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saiilorstars · 4 years

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The Girl in the Forest

Chapter 23: By Love and Death

// Story Masterlist //

Fandom: The Originals

Pairings: Klaus Mikaelson x Original Female Character

Pronunciation of OC’s name: Ma-leh-nee

Requested tag: @queenmj10

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Chapter Summary: Maleny finishes the arrangements for Hayley's wedding. Meanwhile, Freya Mikaelson endeavors to change Finn's mind whilst also revealing that she knows something about Maleny's and Klaus' past that nobody knows.

Because Maleny has been switched bodies once again, her temporary face claim is Adriana Louvier.

A disappointed Freya walked into a morgue where her brother's, Finn, corpse rested. She went towards the body and unzipped the body bag, sure enough finding Finn. After Elijah set the safe house on fire, Finn received several harsh burned injuries on the side of his body. She noticed he wore a necklace of hers, the blue pendant talisman, and smiled a little. There was still still a chance for him to survive...and fix the wrongs he had done.

~ 0 ~

Cami hopped out of the car she'd compelled for herself and rushed over to a payphone, all the meanwhile holding a crying Hope in her arms. She was only a mile away when she heard the safe house bursting into flames. As much as she wanted to go back and help Elijah, she knew Hope was their main priority. So, once on the road she compelled the first driver that stopped by and took the car.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," she fumbled to get some spare change from her pocket as she stood in front of payphone. She had to leave her phone back at the safe house as well and now she only hoped she had enough change for one stupid call to the Quarter.

Hope was crying harder, sensing something way off with her environment. On a chance, Cami dropped the quarters she'd managed to pull out of her pocket.

"Dammit!" she growled but then flinched as Hope's cries grew stronger, "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry. You're being so brave, the least I can do is watch my…" she trailed off when she heard metal noises not too far. She clutched Hope to her chest and slowly looked around, "Whoever's out there, if you try anything, I will gouge out your eyes!" she called out into the dark, "You are not getting this baby!"

A minute later Elijah appeared, in torn clothes and practically covered in ash, "Your threats are getting better…"

"Oh thank God!" Cami ran to him in relief and hugged him with one arm, "What the hell happened back there? I saw the flames and I wanted to go back but I had Hope and I...I'm sorry I left."

"You did exactly what you were supposed to do," Elijah smiled at her, pulling away from their hug to hurry her towards the car, "But now we have to go."

"I don't care as long as we're together!" Cami blurted before thinking and soon found herself flustered, "I meant as in, we're like-"

Amused, Elijah just opened the door of the car for her, "I understand," Cami graciously climbed in and tried to focus on the bigger problem instead of her bluntness for words.

~ 0 ~

In the ballroom of the compound, decorators and caterers were busy preparing everything for the wedding that night. As Hayley and Jackson entered the room, they were awed by what would become their party. When Klaus had offered the place as the site for the wedding they were under the belief it would just be a simple get together...never in their lives did they think this would be happening.

"Ohhhh, I so do not belong in your world," Jackson commented as he moved up to a table and looked at the elaborate center piece.

Hayley scoffed, "My world? Give me some credit. I'm not exactly the girl who sat around fantasizing about her wedding day. And, if I had…" she motioned to the caterer passing by with a rather large wedding cake, "... it probably would have looked a little less than that."

Maleny entered from the other side of the ballroom, sheepishly smiling at the two, "Sorry, sorry, was this too much?" she'd been tasked to prepare for the wedding and since this was practically the only thing she was doing for some time she wanted it to be spectacular.

"You did this?" Hayley comically asked and pointed to the tables.

"Yeah," Maleny made a face, awaiting for some type of scold, "Klaus told me I could do it but I really know he's just trying to come up with ways to distract me from having another meltdown."

Hayley walked up to the brunette woman and hugged her tight, "I'm sorry I haven't been here for you."

Maleny smiled and hugged back, "Hey, you were busy with your wedding rituals. You can't exactly leave that for a girl who has a knack to get swapped bodies."

Hayley pulled away and sadly smiled, "This wedding will help you too, I promise. It's just for the moment, you know..."

Maleny sighed and moved to the table Jackson was at, "No offense, but your wedding won't help me. I just want to be placed back in body. It's like...it's like my entire world has been turned upside down again. The last time, it was my fault - I chose to go into a curse. But this time...I hate Finn Mikaelson. I detest him."

"Hey, it will all get fixed," Hayley tried to start but Maleny shook her head and raised a hand to stop her.

"Please, I'm tired of hearing the same things," she pulled on a happy smile for the bride and groom, but neither wolf bought it, "Today is not about me, not about curses. I'd like for today to be about this wedding which I will bust my ass off to make it perfect. I promise."

"Hayley," called Klaus, a minute later entering with a sneaky smile, something that put Hayley on edge for a min, "If I might intrude, there's someone who wishes to say hello."

At the motion to be followed, Hayley shared a look with Jackson before slowly going out to the courtyard. Maleny went after them, tugging Klaus' arm as she curiously asked, "What did you do?" she whispered, forgetting it did no good around supernatural hearing.

Klaus didn't say anything as Elijah and Cami walked into the courtyard from the entrance, Cami holding Hope.

As much as Hayley wanted to be incredibly happy to have Hope back her fear won over, "You brought them here?" she turned to Klaus, "Finn could be anywhere!"

"I've taken precautions," Klaus assured them, his devious smile alerting them he'd taken care of the immediate problem - the wolves, "There'll be no uninvited guests at your wedding, and after, your wolves will be the first line of defense to this home. No more running, Queen."

Hayley then wasted no time and ran to get Hope from Cami. As soon as she no longer held Hope, Cami went over to Maleny, whom she hadn't seen nor talked to in various days, and promptly hugged her.

"It's good to have you back," Maleny relished in her family moment.

"I am so sorry for not being here for you," Cami pulled away frantically and looked to Klaus, "What's the progress? Are you-"

Much like she'd done with Hayley, Maleny raised her hand for Cami to stop, "It's a wedding day and I don't want to keep talking about this. Please?"

Cami was momentarily surprised by the calmness in Maleny's tone, but she supposed after days of processing what happened to her Maleny was finally just going on to stage two: trying to live as normally as possible.

"Okay," Cami turned to the others, "So what do we do now?"

"We prepare for the wedding, that's what," Maleny announced with a clap of her hands, ushering everyone to get a move on, "Hayley, there's something Rebekah and I have to show you but since Rebekah is out helping Kol, it's up to me."

Hayley looked up from Hope with a curious face, "Well, what is it?"

"Right this way, Miss Marshall," Maleny left for the stairs, leaving Hayley to follow.

Cami watched after them while the others also began to dissipate. She waited Maleny to be long gone before she went after Klaus in the ballroom, "How's she doing?"

"Mal did just say the day was for Hayley's wedding," Klaus remarked with his usual sarcasm.

"Brother," Elijah called in his sharp tone that expressed irritation. He walked into the ballroom and stopped beside Cami, putting a hand on her shoulder, "She's been gone for days, tell her what she needs to know."

Klaus rolled his eyes at their dramaticness but nonetheless answered, "She's...better. She's not entirely there yet but I believe there's been progress."

"Based on having her coordinate a wedding?" Cami made a face, clearly unimpressed with the idea.

"Well, she has managed not to thrash anymore furniture pieces," Klaus smiled at them, amused at the faces both made.

"She thrashed furniture?" Cami blinked and looked at Elijah, "This is why I need to know things, you see!"

"Cami, she's fine," Klaus tried to say but Cami wasn't having it.

"She's not fine, Klaus!" the blonde snapped, "She's stuck in some body because your brother put her there! How the hell can she be fine-"

And now it was Klaus who lost it. He wasn't going to stand there and let some woman basically tell him he wasn't doing his job. "Do you think I not know that!?" he replied in a shout, startling her enough to have Elijah shift into a protective stance beside her, "I'm not an idiot, Camille, of course I know everything isn't fine with her! But the fact remains I don't know what to do at this moment! Forgive me for trying to bring in a little happiness into her life in the meantime I get a clue as to how to help her."

