For Good | Hale- TO/TW [8]

9 | Salva-bore

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Hope and Stella sit silently in the car. A large sign flies past them; it says "Welcome to Mystic Falls" in big letters. Neither girl notices the sign.

Hope drives while Stella stares out the window. It has been five days since Klaus left Mystic Falls, and three days since Freya decided Hope would be safer back at the Salvatore Boarding School. And where else could Stella go but with her cousin? So both girls begrudgingly got in the car and drove away from the drowning city of New Orleans.

"What's it like?" Stella asks, trees sliding across her eyes. Hope glances at her. "Salva-bore?"

Hope lets out a chuckle. "It's not that bad. The Saltzman twins are annoying as hell, but everyone else is super nice."

Stella nods. She bites down on the inside of her cheek. "Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah," Hope says. "Of course."

Stella sits up and looks at Hope. The younger witch stares for a moment before taking a deep breath. As she exhales, the words spill from her lips. "I miss my family."

Hope's half-smile falls. Her throat bobs but she refuses to look over at Stella. "I do too," Hope whispers. "But I'm sure Aunt Freya is doing her best to help everyone, and now that your mom's back, she'll yell at everyone to get to New Orleans and fix what...what I broke."

Stella shakes her head when she sees the look of guilt flash over Hope's features. "I don't blame you, I swear! I just... I feel like I need to be doing something."

"You will be," Hope says with faux brightness. She drives through a large open gate and parks in front of a brick building. "Here, you can hone your magic. Then, we can work on a plan to save everyone."

"Hope, I feel useless here." Stella crosses her arms and lets her eyes wander over the building. "It looks like a fancy prison."

Real smugness returns to Hope's eyes. "Well, it is what it is." She gets out of the car, Stella right behind her. "And, it's only until the all-clear is given back home. We won't be here long."

Hope's eyes glance at the large tower at the corner of the school. A boy stands behind the curtains, staring at both of them. Hope sends Roman a small smile and wave before dragging Stella into the school.

At the door, two adults stand with their backs to the entrance. As Hope enters, both turn to greet the girls with smiles. Alaric Saltzman's eyes are wrinkled, his hair silver with time. Caroline Forbes smiles with ageless beauty, a hint of apprehension behind her sharp features.

"Hope, glad to see you back," Alaric greets. "I see you've brought a friend."

Stella adjusts her step, further hiding behind Hope. "This is my cousin, Stella," Hope says. "She's a witch."

Stella stays silent as she surveys the room. Her bright blue eyes search for every hiding spot and open space. Within seconds, she has an escape plan from the room mapped out in her mind.

Caroline's smile falters. "You must be Lexi's daughter."

Stella's eyes snap to Caroline. She steps forward as Hope tenses. "You know my mom?" Stella asks. Only Hope detects the curiosity behind Stella's defensive tone.

The vampire nods. "We knew her before she had you." She glances at Alaric. "We were..."

"Let me guess," Stella says, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. "You befriended her and then tried to kill her because the doppelgänger said she wanted my uncle Klaus gone, but she didn't want to do it herself."

Anger flickers in the adults' eyes. "Yep," Alaric mutters. "You are definitely Lexi's kid."

Caroline takes a calming breath. "Hope, why don't you go catch up on what you've missed. Stella, let's talk about your stay in my office."

Stella glances at Hope as the older witch nods. "Don't worry, Stella," Hope says with a small smile. "I'll catch up with you later."

Hope squeezes Stella's hand before walking into the long hallway. Stella watches as she disappears up the stairs. Only once Hope is gone does Stella harden her features and follow the vampire to another room in the mansion.

Students in the parlor stare at her, curiosity clouding their vision. Stella can feel the stares of everyone as she walks. She snaps her fingers, muttering, "Invisique."

Behind her, she can hear gasps of amazement and shock. She smirks, letting the spell drop once the door to Caroline's office comes into view.

Caroline opens the door, letting Stella walk in first. The Hale girl pauses at the door, her eyes finding a woman at a large desk. The office smells of sage and lavender with books clouding the shelves. The woman leans against the desk, her arms crossed and facing the door. She must have been waiting for some time as her face relaxes in relief.

Tears spring to Stella's eyes as she runs forward. Lexi pushes off the desk to wrap her arms around Stella, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Caroline," Lexi says over Stella's head. "Give us a moment, please."

Stella hears the door click behind her.

She pulls away from Lexi, letting her mother look her up and down. This has always been a way of greeting: checking for physical injuries as well as mental ones.

The moment Lexi's eyes stop roaming, both Hales smile. "Hello, little witch." Lexi grins.

"Hi, Mom." Stella lets out a laugh. "I missed you so much."

Lexi winks—a subtle gesture of playfulness. "Not as much as I missed you."

Stella notices her mother's eyes glance at the back of the room. The young girl stiffens in her mother's grasp but refuses to turn her head. Lexi glances down, a proud smirk appearing on her lips. "I have a surprise for you."

Stella narrows her eyes. "Good or bad?"

Someone behind her groans. "Just turn around!"

Stella instantly spins around to find two men at the door. "No way," Stella scoffs.

"What, not happy to see me?" Teddy asks, faux hurt over his expression.

For that comment alone, Stella decides to hug Derek before moving to Teddy. When she launches herself at her father, Derek reacts quickly and presses a kiss to her cheek. "Klaus was alright?" He whispers in her ear. 


"He was Klaus," Stella replies. "What do you expect?"

Derek barks a laugh as Stella stands before Teddy. The boy looks down at his sister, a smirk spread over his lips. "Hey, little sister."

Stella glances up at his hair. "Dude, seriously, you need a haircut."

Teddy's jaw drops in offense. Behind her, Stella hears Lexi trying not to laugh. Teddy runs his hands through his golden locks. "I like my hair."

Derek clicks his tongue. "She's sort of right, bud. That hair is gonna get in your eyes."

Teddy gapes at his father. "I thought you liked my hair."

"I'll cut it!" Lexi says excitedly she walks over, looping her arm around Derek.

"No, I wanna do it!" Stella exclaims.

"Oh no," Teddy raises his hands. "I'm not going anywhere near you with scissors."

Stella lets her expression drop to one of confusion. "Who said anything about scissors?" She raises her pointer finger, a small flame burning at the end. "I'll just singe off the split ends, T. Completely safe."

Teddy's eyes widen. Stella smirks innocently. Lexi and Derek exchange a look.

"Well," Lexi says, smiling at her family. "I've missed this."

So, I'm falling behind. I'm going to warn you, there's a chance I'll put this on hold while I catch up. I'm really trying to keep chapters coming for you. I swear.

Hope you enjoyed!

-L