

Well...besides her and Josie.

"You two are Gemini's, are you not?" Joshua asked, ignoring their staring.

Lizzie stayed silent.

There was no way she was giving a kidnapper free info. Then again, if he was asking, he clearly already knew.

"Maybe," Josie said, hesitantly.

Lizzie barely prevented herself from facepalming.

Her sister was an idiot.

You don't cooperate with kidnappers, no matter what mom said.

"Hmm, and you are leeches as well, yes?" Joshua said, continuing his line of questioning.

Both twins went very still.

Lizzie was very used to insulting nicknames because of her species, as was Josie but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"You're a jerkface," Was Lizzie's only comeback, and Josie facepalmed beside her.

Joshua nodded, taking that as a yes.

"How old are you?" He asked, ignoring both of their glares.

Neither twin said anything, completely done with the interrogation.

"I said, how old are you?" He repeated, raising his voice as he took an intimidating step forward.

Instinctively, Lizzie's hand went to the bed they were on and started siphoning. The second she felt the magic course through her, she threw her hand forwards, sending Joshua flying into the wall.

He groaned and pushed himself up to stare at the girl in shock.

Lizzie noticed her sister siphoning as well, most likely preparing in case there was a fight.

However, to their surprise, he stood up and raised his hands in a calming gesture.

He watched them carefully. "I promise I don't want to hurt you-"

"Why would we trust someone who just called us leeches," Josie said, cutting him off. And Lizzie nodded in agreement.

Joshua was silent for a moment before he left the room.

The second the door was closed the twins turned to each other.

"Something's wrong," Josie said, stating what Lizzie was thinking.

"I know, we're supposed to be the last Gemini...where are we, Josie?" Lizzie asked, in a whisper.

This was getting weirder the longer they were here.

"I don't know...but Lizzie, he felt like a Gemini," Josie said, with a frown.

"Do you remember the strange lady?" Lizzie asked, looking at her sister.

Josie nodded, "I didn't understand what she was saying," She said, looking nervous.

"Maybe she did something?" Lizzie wondered.

Josie shrugged. "Maybe, but what do we do? Should we cooperate, so we can get home?" Josie suggested.

"Uh-uh, he called us a mean name, there is no way I'm being nice to him," Lizzie immediately disagreed. "Besides, we have to bust out of here."

"Lizzie, there are probably more than just him out there, we won't win." Josie pointed out, glancing at the door.

Lizzie shook her head. "I say we light him and anyone else out there on fire, then run. It's a full-proof plan." Lizzie declared, looking determined.

"It's really not," Josie muttered but agreed to go along with the plan.

Both twins laid in wait, making sure they had enough magic running through them for this to work.

When the door opened again, Joshua came through with a teenaged boy following but neither twin gave it any thought as they shot forward.

Josie managed to get past the two but Joshua's hand clamped down on Lizzie's arm, so she twisted and grabbed his wrist, siphoning as painfully as possible, not hearing the intake of breath from the teen as Joshua groaned in pain.

The second Joshua let go, Lizzie bolted.

She ran out of the room, sensing for her sister, and when she did she started falling the path Josie went.

Someone appeared in her path and Lizzie shouted 'incendia' and the man lit on fire as she kept running.

Not long after she spotted her sister and caught up with her.

"Lizzie, I think there's an exit over there," Josie said, sounding out of breath as she pointed to their right. However, they noticed some people rush over there, blocking the exit.

"Nevermind," Josie whispered. "What do we do?"

Lizzie looked around rapidly.

"Hide?" She suggested and Josie nodded, looking worried as they heard shouting closer to their location.

Lizzie spotted a small crevice, that a man wouldn't be able to fit through and pointed it out to her sister.

"Let's go," Josie mumbled and they made a break for it.

When they reached it, Josie crawled through first, then Lizzie. As they went through, it opened up into a small room of sorts -it was bigger than a large box but smaller than a closet- and the twins tried to calm their breathing, so they weren't as loud.

Lizzie didn't know how long it was when the yelling, and voices stopped. Which either meant they gave up or they were waiting for something.

Footsteps sounded near the entrance and both twins tensed.

The walking stopped right in front of the crevice, and they watched as a face appeared looking right at them.

Lizzie paused.

It was the teen from earlier.

He had dark brown hair and blue eyes.

He felt familiar.

He considered them with a strange look in his eyes. Then he glanced away, then back again. He moved forward, and to both of the twins' surprise, crawled into the narrow space, just barely able to squeeze through.

Lizzie's side was pressed against her sisters, as she tried to back away. And Josie grabbed Lizzie's hand, nervously.

Once he was through, he observed them carefully.

"You're siphoners…" He said in a whisper as if he was telling a secret to someone. Lizzie tensed as did Josie at those words.

The teen instantly saw that and something in his eyes softened.

"I think I can safely assume my dad didn't give a great first impression." He commented, looking between the two of them. "Not surprising, given his hatred of siphoners..." He trailed off.

His eyes met Lizzie's and she held his gaze defiantly.

"I thought I was only one," He admitted, softly.

"The only what?" Josie asked, far too curious for her own good. Lizzie hit her arm in response. "Ow, what?"

"We agreed not to cooperate," Lizzie said, exasperated. The teen raised an eyebrow at those words.

"Yeah, but that was before your plan failed," Josie pointed out.

"My plan worked amazingly, it was the after that became the problem," Lizzie said, defensively as she glared at her twin.

