Chapter Text
>>16th AUGUST 2029
It’s been a week since your husband and Rebekah found Josie, and… she fits into the Mikaelsons like she was born to it. Case in point, the argument that’s happening right now.
“You sacrificed her!” Josie snarled, a dark fog billowing around her like a cloak of darkness. “What the hell is wrong–”
You place yourself in between the pissed off teenager and your murderer sister-in-law. “Josie, it’s done. It’s in the past.” You reason, again… though a part of you is touched at the impassioned defense, “Let it go.”
That actually brings the younger girl up short, as she stares at you in disbelief. “Why!? She killed you! Why the hell would you defend her!?” Josie then glared at the person behind you, anger turning her warm brown eyes, hard and cold– anger that was because of you, on your behalf.
You sigh softly, knowing the answer. “Because it was necessary.” That actually shocks everyone in the room. But, you’d accepted it a few years ago. You catch Josie’s eyes, gently rubbing a hand over her arm. “It took a long time for me to understand and make peace with what Freya did. I died, I know… but there was no other pool of magic that was powerful enough to reverse Lucien’s serum… and even if there were, the spell to undo the Serum specifically required Ancestor magic. I wouldn’t have done what Freya did if I was in her shoes– I’d sooner go to the Cemetery and sacrifice the connection of the land itself to fuel the spell… if I had time. But if I was her, especially at that moment, I wouldn’t have had time.” You glance back then, catching Freya’s gaze then nod once, as you turn to the confused and enraged young girl. “There was no other choice for her, Josie. Even sacrificing the nine covens of New Orleans or a Nexus Vorti wouldn’t have helped, because she needed the Ancestors unique brand of magic. And everyone of the Mikaelsons, Kol included, would have died if Lucien had been allowed to live. All because I unbound all of Klaus’s sirelings. I’m responsible for… a lot of death and a lot of hurt.” You breathe out slowly, meeting Josie’s gaze. “And, I’ve done things that are just as bad, to protect my family. To protect people that I care about.”
You don’t know what Josie sees in you then, but she takes a step back as the dark wisps retreat back into her skin.
“I don’t have a lot of family, Josie… but what little I do have, I protect and love with all my heart.” You glance back at your sister-in-law. “Freya’s the same, or at least somewhat similar. So I understand that it was necessary.”
Josie just stares at you for a long moment, her expression a mix between bewildered anger, rage, surprise and indignation. You take a deep breath, looking at your loving husband, then half turn to Freya, but you address Josie. “I’m not saying that I will ever forget what she did, and I’m not sure if I forgive her or not… but we’re family now.”
Josie shook her head immediately, “Family wouldn’t–”
You smile wryly, “Trust me, I know. Sometimes when the nightmares of what the Hollow did to me or to Kol, or what Kara Ngyuen, and the other Ancestors did to me, come back… I really, really hate her. Especially for being lost in the void like that without any anchor– But, despite all the hurt, the anger… I care about her, I care about Nik, I care about the fact that she’s just as fiercely protective of Kol as I am, and… I’m glad that I can call her sister.” Freya stares at you in half disbelief, unshed tears glimmering in her hazel green eyes. Your eyes run over everyone in the room, as they give you solemn nods, “She’s family. And we protect our family. Always and Forever.”
Josie gulps at that, staring at you for a long moment, then looks around at everyone else. Everyone in the room nods.
Your husband is the one that speaks up, “We’ve all hurt each other, Josie. Marcel bit me and Elijah. Finn tried to kill us all… multiple times. I hijacked a body-jumping spell and put Rebekah in an unstable witch who almost got her killed. Rebekah ratted me out to Klaus and Klaus daggered me. Hayley kidnapped Keelin and we extracted her venom to defeat Marcel. Davina plotted against us and Klaus for like… years. Marcel used his compulsion on Elijah and turned him into a killing machine without his memories. We almost sacrificed Marcel to Inadu. Davina took advantage of Dahlia’s spell on the Crescent pack and tried to use Hayley for her own gain. Rebekah called Mikael ‘The Destroyer, our father, to New Orleans because she was too blind and in love with Marcel to think about the consequences of her actions.” Kol listed out, which… now that your husband has said it all out loud, it sounds really bad. Kol huffs softly, then turns to Keelin with a smile. “Hell… Keelin’s probably the only one of us who hasn’t hurt anyone in the family, physically . She’s great with her words, though.” You can actually vouch for that. Once Keelin got used to the Mikaelson clan, her clever tongue rivaled Klaus’s or Elijah’s when it came to insults. “And that’s just us. My mother, my father, my brothers– Klaus and Elijah…”
“I’ve heard the stories.” Josie interrupted, staring at all of you in pure disbelief.
Kol blinked, then nodded. “Right.”
Josie breathed out slowly, then ran a hand through her hair. “Then how did all of you…?” Josie shook her head, “I mean, you’re family, but you betrayed each other, and you’re still family .”
Oh. You realize what this is truly about now.
Josie’s twin sister and Caroline Forbes betraying her.
And Josie leaving instead of trying to hurt them– which you don’t know if you approve or not. You would have, and actually have, struck back at the people trying to keep you from your soulmate and husband… but Josie is a teenager (as were you, but… argh! You can’t find too many differences between your experience with Kol and Josie’s experience with your niece, sans a hell dimension with a sentient golem.), and you… unfortunately have to play the elder mentor witch and have to lead with mercy.
