Archive of Our Own

Hope was woken up by an incessant knocking on her door. She checked the time on her clock. It was seven, the usual time she woke up on school days, only it wasn’t a school day. It was Saturday. The knocking continued, and she was about to tell whoever it was to fuck off when she heard,

“Hope? Are you there? It’s Caroline.” Hope knew better than to yell at the Headmistress, so she moved her covers out of the way and said,

“One second!” She pulled her hair into a ponytail as she walked to the door and she opened it. Caroline was already up and ready for the day. Being a vampire definitely had its perks. Hope was a wolf, but she still had that same exhaustion humans carried. Caroline had none of it. 

“Hi!” she said, “So sorry to wake you up this early, but I could use your help with something.”

“What is it?” Hope asked. 

“I got a call from the police department. There was a body found in the woods near the school. Bite marks in his neck.” 

“Do you think it was somebody at the school?” Hope asked.

“Not sure,” Caroline said, “I was going to check it out by myself, but since you always seem to be looking for adventure, I figured I’d ask you before you got the idea to go off on your own.” Hope scoffed.

“I don’t do that!” Caroline raised an eyebrow at her, so she added, “Often.” When Dr. Saltzman had been in charge, he’d been more than willing to let Hope and the rest of the team deal with the monster problem on campus. So willing that Caroline had taken issue with it and returned to the school to take over. Dr. Saltzman was currently on leave, doing some tests on the Malivore pit. Hope liked having Caroline back, but a small part of her missed how it used to be. She worked better alone. But the woman was asking, so she felt like she had to say yes. 

“Yeah sure, I can,” she started, but trailed off when the door to the room across from her opened. She found herself looking into the wide brown eyes of Josie Saltzman. 

“Mom?” she asked, “What’s going on?” She wore a curious expression as she leaned against the wall, waiting expectantly for an answer. 

“I just had a few questions for Hope,” she said, “Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Who died?” Josie asked, startling them both.

“Excuse me?” Caroline asked. 

“I can hear everything that goes on in the rooms closest to me. You were right outside,” Josie said, “You really should have spaced out the witch dorms like with the vampire and werewolf ones.” She wasn’t wrong. Hope had been dealing with the...less than acceptable late night activities of her peers for months. 

“I’m sorry honey, I’ll look into that,” Caroline said, “Go back to sleep. Like I said, this is nothing you need to worry about.” 

“Can I come with you?” she asked, “I can’t go back to sleep once I’m awake.” Hope gave Caroline a hopeful look. A walk outside wouldn’t be too bad if Josie came with them. But unfortunately for them, Caroline shook her head.

“You have your meeting with Ms. Tig at 9, and I’m not sure how long we’ll be out.” 

“But-”

“Jo,” Caroline said. She used a serious tone. Hope usually heard it when someone was in trouble, or about to be. Josie recoiled, and went back into her room.

“She could have come,” Hope said. Caroline didn’t say anything more on Josie. She just said, 

“Meet me downstairs in ten minutes,” before walking away. Hope figured that was the end of that conversation. 

It was cold outside. Hope stuffed her hands in her jacket as she followed Caroline into the woods. A bird cawed, and she ducked as it flew towards her.

“So where is this body?” Hope asked as she swatted the bird away. 

“Right down this way,” Caroline said, taking her down a patch, “So, have you and Josie gotten a chance to talk recently? Since everything?”

“Not really,” Hope admitted, “Since Josie has to take the intro vampire classes, her schedule changed, so our witch classes don’t line up anymore.” 

“But outside of class?” Hope shrugged,

“She’s been keeping to herself mostly. Ever since she finished her transition, she hasn’t really spent much time with the rest of us. She mostly stays in her room. You should be talking to Lizzie.”

“Your blood turned Josie,” Caroline said, “When that happens, that leaves a sort of connection. It’s strong in some, weak in others-”

“Then I guess it’s weak between us,” Hope, “She hasn’t spoken to me once, and it happened almost two months ago.” Hope picked up her pace and ended up walking in front of Caroline. She didn’t need to follow her. She could smell the blood. She went into a clearing, and nearly screamed at the sight in front of her. There were three bodies, a man and two women. Blood was pouring out of their necks, and Hope could see the distinctive bite marks. Definitely a vampire attack. 

“I told you to stay behind me,” Caroline said crossly, grabbing Hope and gently pulling her back. Had she? Hope didn’t remember that. 

“When was this called in?” she asked. 

“About an hour ago,” Caroline said, “A jogger found them on a morning run. It’s been ruled as an animal attack, but…”

“We know better,” Hope said, “Do you think it was someone from the school?”

“I really hope not,” she said, “But considering how close...it makes the most sense.”

“What are you gonna do?” Hope asked.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Caroline said, “Thank you for your help in finding the bodies, but I can take it from here.” Hope crossed her arms.

“Did you actually need my help, or did you call me out here because you wanted to know how Josie was doing?” she asked. Caroline dropped eye contact, which answered her question, “Right.”

“I just wish she would talk to me,” she said, “I’ve tried. Ever since I came back I’ve made the girls my priority. With Lizzie it’s been easy, we’ve always clicked, but with Jo... I guess I was just hoping that since you two shared this bond, you’d be able to help me reach her.” 

“You’d probably be a lot better off talking to Lizzie or even Dr. Saltzman than me.”

“I have,” she said, “Alaric was as...helpful as ever.” Hope could sense the distaste in her voice, “And Lizzie is just as lost as I am. We don’t know what to do.”

“Do you think that Josie could be responsible for this?” Hope asked, casting a sideways look at the bodies splayed out in front of her.

“I really hope not,” Caroline said, “But I’m not sure what to think. Promise me that you’ll keep this between us?”

“I will,” Hope said, “But I can’t promise that Josie won’t have any questions for you when you come back. And I really think that you should answer them. Because if you act like Dr. Saltzman did by lying and shutting her out, you’re never going to get to where you want to be.”