Josie opened her mouth to argue but one look at the teen made her pause, and Lizzie followed her gaze hesitantly.

The teen was observing their sibling argument with almost longing on his face. Which disappeared when he saw them looking at them.

He hesitated with a moment before deciding to just say it. "I'm a siphoner…" He said, watching their reactions.

Lizzie's eyes widened and she stared at him carefully, while Josie looked at him in excitement.

"Really?" Josie exclaimed, "I thought we were the only ones"

The teenager looked surprised by Josie's reaction and turned to look at Lizzie, pausing as he became aware of her stare.

"That man...he's your dad...that would suck," Lizzie said, with a frown on her face.

The teen looked down and shrugged.

"What's your name?" Lizzie asked, considering him.

"Kai," He said, looking back up. "What are yours?"

"Lizzie," She answered, and glanced at her twin. "She's Josie."

Kai froze. "What?" He asked, looking at Josie in shock.

Josie just looked back at him in confusion.

"What's your full name? Is Josie short for something?" Kai asked, some uncertain in his gaze.

"My full name is Josette Saltzman," Josie replied. "Why?"

"My twin sister's name is Josette but she goes by Jo," Kai said, considering both of the twins. The twins exchanged looks.

That explained the reaction to Josie's name.

Wait...back up, did he say 'twin'?

"You have a twin?" Lizzie asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yep, and a bunch of little siblings," Kai said, in response to her question.

"Really, that sucks, little kids are annoying," Lizzie said, causing Kai to give her an amused look.

"Technically, you two are little kids to me," He pointed out.

"We're not kids, we're 9," Lizzie said, a look of pure offense on her face.

Kai snorted. "And I'm 16," He replied.

"Oh...nevermind, you're old," Lizzie declared.

Josie nodded in agreement beside her.

"16 isn't old," Kai said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, it is," Josie said. "You're like double our age."

Kai paused, "Point taken." He conceded.

Lizzie looked at him curiously. "How many siblings do you have?" She asked.

Kai looked at her thoughtfully, "Well, there's mine twin, who is the same age as me. Then there's Ana who's 13, then Joey, who's 11. Next, we have Ally, who's 6 and finally, little Nate, who's 1." Kai said.

Lizzie's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Whoa...that's a lot," Josie said, looking surprised.

"Tell me about it, they're all brats…" Kai muttered.

"Why?" Josie asked, curiously.

"They've been taught by my dad that siphoners are unnatural, and I'm not allowed to touch any of them because I might siphon from them," Kai said, and a flash of pain went across his face.

Josie had a sad look on her face and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Kai tensed, surprised but also not used to physical contact.

"I'm sorry," Josie whispered.

Kai hesitantly wrapped his arm around her and glanced at Lizzie who was watching them, not at all surprised by her sister's behavior.

Lizzie met his eyes calmly.

"I can light him on fire if you want?" Lizzie suggested and a laugh of disbelief escaped Kai. He then looked down at Josie, at a loss as to how to get her to let him go.

Lizzie took pity on him. "Josie, off." She ordered.

Josie pulled away and glared at her sister.

"I'm not a dog…" Josie muttered.

"Then why'd you listen," Lizzie shot back with a smirk.

Josie's eyes widened as she turned to her sister, offended.

"Uh..girls?" Kai called out hesitantly.

They both glanced at him as if synchronized.

"How about you guys come with me to talk with my dad?" Kai suggested.

Josie and Lizzie both paused, having forgotten the whole reason they were here.

"Kai…" Josie said, hesitantly. "What's the year?'

Lizzie and Kai shot her confused look but for different reasons. Kai seemed to hesitate for a moment before replying.

"1988," He answered.

Both of the twin's mouths dropped open but they quickly schooled their faces.

On the inside, Lizzie was panicking.

They weren't even in the 2000s…

Mom and dad were going to kill them.

On an unrelated note, that explained the whole Gemini Coven being alive.

Wait...was this their family?

As in bio fam?

Hold up, didn't mom say that Josie was named after their bio mom...did that mean that his twin was the person that was supposed to raise them.

Wouldn't that make him their uncle?

Also, did that mean that they weren't kidnapped and that, Lizzie just lit that one guy on fire for no reason?

Oopsie.

The twins' eyes met, and Lizzie could tell Josie was thinking similarly to her.

"Girls?" Kai wondered, looking between them.

"We'll come," Lizzie declared.

Chapter Text

Kai led the twins out from the hiding place, and over to where his dad was waiting. Both of the girls immediately grabbed onto his hands, looking very nervous.

He looked up as they approached, and Kai noticed a flash of disgust in his eyes as he observed the three.

“You found them,” Joshua acknowledged, tilting his head as he looked at the twins, who pressed themselves closer to Kai.

“They’re willing to hear you out,” Kai said, glancing down as he felt their grips tighten.

“Very well...first things first, what are your names?” Joshua asked, kneeling down.

“Lizzie,” Lizzie answered and nudged her sister.

Josie shifted uncomfortably. “Josie,” She introduced.

Joshua’s eyes instantly widened upon hearing the name but other than that he didn’t react.

“Last name?” He inquired.

“Saltzman,” They said in unison.

He nodded, considered the young girls.

“How old are you?” He asked, beginning the interrogation once again.

“We’re 9,” Josie answered, sharing a look with her twin. 

“9?” Joshua repeated, blinking in surprise.

“We’re smart 9-year-olds,” Lizzie boasted with a smirk at her twin, which made Kai laugh in amusement.