You sigh softly, “It takes time.” You speak out loud, as the siphoner turns to you. “It takes a lot of time. It’s been nearly 15 years since I died, Josie. I’ve had time to process, to vent, to be angry and sad and everything in between.” You look around the room intently. “All of us have. But, as much as we’ve hurt each other, all of us still recognize one simple thing. Each and everyone in the room is family– including you.” Josie’s gaze snaps to yours, but you just give a knowing smile, “At the end of the day, that’s all that matters, Josie. Your family, because those are the people who’ll always be there for you and will fight for you, no matter what may come. Those are the people that even if you won’t forgive their actions, or forgive them , or if you learn to forgive them for what they did, either way… you still love them… and they still care about you enough to put you first, and that’s enough.”
“I don’t have time.” Josie whispers, crashing down onto the couch. “I don’t have a decade and a half to find a way to forgive Lizzie and my… Caroline.” Her face is conflicted– anguished , “I have barely 6 years left.”
Everyone in the room winces at the reminder. For the past two weeks, you and Kol have been working closely with Freya, delving into the complexities of the merge spell and ritual.
Within a few hours, you understood the core issue: whatever solution you come up with must address the imbalance within Josie on multiple levels—mental, physical, magical, and soul-level. The physical and soul aspects were already somewhat stabilized by Hope"s blood in Josie"s system, (and the dark magic, though you can’t really count on that), as well as the soulmate bonds. However, the problem was in the mental and magical aspects.
The problem with the mental part of any solution they come up with is the fact that no one’s mind lets another presence intrude on their mind, even if it’s to help the person. It’s a primal instinct– that your mind is your own . Now the Merge circumvented that part by mimicking the merging of a wolf"s mind with a human"s in a werewolf, only in this case, it involves two adult witches instead of a beast and a human. That process fuses two minds, creating a new, singular consciousness that incorporates the memories and instincts of the dominant mind, while the other is gradually subsumed. You’ve heard rumors from the Crescent pack that the first werewolves ever created didn’t have a mental division between their wolf-mind and their human mind, like they do now… that they’d merged into one single being, growing more stronger than any werewolf of this generation or any. The Merge kept that aspect pure.
The problem with the magical part is because of Josie’s siphoner nature. Every witch and werewolf is connected to Nature by definition.
Witches are the keepers of the balance, their primary magic comes from their connection with Nature itself… with the Mikaelson bloodline and a few others around the world being an exception to that rule. Spirits, Dark magic, Expression, Black magic, Hoodo, Voodoo, Kemiya, and other magical disciplines and types of magic being secondary.
Werewolves are… Well, werewolves obviously, were bound to the earth of their territory and the blood of their past.
Vampires, despite however much they are considered an abomination of nature, do play a role in Nature and have a… marginal connection to Nature since they were humans/supernaturals in their past life. Vampires when channeled by witches, or wearing witch-made or magic imbued jewelry (like daylight rings for example), are infinitesimally and very negligibly connected to the witch who made the jewelry/spell, and thus their connection to Nature.
But, siphoners are born as voids, disconnected from the natural world. They can use magic from nature—fire, water, air and earth magic—but they do not connect to Nature itself.
There are both good and bad parts of that.
Good: Siphoners can use any type of magic, (probably even Expression) with none of the backlash that any normal witch feels from Nature, Spirits, etc.
Bad: Siphoners cannot feel Nature on a deeper level like all the other witches do. They just feel the magic at a surface level.
Good: Siphoners can siphon any and all kinds of magic, store it within themselves for as long as possible without any magic leaking back into their surroundings, and they do not have any magical limit when it comes to magic.
Bad: Siphoners cannot join or be part of a coven of witches. Mostly because of their inability to connect to Nature, but it’s also because of prejudice, fear, anger, hate, etc.
There are a lot of other advantages and disadvantages, but the one that really sticks out as a problem is the missing connection.
For witches, werewolves and vampires, that connection to Nature is important. That’s how their supernatural magic interacts with the environment. But for siphoners, it actually doesn’t necessarily have to be a connection to Nature. It can be a connection to any other… real, tangible, immutable thing. The Merge took advantage of that– took advantage of that void within themselves, and used it to forge a magical and supernatural connection to the other twin. Whether that other twin was a siphoner, a normal witch, a werewolf, or anything in between… (except a vampire), it wouldn’t matter.
That base connection is what matters.
After the Merge, the dominant/fittest twin would ultimately end up gaining supernatural traits from the weaker twin, that they previously didn’t have. If the weaker twin was a witch, then the dominant twin—whether a siphoner or not—would gain that magic… for a normal witch, their magical capacity and strength would double, while a siphoner would be able to both siphon and have their own magical connection to Nature. But you don’t know what would happen with both twins being siphoners. Also, there were rumors that if one of the twins had been a werewolf, then the dominant twin could probably potentially inherit those traits as well, even if the dominant twin was an unactivated werewolf and the weaker, an awakened werewolf… but those were just rumors though (You hope)
Neither you, Kol, nor Freya know any way to actually figure out a way to actually fix those imbalances without the Merge.
But, you are working on it. And you will figure this problem out well before the deadline. Josie blinks, apparently not having realized she said that… until she looks around at all of you. “You know. All of you know . Don’t you?”
“Yeah. We do.” Rebekah confirms softly.
Freya speaks gently, her arms raised placatingly as she takes a few steps forward towards the couch. “We’re going to stop it, Josie. You won’t have to merge with your twin… Lizzie, was it?” The brunette siphoner nods, “I promise, I’ll figure out a way for the both of you to break the curse. Kol, Davina and I have already been working on that for the past two weeks… and I’ve been working on it for a decade. We’re getting closer to a solution, Josie.”