“You’re smart for your age, Hope,” Caroline said, “Just remember not to overextend yourself, alright? And remember that I’m here for you.”

“I will,” Hope said. It felt nice to hear somebody say that and mean it.

Hope saw Josie later that day. She was sitting by herself during lunch and eating an apple. Hope never saw Josie by herself. She was always with the other witches or with Lizzie. She wondered if she should talk to her. They hadn’t really. Not since…

“Hope?” someone asked, cutting through her thoughts. She turned to see Jed standing behind her, holding a basketball, “You’re kind of blocking the hall.” 

“Right, that’s my bad,” Hope murmured, moving out of the way. But before Jed could go, she said, “Hey, have you talked to Jo recently?”

“Not really,” he said, “Then again, the two of us haven’t really talked since the musical. And then when she turned, we stopped talking. Well actually, she kinda stopped talking to everyone except Lizzie and Ms. Tig. You might be better off talking to one of them.” 

“Please, any time I get near Lizzie she gives me dagger eyes, and it’s not like I can ask Ms. Tig about confidential records.” 

“Then maybe you should go and talk to her.” He lowered his voice as he continued with, “Look, I’m not a vampire, but I know what it’s like to spend your whole life as one thing, then wake up as something else. And you do too. She just needs time.”

“I know that! It’s just that...do you remember Henry Benoit?” 

“Um, kinda? He was at the bottom of the foodchain when it came to the pack, and since I wasn’t that high myself, I liked keeping my distance. Why do you ask?”

“Do you know what happened to him?” 

“Not really. Headmistress Salvatore told us that he passed away, and that there was nothing anybody could have done. I signed a condolence card, but I felt a little guilty, because to be honest, I didn’t know him all that well.”

“Oh,” Hope said. She still saw Henry’s face sometimes. Lifeless, desiccating in front of her. She’d done that to him. 

“It was my fault,” she murmured. 

“What are you talking about?” Jed asked. 

“My blood turned Henry into a hybrid. He was sired to me.” Jed looked confused for a second, but as realization dawned, he murmured, 

“Come with me.” The two of them left the hallway, and Jed took her into an empty classroom. He shut the door behind them and said,

“ So Josie isn’t the first person you turned?” Hope shook her head, “Holy...shit.”

“Thanks Jed, your support means the world,” she said sarcastically. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, “It’s just that...none of us knew.”

“Yeah well now you do,” Hope said, “You can’t tell anyone, Jed. I’m serious.” 

“Hey you have my word,” Jed said, “But uh...why did you tell me?”

“Did you see Henry at all?” Hope asked, “After he turned?”

“I did once,” he said, “The minute I saw him, I knew something was wrong. His eyes were all shifty, he was getting irritated by the smallest noises-a clock ticking,, sneakers squeaking-he was the complete opposite of that awkward kid who couldn’t even catch a basketball.”

“Did he ask about me?” Jed nodded,

“He asked everyone where you were. He just wanted to be with you. Eventually Mr. Williams came and took him away...then we never saw him again.” Hope felt her heart sink. She knew Henry hadn’t been popular in the pack, but she couldn’t imagine how it must have felt to see your classmate leave and never come back. Actually, she could imagine it. She just didn’t want anyone to feel it.

“I ruined Henry’s life,” Hope said.

“No you didn’t.”

“But I did.” Hope sat on the desk, wiping a forming tear from her eye, “And now...now I’m going to ruin Josie’s too.” Jed sat on the desk across from her and said,

“You saved Josie’s life,” he said, “I’m sure she’s grateful for it-” 

“Then why hasn’t she talked to me once since it happened?” she asked, “I don’t even care if she’s mad, I just want to know if she’s okay.”

“Then ask her!”

“I’ve tried!” Hope said, the exasperation in her voice trying, “She rarely wants to see me, and anytime she does want to be near me, something pulls us apart. It’s different than it was with Henry. I could...I could feel him. I knew what was going through his head, and I knew how to help, even if he was in the Bayou or I was in my house. I’m in the same building as Josie, and we’ve never felt further apart.”

“Vampirism isn’t exact, right?” Jed asked after a few moments.

“I guess not,” Hope murmured.

“So it’s different this time,” he said, “That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Josie really cares about you, Hope. She’ll reach out to you when she’s ready.” Hope didn’t know how Jed knew that, but she did know he was being genuine. She gave him a small nod and said,

“Thank you, Jed.”

“Of course,” he said, “Look I know you and I don’t talk that often, but if you ever need a friend-”

“I’ll know where to find you,” Hope said with a small smile. 

“Perfect,” he said, “I’m gonna get to lunch, but I’ll see you around.” 

“See you,” Hope said, and Jed was about to head out the door, but before he did, he said,

“And Hope? None of it is your fault. You’re one of the best people I know. And all of us are extremely lucky to have you in our lives.”

“Thanks Jed,” Hope murmured. Oh how she prayed Josie felt the same.

Josie’s head was spinning. With her new heightened abilities she was able to enjoy the smell of fresh fruit, the sounds of children laughing, and she could see more clearly than she ever could. But with the good parts, came the bad ones. She could hear every floorboard creak, she could tell when people were watching her, and the worst part...she could smell the blood. 

Blood was literally everywhere she turned. It was in her sister’s neck when they slept at night, it was running through the veins of those same little children who she used to spend the weekends with. The little children who now wanted nothing to do with her. Josie took a bite out of the apple in her hand. Her new fangs tore through the skin of the fruit, and she ended up slicing the whole fruit in half. She spat it out on her plate, and focused on one of her books for school. That was when she heard her name.

Josie looked up and saw Hope standing with Jed in the hall outside the dining room. They talked in hushed tones, but Josie could hear them clearly. Hope was worried about her. Josie was continuing to listen when she heard her Mom clear her throat. 

“Josie honey, can I speak to you?” she asked. 

“Sure,” she said with a shrug. She expected her Mom to start talking, but she didn’t, “Mom?”