While Cami remained silent, unsure of how to respond, Elijah moved forwards, "We understand how difficult the matter is but-"

"You don't know!" Klaus snapped, growing more angry as the two tried to 'imagine' what it was like for him and Maleny at the moment. The more he thought about it the more furious he became, "Do not stand there and say you 'understand' because absolutely no one could understand! Do you know what it's like to stand in front of Maleny and tell her that I will figure it out while she is sobbing on the floor? Do you?" Elijah and Cami shared a silent look, defeated. Klaus' eyes landed on Cami for a minute, "I don't need a reminder that this is my family's fault," he coldly told her, "It's always been like that…but I will not allow you to assume that I have no care for Maleny's condition. Next time, I will forget who you are, Camille, and act."

~ 0 ~

"What are we doing, Mal?" Hayley relentlessly questioned as the brunette opened up her closet's doors. She had placed Hope on Maleny's bed while she remained at its side.

"Rebekah and I managed to find you a little something," Maleny chuckled as she pulled out a white bag from the floor of her closet. "Well, I say, me and her, but really I have no head for many things right now."

Hayley raised an eyebrow, "And just what is that little something? And remember, there's a baby present," she pointed a finger to Hope.

Maleny rolled her eyes and walked back to the two, pulling out a long, white laced wedding dress from the bag, "Ta-da! We absolutely refuse to let you get married in skinny jeans and combat boots," Hayley was awed by the beauty of the dress as she took it into her hands. Maleny took a seat on the bed and put Hope on her lap, both watching the brunette hybrid went over to the mirror to see the dress.

"Thank you," Hayley whispered minutes later, "It's beautiful."

"Well, it's actually one of Rebekah's. She's technically the only woman alive who's commissioned wedding dresses in five different centuries."

"And you?" Hayley looked back, startling Maleny with the question.

"Me?" Maleny blushed and pretended to play with Hope, "Wh-why would you ask me that?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Hayley sauntered back with the dress pressed against her body as she pretended to dance out in a waltz, "...could be because you've been living a love-story cycle for centuries?"

Maleny scoffed and fiddled with Hope's hand as she spoke to the baby, "I sure hope your mummy tells you better fairy tale stories than the ones she's read."

Hayley rolled her eyes and laid her dress on the bed, "C'mon, you're telling me a woman who knows how to throw a wedding like this one has never actually made it to the aisle?"

"I've never even been proposed to, Hayley," Maleny looked back at the brunette with a dim smile, "There was never time for such a thing. Either I was sacrificed first or Klaus had to run away because of Mikael. Either way, I ended up dead anyways. No weddings whatsoever."

"But what about now?" Hayley took a seat on the bed close to Maleny, wearing a mischievous smile, "I mean, you're kinda here to stay and I hear Klaus is like-" she took on a stereotypical teenage girl's voice, "-pretty into you," she dramatically rolled her eyes.

Maleny laughed for the first time a genuine laughter, "Hayley! What was that!?"

"What? I'm only saying," Hayley reached over to tickle Hope, "You can be Hope's new stepmom."

Maleny laughed lighter and blushed, shaking her head, "Honestly, Hayley, does Klaus look like the marrying type to you?"

"Up until you showed up I didn't consider him more than my one-night stand," Hayley shrugged then made a face, "It would be kinda weird seeing him at the end of the aisle…"

"It's even weirder imagining him actually getting down on the one knee," Maleny shook her head again, "I doubt that's gonna happen. Once upon a time, when were humans, things were far more simple but now...I honestly doubt that would happen. Besides, if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly myself right now," she gestured to her current body, "and until that's resolved I have no mind for anything else."

Hayley nodded, able to agree on that term. She looked back at her dress and ran a hand down through it, "Thank you for the dress - and for my wedding."

"You're welcome," Maleny smiled at her, "We're family after all. I mean, you may be marrying Jackson Kenner of the boozy backwater Kenners, but you're still my family. Though if Rebekah was here she'd tell you you were a Mikaelson."

Hayley's eyebrows raised up as she laughed, "And then I would say it's a nice compliment if only it didn't link me to so many homicidal lunatics."

"Why do you think I'm still Maleny Rowan?" Maleny pretended to raise an arm in question.

"Good call," Hayley took Hope from Maleny and set her on her lap, "Take a good look baby girl," she poke to the baby and pointed at Maleny, "Cos I guarantee you by the next year you'll have your brand new step-mommy," she waved Hope's small hand who giggled in response.

"Hayley!" Maleny cried, mortified yet still laughing.

"Maleny Mikaelson - has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" Hayley continued to speak to Hope whilst ignoring Maleny's pleads to stop.

~ 0 ~

In her room, Cami sat on a rest chair sifting through her leather journal. On a whim thought, she reached for a pen on the table beside her and began to jot down some notes. She'd ignored her psychology work for as long as possible and now she thought it was probably the only thing that could make everything feel less...weird than it all was. Maybe it was time to get back on that. The knock on her open door made her sigh and look up from her journal, unsurprised to find Elijah waiting there.

"I know I have to apologize," she said her first thought as she assumed she knew what Elijah wanted from her at the moment, "but to be fair, Klaus owes me for many more things than he can count."

"Why don't we simply let the ordeal go?" Elijah suggested and came forwards, his eyes happily trailing the journal he gifted her. He liked seeing it was being put to use.

Cami followed his gaze and closed the journal, sheepishly smiling, "What did you need, Elijah?"

"I was wondering if you had already picked out something for the wedding tonight."

Cami raised an eyebrow and put her journal on her table before leaning back on her chair, "To be frank, I've got nothing. I've never actually been to a wedding, so I thought it might just be best for me not to attend. Besides, someone has to take care of Hope."

"Yes, and Amarrah has already volunteered herself for the task," Elijah informed as he reached down for Cami's hand, startling her as she was pulled to her feet, "and believe me when I say you will have absolutely no trouble acquiring your dress for tonight."

It took a minute to process what was happening but once Cami was led out of her room she was almost there, "Where are we going?"

"I figured you may have dressing problems so I went ahead and found a solution," Elijah looked at her with a broad smile, "An easy solution."

"And that would be…?"

Elijah came up to a closed room and promptly opened the doors to an old closet-like room. It was filled with ornamented boxes of all sizes, chests as well. Cami slowly stepped inside while Elijah went straight to large chests set on tables at the end of the room.

"Now these are Rebekah's gowns - some of them aren't even touched," Elijah explained as he opened one chest to reveal dozens of gowns inside, "Sometimes she was simply obsessed with having the 'best of the best' she forgot the most important thing: to wear them."

Cami was in awe at all the trinkets and chests around them. She had never seen so many things from the past - not even a museum could compete with this!

"Still, that's only better for you," Elijah had continued talking without noticing Cami's reactions, "There's plenty of gowns from which you can pick."

Cami met his look once he turned around, "Your family are packrats…" was the first thing that came to mind.

Elijah silently smiled, "I would think the same…"

"I mean it," Cami gaped as she walked by an old-fashioned phone, "Who the hell keeps a phone around?"

Elijah shrugged, really having no answer for that one. He gestured for her to look at the chests instead, "Feel free to try on as many as you'd like."

"Wow…" Cami reached in and touched a lavender gown, "...these are beautiful. I feel bad just touching them - you want me to wear one?"

"Yes. Don't worry, I hear Maleny has already come in to choose her own." Elijah nodded, slowly reaching for her hand on her side, "And, you know, it would be lovely if you would...accompany me to the wedding as a…"

"Date…?" Cami was already getting flustered with the idea, but it didn't strike her bad.