You nod along with Freya, as Kol wraps an arm around your waist. “We will, Josie. We’ve already figured out like 70% of the spell. We’ll be able to figure out the whole spell within the year, and find a solution after that… and if we don’t, then we as in the Mikaelsons have a lot of markers to call upon. We can get all the covens, hives, witches, warlocks around the world to work on this problem. We will solve it before your 20th birthday, I promise.” Kol vows firmly.
Josie stares at the three of you for a long moment, then nods, hesitating with something. “If… if you don’t, then I want to turn.” Most of you actually blink at that. Josie shakes her head, “Actually I want to turn either way.”
You glance at your husband, Rebekah and Marcel… all of whom look wary and anxious at the possibility. “Why?” Keelin is the one who asks.
Josie takes a deep breath, “Because Hope is a Tribrid. A witch, a werewolf and a vampire … Hope’s last supernatural side is why I want to turn. She’ll be immortal, whereas… I won’t be. I’ll be mortal–”
You don’t know what you feel for the girl then, pride, or sadness or anger (directed not towards her, but fate or Nature–), and you start gently, “Josie, you don’t have to–”
“I won’t lose her.” The teenager declared, half glaring at you. Beneath that accusation and anger, you can see the vulnerability in Josie’s eyes. The pain, the loss, the resolve . “Not again. Never again.” Josie’s voice breaks at the end, as she wipes at her eyes. “Not even to death.”
Marcel glances at Rebekah and Kol, both of whom nod, as Rebekah starts. “Josie being a vampire is not an easy life. I’ve been alive for nearly a thousand years, experienced everything that life has to offer, except those experiences that being a vampire makes impossible. This is a choice that you can’t unmake , Josie… so you have to be sure– Don’t do it because of my niece– do it because you want to.”
Josie barks out a short laugh that is more of an amused and desperate huff, rather than an actual laugh. “I don’t have a choice like that, Rebekah. I can’t. Because even if you guys figure out the Merge, and I somehow reunite with Hope and everything works out in the end, I’d still be mortal, while Hope would be immortal. I want a life with her– the life she dreamed about, for us. The one you’ve read in the letter Hope left you. ” The teenager implied softly, and you remember the letter that you’d read. The one that your niece had written… and it’s cute, adorable in its own way, and definitely something that you’d want if you were in Josie’s shoes. “Being a vampire…” Josie breathed out, “Look, I won’t deny that I’m… scared of the possibility of being a vampire. Of outliving my sister, everyone else I know… and dealing with the heightened emotions, the speed, the senses, etc. But, I’ve accepted the fact that even if I won’t turn right now, it’s going to happen in my future. So, if you can’t figure the Merge out, then I’d rather turn. Because I’m going to do it one day regardless.”
You breathe out slowly, looking at your husband, who nods. Any solution that they created for Josie, would have to be something that is compatible with her vampirism/her choice to be a vampire in the future, as well. Rebekah nodded, looking concerned, but also proud? “Okay. Josie, please think this through again. Vampires cannot have kids–”
“That’s probably not true, Bex.” Kol answered before you had the chance to. “At least not for Josie and Hope. Hope is the Trbrid. Klaus was the Original Hybrid. Who"s to say that Hope and Josie won’t be able to have kids?” Josie blushed a bit, her cheeks turning pink. Kol then glances at Freya and Keelin, a smirk on his face. “We’d have to run a few tests, but… considering that Freya was able to father Nik and both Keelin and Freya are women—”
“ Brother ,” Freya said slowly, a sweet and dangerous smile full of promises on her face, “I will throw you out the window if you continue– What are you doing?” Kol, being Kol, went to check the window.
“Checking if the throw is going to be worth it.” Kol deadpanned, his usual smirk on his lips.
You facepalm at your husband’s nonchalant tone, as Josie gapes for a moment, then starts laughing softly. Marcel, Keelin and the others do as well. Josie probably thought it was a joke, but it really wasn’t. Kol and Freya stare for a long moment, then of course, your husband continues. “And seeing as how the werewolf mating bite will interact with the fertility of the sex change–” CRASH!
Kol’s body is launched out of the room by the magically charged air, as Freya glares at your husband. Josie just stares at you all comically, as if she can’t believe what she’s seeing. You know how that feels. You were… exasperated the first time you truly saw how the oldest surviving family in the entire world, were ruthless and protective people, but also, like petulant teenagers and the most dysfunctional people that you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
You feel Kol’s magic activate as he uses his magic to slow down and land, instead of crashing onto the ground like he would have when he was a vampire. Then a few seconds later, Kol calls out. “I’m fine!”
Marcel clears his throat, turning to Josie, “Um… one more question, if you’re really intent on being a vampire, then Rebekah is the only choice you have for a sire. I haven’t sired anyone since I became an Upgraded Original, and Kol hasn’t sired anyone since his magic came back… so we don’t know how the vampires sired from us will be affected or if they will have any special… quirks.”
Freya shakes her head, “She won’t need Rebekah’s blood.”
Josie nods along, tapping her own arms. “Yeah. I have Hope’s blood in me. Which has a dormant vampirism spell in it.”
“Yes, that’s true. But, even without Hope’s blood and the spell in it, even then… you wouldn’t have needed it, Josie.” Keelin reasons, which is surprising. As far as you know and from all the tests that everyone has run on Josie’s blood, most of the healing, the vampirism, the quirks, all of them came from Hope’s blood being bonded Josie, but a dormant vampirism spell in Josie’s blood?