Joshua nodded, and his face became serious. “Where are you from?” He asked, looking between them

“Mystic Falls,” Josie answered, with a shrug.

“And where is that?” Joshua inquired, with a raised eyebrow.

“Virginia,” Lizzie replied.

Kai looked down at them in surprise. “You two are a long way from home, aren’t you?”

“You have no idea,” Lizzie muttered, and a smile appeared on her face when she heard Josie snort in agreement. 

Joshua pursed his lips as he considered those words but he decided to continue his line of questioning.

“What are the names of your parents?” He asked, observing the twin exchange strange looks.

“Rick Saltzman and Carolina Saltzman,” Josie said, hesitantly as she changed a few things about the name. It was too late to change their last name but they could lie about this.

Joshua nodded, with a frown. That didn’t fit...unless they were lying or had been raised by people who weren’t their actual parents.

“Where were you before you appeared here?” He inquired, trying to gather more information and he ignored Kai, who was staring at him in confusion.

“At our school,” Lizzie answered, with a shrug.

“School?” Joshua repeated, confused. “You were in class or on break when you came here?”

Kai narrowed his eyes at his dad, not understanding how they could appear here.

“Boarding School for the young and gifted.” Josie said, leaving out the first part of the name. “It’s not very well known”

Josie wasn’t technically lying.

It wasn’t well known with humans, which made up the majority of the population. 

“Our parents run it,” Lizzie said, with a proud look on her face.

Joshua nodded, deciding to leave that line of questioning alone for now.

“Why did you run?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We thought you had kidnapped us,” Lizzie said, defensively.

“You’re first thoughts when you think you’ve been kidnapped is to attack?” Joshua said, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully.

Both of the twins shrugged in response, not knowing how to reply.

“That is a very reckless thought process, it could have ended with one of you getting hurt.” Joshua pointed out,

“But it didn’t,” Josie argued.

“Also you have to admit, it’s bad that two 9-year-olds outsmarted your people,” Lizzie commented with a smirk, as Kai coughed under his breath, trying to hold back laughter.

Joshua’s eyes darkened at the implied insult but then he shook it off.

“Do you know if you have any way to get home?” He inquired, looking between them.

“I-I don’t think we can,” Josie whispered as the realization hit her that they may never see their parents again.

“I think we’re stuck here,” Lizzie agreed, sharing a pained look with her twin.

“But there has to be a way right, there’s always a way with magic….right?” Josie said, worriedly.

“Hmm.” Joshua narrowed his eyes as he considered those words.

“Magic can do a lot but it can’t fix everything.” Was what he finally settled on saying.

Lizzie froze, swallowing past the lump in her throat. “What’s going to happen to us?” She asked, fearfully.

Kai didn’t hesitate as he knelt down, glancing between the two.

“It’s going to be okay,” Kai said, and Josie looked at him through teary eyes, so he pulled her into a hug, similarly to what she did earlier. He looked at Lizzie, who was hyperventilating.

“Lizzie,” He said, sharply.

She looked at him with wide eyes. “We’re never going to see our parents again. Our friends, aunts, and uncles...we don’t even have our own stuff.” She said, voice rising from her panic as a lightbulb shattered on the right. Kai reached out and pulled her into a hug.

“Shh, it’s going to be okay.” He said, ignoring his surprised dad.

“How do you know?” Lizzie asked, quietly after a few moments.

“I know because I’m smart,” Kai stated like it was obvious.

When both twins calmed down, they faced Joshua, who was looking at them thoughtfully.

“I see you’ve taken a liking to my son…” He acknowledged, and he nodded to himself. “For now, you may stay with my family but you must respect my rules and listen to me, is that understood?”

The twins exchanged conflicted looks.

If they didn’t accept they would have nowhere to go but they also didn’t like the man. Then again, Kai would be there so it wouldn’t be as bad.

“Okay,” They agreed

<><><><><>

Joshua brought the twins to his house and told them to wait outside with Kai while he explained the situation to the rest of the family.

Kai led them to a patch of grass and sat down with them as they waited.

“What do you guys like to do for fun?” He asked, curiously.

“I like drawing and doing magic,” Lizzie said, with a grin. Kai smirked at those words and looked over at Josie.

Josie nodded in agreement with her twin. “I like doing magic too, but I also play piano.” She said.

“Ugh, piano lessons were booooring,” Lizzie said, looking scandalized that anyone could like such a thing.

“No, they're not. It’s fun. I like creating music.” Josie said, disagreeing with her twin.

“You’re a boring person,” Lizzie said, with zero hesitation, which made Josie glare at her.

“Girls,” Kai interrupted, looking between them.

“Sorry,” They chorused, not looking sorry at all.

He gave them an amused look.

“Mm-hmm, I’m sure you are,” He said, looking between them. “What spells do you know?”

Both of the twins’ faces lit up.

“The main ones we know are incendia, motus...what else?” Josie asked her twin. 

“Vatos, invisique, and some instinctive magic” Lizzie replied.

“That’s a good amount,” Kai said, looking slightly jealous. “Wait, what do you mean by instinctive magic.”

“Magic that you don’t need a spell for, something you just picture in your mind and it happens,” Josie replied.

“Example?” Kai asked, looking puzzled.

“Pain spell that hurts vampires or telekinesis,” Lizzie replied, with a shrug.

Kai nodded thoughtfully and was about to say something when he heard the from the door. So the three got to their feet, waiting for Joshua to reach them. And behind him was a woman carrying a baby, and with Kai’s other siblings following behind.