“Let’s go somewhere more private. You can bring your apple.” 

“Is everything okay?” she asked, “Is this about what you and Hope went to do this morning?”

“I’ll explain in my office. Come on,” was all she said. Josie hated when her Mom was vague. It meant she had a surprise for her, or she was angry. But it usually meant angry. Josie searched through her mind for whatever it is she could have done as she followed her Mom to her office. She hadn’t gotten into much trouble since her Mom came back-no, none at all-she spent almost all of her time in her room. So there was nothing her Mom could have on her. Well, unless she knew about-

“Sit down, honey,” Mom said, breaking her thoughts. Josie took a seat in the chair across from her Mom and decided to just ask.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked, “Am I in trouble?”

“Of course not,” Mom said, and that was a surprise, “I just want to talk to you.” 

“About what?” Josie said, growing anxious. She tended to get anxious when she didn’t know what was going on, but as a heretic, it was like the anxiety doubled, no, tripled.

“I got a call last night from the Sheriff,” she said. Shit.

“Mom, I can explain…” Josie started, but she was cut off. 

“Let me start out by saying that I am not mad at you,” Mom said, and Josie nodded, “But if this wasn’t a one time thing, then there are things we need to do…” 

“It won’t happen again!” Josie exclaimed.

“I know you say that, but you can never be sure. Newly turned vampires always have these issues with control, but you’re not just any vampire. That witch side of you is still there, and given what happened a few months ago with your magic-”

“That was different,” Josie said, “I didn’t-I didn’t hurt anyone this time, I swear!” 

“Josie, don't lie to me.” Huh?

“I’m not lying,” she said. She hadn’t hurt anybody! But her Mom didn’t look convinced.

“Josie, it's okay,” she said, “We’ll figure this out together.” She reached a hand out to her, but it didn’t make her feel safe. She scooted away.

“I need to go,” she murmured, getting up from the chair. Her head was spinning so fast at this point that it wasn’t even attached to her body. She hadn’t hurt anybody , she was certain of it!

“I don’t think I can let you,” her Mom said.

“I didn’t hurt anyone,” Josie repeated.

“I know you didn’t mean to,” Caroline said, “But you did. And I’m going to help you.” She took Josie’s arm, and that was when it happened. All that power she’d been bottling inside came out, and she began to siphon from her Mother. The woman gasped as her arm began to grey, and Josie willed herself to stop, but she couldn’t. Eventually, her Mom used her other arm-and her vampire strength-to push Josie off of her. 

“Jo, you need help,” she said.

“You don’t know what I need,” Josie said. She was filled with her Mother’s magic right now. She felt stronger, and she knew her Mother could sense it. 

“Calm down, alright? We’ll talk about this together.” Josie wasn’t sure why, but she felt scared. Her body was coursing with more power than it ever had before, but she was terrified. Her Mother came closer, and Josie tensed up, saying the first spell that came to mind.

“ Icaeus! ” The magic shot out of her body, and her mother was knocked against the shelf. Books clattered onto the ground, and her Mom landed badly against the wall, with her head hanging limp. Josie knew that she would be fine, but she also knew she couldn’t stay. So she ran out of the office, refusing to look back even once.

Hope was in the spell lab when she heard the crash. It was loud, and the sound cut through the school like a knife. She abandoned the potion she was working on and went to the source of the sound, which was Caroline’s office. When she arrived, the woman was on the ground, leaning against a shelf, which, given it’s ravaged state, suggested to Hope that Caroline had been tossed into it. 

“Headmistress Salvatore?” she asked, going over to prod her awake. It took a few tries, but soon the woman’s eyes opened. She looked panicked as she asked,

“Where’s Josie?”

“I don’t know,” Hope said, “I haven’t seen her since-”

“Well shouldn’t you?” Caroline asked crossly, and the words honestly kind of stung. The woman dusted herself up, stood up, and said, “She’s sired to your blood, but you don’t even know where she is.” Hope knew the woman’s anger came from a place of worry, but it didn’t make them hurt less. Was this really her fault? Hope didn’t have the time to stress about it, because the school phone started to ring. Caroline picked it up and asked,

“Hello? Yes, this is she.” Hope used her wolf ears to listen in on the call. It was Ethan and Maya’s Mom on the other end, “Really, I didn’t-” Caroline seemed to notice Hope’s focus on the call, because she pointed to the door.

“Out!” she hissed. Hope put her hands up and left the office, pressing herself against the wall in an attempt to hear, but Caroline had soundproofed the place.

“Dammit,” she grumbled. She angrily hit the wall, wincing as a bruise formed over her knuckles. As it healed, she watched as Caroline’s other daughter approached her. 

“Having a problem?” she asked.

“Several,” Hope said, “Your Mom is on a call with the Sheriff, she just kicked me out. And Josie is missing.” Lizzie’s eyes widened.

“Missing? Since when!” 

“I think she knocked your Mom out and left. I found her on the ground when I entered the office, and she said she didn’t know where she was.”

“Oh screw this,” Lizzie said, “Move!” she pushed Hope away from the door and pushed it open, startling her Mother who was on the phone.

“Elizabeth!” she said in a hushed voice.

“What happened with Josie?” she asked, but Caroline ignored her, focusing on the phone.

“Then what was the cause of death?” she asked, “Overdose? When I found the bodies, they were completely drained of-oh. Oh, I see. Thank you, I’ll let them know.” Caroline hung up the phone.

“I told you to leave,” she told Hope angrily.

“You told me a lot of things,” Hope said, “What did Sheriff Mac say?” Caroline looked unwilling to answer at first, but she eventually sighed and said,

“The bodies we found this morning weren’t killed by a vampire,” she said, “They were already dead when they were drained.”

“So that means…” Hope started.

“I made a mistake,” Caroline said, “Josie said she didn’t hurt anybody, and I didn’t believe her. I need to find her.”

“Okay, we’ll help,” Lizzie said.