“What?” Josie mumbled, apparently the vampirism spell is a surprise for her too.
“Your blood—the part that’s uniquely yours, not bound to Hope—already had a long-dormant vampirism spell that has now awakened,” Freya revealed… which what? Vampirism spells (NOT the same as drinking vampire blood, but rather casting the same spell Esther had cast) usually don’t stay dormant for long. Typically, they activate when the host dies, or when the host is grievously injured, causing a transformation into a bastardized version of a vampire.
Kol had mentioned that different covens had attempted recreating/reengineering Esther’s vampirism spell over the centuries, but it had only gained traction after the 12th Century when it became known that Original Vampires couldn’t be killed and that Klaus had a dormant werewolf side, which was what allowed him to not be put to sleep using the daggers.
Over time, only two covens had figured it out. The Leo and Cancer covens had come up with their own versions of the Vampirism spell.
Leo, being more inclined to shapeshifting magic, had used lions as a substitution for werewolf magic, and had apparently combined that with the vampirism spell. The results were… nothing short of monstrous. They’d turned into humanoid beings with a lion head, who were bastardized vampires as well, murdering any living being or animal they came across, drinking any and all blood. The magic they had almost made them as powerful as normal vampires, but they weren’t immortal. Kol, who had visited Persia in the 13th century, had killed that entire coven, after he’d found numerous villages razed and slaughtered.
Cancer, who were all water witches, had leaned into their strengths, while reengineering the spell to include traits drawn from oceanic life. The source of their power was the Caspian Sea. They’d used the spell to transform themselves, but… their efforts were not any better than Leo’s. They’d turned into part vampire, part humanoid beings with monstrous features such as scales, claws, pincers, gills, glowing eyes, shark-like teeth, tails, etc… in addition to having an unquenchable thirst for blood. Over time, the locals had started calling them the Div-e Aabi or “ Water Demons ”... those who were believed to live in the depths of the Caspian Sea. The Div-e Aabi were also said to control the waters, causing floods and droughts at their whim. Fortunately, one of the Zodiac covens had seen what was happening and used a spell to salinize the entire body of water, killing those beings. Over time, the truth had faded, as had the salinity of the water body.
You were… halfway horrified when Kol had regaled all of these stories to you when you were visiting Persia and Russia.
Freya’s voice pulls you back to the present as she explains, “Keelin and I researched your blood, trying to find a scientific or medical way to break the Merge, and we discovered something in your DNA.” She pauses before continuing. “There’s a vampirism spell that’s been dormant since your birth, but it probably awakened because of the dark magic that you’ve used.” Kol arrives at the door of the room, staring at Josie and Freya, deep in thought. “It’s not the same as Hope’s dormant vampirism spell, which feels like a blend of Klaus and Hayley’s supernatural magical signatures. Rather, it bears our… mother’s magical signature,” Freya added gently, glancing at Kol. “Go on, feel for yourself.”
Kol blinked, then nodded, approaching Josie and asking for her hand. “May I? I need your blood for this.”
Josie nodded, and with the knife you all convinced her to carry, she easily cut her index finger. “Is that enough?” Josie asked softly, looking apprehensive as the wound quickly closed. Kol nodded, letting the drop of blood sit on his palm as his magic activated. Josie turned to the rest of you, but focused on Keelin. “So, I have vampire DNA? How is that possible? Vampires are undead and drink blood. I’ve never had any cravings for blood in my life. And I’d know if I had any latent vampiric magic– I’d siphon from it.”
Freya shook her head. “Not necessarily. If it was truly dormant, you wouldn’t have known, Josie.”
Keelin adds, “Based on what you’ve told me about your birth, I initially thought it might be traces of Caroline’s vampire magic or DNA mixing with yours. Magic doesn’t just disappear; it leaves a trace, even if you can’t access it. But when we isolated your DNA, Freya and I analyzed it further. I focused on the biological side, while Freya examined the magical aspects.”
“It’s definitely Mother’s magical framework,” Kol revealed, interrupting Keelin’s explanation. “But I’m not sure which vampirism spell it is. It could be from Caroline, who’s part of Klaus’s sireline, or from Alaric.”
Josie blinks, “What do you mean… from Alaric? He’s not a vampire, nor has he ever been a–”
Rebekah cleared her throat, “Actually, that’s not–”
Suddenly, realization shines in Josie’s brown eyes as she facepalms, groaning into her hands. “Oh, for fucks sake. That weird super Original thing that led to Elena’s first death.” Josie voiced out loud, frustrated and looking older than just 16. “You’re telling me that spell somehow survived in his blood!?”
“I’d need his blood to be sure, but like I said, magic doesn’t just go away, Josie. Biologically speaking, if I had to guess—based on what Rebekah, Kol and Freya told me about him being cured, Travelers’ magic nullifying boundary—the spell probably went dormant in his blood as the energy and magic returned to Nature,” Keelin guessed out loud, glancing at Freya in question, who nodded. Keelin continued after a moment. “But for you and your twin, since Alaric is your father, the magical potential and genetic information travels in DNA after all… and well, the spell got transferred too.”
“But I haven’t ever had any vampiric abilities as I was growing up.” Josie countered. “Neither did Lizzie–”
“When Hope bound her blood to yours, it slowly awakened. The magic in Mikaelson bloodline is a… purer and more powerful type of magic than any, but we also have dark magic in our blood. That process gave you some basic vampiric traits. Healing, sharpened senses, decreased recovery time, etc.” Freya explained.
