Feelings - A Hosie Story

Chapter 1 - "I miss you"

This begins just before they find out Landon is leaving in 2x07, when Hope is sat on Josie's bed asking if she wouldn't mind if she went back to school.

"I wanted to know if it was okay with you if I came back to school." Josie doesn't understand why Hope is asking for her permission, she thinks, no she knows that Hope belongs there. All she has to do is get Hope to see that too. Still, she listens, because she can see that this is hard for Hope to talk about.

"I miss it. I miss my classes." It's more of a nervous habit than anything else, when Hope starts to play with her rings. She looks down at the bed, struggling more than she expected. It's not easy for her to be vulnerable, it never has been. With the death of her parents and her uncle, she's found it easier to carry her burdens on her own. But somehow, with Josie, it's always felt easy, like she can say anything without the fear of being judged. She knows that Josie will listen because that's the type of friend she is. Josie is gentle, caring, and above all else, she's kind.

"I miss morning meetings...Super Squad...I even miss Lizzie being mean to me..."

She does miss all these things, it just took losing them to realize it. And the only thought, the only thing that kept her going when she was forgotten was the hope that maybe, one day, she'd have it all back. That one day, something would actually go her way and she could let herself be happy.

Hope laughs lightly, unsure of what else to do. Feeling brave, she glances up, brown meets blue, and suddenly a tear falls. "I miss you." Despite everything, Hope still cares about her, and that shocks Josie. Despite her going after Landon, after all of her jealous behavior, Hope still cares. She finds herself more than happy, but Hope isn't done talking so Josie lets her continue. "But um...I won't come back if my being here brings you any more pain." If this gives Josie some strange butterflies, she ignores it.

Before either of them can say anything else, a strange sound fills the room. It's almost like scratching, like a pen to paper. Hope looks around, unable to pinpoint the source, then voices her confusion. Josie quickly comes to recognize it, stating that it's the sound of 'Penelope's Burn Book' and that somebody is using her pen. Opening the book up, the brunette searches for a page that's being filled when she comes across some familiar handwriting. When Hope asks what's wrong, Josie replies with one word - Landon.

The two of them stare at the page as he continues writing, saying that he's leaving because he thinks it's the best thing he can do to protect everyone. Josie feels her heart sink, not because she's sad, but more because she knows how much Hope hates it when people leave. She also knows how much Hope loved the boy, which quickly brings up memories of her own heartbreak when Penelope left.

Hope slams the book closed, furious at him for sharing the news through a magical letter. He's essentially broken up with the two girls in one swoop. It feels like the coward's way out as if the idea of actually facing his problems was too much. Once again, he's left. The auburn-haired girl clearly remembers the day he'd said he'd always fight to find her, to be the guy that she deserves, yet he leaves as soon as things get complicated.

Feeling a mix of several emotions, Josie reaches for Hope's hand. The tribrid's eyes follow the action and she quickly notices the warmth of the contact.

"He made his choice...We can make our own...Landon or no Landon, you belong here. I want you to stay." Josie says, not looking away from Hope for a single second.

I want you to stay.

The young Mikaelson feels her heart skip a beat, though she isn't sure why. Perhaps it's because of Josie's kindness, because Josie isn't leaving. Pretty much everyone in her life has left her at one point, but not Josie. Never Josie. And it means more to Hope than she could say. She vows to herself then and there, that she will never give Josie an excuse to leave, that she will keep her close for as long as she can. Hope promises herself that she'll let Josie in, let her be the friend that she's always wanted, and needed. She swears that she won't shut Josie out again. If Josie wants to stay, then she'll let her.

The emotions are getting the better of her, causing more tears to fall. It makes it that much harder to speak, but when she does Hope says that she's sorry. A small (yet not completely invisible) smile makes its way onto Josie's face as she responds, saying "Yeah, me too." Then, the two of them lean forward, meeting for an embrace. Hope sinks into it, leaning her head on the taller girl's shoulder. Her arms wrap around Josie's back, pulling her even closer. They stay like that for a minute, enjoying the comfort of being held by each other. Hope smiles into the hug, feeling glad that she's got her friend back and she doesn't plan on losing her again.

"Something told me I needed to upgrade from ice to ice cream," Lizzie announces as she walks in and the two girls break apart. The blonde waves the tub of ice cream around as well as three spoons. She joins her sister and Hope on the bed for a conversation. Noticing that the two girls are emotional, plus the light tension in the air, she takes it upon herself to try and cheer them up. This is one of many great qualities about the girl, which unfortunately she doesn't always show to other people. Some of her attempts are successful and even earn some chuckles from the other two.

"Maybe you'll both be better off without bird boy...I know I will be...one less annoying muppet to deal with." Lizzie jokes (but not really), creating yet another new insult for Landon. Josie glares at her sister, but it does make her laugh how Lizzie never runs out of names to call him.

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Hope hears a buzzing, which thanks to her improved hearing, feels like it is directly by her ear. She moans, refusing to fully wake up. With the whisper of some words and a quick swing of the hand, she sends her alarm flying to the other side of the room. Clashing with the bare wall, it shatters to pieces, as has any other alarm she's ever had. Nothing a simple spell can't fix. If it's not obvious, Hope Mikaelson, the one and only tribrid, hates...no, despises mornings. Normally she gets up for training with Alaric, though that is currently on hold given all of the recent events in their lives.

Her eyes still feel heavy. Five more minutes couldn't hurt, so she closes her eyes again, wanting to go back to her dreams. As she's on the verge of drifting back into a deep sleep, her nose catches the scent of breakfast in the cafeteria, specifically the smell of pancakes. It's as if she never felt tired in the first place, because she shoots out of bed, her stomach rumbling. Hope takes the quickest shower of her life, gets changed, and then heads out of her room, ready to devour all of her favorite breakfast foods.

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Lizzie and Josie are sitting at a table, chatting with MG and Kaleb, when the brunette spots a certain blue-eyed girl walking into the cafeteria. Well, she's more jogging than she is walking, and the siphon guesses it's because the girl wants to get some pancakes before they are all gone. With amusement, Josie watches the girl push past Alyssa and her crew as she jumps into the queue. Normally, Josie would frown at somebody cheating the line, but it's Hope, and honestly, the people she pushed past are annoying. A smile graces her lips when the tribrid gets what she wants and heads towards the table.

"You guys mind if I sit here with you?" Hope asks.

"Of course not," Josie answers.

"Duh...We like you now remember?" Lizzie comments, biting into her apple. Josie chuckles at her sister's antics, whilst Hope just rolls her eyes. The tribrid doesn't hesitate to fill the empty spot next to the brunette twin. She dumps her tray on the table, wanting to get something off of her chest. Her eyes go from Josie to Lizzie, then back again.

"C-Can I just say thank you to both of you...for last night." It had meant a lot to her, getting to have a proper talk with them, to hang out as normal teenage friends do. Hope looks down at her plate, already expecting a typical, sassy Lizzie comment.

"Wow...is Hope...thanking us?" The blonde pretends to be shocked. Josie gives my sister the 'seriously' look, which is something she finds herself doing a lot. Then, she puts her focus on her friend, gently placing her hand on top of Hope's.

"We'll always be here for you as friends, shoulders to cry on...whatever it is you need." Josie looks into her eyes, her beautiful ocean-like eyes. And she can tell, without the need of words, how thankful Hope is to hear me say that. She had always isolated herself from people, basically, from the second she stepped into the school. Even more so when she lost both her parents. Josie isn't about to let that continue any longer - she meant everything she said to Hope last night.