“Hello, there, “ The woman greeted, kindly as she knelt down. “My name is Maria Parker, and I am Kai’s mother. And this little one is Nathaniel.”

She motioned to the baby in her arms, causing the twins to look at him curiously.

“It’s a cute baby,” Josie said, looking nervously at the gathered family. She pressed herself closer to Kai, causing his sibling to be surprised when he didn’t push her away.

“Thank you, what are your names, little ones?” Maria asked, smiling down at them.

“My names, Lizzie,” Lizzie spoke for the first time.

“Is that short for something?” Maria asked, looking at the blonde twin, making her hide behind Kai slightly.

“Elizabeth,” She replied.

“Beautiful name, and you?” She said, turning to Josie.

“Josie,” She answered, causing Maria to blink in surprise, as did Kai’s twin that was standing next to her youngest sister.

“What is that short for? Josephine?” Maria inquired.

Josie shook her head, “Josette,” She corrected.

“Huh, that’s very interesting. My eldest daughter has the same name as you.” Maria said as if revealing a secret. “Jo?”

Josette stepped forward and looked down at the twins.

“My name is Jo Parker, it’s nice to meet you.” She said in a weirdly perfect princess kind of way as if she could do no wrong. And the twins took an immediate dislike to her.

So Josie simply nodded in reply to her word, however, that isn’t Lizzie, so unsurprisingly she said something.

“Are you a doll?” Lizzie asked, curiously and everyone stared at her confused.

“Uh oh…” Josie whispered to herself, which made Kai look down at her confused.

“No, why?” Josette said, confused.

“You’re sure? Cause you sure look plastic to me.” Lizzie said, with a mocking edge to her voice.

Josette froze in surprise and took a step back as Kai burst out laughing.

The rest of the Parker’s started, while Josie groaned in annoyance.

“What my sister means is that you’re pretty…” Josie said, trying to fix the situation.

“That’s no-” Lizzie was cut off by Kai putting his hand over her mouth. Which made her start pouting immediately.

“Anyways, how about my other children introduce themselves?” Joshua suggested.

The eldest girl, other than Josette stepped forward. “My name is Mariana but call me, Ana.” She said, and the twins noticed that she seemed like she had a careless attitude.

Ana had dark brown hair that was in a pixie cut of sorts with blue eyes similar to Kai’s.

Next, a boy with lighter hair than the rest and dark brown eyes stepped forward, “Josiah, but don’t call me that. It’s Joey.”

After that, a girl who was younger than them looked at them excitedly. She had dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. 

“My name is Ally, we’re gonna be great friends,” She said, cheerfully. Which made Lizzie raise her eyebrows in surprise.

This kid was way too happy for her.

“Alright, now that that is done, all of you go inside, I have something to talk to the twins about,” Joshua said, and everyone immediately listened to him, except for Kai.

“Malachai,” He said, warningly. “Leave.”

“Why do you need to talk to them alone?” He asked, stubbornly.

“I said, leave now,” Joshua said, glaring at his son.

“It’s okay,” Josie whispered, and he hesitantly went inside the house.

Joshua turned to the twins.

“You two are from the future,” He said, putting his hand up to stop their exclamations of denial. “And you are my grandchildren, I did a spell that informed me of that. Which is why I am allowing you to stay.”

Lizzie frowned at the man.

“I don’t know if I will be able to get you home but I will do my best. For now, you will stay here under the guise of my daughters. Your names are now Elizabeth and Josette Parker. In order to prevent confusion, you will be called Josie by everyone, understood?” Joshua said, raising his eyebrow.

Josie nodded.

“Good...now you are both siphoners, and there are some rules that will be placed on you,” Joshua said, and Lizzie frowned.

“Rules?” She said, narrowing her eyes.

“Yes, you may not siphon unless I tell you, you can. You are not allowed to siphon from any of my children and if you do, you will no longer be allowed to touch them.” Joshua warned, giving them a stern look.

“Consequences for disobeying include not eating, being locked up in the ‘time-out’ room, or hit with my belt. It will depend on what is done,” Joshua said, making the twins’ exchange looks of regret.

Why did they agree to this?

“We understand,” Josie said, quietly.

Lizzie nodded, knowing better than to say something out loud.

Guess this was their new life...

Chapter Text

(6 Years Later)

Lizzie and Josie were sitting side-by-side on Lizzie’s bed when Kai burst in. He closed the door behind him, as he turned to look at the twins.

“Kai?” Lizzie said, looking surprised to see him. “Why didn’t we know you were back?”

“Daddy dearest most likely forgot to tell you,” Kai replied, walking around Josie’s bed in order to get over to the bed they were on.

“Scootch,” He said, and he squeezed in between the twins, not at all caring about personal space. He laid down putting his head on Josie’s leg and threw his legs over Lizzie’s lap. Once he was comfortable, he sighed loudly.

Josie looked down at him, amused. “What’s up?” She asked, putting her book down.

“The twins are being pests like usual.,” Kai said, looking annoyed.

“They’re always annoying, that’s nothing new,” Lizzie muttered, maneuvering her sketch pad on Kai’s leg so that she could still sketch.

Kai paused, “That’s true...but somehow they’ve gotten worse.”

Lizzie looked over at him in disbelief. “How?”

“I..I don’t know, they just are,” Kai said, glancing at her.

“Maybe it’s because they’ve started doing magic?” Josie suggested, looking contemplative.

