Always Yours

Road Rash

Josie POV-
Penelope pushes back from the table and drops my hand before walking out of the kitchen. She has never really talked about her father to me. Mrs. Park puts her head in her hands as I place my napkin next to my plate and follow my fiancée out.
I walk into Penelope's room to see her sitting at the foot of her bed on the floor. I shut the door behind me and sit down next to her, waiting for her to open up. She reaches over and interlocks our fingers resting them in her lap. "I never thought I'd have to see him again."
Her thoughts are too jumbled to narrow in on any specific thing she is thinking, but she continues speaking. "He just, he left us. He chose his job over us. I don't know why my Mom ever stayed married to him but I made it clear I didn't want him in my life after that. Of course he shows up now, right now when my life has come together. I got the girl of my dreams and a future career path I'm going to love. He probably doesn't know about any of it, of you, that I'm a hybrid..we only told Mom."
I rub my thumb back and forth over the back of her hand as she fiddles with the engagement ring on my finger. "Could we go for a run?" Her voice is softer than usual. Running was her coping mechanism all those years ago and still to this day. When she needs out, she goes for a run. "I can come too?" She nods her head. I slowly push myself off the ground nonchalantly until I get to my feet, "Race you!"
Penelope vamp speeds around the room in 2 seconds to be fully changed into her yoga pants and a tank top. "No fair, you used vamp speed!" Penelope's fills the room as she smiles at me. "Here," she throws me my clothes and I do my best to change quickly. We walk out of her room and down the hall. "Where are we running tonight?" Penelope takes my hand and guides me out the front door. "Anywhere but here."
Penelope POV-
The street lights are placed just perfectly to give just enough light to run on the sidewalks. I slowed down on my normal pace so that Josie can keep up. We run mostly in vocal silence, but our heads continue sending thoughts back and forth.
"When do you think he gets here? How long is he staying?" Josie places her hand on my arm to stop me. We have run about three miles at this point. Her voice seems loud in the quiet night. "We can ask your Mom when we get back but there is no sense worrying about it right now, Penny." She grabs my hand and begins walking with me slowly down the sidewalk, our hands swinging between us.
"Why would he want to see us though?" Josie keeps looking straight ahead as I turn to see a reaction. "You're his daughter, his only daughter. He clearly still cares, babe. Try to give him a chance. If you don't want to be there after seeing him, we can go find a hotel to stay in till he leaves." I roll my head cracking my neck. My entire body is tense. "Okay, JoJo."
We continue our walk back to the house rather slowly. We are probably a half mile away when I hear some new footsteps, multiple. They don't have human blood.
I talk in our heads. "Jo, I'm going to pick you up. Hold on." Josie cocks her head as she turns to look at me. "What?" I vamp speed to pick her up and throw her over my shoulder before taking off towards the house.
Josie POV-
Penelope takes off running with me over her shoulder. I try to hold onto her waist to limit some of the bounce. I don't know what is happening. I can feel her hold on me shift as we are shoved forward violently. The world quickly begins to tilt. It seems like slow motion as she begins to readjust her grip on me. "Hold on, JoJo!" All of Penelope's muscles tighten up as she wraps her arms around my head and back to hold me tight against her as we fly through the air and then hit the ground. One of her legs at one point wrapped around mine. I'm pinned completely to her. She doesn't loosen up until we stop moving completely.
The world has stopped spinning but my heart is racing. I can feel it pulsing through my head. "Fuck that hurts." Penelope has her eyes squinted shut and her teeth clentched as she finally lets go of me. I roll off of her and sit down on the road under one of the street lights completely unharmed. "Are you okay, Pen? What was that?" I place my hand on her chest waiting for a response.
"Well, well. What do we have here? A witch by the smell of it. Why didn't you want to share vamp?" Four individuals step forward out of the darkness, the veins under their eyes ripple. They don't look to be more than eighteen. Pretty young to have been changed.
Penelope grabs my hand with hers and pushes herself off the ground. She very quickly moves me behind her, one arm wrapped firmly around my waist keeping me flush against her. Her tank top and entire back are shredded and bleeding. She winces slightly clearly trying to hide the pain she is in as her adrenaline slows down. I place my hand on Penelope's lower back gently to secretly siphon some energy just in case we need it.
