If I could turn back time

You love her, don't you?

She slammed the book shut and pushed it across the table with a frustrated sigh. Then reached for another book, this one weighed more than the last. Hopefully, something useful would be in this one. Halfway through the second page, Josie noticed she wasn't paying attention to what she was reading. With a groan she closed the book, folded her arms, and buried her head in them.

"Hey Josie?" MG asked cautiously as he walked up to her table in the library littered with books. It had been a week since Hope went missing and Josie was beyond worried. As soon as the super squad caught the leprechaun, they threw him into one of the wolf transitioning cells. As a precaution Doctor Saltzman had him restrained with some spelled handcuffs prohibiting the monster from performing any sort of magic. Everyday Doctor Saltzman would go and talk to the leprechaun, trying to find out where he had sent Hope. But the monster was cunning and stubborn. He would not reveal where she was, to Josie's frustration. On the third night, after hours in the library going through any and all books to do with leprechauns, she had had enough and stormed down to the wolf transitioning cells.

"Where is she?" She asked as she barged into the room where the sleeping leprechaun lay.

His eyes opened sleepily at the harsh sound of an angry teenage girl yelling at him.

"And who are you?" He questioned, looking at her from head to toe.

"That doesn't matter, what matters is where you sent Hope." She spat back at him.

"It's only polite to introduce oneself. How else am I to know with whom I am addressing?"

"Josie. Now spill, where did you send Hope?" She asked once again, crossing her arms, and glaring at him.

"It's nice to meet you too Josie. I assume it's short for Josette. What a lovely name that is. I'm Blarney. What can I do for you this fine evening?" He asked standing up, wiping the dust off his trousers.

Josie took one step forward in a menacing way, trying to intimidate Blarney. "Tell me where you sent my friend."

"Your friend? You mean that vile creature who tried to bite me with her fangs? Why would I do that?"

"She's. Not. A. Vile. Creature. She's a beautiful person. Now, tell me where she is." Josie's eyes were flashing red with anger. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails had broken skin.

"No." He said slyly, the side of his lip turning upwards. His answer made Josie's blood boil. Without realising it she siphoned the floor and yelled as she opened the cell door, summoning the leprechaun to her side. Josie didn't even notice her father running into the room as she had her hands on the leprechaun's face, siphoning every drop of magic from him. It wasn't until she was yanked from him that she noticed what she had done. Doctor Saltzman locked Blarney back up securely before turning to his daughter who was looking down at her hands with a mixture of disgust and fear.

"What... what have I done?" She muttered to herself, unshed tears blurring her vision. Quickly her father rushed to her side. Hesitantly he pulled her into a hug, but she quickly swatted his arms away and ran out of the room.

Ever since the incident Josie hadn't been down to the werewolf cells, instead she spent all of her free time researching for different ways to get Hope back. It had been three days straight that she slept in the library, her face glued to a book. It had been three mornings where Dorian would wake her up with a worried look. So, when Josie hadn't shown up for dinner yet again it wasn't hard for MG to find her with her nose stuck in a book.

"It's getting late Josie. Maybe you want to eat something? There's some leftovers in the kitchen." He said softly, trying to coax the girl out of there.

"I'm fine. I'm not hungry. Go and eat without me." She said flailing her hand at him.

"I already have. It's nine pm Josie. You look exhausted and you haven't slept in your room for three nights. Maybe you should take it easy."

Josie's head snapped up with a venomous gaze. "Take it easy? Did Hope take it easy when I had dark magic in me? Did she take it easy when Lizzie, Dad and I were in the prison world? No. So, I will not 'take it easy'."

"That's... that's not what I meant." MG muttered, taking a step back and looking at his shoes. "I just... You need to rest, in a bed not on the couch or on a chair. Doing this isn't going to help Hope. What will she think when she gets back and learns you weren't taking care of yourself, huh?"

"You mean if she comes back." Josie murmured as she focused back on the book in front of her.

"She will come back. We will make sure of it. But you need to rest. Maybe a good meal and a good night's sleep will help. Who knows maybe the leprechaun – "

"Blarney."

"Right, Blarney. Maybe Blarney will have told us where he sent Hope by then." MG said as he started piling the books on the table. "Come on. There's a veggie burger in the fridge with your name on it." He then picked up the stack and walked out of the library with a reluctant Josie following him.

That night, after a much-needed shower and a good meal, Josie felt somewhat better. Lizzie had been overjoyed to finally see her sister elsewhere, other than the library, but her joyfulness soon decreased when she noticed her sister's mood. She would only receive one-word answers and huffs whenever she tried to talk to her brunette twin. She couldn't understand why Josie was acting like this. Sure, Hope was missing. Sure, Lizzie was sad about it. But she couldn't understand why she was feeling guilt, fear, and hopelessness through her twin bond.

"Jo?" She asked once both twins were settled in their beds, the only source of light was Lizzie's lamp. Her sister hummed in response. "What... I mean why..." She paused to think on how she would phrase her next sentence. She didn't want to seem rude or snarky. Lizzie genuinely wanted to understand what was going on in her sister's mind. A minute went by and still Lizzie hadn't found the right words. The lack of response from her twin made Josie turn to her side and watch her sister who was deep in thought. Finally, after a long deliberation Lizzie turned to her side to face her sister and spoke.

"Jo, why are you doing this? And by this, I mean why are you so invested. And before you say it's what Hope did for us.... I know that's not the only reason. What is it?" She asked softly, almost a whisper. She watched as her sister contemplated what she had said. Josie held her gaze fixed on the empty space underneath Lizzie's bed as she bit her lip slightly.

"I don't know. I mean when I saw her disappear into thin air like that, I felt empty? I don't know. It's hard to describe. I just know that I won't breathe until she's back. Until I know she's safe. Until..."

Until she's back in my arms.

"You love her, don't you?" Lizzie said, finally understanding why her twin was so down.

"Maybe. I don't know. I like her, that I know. Love? I... maybe." She finally said as she lifted her gaze to her sister's eyes. Lizzie slipped out of her bed and crawled into her sister's. She wrapped her arms around her and waited for Josie to fall asleep. When she could hear her twin's breathing slow down, the blond sister let herself drift off to sleep.