Kai’s eyes darkened. “Dad is soo proud, his precious twins are shaping up to be great witches.” He said, mockingly.

“Please, as if they could be better than us,” Lizzie commented, continuing her sketch of an object she had been dreaming about.

It wasn’t that large and had these gear-like things a part of it, but she didn’t know what it was.

Lizzie looked up as she noticed Josie had a confused look on her face.

“Josie?” Lizzie said, raising an eyebrow but Josie didn’t respond.

Kai looked up at Josie as well, also noting the weird expression.

“Something wrong, sister dearest?” Kai asked, poking her in the stomach.

“Kai!” Josie exclaimed with a grin, “Don’t do that.”

Kai smirked, “Do what?”

Josie rolled her eyes and sent a glare at her laughing sister.

“Josie, why’d you space out?” Lizzie wondered, and the frown reappeared on Josie’s face.

“It’s just...I don’t know..I’m probably just imagining things…” Josie trailed off, and Lizzie looked down at Kai, who was looking right back at her with his eyebrows raised in question.

Lizzie shrugged in response.

“What is it, Jojo?” Kai prodded, looking up at her through narrowed eyes.

“Does no one else find it weird that he kept having kids, but then, when he had another set of twins, he stopped?” Josie said, looking puzzled.

Lizzie and Kai both stilled.

“That...is weird,” Lizzie admitted.

Kai was silent, “Do you think there’s a specific reason?” Kai wondered, aloud.

“I don’t know, it just feels off,” Josie muttered, glancing between them.

“Yeah,” Lizzie nodded in agreement.

“But it’s probably nothing, so let’s move on,” Josie said, wanting to redirect the conversation. “So, Kai, we need a plan for your 22nd birthday.” 

“Yes!” Lizzie shouted, looking excited, and the other two looked over at her in surprise. “We have to do something awesome. I mean, this is the merging year for you. That’s big.”

“You guys realize my birthday already passed?” Kai said, looking amused.

“Yes, but you had it when you were gone. You need to have one with us, your favorite sisters. We have to celebrate that you’re one year closer to death, and we have to celebrate the merge.” Lizzie said, with a grin on her face.

Kai smirked, but Lizzie spotted a flicker of excitement and nervousness in his eyes.
“You guys do realize I might not win, right?” Kai pointed it out.

Lizzie and Josie looked at each other and started laughing.

“Yeah, right,” Josie said, looking amused at the idea. “There’s no way you can’t win.”

“Josie’s right. I mean, let’s be real here, you are a far more powerful witch than Josette is. So you’ll win, hands down.” Lizzie declared, without hesitating.

Kai looked between the twins and a look of fondness appeared on his face.

“Besides, you have to live. We need you alive. First of all, you’re our brother and the only one we like. Second of all, we would leave if Josette won, she is so needy and extra.” Lizzie’s face scrunched up with disgust, causing the other two to laugh. “Ugh, can you imagine if she was the coven leader? Honestly, Josie and I would probably do the merge just to get rid of her.”

“I agree if you somehow lose, we’re merging, which tells you something because we don’t want to merge,” Josie said, completely on Lizzie’s side.

“Fine, I won’t lose, so that way, you two don’t have to merge in order to dethrone my dear twin,” Kai said, jokingly.

“Good,” The twins said, in unison.

Kai rolled his eyes at them.

“How’s college going?” Josie asked, looking curious.

Lizzie’s face lit up. “Yes, you have to tell us everything. Favorite classes this semester, have your favorite teachers changed, have you found any new places to go to get drunk and party,” She said, putting her sketch pad to the side.

Kai blinked in surprise. “Huh…”

“What?” Lizzie asked, wondering what was wrong.

“That’s the first time anyone’s asked since I’ve gotten home…” Kai said in realization, glancing at them.

“They’re a bunch of assholes, who cares what they think. We’re who matter, and we want to know, so spill.” Josie said, bluntly.

Lizzie grinned and nodded in agreement with her twin.

Kai considered the twins with something unreadable in his gaze, but then it cleared, and he nodded as he started explaining his second semester.

By the time he was done, the three of them were laying down sprawled out across each other. Josie had her head on one of Lizzie’s pillows, while Kai continued using Josie’s leg as his pillows. And Lizzie was laying down with her head on Kai’s stomach.

“I can’t wait for college, we’re going to have so much more freedom,” Josie said, with a longing sigh.

“You guys are only 15, you still have some time to wait but it’s getting closer, soon you’ll be free of my dad,” Kai said, sounding sympathetic.

“I wish it was sooner,” Lizzie mumbled. “The toxicity in this house makes me want to commit murder. And I mean that literally. If someone calls me an abomination one more time or implies that I can’t do magic because I don’t have any of my own, I will either throw myself off a cliff or snap a fool’s neck.”

Kai sat up abruptly, making Lizzie head shift from his stomach to his lap. “Who called you that?” He asked, tensely.

Lizzie felt the airs of her arms rise from the look of rage on his face, but she also felt pleased. Sure, her instinct was telling her, he was dangerous right now but it wasn’t directed at her.

No…

Instead, it was for her.

There was just something about having someone acting protectively over you. Especially, when there had been multiple times she felt like she wasn’t safe in her own home because of Papa J. And she knew Josie felt the same. 

AN: Papa J is what the twins call Joshua because they can still remember their actual dad and they do not see Joshy boy as their dad

“It was just the usual,” Lizzie answered Kai, sitting up as well.