"I don't think you know who you just attacked." The four vampires' eyes go wide. I hear the slight split of her gums as her teeth cut through. "Woah, what are you?" Penelope gives it a second to settle in. The girl to the far right takes a step back and begins to mumble. Her buddies turn to look at her. "Gold eyes and vampire teeth...I, I thought they didn't exist any more...I've only heard stories..." They all begin to take a couple steps back. The main guy speaks up, "Spit it out, Alex." The girl gulps before managing to cough it out. "She's a hybrid."
The previous confidence they all had completly melts away. Penelope's grip on my waist doesn't falter once. "Now that that is settled. You have three seconds to leave before you get bit by a werewolf and die a painful death. And if I ever hear of the four of you attacking another magical individual like this again, I will track you down and bring a buddy of mine, Hope Mikaelson." All four of them scramble to leave immediately at the mention of a Mikaelson. Within seconds, they are gone.
Penelope's strong demeanor crumbles after they leave. Her grip on my shirt fades as her hands begin to shake. Her back is completely ripped up from the road. "Come on, babe. We need to get you home."
Penelope POV-
Fucking newbie vampires. Atleast werewolves can smell that I have claimed Josie. Vampires only smell the magical human blood. I am just glad that it was over quick.
Josie helps me get the rest of the way back to the house. She pushes open the front door only to find Mom waiting for us. "What the hell happened? Where did you go?" Mom guides us into the kitchen and pulls up a chair for me to sit. I don't say anything.
Josie's voice cuts through my head. "Pen, we need to pull off your shirt and bra." I do my best to help by lifting my arms, but my back got shredded and road rashed thanks to that vampire body slamming me into the road so Josie has to help me. She does her best to lightly place her hands on my back after we get my shirt off but I still wince again at the contact.
"I'm just going to siphon a little magic then I'll heal these okay?"
I sit completely shirtless in the kitchen. Mom is standing against the kitchen cabinet watching the two of us. She knows Josie is the stronger witch. It is better to just let her heal me. The slight tingle of the siphoning is masked by the pain until I can feel the cuts slowly heal back together.
It would have taken longer for my body to grow new skin and close the wounds without Josie's help.
"There," Josie lifts her hands off my back and grabs a damp towel from Mom to wipe off some of the dried blood on my skin. She grabs me one of my shirts from the bedroom for me to slip on when she is done. Mom takes a step closer pushing off the counter, "So, care to explain what happened?"
Josie recounts the incident for Mom while I get a glass of water and sit back down in my chair. When she finishes I turn to Mom. "Now here we are. I threatened them. It shouldn't happen again. It's nothing." Mom looks pissed. "The part of our coven located here in Belgium always alerts us to new vampires and wolves. I knew they were going to be trouble. They are only a couple months old now. They don't know manners and they are apart of a group that has no rules. I'm sorry, I should have warned you. I'll talk to the coven tomorrow about what happened."
Josie places her hand on my shoulder and lightly squeezes as Mom types away on her phone for a minute. She speaks in my head, "Talk to her about your Dad. I'm going to go get ready for bed." Josie looks back at us over her shoulder once more before continuing to our room.
"You said Josie wants to be a doctor?" I drop my attention from the hallway as Mom sets her phone back down on the counter. "Yeah, she does." Mom folds her arms over her chest, a small smirk forms on her lips. "She has a calling for it." My fingers gravitate towards the seam on the bottom of my shirt. I run my finger back and forth over the stitching. "Well, she has patched me up quite a few times. She's had some practice." Mom and I both end up laughing at that. "You have always handled pain really well."
We both quiet down and end up avoiding eye contact knowing the inevitable conversation is about to happen. There normally isn't this weird tension between us. I spin in my seat slightly to face Mom but she stops me right as I am about to speak, her hand raised. "Penelope, I know what you want. You want to know about your father, right?" I nod my head.
Mom pulls up a chair so she can sit across from me. "What do you want to know?" My leg is bouncing up and down as I figure out how to word my next question. "Why have you allowed him to still be in our lives when he never puts us first?"
This question has plagued me all night. "Penelope, your father," She hesistates before she continues. "Yes, he was busy with his job but he was around. You just always hated when he would leave. Any time he was home, you were constantly making rude comments and distant. It got to the point that you would just hide in your room when he was home." I shake my head a little back and forth. "I, I don't remember that."