“But then… you used dark magic, the same brand of Dark magic that we Mikaelsons use , the one which you probably learned from Hope’s grimoires or from Dahlia’s grimoires… and that dark magic, along with the magic in Hope’s blood awakened it fully. The spell in your blood is primed to activate the moment you die.” Freya explained, “Right now, I’m not sure if you’ll be a normal vampire, Josie. With Hope’s blood, dark magic, and the Enhanced Original vampire spell, your vampiric potential has transformed into something else– something even I can’t fully understand.”
It makes you slightly apprehensive. If it was just a normal vampire turning another vampire, then it wouldn’t worry you too much. Josh was a normal vampire, he’d been turned by Marcel’s guys. But… Josie, Josie is like Marcel, before he took the Beast serum. An experimental way to be more powerful and have quirks that a normal vampire usually wouldn’t. But, this wasn’t Josie’s choice. It was the consequences of her actions that she didn’t– couldn’t have known about when she made her decisions.
Josie blinked and then frowned, thinking. “So, if Lizzie turns with vampire blood…”
Keelin nodded softly, “Freya and I would need a blood sample to confirm, but if I had to guess, she’d have some unique traits in her vampirism, aside from what comes with being a siphoner-vampire… what’s that called?” Keelin asked, turning to Freya.
“A Heretic.” Your husband answered before Josie or anyone else could.
“That. And… it would depend on whose blood she uses to turn into a vampire. As it is, your blood wouldn’t have been enough to turn you without Hope’s binding spell or the dark magic in your system. So, your twin’s won’t be either.” Keelin guessed out loud, glancing at Freya who nodded in agreement. “Not unless she somehow taps into the same dark magic that you did, and has Hope’s blood in her system when turning. That’s when you’d have the same quirks. Otherwise, your vampirism would be different from hers, if she turns.”
“Oh.” Josie nodded slowly, fidgeting with her fingers as soft, almost imperceptible, sparks curled around her fingers. “I see.” Josie mumbled, then she shook her head, apparently coming back to their previous conversation before they went off track. “Anyway, if you guys don’t figure it out, then I want to turn. I want to turn on my 20th birthday… So, that gives you guys 3 and a half years. And once we figure out how to bring Hope back, I want to join in on figuring out a solution for the Merge.”
Freya nods, as do you and Kol. “Okay. And we’ll make sure that any solution we come up with, will not take away that choice for you.” You reassured her gently… because you understand. You understand that desperation, that wanting to be with your soulmate forever, especially when you’ve been separated. “Now, have you and Kol finished altering the memory spell?”
Kol took over from there, going over to the ritual table that you’ve used to funnel the dark magic from the spell into a transmutation-power-well that you and Kol usually use to create dark objects. “We were planning on you guys remembering at least one, considering the amount of Dark magic that’s required for each memory.” He hands you a bracelet, then all the others as well.
Except Josie, who declines. Freya sighs, “Josie, you have to–”
“No. I don’t. Dark magic is… I can handle it. Before, before I was used to dark magic, it used to hurt me to hold all of that… but now it’s just slightly uncomfortable, but also familiar, I guess.” Josie reasons softly, rubbing her arms. There are no visible signs of dark magic usage on her body. She seems… normal, a healthy flush to her skin, no sluggishness, no bleeding from the eyes/ears, no dark veins, etc. But, you can sense the power beneath her skin, the one that she probably doesn’t even realize that she has. It’s not entirely dark magic, but certainly something of that nature. “And… I’m scared I’ll end up siphoning all the dark magic into myself, instead of letting it go into the power-well, especially when I’m stuck in the memory I’m about to remember.”
You open your mouth, when Josie continues, “I know, okay? A dark magic overload can kill a witch–” Not entirely true in case of Josie. Since she was a siphoner, the magic overload wouldn’t kill her. Josie could control an unimaginable amount of dark magic and still be physically fine if she knew how to channel all that energy/magic. But the part that you are concerned about is the fact that dark magic has a slightly corrupting influence. The more the dark magic, the faster the witch gets corrupted. “That’s why I’m saying no to the bracelet. The more dark magic in my system, the harder it is to ignore the darker thoughts. This is just a precaution. Just because I want to be a vampire doesn’t mean I want to turn right now.”
You’re glad that Josie seems self-aware enough of the consequences of using dark magic.
Kol cuts off any further arguments with a sharp look.
It won’t be easy to wean Josie off the dark magic in her system, but the first thing when dealing with an addict, even though you don’t think that Josie is one, is to never threaten to take the drug away and cut them off from it. It makes them violent, desperate, and craving. Plus, an incremental decrease was better than going cold turkey.
“Okay. We’ll go over a few grounding techniques and control exercises tonight, just before dinner.” Freya offered, then looked slightly hesitant. “That is… if you still want to– Davina can take over from me, if you want.”
Josie stared at Freya for a long moment, then shook her head. “No, I uh… Do you regret it?”
“More than you’ll ever know.” Freya confessed quietly, but her entire focus was on you and Kol. “It will be something that I regret until the day I die.”
Something in you slowly unclenches at that, something that you hadn’t felt or were aware of before. “Okay. You can continue as my trainer. Davina can join too…” Josie offers, then turns to you sheepishly, “That is… if you want to, and if you’re okay with this.” Josie specified, her soft brown eyes were worried, for you.
