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Josie was packing her things when she found herself with that damn shoebox in her hands. And, hands shaking, heart on the brink, she couldn't help but opened it.
Crush on you. Kindred spirits. The two songs she wrote about Hope. Every drawing Hope made for her birthdays until she was 12. The note she slipped under her pillows when she turned 16... The talisman.
Josie took it between her fingers, thoughtful. Hope chose this moment to barge in, and Josie just has time to wipe a stray tear from her cheek.
"What the hell are you doing here, Hope?" she asks, in a semi-harsh, semi-defeated voice.
"I heard you were leaving?" Hope explains, biting her lower lip.
"Yeah, I'm done with this place."
The bitter tone that the brunette uses is eloquent and yet, Hope doesn't seem to understand the warning because she takes a step towards Josie. "Jo, I wanted to-"
"Don't, Hope."
The oldest girl's eyes take on a dark tint, as if she is feeling hurt. "What's wrong?" She says, trying to keep the pain out of her voice.
Josie takes a quick, angry step towards Hope, her voice following the beat. "What's wrong?! Are you serious, Hope?"
"You're not leaving because of me, right? Because I want you to st-"
"Don't - Don't have the audacity to ask me to stay after you were ready to sacrifice my sister's life for a boy who definitely can't die."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"That it wasn't worth it, Hope. He isn't worth more than the rest of us. It's not worth the lies, the way you manipulated me, trying to make me feel guilty about things beyond my reach. It's not worth that I had to relive my deepest traumas. It's not worth all the pain and fear I've had through the way. It's fucking not worth the way you betrayed every single person who loved and trusted you. It's not worth anything if it makes you lose your own integrity. He's worth nothing if instead of inspiring goodness in your heart, he's poisoning it. He's the trigger for the Hope Mikaelson that no one can look at without being scared, without feeling unsafe. Because that, the person standing in front of me right now, isn't the Hope Mikaelson that I know. This is not the love I could stay for."
Hope goes to pieces. "Jo, I'm really sorry. I- I can fix this. You cou-"
"I don't owe you anything. Not anymore, anyway."
Her eyes were full of tears, although she was trying hard to control herself. "Jo, please, I promise I- "
"We all own our own choices, Hope." She pushes the talisman she still held in her hand against Hope's chest to return it to her. "I've been screaming but you don't hear me at all. I need to take care of myself. And if you still have some respect about my needs, you won’t stop me from leaving."
And then, Josie bypasses Hope and keep walking out of the room, even if it hurts. Trying not to let it show, that she actually don't wants to let this go.
But she has to.
A new monster attacked and Lizzie accidentally ended up in the pool. And when Hope reached out to her for help, Lizzie just dragged her into the pool with her. They are now yelling at each other, talking about their real issues.
"You had Josie."
"I didn't force her to follow me, she wanted to help me."
Lizzie rolls her eyes.
"She would do anything for you, silly. You come and you ask and you know that at the end of the day she just couldn't say no. She would literally set the world on fire if it makes you feel better. After everything that's happened, she still put herself in danger with black magic because she couldn't see us die."
Hope struggles with her emotions, her voice sounding much more insecure than Lizzie's who is resentful. "She did it for you, because you are her sister, because you are her blindspot."
Lizzie really gets upset. "She did it for both of us!"
"Look, I totally get that I messed up, and I'm sorry, okay? I'm really sorry."
Lizzie is already out of the pool, ready to end this conversation. "Stay the hell away from my sister."
Hope found Josie's shoebox of memories. She fell asleep completely exhausted, the talisman around her neck, after reading the songs and sobbing during what seemed to be hours.
"Remember who you are, Hope." It was Hayley’s voice echoing all around her.
"Mom? Mom, I'm so sorry. I miss you so much."
Hayley finally appears close to her daughter. "Remember who you are, Hope."
"I'm a Mikaelson, right? That's my legacy."
Hayley puts a lock of Hope's hair behind her ear. "You got a chance to grow up and develop into someone who can make her own decisions. I know you’ve been through a lot of pain but, the depth of grief you felt with all the losses – it's because of the depth of love. The love that inspired goodness in all of us, this love never left you, Hope. I know you've got your own heart, and I don't want you to neglect that. Make your own healthy choices."
Hope has tears in her eyes, pain in her heart. "I could never hold a perfect thing and not demolish it."
"You're a good person, Hope."
"I wanted to be a good person, but I wasn't. I wasn’t someone to love. Not when I hurt..."
