Square one

Undone

Hope's POV:

"S-so..." Josie walks up to me, getting close, her shirt discarded. She brings her hands to my face, pulling in for a small kiss, smiling down at me. After much thought and slight panic, Josie guides my hands to her waist. She steps back a moment, "H-Hope... we should talk?" I gulp, certainly not having expected to have a 'talk' of serious matters. She leans against the wall, looking at me, biting her lip, putting her thoughts together a moment. "I-I'm worried. With everything going on right now, I don't want to end up hurting you. I cannot allow myself to hurt you-" I look up to her, starting to panic. Had I done something? Did I read this all wrong? Was this a silly little fling gone too far? "Josie. You won't hurt me. You could never do anything to hurt me. Please don't tell me this is it. That this is the end? W-we have a plan. For the sandclock. Right? We're going to get rid of it? Make it right." She comes towards me, placing a finger to my lips. "I'm just trying to communicate my worry right now. This isn't the end. Nothing is ending.... but if something goes wrong, do not put yourself in danger to fix it, you hear me? I-If something were to happen, m-m-move on. Please." I splutter, pushing away, "How can you ask me to do that? I-I love you. I love you too much. How can you just request for me to do that???" I step forward, kissing her, letting her arms wrap around my waist, and I get a surprise when she picks me up, pressing me up against the wall. Between kisses, I pant, "Nothing is going to go wrong. Nothing will happen. I won't let it. I promise." I whimper, letting a tear loose, then another, and another. She continues to kiss me, nuzzling into my chest. I hold her tight, not wanting to let go. She puts me down, looking me up and down, "You're right. I love you so, so much, Hope Andrea Mikaelson.... which is why I'm not going to be showering with you. I don't want you to go through a gay panic, and passing out on the slippery floor." She smirks, giving me a wink. "I- WhAt?!" I squeak, turning bright red. "No fair! I thought we were gonna shower..." I put on my best pout, giving her the biggest puppy dog eyes, but to no avail. "Baby, I think we should still take it slow, for both of our sakes... I kinda like it." I nod, giving her a kiss, as she strips down. I turn on my shower, slowly taking my shirt off. 

After our showers, we split ways, meeting moments later outside, with the other witches, ready to go forward with the plan to get rid of the sandclock. Emma starts to talk us through it, giving us a spurring pep talk, while Jos and Lizzie place the ascendant pieces down, everyone encircling the table presenting the pieces. I notice Alyssa on the other side of me, and I take this time to apologise, "Hey look, I'm sorry about what I said before. You know, the monster-" "It's cool. I really deserved it. I'm gonna try to turn down the jerk." I look at her, slightly surprised, and flash her a warm smile. Josie makes her way next to me, and we all hold each others hands, preparing. "Now witches, focus on assembling the ascendant pieces to create and lead to a new prison world." I close my eyes, focusing on the task, praying this all works out. Once the sound of pieces starting to shift reaches my ears, I open my eyes, watching the ascendant form. It falls onto the grass below, cushioned from the blow, Emma giving us words of encouragement and approval. "We must pull together and channel our energy to be as one to banish the sandclock before it breaks." Alyssa gets up into Josie's space, setting off a protective alarm in my brain, watching her whisper something to her, Josie nodding, forcing a smile. The Bennett blood is poured carefully over the ascendant by the girls, then bringing their hands to the ticking time bomb, as we all start to chant. With a flash a few moments later, the clock is gone, and the pressure disappears, the stress lifted from Josie's shoulders. I run up to Josie holding her in a warm embrace, Alyssa seemingly ticked off for some reason? I take my leave, letting the girls enjoy, and make my way upstairs to have a moment to myself to think, and sit in a comfortable pile of blankets. I realise, moments later, that Josie might need company after all the stress she's been through, so I make my way to the twins' room, knocking, asking to join their little pile, flopping beside Josie, squeezing her hand. I let Jos cuddle into my side, then all of a sudden her warmth is gone. There's nothing. Nothing. "Josie!!" I shriek. They're gone. The both of them. The twins, gone. What the fuck. Breathe, breathe. Why can't I just breathe. I hold my head in my hands, my breathing ragged. 

General POV:

 Alyssa makes her way down to Emma, something clearly on her mind, Emma picking up on it immediately. "I wanted to confess something," she states, an air to her, rather cocky, brazen, malicious. "What did you do, Alyssa?" Emma chuckles, thinking that this is all a bit of a game. "Oh no, it's not about what I did. It's the fact that I know what you did... you see, Josie recently did a purge spell, bringing us the memories of Hope, that we all deeply wanted to forget anyways, but you see, it brought back more than bargained for, at least, for me, that is. I remember. I remember what you did to me. And what Dr. Saltzman did to the other kids." Emma looks nervous, and frankly shocked. "I-I can explain, let me just grab Dr. Saltzman." Alyssa smirks her twisted trademark smirk, "Oh, that won't be necessary, you see, I sent them away, just like you sent the others. Thought it would be poetic justice." Emma stands there, frankly, terrified, but also disbelieving. "That would be impossible, you'd need the ascendant, and the Bennett blood-" "Or maybe, just a linking smell." She chuckles, rolling her eyes. She gives her little evil speech, Emma overwhelmed by it all, Alyssa grinning in satisfaction. She sits down on Emma's desk. "There's still time. We have to bring them back." "How? The meteor showers over." With a quick wave of her hand, Alyssa had Emma on the floor, completely wiped out. "You won't remember any of this. Feels poetic too, doesn't it?"