"I don't mind if you call it anything else, as long as you say 'yes' and be there with me," Elijah held their hands together between them.

The smile that broke across Cami's lips was something she couldn't contain, "O-okay...yeah," she nodded.

"Excellent," Elijah let her hand go and backtracked from her, "I'll leave you to get ready, then."

"See you then," Cami wiggled her fingers and chuckled as he returned the gesture. Once he was gone, she turned to the chests once more, utterly confused as to where to start with the gowns.

~ 0 ~

Later that night, while everyone was getting ready, Maleny was pulling out another shopping bag from her closet when someone knocked on her door. She looked back and smiled upon seeing Alton - the wolf man wearing a suit and neatly groomed.

"Wow," Maleny turned over, smiling, "you clean up well, you know. Yamilet's one lucky gal."

Alton bashfully smiled and came forwards, "You look amazing too," he gestured to her current gown.

It was a gold and beige tulle maxi dress with subtle sequins and beads forming vintage floral designs over it. The rest of the beds were scattered down on the skirt. It had a high neckline with ruffled, short sleeves. Her hair had been curled and left down. Around her neck was her golden necklace hanging freely.

Maleny looked down with a temporal smile, "Well, you're a little biased. This is your girlfriend's body so of course you'll think it looks good."

"I know this wasn't Yamilet's idea because she hates gold," Alton informed and made Maleny nervous for a minute, her hand placing itself over her chest, "But you look good, trust me,' Alton added with a comic laugh.

Maleny relaxed and smiled once more, "Thank you. It's difficult trying to find something for a body you don't own."

"So, has there been word from that estranged Mikaelson witch?"

Maleny pursed her lips together and shook her head, "No, and frankly I don't expect anything out of that woman. Nothing coming out of her mouth can be trusted."

"But she said she would help and she did look pretty honest to me."

"She can say what she wants but I just don't trust her if she's working with Finn. She's a complete stranger."

Alton couldn't disagree there and gave a shrug, "Well, maybe Amarrah can figure it out."

Maleny gave a slight nod and sighed, "I don't mean to be rude but can we please just avoid any of this body swap thing today? I don't...I don't want to talk about it."

Alton nodded, "Yes, um, so how about that groom, then? I bet he's having cold feet. You think he'd mind me helping out?"

"Not a bit. Jackson's a pretty good guy," Maleny gestured Alton to go ahead and seek Jackson, "He's across the courtyard."

Alton gave his thanks and headed out. After a minute or so, Maleny grabbed her shopping bag and headed out herself. She came into Hayley's room where Amarrah was now looking after Hope in the meantime Hayley got herself ready.

"Where's Hayley?" Maleny asked once she entered.

Amarrah looked up from Hope, both sitting at Hayley's bed, "She went out to see how Jackson was doing."

Maleny made a face, "Isn't that against the rules?"

"Not when it's a Unification ritual," Amarrah shrugged and fiddled with Hope until her eyes saw the bag on the bed, "What's with the bag?"

Maleny smiled widely, "A little present for the most adorable baby in the house," she took a seat beside Hope who was busy playing with a small teddy bear.

"She's the only baby in the house," Amarrah reminded with a sharp look.

"And the most adorable," Maleny insisted and tickled Hope.

Amarrah rolled her eyes and got up from the bed, "Can you look after her for a moment? I promised Rebekah I'd keep calling in to give tips for her and Kol."

"Of course," Maleny happily took Hope into her arms while Amarrah rushed off. Hope giggled as Maleny playfully used the teddy bear to tickle her stomach, "I think we should get you ready, don't you think? If only you were walking then you could be the beautiful flower girl. Hold on, are there flower girls in Unification marriages?"

Hope was staring at her with big blue eyes, only toothlessly smiling in return. Maleny chuckled and reached over for the shopping bag, "Either way, you'll be the cutest guest out there."

It was about ten minutes later that someone entered the room, "Mal? Maleny? Where the hell have you gotten into?"

"Hey, watch your tongue around your daughter," Maleny scolded Klaus as he came inside. She picked up the newly dressed Hope and giggled, "Okay, so I know Hayley said 'no pink' buuuut…" she turned around and allowed Klaus to see Hope in a pretty pink dress complete with a pink and white bow and white shoes, "...she has to make an exception for this right? Doesn't she look adorable?"

Hope gurgled as her small hands flapped over her head in an attempt to grab the bow. Klaus reached over to take his daughter into his arms, and sure enough, he agreed, "What has Mal done to you, Hope?"

"Hey," Maleny pretended to pout, "She said it was alright. She agreed she would look good in pink. Though I told her she'd look good in any color."

"Gets that from me, you know," Klaus flashed her a smirk.

Maleny rolled her eyes and fixed a part of Hope's hair, "She also agreed her father was a conceited man," she rose her gaze to meet Klaus' with her own smirk, "At which point I also agreed."

Klaus' smirk died at that moment. He followed Hope's leans to the bed and picked up her toy bear, "Good to see you're better, Mal," he remarked a minute later.

"Better, better, no," Maleny clarified first, "but I don't...I don't want to talk about it. I just want one regular day. One regular wedding - well, one regular Unification wedding. I don't want anything sad to come up."

"That sounds fair, and it's going to be like that, I promise," Klaus turned back to her with a reassuring smile.

"Thank you," Maleny thanked quietly. However her expression did say there was some doubt that could actually happen.

"I'm assuming you'll be down with the rest of the wolves in the ceremony?"

Maleny gave a small nod, "Yeah, sorry. You can sit next to me if you'd like?"

"Mm, best not. The wolves aren't quite fond of me," Klaus shook his head, "I'll stay a little farther away. But my eyes will always be on you my dear."

Maleny smiled. "Well, Alton is going to be with me and before you get any funny ideas in that dusty head of yours-"

"Dusty?" Klaus frowned, having to interject.

"Over a thousand years old - it's time to face it," Maleny laughed, "But like I was saying, Alton is going to be next to me and I want to clarify that he is not going to be a date for me. I'd rather not find him dead, or...with his head ripped off?" she tilted her head and had a knowing look on her face, "Much like the ones a little someone did earlier in the day? Care to explain?"

"Well first of all, that someone was not so little, and second of all what is there to explain?" Klaus shrugged and pretended to fiddle with Hope, "It was a wedding present."

"Your ideas of presents are way different than anyone else I've met," Maleny sighed and moved closer to him and Hope, "But, I guess, thank you - I heard one of those wolves was one of the three that attacked Alton and I. The girl?"

"I don't see why Alton couldn't have done what was needed to do be done at the moment," Klaus informed, still irritated with the issue.

Maleny chuckled, "Not everyone strikes to kill. But he did a good job protecting me."

Klaus scoffed, "Right."

Maleny began smiling as she saw traces of jealousy in his face, "For the love of God, why on earth would you be jealous? You're both doing the same thing and I thank you for that."

"Yes, but I'm the one who will be protecting you better," Klaus almost warned with the tone he used, "I will do what it takes."

"Believe me, I know that. And, if I wasn't in someone else's body right now you'd receive a very gracious kiss."

"That wasn't a bother in the previous dozen times," Klaus innocently reminded her.

"That's because I didn't know I wasn't in my body," Maleny reminded as well, "And I will respect this body for as long as I'm inhabiting it. She has a boyfriend, Klaus," she spoke softer once he rolled his eyes in mild irritation, "and he loves her very much."

"Fine," he grumbled, "but if he tries anything with you know that you will find his body missing the head."

Maleny laughed and took Hope from him, "I'll be sure to pass on the message. But I'm sure he's on the same page as we are. But you know who is immune to the rule?"

"Who?"

"Hope," she kissed Hope's head. Hope responded with a giggle and a random happy bite of her teddy bears ear.

"She's very lucky then," Klaus remarked quietly, wearing a warm smile.