You just smile back. “Of course. I can join. Fair notice, Kol will also join in sometimes, dropping by, working with us, etc.”
Kol grinned, nodding to her statement, but got them back on topic, though he seemed excited about teaching/helping Josie. “So, coming back… there’s no specific way of targeting the lost memories, so the same memory I get might not be the same memory that anyone else gets.” Kol explained, as he added all of their blood to the mind protection spell, the bowl in the middle. “And considering that Malivore has existed for a thousand years, us vampires will have a greater amount of memories that were erased. You and I will have the largest, Bex. After that, we’ll have to rest for a bit– maybe even a day or two, before we try again.” Kol guessed out loud.
“Okay.” You nod. As do the others.
Josie gives you all a small smile, “Ready? You might want to take a seat for this.” All of them sat down, including you, staring at black wisps suddenly seemed to materialize out of her skin like they were always beneath. “Hare-tamai kioku Yomigaerashi-tamae.”
—
Everything around you goes black… then you open your eyes. You are in a nightclub. Sweaty, gyrating bodies dance to the rhythm of the music, as a few vampires secretly drink from the humans. And considering the people, you are somewhere in Asia. China, Japan or Korea, probably.
It takes you a second, but you remember this place.
This club.
It’s the NightRed club in Seoul, South Korea. You and Kol came to track down a supernatural bounty. A team of vampires who were hunting children younger than 7, for a Korean coven who were praying to a trickster spirit. You’d been on this mission for the last few weeks, especially after hearing rumors of it in the Underground and seeing the bounty on it.
Sure, neither you or Kol needed any money or magical artifacts, but Kol liked learning different types of magic, as did you… and if they didn’t want to teach you their magic, then he liked collecting favors from the covens.
You go directly to the bar, ordering a glass of whiskey as you look across the dancefloor for your target. When not kidnapping children, the vampire was a regular in this club every Thursday and Saturday night, to take his fill of the blood of the tourists and club goers.
You sip the whiskey, slowly feeling the burn go down your throat, as you finally spot the vampire you’re looking for. You gently tug on your soulmate connection with Kol, then turn to the bartender. “Get me another.” You slide two 50000 wons to the bartender, then turn back to scope out your target.
“Is this seat taken, darling?” You hear a smooth, sexy voice, whisper just next to your ear. You feel a shiver going down your spine as you turn around.
You feel a jolt of arousal at how good he looks. His midnight blue shirt and black slacks mold to his body almost sinfully, showing off every muscle and the strength of his body, finishing the look off with black leather shoes. But it"s his eyes that draw you in. Knowing, dark, smug and mischievous as it runs over your body.
“My husband’s coming.” You offer softly, keeping up the game as he slides into the seat next to you, an easy smirk on his lips as he takes the whiskey.
“But darling,” He almost purrs, “I’m a much better option. You obviously need me if you’re hanging out all alone in places like this.” He snarks gently, no heat behind it, only a quiet teasing tone.
The words take you back to your teenage years, the first few years when you met Kaleb. Subconsciously, you feel a smirk form on your lips. “I can handle myself.”
His dark eyes twinkle in the club. “Oh, I do not doubt that darling.”
“And my husband is already in the club.” You show off the ring on your finger, as his eyes dart to it intently. The ring that is directly connected to your soulmate’s unique and powerful vampiric magic, just like his ring is connected to your magic.
He closes the space between you two, “Mind if I keep you company until then?”
You feel a spark of amusement at his flirting. “He’s not the sharing type, you know? Very possessive.” You warn, finishing off your whiskey as you turn to him. “I love that about him.”
“Oh, I know, Davina Claire.” Kol purred fully this time, tracing a hand up your leg, until it rests on your waist. His gaze then meets yours for a moment, before he closes the remaining space and claims your lips with his.
You feel the same jolt of arousal shoot down your spine, as your soulmark flares in response. You smile into the kiss, as you pin him to the bar, your hand automatically pulling his head closer to yours. Kol’s arms snake around your waist, pulling you against his chest.
You kiss him until oxygen is required, and not a second less, then pull back. You breathe in deeply, then smile. “Kol.”
Your soulmate smirks, his eyes are almost black, the small ring of brown in his irises flares as dark veins creep up under his eyelids. “Davina Claire.” He greets just as smoothly, just holding you. “Now, darling, I believe you wanted to teach me how to dance to this god awful music.”
You outright laugh at that, feeling the same spark that you did when you met him, but also the same love that you grew into over the years. “Well, why don’t we–” A soft ringtone interrupts the moment between you two. Kol groans, shaking his head in your neck as you sigh. “Our family has the worst timing, Kol. Take it.” Their family are the only ones with that specific ringtone.
Kol nods, taking out his phone. The caller id is of… Hope.
Oh.
Kol blinks, then turns to you. You know how he feels about Hope’s silence the past few years, especially after everything that happened with Klaus and Elijah. Kol misses his niece, as do you. You miss Hope’s teasing, her magic, her drive to learn, her curiosity, you just miss… her. Both of you do. She’s the closest that you could ever have to a child, a legacy to pass on.
Kol had been hoping that once Hope turned 18, that the both of you could take her on that trip around the world that Kol and Hope had planned. She is 17 now, and… her birthday is in a few months. You nod to Kol as you erect a sound nullification boundary around the two of you. “Uncle Kol?” Hope’s voice comes out across the line.
“Hello darling. It’s been a while. How’s my favorite niece?” Kol teased softly, as you sit down in the seat next to him, half focusing on their conversation while you watch your mark.
