Resurfacing

Chapter 2

When Josie finally wakes up, she realises they are finally in New Orleans. She's woken up to mumbles of words being spoken, she assumes it's Bonnie speaking with one of Hope's family members. She slowly got out of the car, nervous for what was going to come. She regretted what happened with Freya and hoped that the other woman knew that. She noticed they had already moved Hope from the car. Just in case though, she approached slowly and carefully as you would to a wild animal. As she did, Bonnie and who she had already assumed was Freya, went quiet. They both just stood, staring at her. 

Finally, the tension was cut short once Bonnie turned around fully to face Josie, "Do you want me to stay?" 

Josie took a moment to think about it. On one hand, it would be helpful to have someone around who didn't hate her but on the other hand, it wouldn't be fair to keep Bonnie here and risk her getting in trouble or hurt. "It's okay, thank you for everything though," and with that, Josie hugged Bonnie before waving her off. She stayed standing there, looking at where the car once was, for a little while longer than necessary to try and hide from the confrontation that was to come from Freya.  

Eventually, she's forced to face Freya when she finally speaks up, "Are you coming or just standing there?" Josie doesn't even bother to reply, she just turns around and picks her things up before following the Mikaelson. 

She's led into a massive room that has an old look to it. It's filled with plants everywhere and leaves all over the floor. Josie can't help but wonder what kind of house has a water fountain in the middle and then she's forced to remind herself, it's the Mikaelsons. She really shouldn't be so surprised by anything 'unusual' in this home. The brunette still couldn't process how she was going to be staying here, Lizzie and MG must think she's stupid, for this. Eventually, Freya leads her up to the room she'll be staying in. 

The first words since being outside were finally spoken, "This is Hope's room, but she wouldn't mind you staying here" Josie places her luggage down and glares around the room. Once she's done looking, she turns around to see Freya leaving. She couldn't help but feel like she has to say something, anything. 

"Erm, Freya?" She just receives a simple look in return. "Thank you for letting me stay here and for not repaying what i did to you" She looks down nervously, she couldn't help it, being around a Mikaelson is nerve-wracking. 

"Anything for Hope." The blonde flashed a sad smile. Josie could tell Freya was missing Hope, why wouldn't she? By now, Josie moved on from playing anxiously with her fingers to her necklace. 

Freya must have noticed this, "Hope, she gave you that didn't she?" Josie wondered how she would know this but nodded to give Freya her answer anyway.

"It's a family talisman." This sentence alone left Josie confused, why would Hope give her something from her family? It honestly made her feel slightly guilty. 

"Oh um, sorry do you want it back?" After saying this, Josie immediately felt ridiculous because Freya had chuckled at her. The blonde witch just shook her head, which honestly made Josie feel good because she loved the talisman and would hate to give it up. Not only that but, what would Hope say when she woke up and found out Josie gave away her present?

"You must mean a lot to her." Honestly, Josie wasn't sure if she did mean anything to Hope. Hope did always protect Josie and stand up for her. Sometimes Josie would even catch the auburn-haired girl staring at her. But, does that mean Josie means something to Hope? Josie couldn't think of a vocal response so stuck to a simple nod and slight smile, she found it to be her most frequent response when speaking to Freya already. 

Instead of a goodnight, Freya just flashed a forced smile before closing the door. Even though this was to be a short 'trip' Josie already knew it was going to feel like a long one. She just had to remind herself it was for Hope.

Josie changed into her sleepwear and laid on the bed. She couldn't escape her thoughts about Hope, especially since she was now staying in her room. 

She stayed like that for hours, trying to fall asleep. What probably didn't help was the fact she had slept earlier during the car ride. Eventually, she gave up and went in search to find the bathroom. She didn't want to walk into some random room for the sake of Freya and her wife Keelin's privacy so instead, when she heard a splinter of noise come from downstairs, she went there. 

When she finally reached downstairs, she searched around the open-spaced room and the corridors. Eventually, she heard a noise coming from downwards. She had no idea there was a downstairs to the compound. Josie wasn't sure what to expect and was only mainly focused on worrying about if she would be murdered for coming down here. When she finally reached the downstairs, she couldn't help but let her heart sink a little. There was a closed coffin. She knew it was probably Hope in there, it hurt, even though she knew Hope wasn't dead. Josie opened the coffin to see Hope there. She looked peaceful although, Josie was unsure of whether the look was a lie. 

She just sat next to the coffin, thinking about Hope. Whether she was hurt wherever she was or if she was even somewhere. She couldn't help but wonder if Hope was still stuck in Josie's mind as stone or if she was in a dark pit like when she was in Malivore. Wherever it was, Josie just wanted to get her out of there. She missed her. Her smile, her laugh, their simple yet, meaningful interactions. She just missed seeing Hope. Josie couldn't help but replay the last interactions she had with the girl in her head. How even though Josie told her to leave, she stayed. How Hope sacrificed herself for her. The main moment that stayed in her mind though, was the one where she told Hope to kiss her. Josie kept replaying how Hope had said: "a non-consensual kiss is never the answer"  the brunette couldn't stop herself from wondering if Hope would have kissed her knowing she was the pig.

Josie kept all of these moments in her head and cherished them for a while before trying to catch up on sleep. If she was going to bring Hope back she needed all the strength she could get.