Maleny looked at him and leaned forwards to kiss his cheek, "You can get one of those as much as you want, though," she rubbed her finger over his cheek to remove the smudge of lipstick she left behind.

While it didn't necessarily fill Klaus' desires he took it with a smile, "It's temporal, okay? I'll fix it, and I'll-"

Maleny placed a finger over his lips, "I don't want to talk about it, remember? It's a wedding day and a fun wedding I shall have. Okay?"

Klaus took down her hand into his and nodded, "Yes, of course," he kissed her hand afterwards, "and I've failed to mention you look beautiful tonight."

Maleny felt butterflies under his gaze, "I'm glad you like it. It belonged to Rebekah-"

"Yes, I remember her babbling on about how much she wanted this dress. And do you know what happened after she bought it?"

"Mmm?"

"She never wore it!"

Maleny laughed again, shaking her head. "That sounds like Rebekah, alright."

"But," Klaus brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed its back, "I think it was just waiting for the right woman to wear it."

Blushing, Maleny shook her head. "I hardly think it was waiting for a cursed woman to wear it. Do you know how difficult it was to cover up the fact I carry a mark near my clavicle? They just don't make those sorts of dresses anymore," she feigned a sigh. "But anyways, I think it's time we get you ready too. Black suit?"

"You can pick. I'm all yours, darling," he whispered in her ear, causing chills up her spine.

"I hate you," she mumbled and yanked him out of the room, ignoring his laughter.

~ 0 ~

"Clean up nice," Gia remarked as she stepped up beside Cami, both overlooking the ballroom that was slowly being filled up by the wedding guests.

Cami, who wore a long, sleeveless, baby blue gown with a high neckline and laced bodice, glanced at Gia with a bashful smile, "Thanks…"

"Gotta say though," Gia put a hand on Cami's arm, her eyes trailing the clearly expensive gown, "I didn't think psychology students had enough to afford it…

Cami cleared her throat and pushed her short, curled hair back, "I know, I know, it's way out of my league."

Gia lightly laughed, "I think it looks good on you, though. Love the color."

"Well I think you look great too," Cami looked over her friend's short, dark purple dress.

"I did my best," Gia pretended to pose and made Cami laugh. Gia ran a hand through her long, dark hair and dramatically sighed, "But you know, being a violinist doesn't make a lot of money. Still, I try."

Cami looked at Gia for a good minute before saying, "You're so dramatic," and both women shared a laugh.

"Camille," Elijah's voice made the two women sober up from their laughter. Once he saw the blonde vampire, he was awed.

Gia looked between the two with amusement, wondering which one would break the silence. Hoping to speed it up, she cleared her throat and excused herself, "I'll see you after the ceremony, Cami," she gave Cami a side hug and a polite smile to Elijah before leaving.

"You look wonderful," Elijah praised Cami's gown, the crooked smile on his face making Cami's breath hitch in her throat.

"Thanks," Cami looked down at her dress for a minute, "Rebekah has amazing taste in clothing. But I still stand by the packrat statement - that applies to all of you."

Amused, Elijah chuckled, "Maybe you can help us clear some things out, then."

"So, where are you going to sit at?" Cami sheepishly asked and looked out to the guests.

"I was thinking of a much better view," Elijah raised a finger to the balcony of the courtyard, "Care to accompany?"

Cami nodded and allowed him her hand, "Let's."

~ 0 ~

"This is too weird," Maleny whispered to Alton as they took their seats for the wedding. "Everybody is looking at me - aren't they supposed to be staring at the incoming bride?"

Alton chuckled, but didn't try to at least make it seem like she was wrong. It was difficult to hide the fact that many of the guests were casting her, and sometimes Alton, odd looks, as well as those awed. Maleny knew she was probably the talk of the wolf century - she had taken over the body of one of their own because of Finn Mikaelson. She, a witch, stealing mortal lifetime from a woman?

"Mal?" they heard a distinctive voice behind them. Maleny turned around to find Davina, looking quite pretty in her short dress, and who was staring right at her. "Mal…?"

Maleny knew Davina hadn't yet seen her newest body and was unsure if she was addressing the right witch-in-a-werewolf body. Though still mildly crossed with Davina for their past differences, Maleny spoke to the teen calmly.

"It's me," Maleny confirmed, and just as Davina's eyes teared up she quickly added, "And please can we skip the sad part about this? I told everyone I wanted this to be a good day."

"Okay," Davina agreed and swallowed down her tears. But that didn't stop her from abruptly hugging Maleny, "I promise I'll help Amarrah in anyway that I can. I'm sorry for everything and I'm-"

Maleny smiled warmly and hugged the teen back, "It's okay. I told you, now that you have something with Kol you'll understand my situation better. But for now, please," she pulled away, "let's just enjoy the wedding, yeah?"

Davina nodded and looked down, shyly asking, "Can I...sit next to you guys?"

"Of course," Maleny gestured for her to follow after Alton and her, "And by the way, that's Alton," Davina sheepishly shook hands with Alton, "He's the boyfriend of the actual woman of this body."

"Complicated," Alton shrugged. Davina agreed and chuckled, meanwhile Maleny took her seat between the two.

The ceremony soon began, the orchestra played and the bride and groom walked down the aisle. They separated at the two staircases to go up to the balcony. Jackson's grandmother, Mary, waited at the end of the balcony to conduct the ceremony.

"Please, be seated," Mary instructed the guests once Hayley and Jackson had reached the altar, "We gather together as a community seeking peace, inspired by this couple standing before you. There was a time when werewolves saw themselves not as cursed, but blessed with connection to our most pure selves. And tonight, we honor that blessing with the long-awaited unification of the two Crescent bloodlines," Mary bonded their wrists together with baby's breath flowers, "In doing so, we choose to embrace Hayley's vampire nature. With this union, Hayley will share her unique gifts with her pack," she long lit match into the pair's hands so they could light their ceremonial candle, "And now, your vows."

Jackson tool a deep breath as he went first, "I pledge to honor you and defend you and yours above all others."

"To share in blessings and burdens. To be your advocate, your champion," continued Hayley.

"To be your comfort, your sanctuary, and for as long as we both shall live."

"To be your family."

The pair smiled at each other as they lighted their candle together.

Mary looked at the pair proudly, "You two have endured all the traditional werewolf rituals and trials. There is only one remaining. Jackson, you may kiss your bride."

While Jackson was afraid to do so Hayley lightly laughed until he took a deep breath and went for it. As they pulled away from their kiss, both their eyes glowed golden signifying the Unification Ceremony worked. With a smile, they looked out to the guests and saw the same thing happening.

Davina was smiling as the guests happily cheered for their victory. She was a little startled (even releasing a little 'oh!' in the process) when she saw Maleny's eyes glowing bright golden just like them.

Maleny looked in awe as she raised a hand to her face. "This feels weird…" She could actually feel all the new strength and power cursing through her blood and veins.

Up above, across the courtyard, stood Klaus on his own, watching the guests chattering happily. His eyes were trained on Maleny though, relieved to see her stronger than ever. She would not be such an easy target for Finn or anyone else anymore. Best of all, she would feel safe and secure.

~ 0 ~

As the party went on out in the courtyard and partially on the street, things seemed like they couldn't get better. The wolves were more than happy to show off their new abilities to their friends. The vampire guests were the only slightly nervous from the new advantages gained. Still, for the time being, things were mellow. How long that would last no one knew.

Part of the courtyard had been converted to a dance floor for the guests, and at the center were the bride and groom. At the side stood Cami, Elijah and Klaus, all drinking and simply watching the festivities.

"Oh my God I have to teach her how to dance," Cami was making faces as she watched her friend Gia across the room, happily dancing with Marcel.

"The therapist teaching dance moves?" Klaus raised an eyebrow, "There's something I'd pay to see."

Cami snapped her head to the hybrid, mocking a glare, "You never paid me for any sessions you compelled me to give you. Getting money out of you would be a miracle."