“No!” Caroline said, her voice firm, “She’s alone, and she’s scared. She’s not going to want to see anybody right now, and I’m not putting the two of you in danger.”

“And you think you’ll have a better chance of getting through to her?” Hope asked, pointing to the broken shelf.

“Hope, I’m in charge here,” she said, “So let me do my job and find my daughter, okay?”

“If you could do your job, Josie would still be here.” It had been at the tip of Hope’s tongue, but she hadn’t said it aloud. Lizzie had.

“Elizabeth-” Caroline started, but her daughter left before she could finish. Hope knew Caroline didn’t want her there, so she followed Lizzie out. The girl wasn’t in the hallway, so Hope went upstairs to check her room. She was sitting on the floor, with MG comforting her. 

“Are you okay?” Hope asked. She looked up, and Hope could see the remnants of tears. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen Lizzie cry before. 

“I’ll be okay when we find my sister,” Lizzie said, “MG, you’re a vampire, right?”

“I’ve been told,” he said.

“So do you know how the sire bond works? How can Hope find Josie?”

“I mean, I don’t know,” he admitted, “I didn’t know the vampire who turned me, so there wasn’t an existing connection. Plus the sire bond is a rare occurrence-”

“Not for someone as strong as me,” Hope said, “I should feel her. So why don’t I?”

“The bond works both ways,” MG said, “You have to be willing to let her in, and she needs to want to let you. Are you letting her in?”

“Things have been complicated,” Hope said, “Everything that happened with Dark Josie, then with Landon leaving, her small relationship with that weird werewolf-”

“No one cares about Finch!” Lizzie snapped, “Can you find her or not?”

“I’m trying,” Hope said, “It’s like every time I get close to her there’s this wall stopping me, and no matter how hard I try to climb it...I just can’t make it over.”

“Maybe because Josie is a heretic? And you aren’t even really a vampire,” Lizzie offered.

“No, her being a hybrid shouldn’t change anything,” Hope said, thinking about how easily her connection to Henry had worked.

“But she’s not just any hybrid,” MG said, “It’s different when you turn a werewolf as opposed to a witch. Look, it’s all in this book.” He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out an old book from the library. He flipped to a page in the middle and said, “This page.” He handed it to Hope and she read it aloud to him and Lizzie.

“The first werewolf hybrid Nikalus Mikaelson was born from Esther and Mikaelson dated in 900s AD,” she read, “I already know who my Dad is, MG.”

“Keep going,” he said. Hope skimmed the page, then reached the part about turning.

“Mikaelson created his first hybrid Tyler Lockwood in the year 2011, and this was the first moment of an instant sire bond,” she continued, “While the sire bond as a whole is a rare occurrence for newly turned vampires, such an instant connection between two men who shared no prior connection begged an interesting question. What was it about Mikaelson that caused all those, not just Lockwood, that he turned to be sired to him? The answer is actually quite simple. For as a wolf, controlled by the full moon, a taste of that freedom would give that wolf a lifelong debt. Mikaelson freed Lockwood from the pain of the turn, which initiated the bond.” The chapter went into a deeper discussion on how the full moon affected wolves, and the power that came from turning at will, but Hope didn’t need to read any more in order to understand.

“So Henry was only sired to me because I freed him from the turn,” Hope said, “And since Josie doesn’t have that problem, the same connection isn’t there.” Lizzie rolled her eyes.

“Well this is just perfect!” she exclaimed, “My sister is missing, and you’re completely useless.”

“Who is Henry?” MG asked.

“Who cares!” Lizzie exclaimed. She grabbed her jacket from her desk and Hope asked,

“Where are you going?”

“To find my sister!” She left the room, slamming the door loudly behind her. Alone with MG, Hope watched the boy get up and say,

“I’m gonna go after her to make sure she stays safe.” Hope just nodded, “And Hope…just because there’s not an instant sire bond doesn’t mean a connection isn’t there.”

“You don’t understand,” Hope said, “I literally feel nothing. It’s like she’s not even there.”

“When I first turned, I shut myself away from everybody,” MG said, “It was becoming friends with Lizzie and Josie that helped me open up.”

“Josie and I are already friends, though,” Hope said, “And like I said earlier, I’m powerful. I don’t care about the whole werewolf's gratefulness bullshit, I should feel her!”

“And like I said, both ways,” he said, “I don’t think the problem is with you at all.”

“Josie’s a trusting person,” Hope said.

“Who shuts people out, usually when she needs them,” MG said, “And right now…I think she needs you more than ever.”

“And what if I can’t?” she asked, “Look I can fight a minotaur or a dream demon but when it comes to Josie, everything I say falls flat. I mean, we never really got the chance to talk about Landon, we barely even talked about what happened with Dark Josie-”

“It seems to me that there’s a communication problem that may or may not have gotten heightened due to Josie’s transition and may be the reason Josie isn’t opening up to you.” He gave her a pointed look and she rolled her eyes.

“I could have told you that!” she snapped, even though she was secretly grateful for his help.

“Good luck, Hope,” he said. He left the room, and Hope took a breath. If Josie was the one blocking her out, then how did she reach her?

“Lizzie?” MG called as he searched the woods for her, “Lizzie!” 

“I’m over here,” he heard the blonde say. He saw her by a tree, sprinkling out some herbs for a spell. He crouched next to her and asked,

“Locator spell?”

“Josie masked her location,” Lizzie said, “I’m trying to override it but the spell is tricky. The only person I know who can do it is Jo.”

“You need someone to siphon?” he asked.

“Probably,” she said, “I used all the magic I got from the school on the locator spell.” MG crossed his legs and held his hands out for Lizzie. She took them, and she started to siphon. After getting enough magic she said, 

“I have all the herbs, but the incantation is long, and if I don’t use the correct inflection on the syllables, I could lose Josie forever.”

“We’ve been talking about connection all day,” MG said, “You used to tell me that you could sense Josie’s magic. How you felt the darkness rising in her.”