Mom fiddles with the ring on her finger. "I know you don't. You were so caught up in the fact that he kept leaving for work that you couldn't see past it. You had your breaking point when you were home one summer when you were around thirteen. You said you didn't want him in your life anymore. He stopped coming around when you were home after that. He didn't want to upset you."
I open my mouth to speak but no words come out. "He has been wanting to try and see you again since you moved to Belgium with me but his job kept him in the states. He finally convinced them to move him out here when you decided to go back to school to see Josie." Mom looks sympathetic. He has been trying all along. I was the one who pushed him away. Just like I pushed Josie away.
We sit in silence for a while neither one of us talking. "He misses you, Penelope. That is why he wants to see us, see you." My eyes begin to water a little, a single tear makes its way down my cheek before I wipe my eyes.
"Does he know about," I pause. She knows what I am asking. "He doesn't know you are a hybrid, but he does know about Josie. He is happy for you. He always asks about both of you." I rub my hands up and down my thighs nervously. "He wants to see us?" Mom nods her head. "He'll get here the day after tomorrow. He says he can stay four days and potentially more if you want him to. He is leaving it completely up to you." I nod my head before standing up slowly.
"Thank you, Mom." I drag my chair back to the table and turn to face her. She stands up and opens her arms slightly inviting me in for a hug. I quickly step into her embrace and wrap my arms around her back. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."
 "You have always been strong willed, Penelope. You fight fiercly to protect Josie and your friends. You put yourself in harms way to keep them safe. You have always been like that, just like your father. It will make you an amazing Mom one day. You just need to remember to stop and communicate. Don't stay in your head." I think I surprise Mom by letting out a chuckle.
"Jo has had me working on it with her. I am better than I used to be." Now it is Mom's turn to laugh. "She is good for you, Penelope. Don't let your stubborness let her get away." I hug Mom once more before turning towards the hallway. "I won't."
Josie POV-
Penelope steps into the bedroom doorway about thirty minutes after I left as I am crawling into bed for the night. I press my back against the head board waiting for her to come fully into the room. The side table light is the only light on in the room. "Hey Penny," Penelope shuts the bedroom door behind her before crashing on top of me resting her head on my stomach. She wraps her arms around my waist. "Hi JoJo," I love when she is cuddly like this. She knows my love language is touch and attention but I think secretly, hers are too.
I run my fingers through her hair slowly giving her the chance to talk to me if she choses. There is very little noise in the room except the fan spinning around on the ceiling that I can hear. Penelope takes in a small gasp of air before speaking. "So he gets here in two days. He's planning on staying at least four days is what Mom said." Penelope nuzzles her head into me more. "And he doesn't know I am not a witch anymore." There it is.
"Your Mom didn't tell him?" Penelope nuzzles her chin against my neck. "No," she pauses as she lets out a small sigh, "She said it wasn't her place to tell and only the coven elders know so no one would have told him." Her grip on me tightens just enough to be noticeable as her mind speaks for her. "I hope he reacts okay to it."
I grab onto her arms and pull her up next to me before turning the light off. I wrap my arms around her shoulders keeping her held against me. I know she just needs the comfort after our chaotic night. We don't need words. She knows that no matter what, she has me. For the first time in a while, Penelope falls asleep first. Her breathes become shallower as she snuggles into me. My girl. Always taking the weight of the world on her shoulders. I lean my head forward and kiss the top of her head before shutting my eyes and falling asleep.
Penelope POV-
I roll over in the middle of the night to see Josie jerking in her sleep. I push myself up onto my arm and place my hand across her chest. "JoJo, wake up." She reaches over eyes clentched shut and grabs my arm with her hand. The glow of her siphoning fills the room with a red light. "JoJo, wake up baby."
Josie POV-
"I don't think you know who you just attacked.""Woah, what are you?" "Gold eyes and vampire teeth...I, I thought they didn't exist any more...I've only heard stories..." "Spit it out, Alex." "She's a hybrid."
Penelope's back is all cut up, shredded. She's in so much pain. I need to siphon so I can protect us.
They finally leave. Penelope crumbles. I have to take care of her. I have to.
Penelope POV-
"JoJo, it is just a dream. Wake up. Come back to me." Her grip on my arm doesn't change.
Josie POV-
"Talk to her about your Dad. I'm going to go get ready for bed." Is this real?
"Yes, he was busy with his job but he was around. You just always hated when he would leave."