"It's possible," Elijah then spoke up, keeping a straight face, "If you're blonde...and Maleny."

Cami snickered while Klaus openly glared at his brother, "Amusing," he muttered.

And as if she had heard her name, Maleny rushed up to the trio looking happier than ever, "You all need to quit standing there like hawks and come out to dance! It's so much fun!"

Cami looked as if she were trying to decide on something, "Are you drunk? Cos you said 'hawks'..."

"She's not drunk," Klaus answered before Maleny could.

Maleny giggled and threw her arms around his neck abruptly, startling him with the action, "I'm not!" she agreed, "I'm just so happy! Happy! Happy! Happy!"

"We hadn't noticed," Klaus sarcastically replied, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"I feel so strong now!" Maleny explained to him, her hands moving to his face, "Like I can take on the world or something. Is this how you feel all the time?"

"More or less," Klaus chuckled at her and handed his drink to Elijah before Maleny could spill it with her jumpy movements.

"It is amazing!"

"Maleny you realize this body is only a temporal situation for you, right?" Elijah cautiously asked her for fear in the midst of all the novelty she'd forgotten her situation. He, and unknowingly to him, and Cami silently agreed this could very well be Maleny entering a sort of re-denial stage of her situation.

Maleny looked at him with her wide smile, "I know that. I'm just actually having fun."

"Well, may I intrude on this fun by asking you to accompany me for Hope?" Klaus took her hands off his face and let go of one, "I think it's time she joined the party."

Maleny nodded, "Of course!" the two promptly walked off to retrieve the baby upstairs.

Cami watched after her cousin with mild concern, something Elijah didn't miss, "You need not worry," he told her as he set his and Klaus' glasses on a nearby table behind them, "It seems Maleny is pushing through."

"You can't fault me for being scared of a relapse," the blonde quietly said and looked at him.

"It won't happen," Elijah assured her and held a hand out for her, "Would you like to dance, Camille?"

Cami's surprised quickly made itself known on her face, "Are you sure?"

"Are you doubting my dancing skills?"

"No, it's just...these are fast songs, Elijah. You don't exactly look like the kind of guy to dance willy nilly."

"There are many things you don't know about me, Camille," Elijah flashed her a wide smile, still holding his hand out.

"Alright, then show me," Cami felt confident and took his hand.

Elijah accepted the near challenge with a nod, "I will," he said back and led her towards the dance floor.

~ 0 ~

As Klaus and Maleny made their way towards Hayley's room where Amarrah had Hope, Maleny continued babbling on about the party.

"And you should see Alton and his crazy dancing!" she laughed, "He tried to teach me but it was so weird I couldn't!"

"Fantastic," Klaus said in total, his face blank of any excitement.

"And you should also see what he drinks! He mixes up all these concoctions and drinks them like nothing!" Maleny continued on like nothing, "He's such a fun guy! I can see why Yamilet likes him."

"Perhaps you're liking him a little too much," Klaus declared in his quiet, yet sharp, tone.

Maleny looked at him with a knowing smirk, "I do like him," she agreed, "but as a friend as I have already stated."

"That's not what it appears downstairs…"

Maleny rolled her eyes and moved in front of him, forcing him to stop, "You are more than welcomed to take me out on a dance when we get back downstairs," she draped her arms over his shoulders.

"I don't intend on making a fool of myself out there," he warned her seriously.

She giggled, "I didn't think you would you jealous moron. If I wasn't in this body I'd calm all that jealousy with a kiss - much like you used to do in the past, remember?"

"Of course," he nodded, "You were always so jealous of everyone. I had to practically snog you all day."

"Poor you," she mocked him with a pout then laughed as she backed them towards Hayley's room.

"Yes, poor me," he kept with the game, "I had to cancel important plans sometimes."

"Mm, sometimes you cancelled those just so you could be with me, remember?" she smirked, "Don't pin this all on my 'jealousy'. You wanted to be with me."

"This conversation has moved to a completely different topic," he declared after a moment or so.

Maleny laughed and stopped them near the room, "Because I'm telling you all your truths, of course."

"Nonsense," Klaus dismissed her and strode into the room for Hope. Maleny rolled her eyes and hurried in after him, containing in her smirk of knowledge.

~ 0 ~

After several dances, Maleny and Klaus returned to the party, Klaus holding Hope in his arms. He motioned the band to stop playing before he spoke out to the guests.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please? Hayley, if you would join me, I would like to propose a toast."

Though surprised, Maleny nodded for Hayley to come over. As the brunette hybrid did, Maleny walked away to give the trio their space for their speech. She took a seat with Alton and Davina instead.

"I want to welcome you all. As you know, last spring, Hayley and I had a daughter. Due to tragic circumstance, she was lost. Now, she has returned home. Her name is Hope," Klaus explained just as Hayley took the baby into her arms, "She will live here among you, her pack. Her family. We implore you... protect our daughter," he grabbed a glass from a nearby tray, "Teach her. Love her, as one of your own. Jackson, I invite you and your bride to live here, uniting your proud and noble people in peace. Welcome to the family, mate. To Jackson and Hayley!"

As various guests clapped for the bride and groom, others were left a little confused.

"Funny, I never knew Klaus was the home offering type," Cami remarked to Elijah beside her, both two of the nonclapping guests.

"He's not," Elijah clarified. The two shared a quizzical look between them, agreeing there was probably something more to Klaus' sudden kindness.

~ 0 ~

The party had slowly began to lose its guests as the time passed by. Even then, there were some guests that wouldn't give up on their fun. However, Rebekah, still in her new witch body, appeared at the compound looking for her brothers.

"Elijah," she had found him and Cami first, but for the first couple of minutes was unrecognized by them, "It's me - Rebekah."

"Wow," was the first thing that came out of Cami's mouth.

Rebekah gave a small smile, but the matter was worse and it soon faded, "We need to go. Kol...he's not getting better. Where's Klaus?"

Elijah and Cami walked Rebekah to Hope's nursery where Klaus was looking after her for the moment. Feeling their presence, he turned to them questioning what they wanted.

"It's Kol. I couldn't help him," Rebekah guiltily explained, "He's not gonna last the night. We need to go."

Klaus looked back at Hope in her crib, the baby refusing to sleep just then. Cami walked up and smiled, "I can look after her," she volunteered and picked the baby up, "You guys go. She'll be fine."

Elijah looked guilty as well, for this is not how he had imagined their first, basic date to end at, "Cami, I'm-"

"Go," Cami insisted, nodding for them to hurry up. She didn't look at all displeased with the day, "Mal's downstairs if you wanted her," she told Klaus but he shook his head.

"I promised her she would have her normal wedding day and I intend on seeing that through," he said assuredly. He'd seen her chatting with Alton just before coming upstairs and she still seemed to be having the time of her life. He didn't want to ruin it just like it always had been.

"Okay," Cami agreed, "I'll make up something if she happens to ask, then," when she saw hesitancy from the two brothers, "Go! Kol's waiting for you guys!"

With nothing left to do, the three siblings went off to the cemetery where Kol was nearing his end.

~ 0 ~

Finn was healed completely thanks to his sister Freya who spent a good portion of the day using spells to fade away all the burn marks Elijah caused him. He was sitting on the autopsy table catching his bearings, missing the disapproving face Freya had directly on him.

"What did you do?" he was awed.

"It took a while, but I healed you," Freya replied, her tone restrained, "Brought you back from death, using this," she pointed to the blue pendant talisman around his neck.

Finn quickly looked at the pendant, "Your pendant. You said it would protect me."

"It's a talisman used to focus my power. I knew it would be dangerous to face Elijah. But I specifically said to avoid confrontation, Finn," Freya tilted her head, finally letting out her disapproval. "In fact, I thought it was you that said there would be no fighting." Finn sighed. "Finn, I told you we needed to find Elijah because he knew where our niece was. You were supposed to talk to him and persuade him to willingly��come to us so that I could explain something very important to the entire family."