"Hazel eyes and dark brown hair." Hayley whispers low and sweet.
"How do you know?"
She smiles. "I have seen her in paintings."
Hope frowns. "What?"
"This is your dream, love, not mine." She nods her head to what’s around them. "This is your mind, look around."
Hope does and all she can see is the girl. Paintings of Josie everywhere like an endless film.
She finally breaks in tears. "I've lost her. She left because of me, mom. She's gone and I left sick with angry at myself. Suddenly I just got so sad... I've so deeply regretted what I did."
She reaches out to Hope’s cheek to stop a tear. "You played against yourself and you lost."
"I can hardly breathe. I blamed everything on my legacy because I couldn't accept that what I did was wrong."
"You didn't want to feel the depth of guilt but you do feel guilty now." Hope slightly nods her head in agreement. "So, the question is, what changed in the meantime?"
"I was so blinded by him. I thought I missed him, that if I brought him back I could..."
"But you realise you were just trying to fill another void."
"I lost everyone in the past. I thought I had nothing more to lose but I did lost everyone that day. I lost her. She was right, what I did, all I did, it wasn't me, it can't be me. All of my friends, Cleo, Mg, Lizzie... Lizzie is my friend, even my best friend, if I may say so. And Josie, she means the world to me. They're such the selfless ones even though they hides it underneath layers of fears. I do care about them and I know they cares about me too." She lets out a painful breath that she did not know she was holding. "I should never have done wrong by that."
"The good point of being part of such an ancestral family, Hope, is that we also believe in forgiveness. There's always time for redemption."
"I promised Dad I would do right by our name, I'll fix that. I'm righting that wrong."
"I know you will." She really mean it.
"I love you, Mom."
"I love you, too, Hope." She hugs her with all her maternal love. "Always and forever."
Josie is in the hospital after she passed out in front of her locker at Mystic Falls High. When Hope heard the news, she didn't hesitate for a second before heading to the hospital.
"Lizzie, please. I'm begging you, I need to see her."
"Don’t hurt her again or I swear-"
"I promise, I will make this right."
Lizzie sits next to her sister. "Hope and Finch are out there, they came to see you."
"I'm in a hospital gown, Lizzie."
"And everything you wear fits you just right." She says with her fraternal teasing tone. Then, she gets serious. "But, if you want me to, I can send them away right now."
Josie lets out a big sigh, like a moaning sound and hides her face in her hands. "I don't know exactly which level of hell it is, but it's pretty far down there."
"I think you should be honest with yourself. I meant that... you might as well be honest with them and tell exactly how you feel."
"I really like you, Finch." Josie begins but Finch interrupts her.
"It's her. I mean, you're in love with her, right?" Her tone is rude.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah, I’m pretty sure you are, Saltzman, 'cause I could've swore you just gave me a fuck you look right now."
Josie looks quite shocked at the charges against her. "What?"
Finch must have spoken a little too brutally because Lizzie opens the door at this point, looking perfectly aware of the situation.
Her worried eyes fall on her sister and then they hit Finch hard. "Okay, I'm only gonna say this once, I think it might be time for you to go. Now."
Hope is standing right inside Josie's hospital room, right outside the door, her blue eyes full of feelings.
"How are you feeling?" Her voice is soft and careful.
"Tired. It feels like I've been wasting my time in all the wrong places, on all the wrong faces and I- I'm just so tired of pretending."
Hope takes a step forward, officially worried. "Did she hurt you?"
"No." Josie just stops her in a single glance. "I just passed out from black magic."
Hope swallows and just glances down at her feet, feeling the guilt hitting her. "Your dad said it didn't affect you."
"He was obviously wrong. Now that I'm partially human, it make me feel... it gets my heart racing. And it's like, all of a sudden, I just feel... nothing. Then, I woke up here."
"I..." She reaches the bed. "What can I do to fix this?"
"Lizzie’s already siphoned the magic out of me. I think I'll be fine."
Hope sits carefully on the bed and takes Josie’s hand in hers.
She closes her eyes and Josie has to ask. "What are you doing?"
Hope finally opens her eyes, looking deep into Josie’s eyes. "A comfort spell. It's supposed to provide physical peace."
After a couple of seconds, Josie turns her head and drops her hand so she doesn't have to fall for Hope's eyes and touch again.
"I ended things. With Finch."
Hope keeps her voice neutral. "What happened?"