"You said you didn't want him in your life anymore. He stopped coming around when you were home after that. He didn't want to upset you."
"He misses you, Penelope. That is why he wants to see us, see you."
"He doesn't know you are a hybrid, but he does know about Josie. He is happy for you. He always asks about both of you."
"You have always been strong willed, Penelope. You fight fiercly to protect Josie and your friends. You put yourself in harms way to keep them safe. You have always been like that, just like your father. It will make you an amazing Mom one day. You just need to remember to stop and communicate. Don't stay in your head."
"She is good for you, Penelope. Don't let your stubborness let her get away."
Penelope POV-
Josie jerks awake and sits up. She grabs ahold of my leg to help ground her. "JoJo, it's okay. It was just a dream." I scratch her back with my hand as she calms her breathing. "Come here, baby." She turns over her shoulder to look at me. She looks confused.
"I think I saw the conversation you had with your Mom last night." She did siphon from me. Maybe because she was dreaming she was able to use her magic to change her dream and she latched onto my memory. "I am so sorry. I wasn't trying to intrude. That was a private conversation and," Josie is completely flustered. "JoJo, come here."
She drops her back down onto the bed but waits for me to pull her to me. "It is okay. Tell me what happened." I am still resting on my arm on my side as Josie looks to the ceiling. She locks her fingers together with mine.
"I was reliving last night. The vampires attacking us. I reheard the conversation then my brain told me to siphon and then my dream shifted. I told you to talk to your Mom about your Dad then," she hesitates to continue.
"It's okay, JoJo. It is good you heard the conversation." She looks over at me for reassurance before continuing. "Did your Dad really stop coming around because you kept getting mad he would leave?" I nod my head. "That's what Mom said. Apparently, he would still visit her just not when I was home."
We both stay silent for a minute until Josie rolls onto her side and curls up into my chest. "You did exactly what your Dad did. What he thought was right, when you left me." I wrap my arms tightly around my girl. "Yes, I did."
I can feel her breaths push through my shirt. "You're more alike than you would probably like to admit and your Mom knows it." Josie's breathing has finally settled back to normal which helps me to relax. I talk in our heads. "I know. And she is right. You are the best thing to ever happen to me." Josie nuzzles into my chest. I can feel her smile forming against my skin. "I know."
Penelope POV-
I take Josie around town to show her the school I went to for those twoish months, our local restaurant Mom and I would eat at every Sunday morning, and my favorite place to go for quiet.
"Pen, this is beautiful," Josie is standing on the secluded dock looking out at the water. "How did you find this place? You always find these kinds of places."
Josie sits down on the edge of the wood and hangs her feet over the water. "I was out for a late night drive one night. I happened to catch a glimpse of the trail and checked it out. I've been coming here ever since." I lower myself down next to Josie and reach over to grab her hand.
I tuck my head and watch as Josie kicks her feet barely above the water. She lifts her head to look at me. "Care to share what you are thinking about?" Josie's face is radiating in the sunlight. I give her hand a quick squeeze. "Marrying you."
Josie POV-
Penelope has a huge cheesy grin on her face. "What about it, Pen?" She rubs her thumb back and forth across my hand. "Well, when do you want to get married? What do you want? I just want it to be perfect for you." I don't know how I could ever consider her selfish with the way she treats me. "Perfect for us, babe."
She nods her head a couple times. "Yes, but I don't care as long as I have you next to me." I roll my eyes a little before scooting back facing Penelope, legs crossed in front of me. Penelope scoots back and matches me.
"You're telling me you are going to give no opinions? You're going to make me plan this entire thing by myself?" I know the guilt trip it working. I just want her to tell me what she wants too. Penelope looks like she just got the wind knocked out of her. "No, no, of course not Jo. I just-," I manage to cut her off mid ramble as she reaches forward for my hands.
"Let your mind tell me. I'm going to list some things and we'll see what your brain says." Penelope nods her head and closes her eyes waiting for me to speak.
"Month." Her brain shoots back an answer immediately. She didn't have to think about it. "March." Her lips part slightly as she opens her eyes to look at me. "Date." This is the hardest part, just setting the date. We will have enough help from our friends and family to make our perfect wedding. We just need the date.
Her brain takes a slight bit longer to respond back. "The 20th." Penelope is clearly waiting for my reaction. "March 20th it is."