“I can’t anymore,” Lizzie said, “Ever since her heart stopped, our Gemini link went with it. She might still be a siphoner, but with her death, it isn’t the same.” MG saw her hands shake, so he took them and said,

“It’s going to be okay. We’ll get the spell, and find her.” Lizzie nodded, “You ready?” Lizzie looked over the spell one more time, then started the incantation. Nothing happened at first, then the herbs sprinkled around them started to shake. Lizzie shut her eyes, and MG watched as the world around them clouded. The sun disappeared from the sky, and he tensed as a chill crossed over them. He looked over at Lizzie, who was visibly shaking.

“Lizzie?” he asked. He’d never seen her like that during a spell. Her hands started to tremble, so he grabbed them, “Lizzie!” Her eyes shot open, turning black for a second, then returning to their usual color. He frowned at her,

“What did you see?” 

“I know where Josie is,” she said, wiping away blood that was starting to pour from her nose, “Come on, we need to hurry!” Lizzie got up from the ground and ran deeper in the woods, with MG following as quickly as he could.

Hope had stayed in the twins room, and was currently lying on the floor, surrounded by candles. She hadn’t done a spell like this in a long time, and was a little worried it wouldn’t work, but not worried to the point where she was stopping herself. She had been on this exact same floor with Josie when they’d done their first spell together. When she’d really gotten to know the other girl. The other girl who wasn’t that different from herself. If she could just find a way to reach that Josie… her Josie. 

“Please work,” she murmured, closing her eyes, and letting the spell take over. When she opened her eyes, she was back in the room, but it was different. It was dark outside, and the lights in the room were off. She could only see with here werewolf eyes. The door opened and a much younger Josie stepped in. She was dressed in the same outfit she’d been in when they’d done the spell. When Hope had attempted this head dive, she thought she’d arrive to a moment that was more recent. 

“Josie?” she asked, praying the other girl could hear her. But she couldn’t. Because that wasn’t the Josie she was looking for. She left Josie’s room and kept walking. All of the doors in the hallway were open, she just needed to pick the right one. When she’d replicated Freya’s spell from ten years ago, she hadn’t actually expected to end up in an exact replica. Though, Josie made it harder. She didn’t have a glowing red door that held the obvious answer.

“Josie?” she tried again, but no answer. But as she walked down the hall, she realized every door had the number 23 on it. They were all Josie’s from different periods of time. 

“Okay, so that one was our first spell,” Hope said, pointing to the door she’d just exited, “So which one are you in, Jo?” She tried several. She saw their spell with the Sandclock, their ice cream night with Lizzie, her and Lizzie after the football game, Alaric telling them about the merge, but Josie didn’t see her in any of them. They weren’t correct. She reached another door to try, only this one didn’t open. She tugged at it, but it wasn’t going. If Josie was shutting her out, she had to be behind it.

MG had ended up using his vampire speed to propel him and Lizzie to where Josie was. They got there in a flash, and MG had to grab Lizzie so she wouldn’t fall over. He looked up and saw them at a house in the Mystic Falls suburbs.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Before the school was created, Josie and I lived in this house,” she said, “The spell showed me that Josie went to a safe place. What safer place than before everything changed?”

“That makes sense,” MG said, “Lizzie, about that spell-”

“Yes, it was dark magic,” she said, “But what choice did I have? My sister was in danger.”

“I’m not upset with you or anything,” he said, “I just wanted to say that you don’t need to lie to me. Especially when it comes to Jo. I’ll always understand how much she means to you, and if you need my help, you know I’ll always give it.”

“Thank you,” Lizzie said, squeezing his hand. It felt like they were frozen in time for a second until MG said,

“Should we…”

“Yes,” Lizzie said, “Okay, so if Josie got in, you should have no problem.” MG nodded, and followed her into the house. The lights were off, but the sun streamed in and made the room visible.

“Do you hear anything?” Lizzie asked. MG looked around, then his gaze traveled up the stairs, where he heard the faint beating of a heart.

“Upstairs,” he said. He and Lizzie ascended the staircase, and he followed the sound of a heart to a room at the end of the hall.

“That was mine and her room,” Lizzie said, “It makes perfect sense.” She moved faster and entered the room, where all the lights were off. She flicked one on, glad the switch worked, and she saw Josie by the window, her head in her knees, and she was shaking.

“Jo,” Lizzie said, keeping her voice even, “It’s okay, we’re here to take you home.” MG followed cautiously, keeping his defenses sharp. He wasn’t sure why, but he had a bad feeling.

“St-stay away,” Josie said, her voice trembling.

“Josie, it's me!” Lizzie exclaimed, “Your sister.” She extended an arm out to her and said, “Come on, let’s get out of here.” The room was quiet for a bit, and time felt frozen. MG watched Josie curiously, wondering what her next move would be. At first, he was hopeful. She was looking at Lizzie with no fear or anger in her eyes, and it looked like she would take her hand. But that changed almost way too fast. Veins started to appear on her face, and he exclaimed,

“Lizzie, look out!” Using his vampire speed, he grabbed Lizzie and pulled her out of the way, and Josie launched, her teeth sinking into MG’s arm. She dropped it quickly, spitting out the blood. One thing about vampires? They hated vampire blood.

“Get behind me,” he told Lizzie, “She isn’t herself.”

“Yeah, I can see that!” she snapped. Her voice was cruel, but he could tell that it came from a place of fear and not anger, “What do we do?”

“I don’t know,” he said, “But we can’t leave her like this.” Josie was on her feet with her teeth bared, and MG’s blood dripping from her lips. He heard Lizzie audibly gulp behind him as she got closer. Her eyes went dark, she bared her fangs, and she attacked.

Hope had been kicking at the door for what felt like hours, and she moved to kick it again when the hallway she was in started to shake. Wherever Josie was, she was definitely not doing well.

“Come on,” she said, “Let me in!” She gave the door another kick, and her eyes widened as the hinge started to break. Yes!