“Kai, it’s okay. We can handle it, it’s nothing new.” Josie said, resting her hand on his arm.

Kai glanced between them.

“Things will be different when I’m coven leader,” He promised, meeting their eyes. “The ones who treated us like we were nothing will get what they deserve and they will regret ever being cruel to us. And we’ll show them who’s more powerful than who.”

His expression, his eyes, and his entire demeanor was menacing and yet, a playful smile sat upon his face.

The twins exchanged a look.

“We got your back,” The twins promised in unison.

Knock Knock

They all look over at the door, and Kai’s whole demeanor relaxed as if he hadn’t been hinting that he was going to get ‘revenge’ on his family and coven.

“Who is it?” Josie called, shifting so that she was facing Kai and Lizzie.

The door opened and Josette walked in.

“Hey, girls-” She blinked in surprise as she noticed Kai but carried on because it was more unusual for Kai to be away from the twins when he was home. “Just wanted to let you know, we’re having left-over pasta tonight, since dad has a meeting with the coven today.”

Kai just laid back down, ignoring her.

“Got it,” Josie replied, with a nod.

“Buh bye now,” Lizzie said, without blinking.

However, she didn’t leave, instead, she lingered by the door, glancing at Kai.

The twins exchanged a look.

“Is something wrong, Josette?” Josie asked, narrowing her eyes.

Josette glanced at Josie, then Lizzie.

“Um…”

“Use words, we’re not mind readers,” Lizzie said, sarcastically as she stared at Josette, annoyed. Lizzie smirked when she felt Kai’s silent laughter.

“I-uh...just wanted to say, I’m sorry about the merge.” Josette said, looking very sympathetic.

“What?” The twins asked in unison as Kai sat up and stared at Josette with something dangerous in his eyes, which Josette stupidly didn’t notice.

“Wait, you didn’t know? Kai and I aren’t doing the merge. The covens waiting until Luke and Liv are of age,” Josette said, looking confused by the anger that appeared on their faces. “Dad was supposed to tell you.”

“He didn’t,” Kai said, voice carefully controlled but the twins could feel the rage swirling underneath his skin.

Josette frowned. “Oh...I guess now you know-” 

There was a crash downstairs and Josette looked behind her in alarm.

“I’ll talk to you later,” She said, shutting the door as she hurried towards the crash.

“What the fuck?” Lizzie whispered in disbelief.

Josie shook her head. “She has to be lying, right? They can’t do that…”

Lizzie looked over at Kai, whose face was completely blank, as he stared at the closed door.

“The signs were all there...having so many kids. The secretive meetings that stopped once the twins had magical capabilities...I was never going to be coven leader. They would never let an abomination lead.” Kai’s voice grew more and more enraged with each syllable. He shot off the bed, and started pacing, looking like he wanted to punch something.

“They can’t do that…it’s your birthright.” Josie said, running a hand through her hair.

Lizzie watched a torrent of emotion flash across Kai’s face before it settled on something dark and unforgiving. It was like a flip had been switched.

And Lizzie could sense this was different from all the other times.

Before Kai could be dark and dangerous but there was always some type of emotion within his expression, whether it was obvious or not.

But right now...he was completely devoid of emotion.

It was almost monstrous,

And yet, Lizzie wasn’t afraid...not for herself.

But something told her, Josette should be afraid...very afraid.

“What are you going to do?” Lizzie asked, no judgment in her voice. Kai turned to look at them, observing them both through eerie eyes.

“You two should leave the house…” He said, warningly. His eyes dared them to argue. “Pack a few things, and head to that hotel up on George Street. I’ll meet you later, understand?”

“Ok,” Josie nodded, getting up, sensing that arguing would be a mistake. She went to the corner of the room and grabbed both of their backpacks. Lizzie got up as well, grabbing her backpack from Josie.

They put a few necessities in their bags as well as a few other things.

Lizzie looked at Kai who was watching them carefully and approached him.

“Be careful, brother,” Lizzie said, softly as she cocked her head slightly. “If you don’t meet up with us in 5 hours, we’ll come looking.”

Kai nodded, slowly.

“Be wary of any one of the Gemini coven…” Kai said, glancing at her, then at Josie as she approached. 

“We will,” Josie promised. “Kai?”

His eyes narrowed on Josie. “Yes?”

“Please, be careful...we don’t want to lose you, so please, stay safe,” Josie said, the worry was obvious in her voice.

Something changed in Kai’s eyes but only for a split moment.

“I’ll be fine...go,” He ordered and the twins left the room and quickly made their way downstairs, then they snuck out through the back entrance.

When they made it to the treeline, they looked back and spotted Kai watching them through the window of their room.

He motioned for them to keep going, and so they did.

Chapter Text

Lizzie and Josie had made it to the hotel hours ago but they were both freaking out both inwardly and outwardly.

Josie glanced at her pacing twin. “Lizzie, it’s been hours...what if something happened?” She asked, running her hand through her hair

Lizzie stopped pacing, worry flashing across her face.

Kai was fine, he had to be okay.

“He said to wait for him to come to us...he’s probably okay..right?” Lizzie said, hesitantly.

“He has to be...we would probably feel if something happened to him...it’s just been so long,” Josie said, with a frown. She glanced at her twin with uncertainty in her eyes. “What do you think he was going to do?”

“I don’t know…” Lizzie said, glancing out the window.

She knew that whatever was going to happen was going to change everything, one way or another.