"You haven't met our siblings, Freya. They are wild and-"

"It does not matter what type of people they are," Freya spoke over him, looking frustrated as she began to pace. "You don't understand, Finn, no one does. Esther was nothing compared to Dahlia. Dahlia is worse than the devil and you all need to understand the real reason she is coming."

"I assure you I understand perfectly well," Finn cut in, but did not ignore the loud sigh Freya gave in return. "I do, Freya!"

"No, you don't," Freya faced him with a glower.

"And why wouldn't I?"

"Because Esther herself didn't understand." Freya knew she was getting ahead of herself and took a deep breath in before she spoke again. "Listen, you failed to get Elijah back on good terms, and that just makes it harder for me now. I'll have to move on to the next step: getting Maleny Rowan back into her own body."

Finn's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Freya straightened up, looking determined than ever. "You heard me, Finn. I need the spell you used to make transfer of souls."

Finn studied her features for any trace of a joke, but was utterly confused to find none, "Freya, why…?"

Freya walked towards him, not pleased with the reluctance she was being met with, "To reverse it. What you did to her was cruel and-"

"And justified," Finn declared, still very much on his stance, "She sided with our siblings and it just so happens punishing her is a lot easier than our siblings."

Freya had a sharp look on her face as she crossed her arms, "Well then, we're going to have a problem because I promised him I would reverse the spell."

Finn straightened up and maintained himself against Freya. "And who's 'him' exactly? Don't think I haven't noticed your evasive attitude whenever I ask you. Tell me sister, what do you know that apparently the rest of the family doesn't?"

Freya stepped closer to him and very clearly told him, "That is a story for our brother Niklaus to hear first."

~ 0 ~

With the party long over, and now changed for sleep, Maleny resided in her bedroom with Hope. She'd offered herself to care of the baby, thinking a baby on a wedding night wasn't the most romantic thing so she assured Hayley she would take good care of Hope for the night. She had changed Hope for a good sleep and even brought along her favorite stuffed bear but the baby was in no mood to sleep.

Maleny had Hope in the middle of her bed with her pink blanket but the baby seemed far more interested in playing with her bear. Maleny sighed and leaned back on her headboard, "You are one tough baby," she remarked.

Hope gurgled in response, flashing a toothless grin afterwards. It was like she was basking in none of her relatives were looking over her. It was free rules and apparently aunt Maleny was not authoritative enough to lay down the law.

Shifting on her side to face the baby, she spoke in a hush tone, "What does it take to get you asleep, hm? What did aunt Bekah used to do?" Hope clutched her teddy bear and giggled, as if refusing to tell, "At this rate I'll fall asleep before you do…" she finished with droopy eyes, proving her words to be true.

"I can take her," Klaus' voice made Maleny raise her head to see the hybrid at the doorway.

"Where've you been?" Maleny tried not to sound like the demanding girlfriend that wanted to show at the moment, "I asked Cami and she refused to tell me the truth. Actually, she kept denying she was lying."

"Kol...died," Klaus replied to her question in a quiet voice, "Rebekah came in earlier to tell us there was nothing left to do…"

"Oh my God," Maleny's demands left her mind instantaneously. She quickly got up from the bed and met him halfway the room, "What happened? Why didn't...why didn't you tell me? I could've gone and…"

Klaus shook his head, still standing with his decision, "You were having your normal, fun wedding day and I...I couldn't take that from you."

Maleny playfully rolled her eyes at him, "Listen, that all gets cancelled when you need me. Kol and I may have had some disagreements since he came back but...he didn't deserve to die like this. I would've gone with you if you asked me to."

"I do know that," Klaus gave a weak smile and glanced at his daughter on the bed, still busily playing with her bear, "but I promised you your day."

Maleny hugged him tight, wishing she could have been there for him but she knew she should've known better. He did always keep his word, though sometimes it was in a twisted way, "Well, it's past midnight so my day is done," she pulled away, "What do you want to do?"

Klaus thought about that for a good while, and though his first thought was full of revenge against Finn he decided for a much calmer act instead. He looked at Maleny who'd been anxiously waiting for him to answer, "I'd like to hold my daughter right now."

Maleny slowly smiled, nodding her head as she turned for the bed, "If you can put her to sleep too that would be great. I promised Hayley I'd look after her but at the rate we're going Hope is going to put me to sleep first."

"I don't have much experience either," Klaus reminded as he went for Hope. Barely keeping in her yawn, Maleny followed to her place and sat down, watching him pick up Hope into his arms. He sat down on the other side of the bed and momentarily fiddled with Hope's hands.

"I know this is a stupid question but are you okay?" Maleny decided to go ahead and ask in the end, "How...how do you feel?"

"I feel like I want to rip Finn's head off," Klaus replied a mere second later.

"Understandable," Maleny agreed with a small nod, "I kind of want to too. But you know you can't face him without a proper plan, right? I don't want your impulsiveness to cloud your thinking."

"We'll get a plan," Klaus assured her, more like promised, "And it will work - that much I can promise to Kol."

Maleny reached to touch his arm, softly smiling at him, "And I can help now," she reminded him, "If I can get one use out of this body, it will be to help you. No more being babysat."

While Klaus didn't like to think about her actually getting fully involved in his family's plans - for the sake of her safety - he knew there would be no stopping her now that she had the strength and speed to do so. She learned her stubbornness from him, and that had no matter of ending.

#ocappreciation #klaus mikaelson #the originals #the originals fics #klaus mikaelson fics #klaus mikaelson imagines #the originals imagines #oc: Maleny Rowan #camlijah #fic: the girl in the forest

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filmfanatic82 · 5 years

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Chapter 10

“But I never stopped or gave up

I couldn't ever let you go

'Cause in the end, I was innocent, I was innocent

I let you know that it's no good

But you could never say it first

I know you're hurt

Tell me how you feel, tell me how you feel

Cause I got something to tell you, but I don't know why

It's so hard to let you know that we're not seeing eye to eye

Because I know if I tell you that everything's alright

Oh, we could stay in this moment, I'd never say goodbye

Oh, I'll never say goodbye”

-- Something to Tell You, HAIM

__________

“New Orleans?” Penelope asks as she crosses the threshold of Hope’s dorm room a short while later. She flops herself down on the bed, falling face-first into the mound of covers.

“New Orleans,” Hope responds following close behind. She shuts her dorm room door and then collapses on to the bed next to Penelope.

“We’re not actually going to New Orleans, right?”

“We can if we want to.”

Penelope lifts her head up and looks over at Hope with confusion. “Wait. So you were telling the truth back there?”

“Sorta. There isn’t any gathering going on. I totally pulled that part out of my ass, but I do have a standing invite with my Aunt Freya.”

“How long would it take us to get there?”

“Ten hours if we don’t stop.” Hope pauses for a moment, catching sight of the skepticism written all over Penelope’s face. “Okay. Or more like fifteen.”

“We should book a hotel somewhere near the halfway point just in case.”

“Already done,” Hope replies. “Made a reservation for three rooms at a hotel near Pensacola.”

“Three?”

“Yeah. One for MG. One for you and Josie. And one for Lizzie and me,” Hope races through the last part of her sentence with a rushed exhale of air and Penelope can’t help but laugh.

“What was that, Mikaelson?”

“You heard me,” Hope says as a deep reddish hue spreads across her cheeks.

“I think I heard you say that you booked a hotel room for you and Lizzie to share.”

“I don’t know… Or she can share with MG if she wants to.”

“Seriously?”

“What?”

“Okay, for starters, MG has a snowball’s chance in hell with Lizzie. It’s never going to happen.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Really? I don’t know?” Penelope throws the question back at Hope with a quirk of her brow and know-it-all smirk.