“Okay, okay,” she said, backing up to get a running start. She broke into a run and jumped, effectively kicking down the door. Josie was inside, holding the subconscious crystal. She looked pretty in pink and was holding a giant book. Hope remembered this day. The day she’d taken her magic back. She turned the crystal on, and Hope stopped in her tracks when Dark Josie appeared on her bed. Hope hadn’t even known about Josie having a conversation with her other self. They were talking about something in the book that was written in Sanskrit. 

“Why should I care?” Dark Josie asked.

“Because I said I’ve forgotten I’m sure my subconscious hasn’t!” Josie exclaimed.

“Again,” Dark Josie said, “Why should I care?”

“Because I do!” Josie exclaimed. For the first time that day, Hope actually allowed herself to smile. Josie really had cared that day. Dark Josie smirked, then looked right at her as she said,

“Now you’re starting to get it.” Josie paused, then turned to look at her.

“Hope?” she asked.

Josie was lost to them. She was ravenous, and hungry, and MG had never been more stuck on what to do. He and Lizzie had run outside the room, and they were hiding behind a counter. 

“How could this happen?” Lizzie asked, “She’s my sister, I’m supposed to know her more than anyone! Why didn’t I realize how much she was suffering?”

“This is not your fault,” MG said, “Josie loves you. She didn’t want you to worry about her, that’s why she bottled all of this up.”

“And how’s that working out for her?” Lizzie asked.

“Not well,” MG agreed, “I’m not saying she did the right thing, but we need to find a way to stabilize her and get her back to the school. Can you do a spell?”

“Yeah,” Lizzie said, “I’ll Ad Sonum her then we can head back.” MG nodded, and he and Lizzie slowly peeped their heads out from behind the table.

“Do you see her?” Lizzie whispered.

“No,” MG said, using his eyes to scan the room, “But I hear…” He didn’t get to finish because Lizzie was grabbed before he could, “Lizzie!” There was a flash of movement and he was face to face with Josie, who had a raging hunger in her eyes.

“Hello, sister,” she said, running her hand over Lizzie’s outstretched neck, “You’ve made this so so easy…” Her fangs bared out, and MG braced himself.

“Not today!” he said. He sped over, but Josie was faster, and she had magic. She easily siphoned from herself and said,

“ Ventus. ” MG was thrown across the room, colliding painfully with the fridge. He fell to the ground, and watched in horror as Lizzie tried and failed to siphon from her sister. 

“I really am sorry about this,” Josie said, and she prepared to feed. But right before her teeth could tear into Lizzie’s neck, she stopped. Her eyes clouded, and she dropped her on the ground. MG ran to Lizzie, pulling her close to him.

“Jo?” she asked, “What’s wrong?” Josie was now on the ground, clutching her head.

“Hope,” she gasped out, “Hope is in my head.”

“What are you doing here?” Josie asked. Her darker half was gone, disappeared with the crystal, leaving the two of them alone.

“I was trying to find you,” Hope said, “ Everyone is trying to find you. You ran away from the school, do you remember?”

“I…I guess so,” she murmured, “You really shouldn’t be here.” The room shook again, and Hope had to balance herself to keep her footing.

“I needed to talk to you,” Hope said, “Why are you shutting me out?” Josie shook her head, running a hand through her hair.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she repeated, “You really shouldn’t…” She started to pace, and the room shook more. Hope steeled herself, and went over to her.

“ I’m not leaving without you,” she said. 

“You need to go!” Josie shouted at her, and that was when Hope saw the veins. This was Josie. Josie in all her heretic glory.

“Scream at me all you want, I’m not going,” Hope said. She wasn’t afraid of her. She knew Josie knew that. Josie started to cry as she said,

“Dammit Hope, what is it gonna take for you to just give up !” Hope scoffed,

“What, like you did?” she asked, “I almost killed you, and you were still there to pull me back when I got turned into that monster!”

“Oh good for me,” Josie scoffed, going back to her pacing. That was when Hope realized.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” Hope asked, “That’s why you didn’t want me to come in here. You didn’t want me to know that you cared.”

“It’s hard,” Josie admitted, “It’s hard to care and get nothing back.” Nothing?

“What do you mean nothing?” Hope asked, “Of course I care about you!”

“Hope, you said it yourself, I almost died,” Josie said, “I thought I was helping you, I really did, and then you hurt me in ways that I didn’t even think were possible.”

“Jo-”

“I wanted to shut you out for good after that. I tried distracting myself with Finch and my new school, but then you needed my help. And I couldn’t let you turn into a monster.”

“Josie, you know I care about you-”

“How could I?” Josie asked, “The minute you got Landon back, you acted like I was nonexistent! How was I supposed to take that?”

“I said I was sorry for that.”

“I know,” Josie said, “And I believe you. But I can’t have this relationship only go one way. At that point, it’s better to have nothing at all.” 

“Is that really what you think?” Hope asked. The room had stopped shaking, and Josie let out a resigned sigh.

“I don’t know, Hope,” she said, “All I know is that this is my burden, not yours.” 

“This doesn’t have to be a burden,” Hope said, reaching forward to take her hand, “I’m here for you. I mean it, okay. Not going anywhere .”

“I hurt my Mom,” Josie said, “I almost…I almost hurt Lizzie.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Hope said, clasping her hand, “We’re gonna get through this-”

“How? I’m stuck like this forever , this isn’t just black magic I can take control of, it’s a curse!”

“Hey, the Josie I know looked her darkness in the eye and conquered it,” Hope said, “And you said it yourself, that’s a part of you, the same way that this is.”

“But what if-”

“No more what ifs!” Hope exclaimed, “You told me that you didn’t want to run from things anymore. So don’t run. Come back to the school with me, and we’ll figure this out together.”

“You promise?” she asked. Hope nodded and said,

“I do.” Josie looked her in the eye, and a small smile spread across her face. She wrapped her fingers around Hope’s outstretched hand, and the world went white.