Hope takes a shuddering breath, and your entire focus shifts to the phone. “Um… I uh, not that good.” Hope’s voice is shaky, and… something, some instinct tells you that something is very very wrong. “Can you come by Mystic Falls please? As soon as possible? I need your help.”
You agree immediately. If Hope needs help, then you’re there as soon as you are free. Kol is the same.
Unfortunately, the mark figures both of you out at the same time… and runs. Kol curses immediately, as you cast a tracking spell on the vampire. “We’ll be there in a few days, okay, Hope? We’re in Seoul right now, completing a bounty–”
Hope cuts both of you off then, “I need you here now.” She sounds… almost desperate? You don’t know why, and that raises all of the hair on your neck. But, you can’t leave. Not without interrogating the vampire for his connection with the Korean coven that’s doing the child sacrifices. You and Kol will have to take care of both, because the longer this goes on, the more children are going to be in danger and the more powerful the coven becomes. Once you solve this situation, you can– “Please. I need your help. I can’t- I can’t save her myself.” Hope almost begs, her voice shaking. “I tried everything I know. The bullet wound isn’t healing. Please, Uncle Kol.”
The last thing, more than anything, makes you change your plans immediately. After capturing this vampire, you and Kol can directly go to the airport and catch a flight to Virginia. It’s not like you can’t interrogate him on the plane or back in the States.
You nod to Kol, mentally focusing on tracking the vampire through the streets as you try to reason. “Hope, the vampire we’re hunting is killing children. Once we capture this vampire–”
“Kol. Davina.” You stop immediately, looking at the phone. You’ve never heard her like this. Her voice is a half growl… and whatever parts sound human, is cold, hard and emotionless. “If you’re not here in Mystic Falls in 6 hours, I will hunt both of you down. I will dagger Kol like Dad did and bind Davina’s magic… to drag you to Mystic Falls if that’s what it takes. I expect you here at the Salvatore School, in person, and not through astral projection. Safe travels.”
The call cuts.
You stare at the phone for a long moment, as your brain processes those words and the… threat? Which actually freezes you to the core once you fully realize how far Hope is willing to go. What she’s willing to do. And what she said about whoever needed saving from that bullet wound?
What the hell was happening back at Salvatore!?
Kol stares at the phone, just as you do, his confused eyes turning disbelieving. “We need to go.” You speak softly. Kol’s face shifts from disbelieving to fear– You shake him out of it. “Forget the bounty here. We’ll catch him and deal with this another time. We need to go back to Mystic Falls. See what’s happening with Hope.” You plan… Because, if she’s willing to threaten Kol, of all people, with a dagger… Then your niece is desperate .
And the one thing you know about your family is that a Mikaelson never begs, not unless it’s for the people they love.
Kol nods, conflicted and determined at the same time. “We’ll leave everything at the hotel. I’ll charter us a plane. Call Freya and Bex. See if they know something about this.”
(You would not know it until later, but that was the last thing Hope had ever said to the both of you)
—
You blink, opening your eyes as you look around the room. You’re on the couch? In the new home.
The memory settles into your mind uncomfortably, but also with a familiarity that leaves you reeling at the fact that you’d forgotten the last words Hope had ever said to you. With that memory, comes a few more. You and Kol teaching Hope magic on weekends, talking with Hope about Hayley and Freya’s magical teaching, walking around the numerous parks around New Orleans, and… you protecting Hope when she was just a baby.
You know, instinctively, you don’t have all of your memories back. There are… a lot of memories that are missing, but you have enough of them back to understand what you’ve missed.
How could you just… forget her like that?
You wipe away your tears, getting up from the couch. Your head throbs, as a glass of water and a pill is thrusted into your hands. “Take that and drink. The headache will fade.”
You nod gratefully, then look up at Josie. She’s tracing the words on her right hand, looking at you in gentle concern. You look around the room, when Josie points out. “You’re the second one to wake up. I was the first. The rest are… still knocked out from the spell. I awoke in like 30 seconds or so. You were out for like 5 minutes.”
“How did you…” You start to ask, but Josie cuts in.
“Know that you were going to get a headache?” Josie filled in intently, then smiled softly. “It happened to me sometimes when I was working on the spell in the last two weeks. And as for why I can recover more easily is because I’ve done this a few times and it… I’ve grown used to it.” Josie explains, tracing the silver words on her wrist almost wistfully. “What memory did you get back?”
“Kol and I were in a nightclub in Seoul, bounty hunting a vampire who was killing children.” You reveal, as Josie’s face darkens in anger. “We got a call from Hope then, she seemed… panicked, desperate– she said that she needed our help with something and that someone was shot.”
Realization flickered across Josie’s face. “Oh. That’s me– I was shot. It was a Malivore bullet, or a bullet infused with Malivore’s magic… or a bullet made from Malivore’s mud?” Josie guessed, sounding unsure, then shook her head. “Whatever. In hindsight, I drank Hope’s blood to cure myself of the bullet. It worked.” Josie pulled down her t-shirt, where you can see clear fair skin, not a single mark on it. “The mark faded as if it was never there.”
You just hummed, filing away the fact that there had been armed men at the Salvatore school only a few months ago.
Because, that… that makes sense. If there was anyone that Hope would beg for, or even threaten to dagger for, it would be Josie. Her soulmate. “Are you okay now?”
Josie nods, extending a hand to you. “Yeah.”
You take the offered hand, getting up from the couch, as you look around the room. “How long does this usually take?” You mentally file away the slight creeping darkness in the air around Josie, the jolt of sheer power when your hand comes into contact with hers.
