The Vixen & the Fox II

Chapter 298

"Why am I wearing a Dodgers cap?" Davina asked as they smuggled her out of the school grounds.

"Because Auntie D likes the Dodgers," Hope answered as they walked into Mystic Falls.

"Big Me does not have tastes," Davina stated.

"I could've given you my Pelican's cap, but it's older than you," Kol quipped.

"Kol, honey, everything you own is older than me," Davina smiled at him. "Also, I do not root for Dodgers, even in my timeline."

"Who do you root for?" Hope asked.

"Astros, they have creole and cajun food when I go to their games," Davina answered.

"The love of my life will always make me compete for her affections with spicy food," Kol mused as he slung an arm around Davina. Hope was a bit baffled at how easily her uncle draped himself around Davina like he had around Auntie D all the time, but stranger this Davina didn't seem to mind it either. Hope saw the way her uncle though was shielding Davina from everyone's views, keeping her just enough out of sight that people couldn't notice it was her and Kol.

They made it to the small out of the way café; not the Grill.

"Go get us seats at the sunny corner," Davina ordered as she slipped their grasp. Hope nearly panicked when Davina slipped their hold, and she saw her uncle wasn't fairing much better. Davina seemed to notice that as she turned to them.

"I'm not gonna poof on you, go get the sunny table!" Davina ordered. Hope bit her lip but reluctantly followed her uncle to the seats Davina had ordered them to get. Hope noticed Kol kept Davina in his line of sight as they sat.

"She smells different..." Hope whispered as they both watched her. Davina turned, raising her brow at them and Kol smiled sharply which had Davina shaking her head as she went back to focusing on the line. Hope now noticed that Davina's arm was casted, there were healing runes on it, and she was tugging down maroon top she was wearing. Hope knew her aunt usually knotted that shirt so she could show off some of her body; but Davina wasn't doing that.

"She's not our Davina," he said softly and sadly.

"But you love her," Hope observed.

"She's Davina," Kol stated.

Hope blinked a few times at her uncle's statement. "I... I don't understand."

"I love Davina, Hope, any version of her, Davina is Davina, and that's important..." Kol said softly. "And she smells differently because she is different, she lives a different life, with different versions of events, she has different experiences. But she is still Davina Claire."

"Oh," Hope nodded and blinked back a few tears.

"She told you she wasn't your aunt, Hope, and she is right in doing so, because she is not our Davina, but she will not sever the connection you or I feel to her because she is Davina, so she has given you the right to call her what her family calls her, we are a part of this Davina's family and she a part of ours," he said softly.

Hope nodded as she looked at Davina who was reading a magazine then while shuffling through the line. Hope started picking out the differences then, the near black hair which was pulled up but long and loose, the black finger nail polish, the nasty scar on her shoulder, it looked like a bullet or something had hurt her, there were a few runes peeking up on Davina's spine before disappearing under the tank top, there was what looked to be a vampire bite in her wrist, but it was hidden by the bracelets and watch, her hand arm was casted, she wore at least five silver necklaces of varying lengths, and her earrings appeared to be black pearls. This Davina was also tanner than her Auntie had been, she looked like a woman who'd been outside a lot. She was different but not from her aunt, and it was confounding. Hope finally placed that scent though when a different woman walked by them which had her eyes widening as she spun around to look at her uncle who was looking nonchalant, but his eyes were on Davina.