Fight With Me

Chapter 24

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NEW ORLEANS – HOPE'S POV

"What do you mean, Hope?" Freya asked gently, stepping closer, her voice careful.

Something inside me snapped.

"Don't touch me," I said sharply, backing away and pressing myself into Josie without even thinking. Her arms came around me instantly, solid and grounding.

I looked straight at Marcel.

"My whole life," I said, my voice shaking despite myself, "I thought it was my fault. I thought I did something wrong. That my dad didn't want me." My chest burned. "I spent years believing I wasn't enough."

Marcel's jaw tightened.

"But it wasn't me," I continued, anger surging. "It was you. You locked him up. For years. You took him away when I needed him most. You don't get to stand here and act like family after that."

The room was dead silent.

Then I turned to Davina.

"And you," I said, quieter now, which somehow felt worse. "I trusted you. I told you how scared I was of losing him. You looked me in the eye and let me believe you cared." My voice cracked. "And all that time, you were trying to kill him."

"Hope—" Davina whispered.

"No," I snapped. "Don't. None of you say anything."

Josie's hand tightened in mine, anchoring me as the air around us vibrated with magic I wasn't fully controlling.

"We're leaving," I said.

And this time, no one tried to stop us.

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MYSTIC FALLS – CAROLINE'S POV

My voice echoed through the school over the intercom.
"Everyone return to your dorms immediately. This is not a drill."

My heart was already racing.

Alaric stood in the supply room, syringe in hand, his face grim. "You ready?"

I swallowed. "No. But I'm coming anyway."

We ran.

Lizzie's door burst open before we even reached it.

She wasn't herself anymore. Dark energy crackled around her, eyes wild, magic thrashing against the walls like it needed somewhere to go.

"Lizzie," I said softly, holding my hands up. "It's Mom. Look at me. You're safe."

She snarled, power slamming into the far wall hard enough to crack it.

Alaric's voice was tight. "Caroline..."

"I know," I whispered.

He moved fast. The sedative hit, and Lizzie collapsed, her magic receding as her body went limp.

I caught her before she hit the floor.

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NEW ORLEANS – HOPE'S POV

I didn't know where I was driving. I just knew I couldn't breathe back there.

The woods came up fast. I pulled over hard and shut the engine off, my hands shaking.

"Stay here for a second, okay?" I said to Josie, forcing my voice steady.

She nodded, watching me closely but trusting me enough not to ask questions.

I stepped into the trees, muttering under my breath as magic surged through me. Anger, hurt, betrayal — I poured it all into the spell.

When I stepped back, the treehouse stood there.

Perfect. Familiar. Ours.

"Josie," I called.

She stepped out of the car slowly, eyes wide. "Hope... how did you—"

I didn't let her finish. I pulled her close, forehead resting against hers, breath uneven.

"Do you want to stop thinking for a while?" I asked quietly. Then, softer, teasing despite everything, "Because I'm really bad at processing emotions right now."

Her lips curved immediately. "Is that your way of asking if I want angry sex?"

I smirked despite myself. "Yeah. It is."

She didn't hesitate. "Then absolutely."

I opened the door with an exaggerated bow. "After you, milady."

She laughed, stepping inside, and the second the door closed behind us, the world went quiet.

No family. No history. No ghosts.

Just us — and the tension we'd been carrying finally snapping into something else entirely.

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