Josie shrugged, “If I have to guess, then I’d say not that long. Depends on the memories that you get back and your tolerance to dark magic. So I’m guessing that the vamps should recover faster.” If that’s correct, then Freya would be the first one. She was the only one who had delved into as much dark magic as you had. Then it would be Kol and Rebekah because of their age and magic that comes with that, then Marcel and then Keelin.
You nod, then look at the younger girl. “You? What memory did you get back?”
Josie’s lips turn up into a small smile, “The night of my 16th birthday. The night that Hope said my words and saved me from being buried alive.”
Your heart aches for the girl who has gone through as much you did when you were her age. The creatures from Malivore have not slipped your mind, nor did the implication in Hope’s Diary that the kids had been the ones who were fighting these mythological creatures, hell bent on stealing artifacts from the school, to fight and kill the children if necessary. Then the armed men and Josie getting shot– You breathe out slowly, pushing away all of that as you focus on the girl in front of you. You know your pity wouldn’t help, so you gesture to her hand, “May I?”
“Sure.” Josie extends her hand to you, pulling back the cover band fully. It’s just four words written in an elegant, neat cursive. — The Talisman. It worked.
You let go of Josie’s hand, as the younger girl traces a finger over those words. “What Talisman?”
Josie’s face darkens for a split second, anger and hate sparking in her brown eyes that turn cold. “The one that Bonnie, Lizzie and the others destroyed. Hope gave it to me on my 16th birthday… before she knew that I was her soulmate.” Josie closed her eyes, the expression on her face turning more soft. Less guarded, more open. “I didn’t know it at the time, but she’d spelled the Talisman with a spell.”
“What kind of spell?” You ask curiously. Probably a protection spell or something. You know that the Mikaelson pendant has a locator spell bound to it. Just like yours and Kol’s wedding rings have a piece of each other’s magic in it.
Josie’s lips twitch upwards, the coldness in her eyes fading away as if it had never been there, “To make quiet things heard.”
You see the vulnerability, the joy and love on her face, and know that you shouldn’t ask more about this. So, you focus back on the actual Talisman itself. “So, where’s this… Talisman now? Is it fully destroyed?”
Josie nods, “It was shattered into pieces the last time I saw it, about two weeks ago. The day before I left Salvatore. Because the Talisman was a direct connection to Hope’s magic, and was bonded to Hope’s blood in my body– they used the Talisman to erect a boundary spell and bind me within it. But apparently, the Talisman was destroyed during the process. Once I escaped from the spell, I saw it. It was shattered. The spell that connected Hope’s magic to me was gone. So, I cast a fire spell to cleanse the spell and make sure that they couldn’t use it again to try something like that again.”
Oh… if it’s shattered into pieces, then it’s probably possible to make it whole again by using Kemiya, plus magic, plus a few other things… but it would be possible. You wonder whether to explain that, but… Rebekah speaks up then, apparently having listened to your conversation. “If the metal is okay, and the pieces are all there… then we can probably mend it, Josie. Kol and Davina can use Kemiya or we can do it the old fashioned way. You can have the Talisman back.”
“Thank you.” Josie looks… touched, perhaps, but also nervous and wary? Then her face shifts into a conflicted expression. “But, I uh… I don’t want to go back. Not yet.” She turns to you, “Can we, uh… once I get the pieces back, I’d like to try this. But it might take some time for me to figure out a way to go back to Salvatore.”
You easily translate what she means by that. Gather the courage to go back to the people who hurt her.
Before you can say anything to that, mainly denying the insane idea of pushing Josie to go back to the people who hurt her, Rebekah gets up from the chair, stopping in front of the brunette siphoner. “Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to go back. I’ll go.” Josie’s head snaps to Rebekah, as she stares at her in slight disbelief. “Tomorrow, I’ll get the pieces of the Talisman and bring it back. Caroline and I have… history, but that shouldn’t stop me from recovering the pieces, okay? And I won’t tell her that you’re with us if you don’t want me to.” Rebekah offers.
Josie’s lower lip wobbles, tears glimmering in her eyes, before… She hugs Rebekah. “Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.”
Rebekah seems surprised, before she wraps her arms around the younger girl, with a soft knowing and happy smile on her face. “Of course, darling.” Josie draws back from the hug, seemingly embarrassed for a moment as she brushes her tears away. “Now, while Davina takes care of our family… Why don’t you show me around Mystic Falls? It’s been years since I’ve been here.”
Josie blinks a few times, then turns to you in question, her eyes glancing to the knocked out forms of their family.
Knowing that Rebekah cares about Josie, you’re… 90% sure that Rebekah won’t do anything too ridiculous or overt. “Go. Be back in time for dinner though. We still have to go through the grounding exercises.” You offer, looking at Rebekah. “Don’t get her into too much trouble.” You warn softly. If Kol was… less responsible and more like himself, then he’d be the one taking Josie out for an outing to get her mind off whatever memory they’d remembered, and being the ‘fun’ uncle. Even you’d probably join in, but right now… he’s laser-focused on correcting his mistakes and bringing Hope back. Sure, the spark of mischievousness is still there, but he’s–
Josie smiles a bit, “Alright. We can go to the Grill. After that we can check out a few places around town.”
Rebekah grins, “Now, I only got the memories of this back today, but did you know that my niece knows how to dance? I taught her myself…”
You shake your head as both of them leave the house. You turn back to the knocked out forms of your family.