Wolf Woes

Chapter 2: Friends (pt 3)

Hope was lying in her bed an hour later when her aunts came into the room. She set her step-father's journal to the side, and sat up, smiling as they shuffled around. Keelin dropped her bag on the floor and engulfed Hope in a big hug.

"So, I hear you've been causing some mischief."

Hope smiled. "No, but apparently my wolf has somewhere to be, and hasn't clued me in on the where or the why yet."

"Well let's tell her not tonight," Freya said. "I barely got Alaric to agree to not locking you up in the cellar. If it happens again, I don't think he'll be so agreeable. He kinda has a fit when you're not where you are supposed to be."

"He worries. He's a worrier. It's kind of his thing," Hope said. "Does this mean you're staying with me tonight?"

"Yes, it does," Freya said. "Keelin are going to take shifts watching you tonight. Make sure you don't disappear into the night."

"I'm sorry you have to do this," Hope sighed.

"Don't be. It's not your fault," Freya said. "At least not consciously." She sat on the bed next to Hope and took her hand. "I know you've had a hard time since your parent's deaths, but I need you to know that you never need to be afraid to reach out if you need us. We love you. Always and forever. Whenever you need us, we'll be here. All you have to do is let us."

Hope bit back tears that threatened to fall. Freya kiss her forehead, just like she used to do when she was a child, just like her mother did. She couldn't control the tears after that, and she leaned into Freya as she wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close. Keelin bent down, and place a kiss on her head, before sitting next to her wife.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed wrapped in her aunt's arms. Somewhere along the way, she must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, it was morning. Unlike the morning before hand, she woke up in her own bed, still wrapped in her aunt's warm embrace. It had been years since she'd woken up in the arms of a family member. It was a comfortable place to be.

"You made it through the night kiddo," Freya said.

Hope didn't attempt move. "How long are you going to stay?"

"We're going to stay as long as you need us too," Freya said. "Why don't you invite your friend up here and teach her that spell and leave the research to the adults for the day." Hope looked like she wanted to argue, but Freya stopped her. "Just be a normal teenage witch for one day. That's all I'm asking. One day."

"Fine," Hope relented. She reached for her night stand and picked up Jackson's journal. "Here, but I want it back."

Freya chuckled as she accepted the book. "I promise. You may have it back at the end of the day. Come on. Let's let Keelin sleep for a while. This is the longest either of us have slept in months."

Hope smiled as she crawled out of bed to get ready for the day. "How is my baby cousin?"

"Your cousin is a Mikaelson through and through, a little troublemaker. She has Keelin and Vincent wrapped around her little finger," Freya laughed. "She's amazing though. She's getting so big. Vincent is getting to play full time daddy until you no longer need us, which he is excited about. You wouldn't think we had to talk him in to it. He's sends picture hourly."

Hope popped her head through her shirt hole with a smile. "Ooh... I wanna see."

Freya chuckled. "Come on. Let's eat and you can surf through the thousands of pictures I have of her."

Hope was the first to arrive out of her friends, which wasn't much of a surprise. It was Saturday after all. Most students didn't mosey down to the dining hall until just before the kitchen closed for the morning. She was kind of glad it was just her and Freya. It gave her time to gush over her cousin and catch up with her aunt.