“God, I hate you.” Hope retaliates with a playful elbow to Penelope’s ribs.

“Nice try, Mikaelson. But no you don’t,” Penelope elbows her back in the same exact spot causing both of them to laugh in unison.

And as they do, Penelope is hit with yet another wave of deja vu. It’s subtler than the last few episodes, but the underlying feeling is all the same nonetheless. As if for a brief moment the world is back to where it was… or where it could be six years from now depending on how certain events unfold.

Hope had been right after all.

That regardless of the situation nor timeline, Hope underneath it all is still her Hope. The same exact one that she spent countless hours playfully bickering with over trivial matters. The one that would be there no matter what. Through thick and thin.

Her Hope.

Penelope’s laughter transforms into a distinct chuckle of realization as the irony of Hope’s name hits her dead on.

“What now, Park?” Hope asks, picking up on the change in Penelope’s laughter.

“Nothing,” Penelope pushes herself back up into a sitting position on the bed and gives a small shake of her head. “It’s stupid.”

“More stupid than me practically begging Lizzie Saltman to come along for an impromptu road trip to my aunts’ house?”

“Practically? Oh no… You flat out begged her. In front of everyone too. Thank god MG is absolutely clueless when it comes to picking up on stuff like that.”

Hope bites down on her lip and closes her eyes as another noticeable wave of embarrassment washes over her. “It was that obvious, huh?”

Penelope shrugs. “Not any more than you usually are when you’re around Lizzie.”

Hope grabs a nearby throw pillow and smacks Penelope with it.

“Hey!”

“You’re supposed to reassure me and tell me I wasn’t obvious at all.”

“Okay. You weren’t obvious at all,” Penelope responds in a fake, monotone voice. “Better?”

“Ass.”

Penelope lets out a laugh once again. “Mikaelson, you’ve got nothing to stress about. Didn’t you hear what Lizzie said? The fortune-teller told her that her soulmate likes raw meat, wears a leather jacket, and has amber-colored eyes. She literally was describing you.”

“But I don’t have amber eyes…” Hope trails off as she already knows what Penelope’s reply is going to be.

“Not yet, Furball,” Penelope says with another, even cockier smirk.

“Again, so freakin’ weird.” Hope lets out a light groan. “Do I even want to know why my eyes are amber?”

Penelope shakes her head. “Nope.”

“Good. Then I’m just going to try and bury that piece of info--”

BEEP.

Hope is suddenly cut off mid-sentence by a painfully loud beeping sound. It overtakes the room, drowning out all other ambient noises.

“Shit.” Penelope springs up to her feet and rolls up the sleeve to her shirt to reveal a blinking red bracelet. Her eyes grow wide with fear as she stares down at it.

“What the hell is that?” Hope asks in complete and utter confusion.

“Someone’s broken into my room,” Penelope replies and then before Hope can even react, she wrenches the door open and takes off at a breakneck speed down the hallway.

__________

It usually takes Penelope at least a good ten minutes to cover the distance between Hope’s dorm room and her own. Seven if she opts to take the shortcut through the younger students’ dorm corridor.

But this time, Penelope does it in under five.

Five minutes and change since when the alarm first sounded and yet…

It doesn’t matter.

The damage is already done.

Penelope slowly pushes open her dorm room door to discover that her room as been completely and utterly ransacked. A mixture of books, papers, and clothes are haphazardly strewn about like a layer of abnormal confetti, blanketing every inch of floor and overturned furniture. Nothing-- absolutely nothing-- has been left untouched.

Penelope stares blankly at the chaos before her unable to yet fully process the extent of the destruction.

Who?

How?

Why?

Those three questions cycle through Penelope’s mind on an endless loop, each one flashing in big bold letters each and every time they appear.

She had been so careful…

Or had she?

If Caroline or Hope were here, they would’ve begged to differ, lecturing her on the thousands of ways she could’ve been more attentive to her surroundings. More guarded. More… Just more of everything.

But they weren’t.

She was left to complete this mission alone and without any reasonable amount of time to do so either.

So she’s done the best that she could…

Or has she?

A sudden tsunami of self-doubt and paranoia crashes down upon Penelope, all but knocking the air right out of her lungs. She grips the door frame in order to remain upright as her eyes continue to scan over what remains of her room.

“Pen, why the hell did you… Holy shit!” Hope exclaims as she joins Penelope in the doorway and gets her first good look at the destruction. “What happened to your room?”

“I don’t know,” Penelope replies still wading her way through the initial shock of it all.

She blinks once. And then again. But nothing changes.

It’s real.

Hope gently pushes past Penelope and then carefully enter the room. Penelope follows suit, making sure to shut the door behind her as she does.

“I don’t get it,” Hope says as she does a slow 360, trying to take in every last detail. “Who would do this?”

“I don’t know,” Penelope repeats her words and runs her hands through her hair, desperate at the moment for any sort of comfort whatsoever.

“How did you even know someone was in your room in the first place?”

Penelope rolls up her sleeve, revealing the thin golden bracelet dangling from her wrist and then extends her arm towards Hope so that the Tribrid can get a better look. “It’s a warning charm. I placed it in my room in case… in case something like this were to happen. That was the beeping sound you heard. The bracelet is set to go off as soon as the boundaries are broken.”

“Boundaries?” Hope asks as she examines the bracelet.

Penelope nods. “Yeah. For example, It won’t go off if someone just happens to enter my room. But if they attempt to do anything out of the ordinary, like cast a spell or--”

“Or trash it?”

“Or trash it,” Penelope mimics Hope’s phrase, trying to swallow down the raw lump of emotions building up in the back of her throat. “Yes, then the bracelet will instantly go off.”

“That’s genius. Did you come up with this?”

“No… You did.” Penelope slowly starts to move around the room as well, careful not to cause even further damage to any of her belongings. Her mind races a mile a minute, flipping through the endless possibilities of who-- or what-- could be behind such a calculated attack.

This isn’t the first time she’s experienced this kind of out of the blue sort of ransacking. No. During that first year out in the real world when Hope and she had started ruffling some real feathers amongst the magical creature community, it had been a regular occurrence. So much so, that Penelope had learned over time to stash her most valuable possessions in a secret compartment within her room rather than keeping them out where anyone could find and destroy them.

In fact, it’s why Hope created the bracelet system in the first place.

One too many break-ins.

One too many irreplaceable items lost.

“I still don’t get it,” Hope says as she picks up a half-torn notebook and looks it over. “Why would someone do this? No one, besides me knows the truth, right?”

Penelope shakes her head. Her mind picks up speed, trying to fit the seemingly odd pieces of the puzzle before her together.

“And you’re sure that no one else came back with you? Like some random demon stowaway?”

“No. I’m positive,” Penelope replies. Her fingers absentmindedly move upwards towards her neck and trace over the scar that’s no longer there. “The spell was quite clear. One being per talisman.”

“Okay…” Hope trails off as she furrows her brow, deep in thought. “What about items? Did you bring anything back that would be of value to someone else? Like a relic or journal?”

Penelope shakes her head again. “Too risky. The only thing I took with me was… Fuck.”

The yellow sweater.

Josie’s yellow sweater.

The one that bears an extensive collection of rips and faded stains from her six years’ worth of fighting to survive.

Penelope bolts across the room towards her overturned bed. She shoves it aside, drops her hands and knees, and then starts to carefully run her fingers along the cracks in the wooden floor.

“Park?” Hope asks, watching Penelope with confusion.

“No… No… No…” Penelope’s fingers catch on a seemingly inconspicuous hole and then pries open a loose floorboard to reveal a hidden compartment. But the yellow sweater-- Josie’s sweater-- is nowhere to be found.

“SHIT!” Penelope yells. She falls back onto her knees and stares at the empty space in dreaded disbelief.

“Pen, what’s wrong?”