Hope’s eyes shot open, and she felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. The pull of Josie willing her to come to her. The wanting of having her near her. It wasn’t the same as the sire bond, because it was something real, something better. Hope pulled herself off the floor and jetted out of the school. Her feet hit the pavement outside, and she felt like she was going one hundred miles an hour as she ran through Mystic Falls. She could feel Josie getting closer and closer, she just had to reach her. She could sense her in a house near the end of the street, so she burst through the door.

“Josie!” she called.

“In here,” she heard. It was MG’s voice. Hope went into the kitchen and saw Josie on the floor, wrapped in a blanket while Lizzie comforted her.

“Shh,” she was telling her, “It’s okay.”

“What happened?” she asked MG.

“Lizzie did a spell and tracked her here,” he whispered, “She was about to feed on Lizzie until you got into her head. Nice work with a head dive.”

“Thanks,” Hope said, “Can I…” He nodded, and moved out of her way. She crouched in front of Josie and said,

“Hey, there you are.” Josie looked up shyly from Lizzie’s shoulder.

“Hey,” she said. 

“Could we have the room?” she asked Lizzie. She looked uncertain at first until Josie gave her a nod. She detached herself from Josie and said,

“MG and I will be in the kitchen.” The two of them left, and once Hope was alone with Josie, she sat next to her and said,

“Jo, about this morning with your Mom…”

“You found the bodies, didn’t you?” she asked, and Hope nodded, “I didn’t kill them.”

“I know,” Hope said, “But what did happen?”

“I’ve been trying to adjust to animal blood,” Josie said, “But it hasn’t stuck. And the nights are the worst. I keep hearing Lizzie’s heart beat at night, and it takes everything in me not to reach for it and rip it out. I almost did today before you reached me!”

“Jo, you need to talk to your Mom about this, she’s hear to help you-”

“Yeah, I know,” she said, “But she has enough to worry about with retaking control of the school. I just didn’t want to worry her.”

“I think she’ll be a lot less worried if you come to her then if you feed on dead people,” Hope commented. Josie laughed dryly.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she said, “I’ve only did that once. Other times I would go to the hospital and drink the blood bags there. Anything to help the urge.” Hope nodded and said,

“My family believes vampires can’t live solely on animal blood, and now that we’re back to having a vampire in charge, maybe you should talk to your Mom.”

“I will,” Josie said, “But I’m really worried. If I can’t control myself around Lizzie, how can I be expected to live in the real world?”

“You are gonna be just fine,” Hope said, “And we don’t need to have all of the answers today, it takes time. But we’re gonna get them, alright? You know, I think I might already have the answer to one.” Josie nodded and leaned her head on Hope’s shoulder.

"I'm really glad I know you, Hope Mikaelson," she said.

“You want her to move in with you?” Caroline asked her later that afternoon. Josie was in her room resting while MG took Lizzie to the infirmary. Hope had come to Caroline with her proposition, hoping she’d agree, but she wasn’t getting the answer she’d wanted. 

“Yes, I do,” Hope said.

“I don’t think so,” Caroline said.

“But why not? She’s having trouble with Lizzie because of her bloodlust. She won’t have that issue with me, I have vampire blood.”

“I’m aware, that’s why she’s going to stay in my room for the time being.”

“All due respect, I don’t think that’ll be good for her,” Hope said, “If you isolate her from the rest of the school, she’ll feel more alone than ever.”

“Hope-”

“Look, I know you’re scared. For Josie, of Josie, I don’t know. But I really think that this is for the best. I have the extra bed, she’ll be fine with me.”

“She’s a new vampire with a control problem,” Caroline said, “This isn’t your problem.”

“It’s not a problem,” Hope said, “I’m her friend, I want to help.” Caroline raised an eyebrow at her and she continued with, “If you continue treating her like a burden, that’s what she’ll see herself as.”

“I don’t think she’s a burden!”

“That’s not what she thinks,” Hope said, “That’s why she didn’t come to you when she was having problems.”

“I never wanted her to think that.”

“I know,” Hope said, “I know.” Caroline gave her a small sigh.

“Let her rest for a bit, then you can start moving her in tonight.” Hope nodded at her.

“Thank you, Mrs. Salvatore.” She turned to leave, but she was stopped when she was reaching for the door.

“Hope?”

“Hmm?” she asked, turning back around.

“You’re not a burden either,” she said, “Try to remember that, okay?” Hope wasn’t sure why Caroline was saying this, but she was still glad to hear it,

“Yeah, I’ll remember.”

When Lizzie opened her eyes, she was staring at the harsh yellow lights of the school infirmary. The room was quiet for a bit until she heard the soft snores coming from MG. She rolled on her side and saw the boy slumped in a chair, sleeping quietly.

“Milton?” Lizzie asked. His eyes shot open, and he jumped out of the chair.

“What’s going on?” he asked, getting into a fighting pose. Lizzie shook her head and said,

“Danger’s over. But thanks for being such an attentive bodyguard,” she said sarcastically. He moved to sit at the edge of the bed and said,

“Hey, I’ve got ears like a fox. The danger wouldn’t have seen me coming.”

“My hero,” Lizzie said. He smiled at her and she said, “Thank you for all your help today. Especially with Josie.” MG shook his head,

“That was all you. You didn’t need me.”

“Yeah I did,” she said, “I know I don’t say it often, and that’s a habit that I’m gonna try to change, but I really am grateful to have you in my life.”

“Me too,” MG said, “And I’m glad you and Jo are okay.” 

“Lizzie?” they both heard from the door. They both turned and saw Josie come in. She was dressed in pajamas now, and she looked a lot better than before, but still guilty.

“Hey!” Lizzie said, moving to a sitting position, “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” she said, “Are you-” she didn’t finish because Lizzie pulled her into a hug, “Lizzie, you’re kind of squishing me.” Lizzie loosened the grip on her and said,

“I’m sorry. You just really worried me earlier, and I hated how I couldn’t help you.”

