Whatever We Lose

the basement

It had been weeks since Josie and Hope last spoken and ever since then, she never saw the girl look her way again. She really was serious when she told Josie that she won't let her in, clearly drawing a line which only implies that Josie couldn't do anything but stay away. But she doesn't want to.

It was torturous having to be like this and she was wondering why they can't just sit in and talk about it. There must be a way for them to still talk, for Hope to let her in without ever having to let Hope go through what she fears of. Exactly! She doesn't even know what Hope fears of.

Josie sighed, seeing the sight of Penelope walking towards her.

"What do you want?" Josie instantly spat.
"You." was all that Penelope as she makes her way towards the girl and Josie had to fight the urge not to gag at the words. "You see, I've been observing and it seems as if Hope and you hasn't been on talking terms. Not to mention something is definitely up judging by how both of you looked like that night inside her room. You look like a married couple fighting." Penelope commented.
"That's actually a very nice observation, only that we're fighting because maybe she saw me cheating behind her back." Josie says with anger and Penelope said nothing further and instead, she invaded Josie's personal space.
"In the front, if we're being literal." someone said from behind and there stood Hope, making her way down and holding a book, passing them by before completely disappearing from their sight.

Josie was amused. Because never, as in never since that day had Hope acknowledged Josie's presence but the very second that Penelope was near, she's butting in even though brief but her very few words are enough to make an impression.

"What is seriously going on between you two?" Penelope asks, clearly not following along and she just happened to ask the wrong person as well because Josie doesn't know what's going on too.
"Maybe, my wife is just jealous." Josie remarked making Penelope roll her eyes at her.
"How are you even wives, you're not even girlfriends or something."
"You're the one who differentiated us." Josie shrugged before trying to walk past Penelope but the girl grabbed Josie's arm and pinned her against the wall.

"And where do you think you're going?" Penelope asks as she leans in, making sure that her breathe would hit Josie's ear.
"Away from you." the girl said and looked at her, "Your little games doesn't seem to be working anymore Penelope. Try a different one, maybe then it will be so much more fun." Josie says, swatting away Penelope's that hold her but Penelope's grip never went loose.

Penelope dives in for Josie's lips only to feel a strong force taking her hands off of Josie and when she looked at who it was, it was Hope.

"I'm so not sorry, I need to retrieve my wife." Hope says while Penelope laughs.
"Funny, Hope. You're not even a couple."
"Aren't we?" asks Hope and then looks at Josie, making sure to lace her arms on the girl's shoulder. "I think we're just having a little fight. Am I right, wife?"

Josie giggles and Penelope snarls at them which Hope actually found fun to watch. Penelope stormed out of the room leaving Josie and Hope behind.

Hope looked at the brown eyed girl before clearing her throat, feeling once again the overwhelming proximity with Josie's being just few inches away from her. " I uh... Should go." Hope said and even though Josie called for her to stay, the former is already out of ear shot.

"What in the world, Dad?" Lizzie stormed into her father's office with so much irritation.
"Yes sweetie?"
"Ye- yes?!" Lizzie is almost going hysterical. "You are going to send me to clean that god forsaken basement while Josie gets to look after the kids?!"
"Look, the kids needs someone to look after them and what you do is lazy around. Come on, it's not so bad. Besides there'll be someone else to help you out." Alaric says with a stern voice, his resolve to make Lizzie clean the basement already set.
"This, is going to be the last freaking time I do this. Someone as gorgeous as me shouldn't even be doing this!" Lizzie exaggerated while pretending as thou she is about to cry.