"You. You happen to me all over again. I'm so into you. I can't get you out of my head, I can't get you out of my heart... I feel you everywhere and I hate it, I hate that you have this hold on me. I hate that nobody compares to you. And I don't want it to keep hurting." Her voice drops to a strangled whisper. "What should I do, Hope?"
Hope is so close, she might just... But suddenly, Lizzie opens the door. "Josie..." She soon figures it out her bad timing. "Sorry."
After that, she just disappears off the radar.
However, the moment has already passed and Josie already put her walls back, avoiding Hope’s gaze. "I must rest, you should go."
She lies down, turning her back on Hope so she can gets the message.
"Okay." And her voice obviously sounds like there isn't an inch of her that doesn't hurt. Then, she goes to the door. However, she cannot leave until she takes this out of her chest. "I care about you, very deeply, more than you know, more than I knew how to say when... when it would have made a difference. I know I've said it before, but I am sorry. I'm really sorry about that night, I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry about whatever you went through because of me all along."
Hope discovered that Landon is MaliLandon. Landon was not the one who came back and he won't be able to come back anymore now that the ascendant has been destroyed. He signed for his own personal hell when he first gave his father access to his body. Because when he did it, he made himself a full part of Malivore. That's why Landon melted down and was locked up to the prison world. His father can now dispose of his body at will and there is no way to stop this. And when he started attacking the twins, Hope therefore had to make a choice again. And, she didn't choose Landon. She defeated him, but now she’s almost lifeless, about to give her last breath.
Josie is by her side, holding her, sobbing. People claims they see her start fires just by crying. "What the hell did you just do?"
"I saw my mom, Jo." Josie's frowning, really confused, so Hope continues to talk. "In my dreams. It turns out that when you see someone in your dreams, it's not that they expect something from you but rather that you expect something from them. I really needed a mirror that'll come along and tell me that I was wrong. I mean, you were right. I took a lot of wrong decisions which I have come to regret." She puts her hand on her cheek. "And since you left school, I missed you every single day. I had to do right this time."
"Well, that's... that's just not how it works, Hope. You’re not gonna die on me!"
Both of them have their eyes drowned in tears.
"I wish you would believe how sorry I am."
"I believe you. I forgive you and I- I want you to stay." She definitely sounds desperate. "So, please, Hope, I need you to fight."
"I do love you, you know. I love you, Josie Saltzman." Hope whispers.
"I can tell you I love you tomorrow. You're not dying today!"
Josie dips her hand in her pocket and in less than a second it seems that her magic is back. "Lizzie, help me."
"How?"
"Take her hand and just repeat after me." She complies. "Tomar lento. Na paz, amor. (Both:) Tomar lento. Na paz, amor..."
"What are they doing?" Kaleb asks.
"A healing love spell. This is love magic, a rare form of magic." Cleo explains. "Nobody ever uses it because at first blush, it is said that if unsuccessful, the spell cast can have a great destructive impact. But... it seems to work right now."
"How?"
"All three showed that they could count on each other. They truly believes in being open and honest. And love's strength is build of trust."
"What is happening now?"
"Her heart is overflowing with flowers."
'What?"
"Well, it's a metaphor. All the magic just overflows from her heart to spill over into every cell of her body and heal her. It's kind of like an interior light."
"Feels like a scene straight out of Tangled."
Cleo smiles. "Yeah, it kinda feels like bringing someone home."
Josie is standing at the dock at night and the fireflies dance around the place.
"Thank you." Hope says the second she gets to Josie. They turn to face each other. "About yesterday... you and Lizzie saved my life out there. You've given me a lot more than I deserve."
"You saved everyone first. You just seem worth the risk."
"I'm really sorry."
"I know. I've already forgiven you, all right?"
"Thank you."
"But now, there's one thing you have to promise me."
"Sure, I can do that."
Josie lays her hands on Hope’s neck, her thumbs on her cheeks. "Promise me that whatever happens in the future, you will keep you safe." She sighs. "You can’t turn everything into a suicide mission."
Hope sets her forehead against Josie’s. "I just wanted to make it right this time."
"And I'm grateful to you, it was much appreciated but..." Josie raises her head so she can look Hope in the eye. "I love you." A smile appeared on Hope’s lips. One of those light-up-the-room type of smiles. "And I don’t want you to value my life or someone else's more than yours. So you should start to embrace the fact that you are a blue-eyed cosmic miracle, Hope Mikaelson."
"Who says that?"
"I do," she whispers.
Hope reaches Josie’s lips, touching them, it is light as a caress of the wind. "I'm going to kiss you."
"And I’m not gonna stop you."