“You did help,” Josie said, “You’re helping now by being here. I just wish everything didn’t have to change, you know?”

“I do,” Lizzie said, “Stay here with me tonight?” Josie bit her lip and Lizzie frowned, “What?”

“I’m moving in with Hope,” Josie said. She’s doing what? MG seemed to sense the tension, because he excused himself. Once he was gone, Lizzie said,

“No you’re not.”

“Lizzie-”

“No, you’re not leaving me for her .”

“I’m not leaving you, but Hope and I thought it would help with the bloodlust. If I’m being honest, sleeping next to you and hearing your heartbeat hasn’t been easy.”

“How long has this been a problem?” Josie looked at her feet, “Jo!”

“Since I first turned,” she said. Lizzie’s eyes widened.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know how to bring it up, and-”

“Jo, no more excuses! You need to start telling me things, otherwise we’ll just end up right back where we started last year.”

“I know,” Josie said, “I’m really sorry. I can’t promise it won’t happen again, but I’m going to try really hard.”

“I will too,” Lizzie said, “But if I do something or say something, you’ve gotta tell me.”

“I will,” she said, “Okay, I promise.” Lizzie nodded and said, 

“Well since you can’t spend the night, can you at least lay with me for a little bit?” Josie regarded her nervously, so she said, “If you try to rip my throat out, MG is here…MG!” The boy came running back at the speed of light and asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“Josie’s afraid she’s gonna kill me,” Lizzie said. Josie pouted and said,

“Am not!” She laid next to Lizzie in the bed and asked, “How’s your head?”

“It’s got a bump,” she said, “Look, feel it.” Josie ran her hand over Lizzie’s head and said, 

“Oh wow,” she said, “It feels like an…apple!”

“Really?” MG asked.

“Yeah, feel this,” Josie said, and Lizzie moved her head to the side so MG could feel it. His eyes widened and he said,

“I’m going to go get you some ice.”

“Can you bring some orange juice too?” 

“You’ve got it!” MG called back to her. Once he was gone, Josie laid on the bed with her, and Lizzie asked,

“Can you hear my heart?”

“Yes.”

“Does it sound tasty?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I’m just asking!”

“Why would you ask that?”

“I don’t know how vampires work, like is it just a constant hunger-”

“It’s just like when you’re hungry except like, for blood!”

“So if I wanted a sandwich at three in the morning-”

“Well not exactly the same-”

“Am I interrupting something?” someone asked, stopping their bickering. It wasn’t MG, the voice was a lot different. The twins turned to the side and saw Hope staring at them, wringing her hands together a little nervously.

“Room for one more?” she asked. Josie nodded eagerly, and made room for her on the bed. Lizzie held in a huff at Hope ruining their time together, but she was okay with it if it made Josie happy. Hope got next to Josie, and Lizzie held in a sigh when Josie rested her head on Hope’s shoulder. She didn’t like to admit it often-in fact, she’d never say it ever-but they were good for each other. 

“I come bearing orange juice,” MG said as he returned, getting on Lizzie’s other side, “And ice.” He plopped a giant pack on her head that made her frown while Hope and Josie giggled.

“I will push both of you off the bed,” she told them, and they quickly stopped. MG adjusted the ice pack on her head, and wrapped the blanket around her. She drank her juice and watched as Josie tickled Hope’s shoulder, which got her to laugh.

“They’re an interesting pair,” MG whispered.

“Definitely,” Lizzie said, taking another sip.

“What was that?” Josie asked.

“Nothing!” they both said quickly. 

“Do you all wanna watch a movie?” Josie asked, “The infirmary is the only room in here with a TV.” Hope and Lizzie nodded, so Josie did a spell to bring the remote closer. 

“I’m not watching anything with singing,” Lizzie said.

“But why?” Josie asked.

“You know why!” Lizzie exclaimed, “You forced me to go to the theater with you to watch Cats and I had nightmares for days!”

“The musical is good, I didn’t know the movie would look like that!”

“It’s a musical about singing cats and you thought it would be quality entertainment?” While she bickered with her sister, neither of them noticed Hope take the remote and turn on Iron Man 3.

“Oh boo,” Josie said.

“Boo you, this is a good movie,” Hope said, wrapping her arm around Josie. Her pout disappeared and she cuddled closer with her, stealing some of Lizzie’s blanket.

“Hey!” Lizzie complained. 

“Don’t worry about it,” MG said. He got up from the bed, grabbed another blanket, and came back, “For you.”

“You get me,” Lizzie said. MG covered her with the blanket, and sat with her on the bed while the opening credits played. She leaned her head on his shoulder, which gave her some space from Hope and Josie who were both giggling about something.

“What is so funny?” she eventually asked after it went on for too long.

“Hope keeps tickling me!” Josie complained.

“She started it!” Hope said. 

“Can’t you just sire her to stop?” Lizzie asked.

“Hey,” Hope said, “This isn’t a sire bond, this is a mutual connection between two people.”

“Ohhhh,” Lizzie said, “So like a bond?” Hope shoved her, “Hey!” She moved to shove Lizzie back, but Josie stopped her.

“Watch the movie with me,” she said. Hope rolled her eyes, but still did what she said. Losers. The movie continued, and Lizzie said,

“So if it’s not a sire bond, then what is it?”

“I’m curious too,” MG said. Hope and Josie gave each other a look, and Hope said,

“Well, I can’t say for sure. It’s pretty new to us too, but I guess the best way to put it would be an equal connection on both sides…”

“...that comes from mutual understanding. It's different than the bond you and I had because that was through our magic. This one is through emotions. Fear, happiness, love. It's a connection  like…kindred spirits.” The term almost made Hope blush, and she gave Josie a look that suggested it was an inside thing between them. Normally Lizzie wouldn’t care, but since it made Josie smile like that, she decided to let it slide. 

“Yeah,” Hope said, “Kindred spirits.”