The real question was...was it going to be a bad change or a good one…

“Do you think he’s going to hurt them?” Josie asked, suddenly.

Lizzie looked back at her. “Maybe? I don’t know, all I know is he was different when we left,” She replied, running her fingers along the glass of the window of their room.

Josie got to her feet and came to stand beside her. “Is it bad that I don’t care about what happens to them?” She asked, looking guilty.

Lizzie looked at her twins, noting that Josie was feeling guilty about not feeling guilty.

Is that ironic? Maybe? Who knows...

“Probably, but I don’t either, so we’re in the same boat,” Lizzie said, with a shrug.

The two stood in silence for a little bit, just looking out the window at the dark sky.

Josie reached out and grabbed Lizzie’s hand, squeezing it gently. Lizzie looked at Josie curiously.

Josie opened her mouth to say something then stopped.

“Jo?” Lizzie said, turning fully to her without letting go of her hand.

“What if he’s not okay? What if he gets caught by Papa J?” Josie asked, meeting her eyes.

“Jo, I don’t know what’s going to happen…” Lizzie said, with a sigh, but there was a combination of fear and determination in her eyes. “But if necessary, we’ll save his ass.”

“Okay,” Josie whispered in agreement.

Suddenly, both of the twins tensed up, feeling a surge of powerful Gemini magic echo around them in the direction of the house.

“That wasn’t Kai,” Josie said, with a sinking feeling in her gut.

“No, it wasn’t…” Lizzie agreed, completely tense.

The twins exchanged panicked looks and grabbed their stuff as they rushed out of the hotel as fast as they could.

The twins ran back to the house, sensing that the residue of powerful magic was in that direction but more towards the woods.

“What do we do if we can’t find him?” Josie asked as they slowed to a stop.

“We will,” Lizzie muttered, tensely, but she wasn’t so sure. 

Whatever that magic was, she didn’t know, but she had a feeling it wasn’t anything good. And Kai was definitely not the one who cast it.

When they reached the house, they froze noticing Joshua Parker standing there with something that felt strangely familiar to Lizzie.

He looked at them with a strange look with a mix of pain and rage in his eyes.

Lizzie tensed. What happened?

He approached, his entire demeanor was full of aggression.

“Did you know?” He asked, anger in his voice.

The twins exchanged confused but also wary looks.

“Know what?” Josie wondered, narrowing her eyes.

“What Malachai was going to do?” He asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Lizzie paused, remembering the look in Kai’s eyes when they left. “What did he do?” She asked, wondering what happened after they left.

“He killed all your siblings!” He said, voice rising with his fury and pain.

“Oh,” Lizzie blinked in surprise.

She could tell he was going to do something drastic based on his reaction but she didn’t expect it to be that. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. 

A part of her was pleased that he clearly liked them a hell of a lot more because he sent them away. Another part was shocked that he went that extreme. And the last part was feeling vindictive because of how they were treated by their so-called siblings for being siphoners.

“What?” Josie said, in shock but she couldn’t feel it in her to be sad for them.

“You didn’t know he was going to do that…” Joshua said, in realization taking in their reactions. “Then why did you leave?”

He narrowed his eyes at them as he shifted his grip on the object in his hand.

“He told us too,” Josie said, like it was obvious, which it was because the twins had made it very clear early on that they listen to Kai better than they do anyone else on the planet. Literally, the twins wouldn’t even listen to their teachers but if Kai told them to do something, they would do it no questions asked.

“Wait, he killed all of them?” Lizzie suddenly exclaimed, having just caught that part.

Joshua frowned at her.

“No, Josette and the twins survived,” He said, shaking his head.

“But you just said all,” Lizzie said, with a challengingly look.

“Lizzie,” Josie whispered, warningly.

Lizzie glanced at her twin and quieted.

“You two don’t even care that your own siblings were murdered,” Joshua said, something unreadable went through his eyes.

The twins exchanged looks.

“You want us to feel bad that our ‘siblings’, who never gave a shit about us, died? As if,” Lizzie said, with a dark look.

Josie straightened. “Besides, they’re dead, nothing can change that...and to quote those oh so typically words of yours that you would always tell us…‘leave the past in the past, and get over it’, so maybe you should listen to your own words for once,” She said, glaring.

Lizzie noticed rage flash through his eyes at the turnaround.

Nicely done, Josie

“Do you know why he did it?” Joshua asked, ignoring Josie’s words.

Coward...

Lizzie felt a flash of anger as his words registered. Was he not able to see what was right in front of him?

“Are you serious? The reason he snapped was because you weren’t going to allow him to do the merge,” Lizzie said, practically snarling.

Joshua tensed angrily.

“He’s an abomination, just like the two of you,” He stared like it was a fact. Lizzie felt her anger rise, again. “He couldn’t be allowed to merge, it was for the good of the coven.”

“The good of the coven? Fucking bullshit,” Lizzie said, fury written all over her face as she moved towards him. Josie reacted instantly and pulled Lizzie backward by her hand, trying to calm her, through their twin bond.

Lizzie relaxed slightly, as she felt a sense of comfort and understanding go through her.

Josie looked at Joshua, who was watching Lizzie warily.“He’s your son, or did you forget that?” She asked, darkly.

Joshua turned his gaze on her. “I forgot nothing-”

“Wait, how did the twins survive? Wouldn’t he have been gunning for them?” Lizzie interrupted as that realization hit her.

After all, they were the ones that Joshua was going to have merge, there’s no way that Kai would have left them alone.

