I Won't Give Up - Hosie

Weekend Away

Josie and Hope are sitting on the couch together under a blanket. Josie is curled into a ball with her eyes closed.

"What was it like, seeing him after all that time?" Hope suddenly asks.

She knows its probably a sensitive subject, but her curiosity gets the better of her and she can't help but ask.

"It was infuriating, so infuriating having him stumble in here calling me his daughter. But it was also scary. What if that's what's in store for me when I'm older? What if that's our son's future?"

"It's not," Hope quietly assures her. "You're not him, and our son won't be either."

"But mainly, it was just sad," Josie continues. "I looked at him and felt no love, no connection, no positive emotion, and he's the man who's supposed to be my dad."

Hope automatically feels guilty, knowing that's the fate she almost condemned her son to.

"I know Stefan has been giving you a little bit of a hard time lately ever since finding out, but he means well," Josie tries to convince Hope.

"A little bit of a hard time? He glares at me whenever I enter a room he's in. He interrogates me every chance he gets."

"He's just having trouble wrapping his head around the fact that I'm pregnant. He's going into dad mode. When I think of my dad, all I see is Stefan."

"Josie, are you okay?" Caroline rushes through the door along with the rest of their family. "Hope texted us and we turned the car right around."

"I can't believe Alar-dick decided to make a surprise appearance," Lizzie hugs her twin.

"Did he hurt you?" Stefan asks worriedly.

"No, Hope forced him to leave before he could do anything," Josie tells them.

His gaze turns to Hope, and she's not sure what to expect, but it's certainly not what happens next.

"Thank you," he hugs her. "Thank you for protecting my daughter."

Hope can hear the sense of relief in his voice and is grateful for some kind of approval by him at last.

Josie's family stays an extra night to make sure Josie isn't shaken up by what happened with Alaric. Once they're convinced he left no more lasting damage, they go back home.

Josie eventually loosens her reigns on Hope. She knows she still has a business to run, so when Hope asks if she can spend the weekend in another city for business, Josie doesn't hesitate in giving her blessing.

Josie sits on the couch eating a bag of pickle-flavored potato chips while Hope makes sure Josie's fridge is stocked with all her latest cravings and ready-made meals.

Josie can tell that she's nervous to leave by the way she's glancing around the apartment making sure everything is just right.

"I'm pregnant, not helpless," Josie reminds her.

"I know, I know," Hope sighs. "It's just, your family just left the other day and now you're going to be all alone. Maybe I should cancel my trip and stay here with you and the baby."

"No, don't be ridiculous. Your business needs you," Josie insists. 

Hope seems to contemplate her options before finally agreeing with Josie.

She says a really sweet goodbye to the baby before heading toward the door.

"I'll come running back here as soon as I can. Call me if you need anything."

Josie waves goodbye and the door closes shut.

"Wait, I almost forgot," Hope reopens the door. "The beginning of the month is coming up while I'm gone. Don't worry about paying rent, it's already covered."

Josie's mouth falls open in shock.

"Hope, you didn't."

"I did," she nods her head. "I'm going to take care of you and our baby, I promise."

Hope can't help but call to check up on Josie every chance she gets. On the drive to the airport, before take-off, after landing, between meetings.

"Hope, I know you're just being really sweet and protective, but you've gotta stop calling me every two hours," Josie says after Hope called her from her hotel. "For your sake and mine just relax. Everything is fine."

"I'm sorry, I just can't wait until I can come back and be with you so I can stop worrying."

"If it helps you sleep tonight, Penelope is coming over later, so I won't be alone."

"Penelope Park? As in your ex from high school?" Hope clearly remembers the she-devil.

"Yes, and she's also my coworker and friend. We're just going to have a movie night."

'Okay, this is fine. It's possible for Josie to just be friends with her ex,' Hope thinks to herself. 'Wait, why did I think that? Josie and I aren't even together, technically.'

"Alright, I'll call you in the morning. Have fun," Hope says through gritted teeth. "But not too much fun," she grumbles after.