“It’s gone. Fuck! It can’t be gone!” Penelope’s fingers rub harder against the smooth flesh of her neck, desperate for even the tiniest of hints that there was once an actual scar there.

No.

The sweater can’t be gone.

It’s her constant. Her singular anchor to a world and a life that no longer exists.

It can’t be gone.

“Penelope!” The harsh tone of Hope’s voice snaps Penelope straight out of her thoughts and back into the moment. She freezes mid-stroke of her skin as her eyes slowly wander upwards to meet Hope’s. “Talk to me.”

Penelope goes to open her mouth, but her words fail her. She swallows again as the hot sting of fresh tears burns their way down her cheeks.

It can’t be gone.

“Pen?” Hope moves closer to the raven-haired girl and without a moment’s hesitation, gently hooks her arm under Penelope’s and helps her to her feet. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything.” The word effortlessly tumbles out of Penelope through the steady streams causing Hope to instantaneously wrap her up into a reassuring hug. And Penelope melts. She lets the tears flow, not making any effort whatsoever to stop them. There’s no point.

Not anymore.

“Let’s start with the basics,” Hope pulls back out of the hug and locks eyes once again with Penelope. Penelope nods and sniffles back the tears. “Good. What was hidden in there?”

“A sweater.”

“Okay…” Hope says trying to follow along. “And safe to assume it held some sort of importance?”

“It was Josie’s yellow sweater.”

Hope’s eyes grow wide with sudden understanding. “Oh…”

“Yeah,” Penelope exhales. “I took it with me when I left Salvatore the last go around. And--”

“And you brought it back with you?”

“Yup.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a fucking idiot, that’s why. And now it’s gone… which means it’s in the hands of someone who will quickly figure out that it’s not from this timeline and then… and then…” Penelope trails off getting lost in her own thoughts. Once again her hands shoot back up towards her neck.

Hope studies Penelope for a moment or two, watching the seemingly benign motion with a peaked curiosity, then--

“What’s wrong with your neck?”

“Huh?” Penelope stops, suddenly thrown off-guard. “Nothing.”

“Bullshit.”

“Hope…”

“No. You’re lying and we both know it. You’ve been compulsively touching the same spot on your neck for the last three days now. Every single time whenever you’re stressed or anxious about something related to Josie. It’s clearly a coping mechanism or tick of some sort, which leads me to believe that something bad happened… Or is going to happen… Or… I don’t fucking know. But whatever it is, it involves Josie in some way. So, just spit it out already and we’ll deal with it. Whatever it is. We’ll figure it out.”

“No, we won’t,” Penelope fires back as the second wave of tears starts to build back up within her eyes.

“You don’t know that.”

Penelope lets out a harsh laugh and runs her hands through her hair. “Jesus, Hope. For the thousandth time already. Yes, I do.”

“Tell me.”

“I can’t.”

“Pen, I can handle it. Just tell me.”

Penelope swallows down the monstrous lump of emotions residing in the back of her throat and then takes a moment to blink away her tears. Then, she locks eyes with Hope and releases a breath of air that up until this very moment, she didn’t realize she was holding on to.

“She kills Lizzie.”

And with those words, time suddenly comes to a crashing halt. Hope stares blankly at Penelope as her eyes seem to cycle through a mixture of varying emotions at a rapid-fire pace. Confusion. Grief. Anger. Fear. Each one hitting Penelope dead on with an all too familiar gut-churning sensation. She’s seen each and every last one of those emotions before and knows all too well what could potentially come next once the real gravity of her words has had the time to fully sink in.

“What?” Hope asks finally breaking the silence.

“Josie kills Lizzie.”

“During the merge?”

“No. She kills her long before that.” Penelope shakes her head as she desperately fights to hold back her tears.

“Why?”

“Because Josie-- future Josie-- is the most feared and sadistic magical entity in all of existence.”

This is the part that she’s been dreading the most.

Ever since returning.

The part where inevitably Penelope must rip off the proverbial band-aid and reveal the cold, harsh truth of the potential events to come.

“Josie? I… I don’t… I don’t understand.”

Penelope exhales a shaky breath of air and then takes a seat on the nearby desk chair. She needs to sit down for this. There’s no other way to get through it.

“It starts with the attack at the school. The one that’s about to happen. I wasn’t here for it the first go around, but from your recounts of it, Josie gets gravely injured with a bullet tainted with the goo from Malivore. You’re able to save her with your blood and everything seems to go back to normal, until roughly six months later when Josie starts to dive deep into the realms of dark magic. That’s why you originally hunt down Caroline and I in Paris.” Penelope pauses for a moment as Hope slowly slumped down against the overturned dresser. She doesn’t need an explanation to know what’s transpiring within the Tribrid’s mind. The look on her face says it all. Hope’s too lost within her own thoughts for words.

“Unfortunately, though, we don’t realize just how far gone Josie is until it’s too late.”

“Lizzie?”

Penelope nods. “Yeah. That was the tipping point. Josie got wind that she had located one of the relics needed to complete the counter curse for the merge, tracked her down, destroy the relic and then murdered her in cold blood.”

“Were we… Were we there?” Hope’s voice quivers as she utters the question out loud.

“No. We didn’t keep in regular contact with everyone else, except for the occasional update phone calls from Alaric or your aunt Freya. It was easier that way. It allowed us to do what we needed to do without running the risk of being tracked down… We didn’t even know that Liz knew about the counter curse, let alone was hunting down the relics needed until afterward… If we would’ve known, we would’ve…” Penelope trails off yet again as her finger dance along the smooth skin of her neck.

“It’s Josie, isn’t it? The reason behind why you keep touching your neck like that? She did something to you.”

Penelope tries to nod again but finds even that simple of tasks to be too much at the moment as the floodgates release and the raw memories associated with her scar crash down upon her. “When we found out the real truth behind Liz’s death, you decided to take Josie on yourself. Caroline and I tried to stop you, but of course, you wouldn’t listen. You never do… By the time I managed to catch up with you, it was almost too late. She was seconds away from killing you as well, so I did the one thing I could think of doing… I intervened and took Josie head-on with everything I had.”

“You fought Josie?”

“Yeah. I did. And it… It wasn’t pretty. I could’ve done better but, like always, I let my emotions get in the way and she managed to get the upper hand.” Penelope swallows as her skin ignites with phantom pains from the memory of it all. “She slit my throat with a knife and then up and disappeared. I would’ve died right then and there if it hadn’t been for you. You were able to reverse time on the knife thanks in part to a spell that Caroline had taught us so I didn’t completely bleed out, but it did leave me with… With a scar.”

Penelope holds her breath as she waits for the enviable follow-up questions, but instead is met with only silence. She closes her eyes as her tears pick back up, freely carving out two new paths down the lengths of her cheeks.

It’s not like it’s the first time she’s had to recount the events of that infamous night. No. She has done it at least twice before. Once, for Caroline the morning after and then a few weeks later for both Alaric and Freya during a rare, in-person visit.

In both of those instances, though, the damage had already been done. And Penelope had had the lovely six-inch souvenir that stretched across the width of her neck as a constant reminder of it.

But now…

Now it’s different.

Now there’s no scar.

Just the lingering memory of something that could potentially come to fruition once again.

And it’s nothing short of terrifying.

Suddenly, Penelope feels a foreign set of fingertips gentle graze her neck, tracing along the invisible line. She opens her eyes to find Hope’s warm blue eyes staring back at her, radiating a much-needed reassurance.

“C’mon,” Hope says as she offers Penelope her hand and pulls Penelope up onto her feet. Penelope wipes her tears away and then looks at Hope in slight confusion.

“Where are we going?” Penelope asks.

“Not sure exactly.” Hope shrugs and gives her best attempt at a smile. “But we’ve got a sweater to find.”

#posie #josie x penelope #josie saltzman #penelope park #hope mikaelson #lizzie saltzman #legacies #wlw #ao3 #fanfic

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