“He tried but Josette protected them by promising to do the merge with him,” Joshua revealed. The twins paused. Something wasn’t right...it wasn’t adding up.

“Wait, he merged with her?” Josie asked, feeling her unease rise.

“No,” Was all he said.

Both of the twins went still.

Lizzie tightened her grip on her sister’s hand

“What do you mean by that?” Lizzie asked, feeling her flight or fight mode starting to activate.

Joshua didn’t say anything, making both of the twins back away, uncertain. Out of the corner of Lizzie’s eyes, she noticed other members of the coven approaching as if to cut them off.

This was bad...really bad.

“Where’s Kai?” Josie asked, swallowing nervously.

“In a prison world,” Joshua replied, narrowing his eyes at them.

“Oh, my god,” Josie said, in horror.

Prison world?

“No...you didn’t…” Lizzie denied, feeling her blood draining from her face. He locked up his own blood in one of the worst contraptions that were ever created by the Gemini Coven.

Josie stared at Joshua in horror. “He’s your son…” She whispered, repeating her earlier words.

“He slaughtered his siblings in cold blood, he is no son of mine,” Joshua said and it was clear that he meant it.

Josie’s eyes flickered to the object in his hands, finally recognizing it for what it was.“That’s the ascendant…” Josie muttered in realization.

Lizzie’s eyes shot towards it, then to the witches surrounding them.

“What are you doing?” Lizzie asked as her sister began to realize the situation they were in. They were trapped...and he had the ascendant.

She felt fear begin to course through her veins.

“I can’t let you two out in the world, you’ll try to release him or merge yourselves...I can’t take that risk...I’m sorry,” He said, and to the twins’ disbelief, he looked like he was actually sorry. “ Sanguinem filio ”

“No!” Josie exclaimed, she backed away, pulling Lizzie with her as she turned to run.

But they couldn’t.

“ Sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. ”

The wind picked up around them.

“ Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. ”

Powerful magic slammed into them, forcing them off their feet. They hit the ground, barely able to keep a hold of each other.

“ Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. ”

There was a flash of light and they were gone.

<><><><><>

(4 years earlier)

“Why do you have to go to college?” Lizzie asked, with a pout. She was sitting on his bed with Josie next to her. “It’s gonna suck without you, especially when the new babies are born.”

“Yeah, they’ll probably be crying constantly,” Josie said, voicing her agreement.

Kai gave them an amused look from where he was packing up his stuff.

“Because if I get an education, I can get out of this house, and away from dad,” Kai said, zipping up his suitcase.

“But what about us?” Josie asked, softly.

Kai glanced at her, and his eyes softened.

“You really think I would forget about you guys? When I make enough money, I’ll get an apartment and you two will move in with me,” Kai said, walking over. He took a seat next to Josie.

“Hell yeah, then, we’ll burn this house to the ground,” Lizzie said, with a smirk.

Josie looked at her and nodded in agreement. “That would be so much fun,” She said, smiling.

“Are you two pyromaniacs or something, cause what is your deal with fire?” Kai said, wondering what it was about fire that was so appealing to them, after all, they were only 11.

“It’s pretty and watching things burn is so satisfying,” Josie said, and Lizzie made a noise in agreement.

Kai snorted, his eyes showed his laughter. “Don’t let my dad hear you, especially since I won’t be here to protect you,” Kai said, warningly.

“Ugh, can we throw him off a cliff,” Lizzie said, hopefully, as she laid down.

“I wish,” Josie replied, looking disappointed.

Kai just shook his head at both of them.

“Girls, just join a bunch of extracurriculars like I did, so that way you have excuses to be out of the house,” Kai suggested.

“Fine,” Lizzie muttered, putting an arm behind her head. “I can’t wait for you to win the merge.”

“Neither can I…” Kai whispered in agreement. “But in the meantime, don’t do anything to piss him off, who knows what he would do…”

“Please, what could be worse then what he already does,” Lizzie said, rolling her eyes.

Josie frowned, thoughtfully. “A prison world could be worse…” She suggested, glancing at her twin.

Kai looked up.

“So your at that point into your magical education,” Kai said, stretching out his arms.

“Yep,” Lizzie nodded. “I have a question, what are prison worlds like?”

Kai paused, thinking about it.

“It’s total isolation...you can never die but you can also never live...It makes the prisoner go mad...just the constant thing over and over...and if you ever get out, you’ll be in a completely different and new world that is probably terrifying...” Kai said, his eyes distant.

“You’ve really thought about this,” Josie realized, then her eyes widened in worry. “You don’t think he’s going to send you into one, right?”

Kai gave her a reassuring look. “Of course not, I was just thinking about it for when I’m coven leader.” He said, with a shrug.

“Oh, okay,” Josie nodded in understanding.

Lizzie frowned, feeling like he wasn’t telling the whole truth.

“Okay…”

<><><><><>

Lizzie sat up, abruptly. She looked at Josie, who was unconscious.

Lizzie quickly shook her awake.

Josie slowly opened her eyes. “Lizzie,” She muttered, sounding confused but then the memories of what happened slammed into her making her wide awake.

Lizzie helped her sit up.

“Jo, what the hell happened?” Lizzie asked, looking around them.

“Lizzie, I don’t think that’s the correct question, you should be asking,” Josie said, softly as the realization of where they were, came together in her mind.

“What do you mean? We’re at our hou-” Lizzie cut off, putting together everything that happened. “Prison world…”