Always and Forever #wattys2021

Chapter 24.

I decide to go away.

"What's the problem?" Asks a voice in front of me. I look Alaric who's next to the stairs.

"Were you spying me?" I ask to move the attention on something else.

"No, I wasn't. I was looking for a book, that I've found" He shows me an old book. "When I saw you, and you looked... Shocked, gelous and I have to tell you that I was a little bit worried"

"Why?" I ask.

"Because Caroline is a good person. And a good woman, and a good mom. I know you have a mom yet, but... She's different.

She's brilliant, always happy, with the smile on her face... She is so strong!

You... You are fast in making judices, but you don't know what she's been throught"

"And I intend continue like this" I fake a smile. "Now, if you want excuse me..."

"Me not, instead" He stops me, so I understand there's no other way if not turn myself and listen to him.

"So... Tell me about this Caroline! I'm so interested"

"Your father felt the neeed of protect her, like nobody had done with him. They are the same, he saied. Because nobody stopped when they met someone. Everybody were just... For passage, you know?

They found each other when your father was looking for another woman, who was a girl at times, but Caroline never always escaped from him, even if she wanted him so much..."

"Because she didn't know how that woman could react?" I gamble.

"Maybe! But he, when he was in a very bad period, he came there... Before... You know, disappear"

What?

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. He was looking for a way to save you, and then he saied her goodbye, then nobody had seen him anymore... Until some weeks ago, because of you" He smiles.

"And... How was Caroline?"

"Oh, she's always fine. I think, knowing her, she moved away his memory, and she falled into work, as she did when she studied..."

" And what's going to happen now?"

"I don't know, Hope. But I think that, if you brought back you father, it's because you love him. And if you love him, you know you can't ask him to be his only love... Don't be silly. Better, don't be selfish" Says Dr Saltzman before go away.

Am I selfish?

I just... Want to live with my family!

"Hope!" Landon comes.

"Am I selfish to you?"" I ask.

"You...What? Hope, what are you taking about? You saved us so many times, you're the hero of this school, of this city and I wouldn't be surprise if you'd be also the hero of the world, even if the hero is never the oune who survives. But you broke out also this rule, if it so, and... I, we could describes you with thousand words, but stay sure selfish never would be in the list.
Why are you asking me that, I can ask?"

I smile.

"Nothing, just...Thank you, Landon"

I kiss him, then I look at him again.

"What were you here for?"

"Oh...Nothing, I...Just wanted to invite you go out"

"Oh...Okay!" I'm surprise.

"Let's go!" He smiles.

"Now?" I ask.

"Yes...Why not?" He smiles.

So, we go make a round.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"Yes..." I lie.

He stops, then he looks at me.

"Hope..."

"What do you think about Caroline?" I ask.

"What? Hope, no! What are you thinking about?!" He exclaim with an horrified face.

"No! Not...Oh, never minds..."

"No, tell me. What's happened?"

"It doesn't needs a genie to understand that she and my father are in love!"

"And...What's the problem?" Asks him.

"You don't understand..." I say going away.

"Then let me understand! Talke woth me,Hope! C'mon... I'm here for you" He stops me.

I turn around and he is looking in my eyes.

"Hope, what's the problem if your father is in love?"

"There's no problem woth this, the problem is with who he is in love!"

"Would it be different if the person would be different?" He asks me.

"Of course!" I exclaim.

"Oh, really? What about... The teacher!"

"What?! No! And... She loves another man" I scream, while London looks at me with a face that want to say I sayed you... What about now?

"Okay! I'm jalous of my father, of my family...But...Who it isn't?"

"This is not the problem. The problem is that you, with your jalousie, don't accept your father's happiness"

"What? No way!"

"Yes!"

"I'm okay with Davina, I was okay with my aunt's wife..."

"But this is not the same" He interrupts me.

"What are you saying?"

"This is your father, we are talking about him. Your hero, your king, the first man... He loves you so much, he would stop to date Caroline if you'd ask him,you know?"

"Yes"

"Do you really want to?"

My father never told me who I should date... Who am I to do the same?

"No"

"His love to you could never disappear!" He smiles.

"I'm not afraid of this..."

"Of what?"

"What about...If she hurts him again?"

"Hope, are tou kidding me? Your father has hundred years, even more! Do you really think he's never been broken by love?" Laughs him.

"You don't really understand, right?" I whisper.

"Love doesn't hurt. Never. People do, instead.
Because their proud, their maskes, their selfishness, to defend themselves people hurt other people.
And my father has been hurted so many times, you would never imagine how many and the ways.
So... Okay, I'm gonna stay to watch them do the lovers, but to one condition: if that girl is going to add another suffer to him, then she will know all the darkness of a Mikaelson. I promise, on my family's name"

"You will never change, right?" A voice talks behind me.

Alaric.

"No. No one hurts my family and lives. No one."

"Caroline is a good woman, look what she did with Lizzie and Josie!
And she helps your father"

I go away.

I have to talk with her.