Hosie Stories

Story 22 - "The Anonymous Cookie Baker"

Authors note:

Just a cute little Hosie oneshot for Christmas. So, Merry Christmas! Leave your thoughts in the comments after, I love to see what you think!

(In this story I've once again changed it so the girl's are the same age, makes things easier)

I honestly have absolutely no idea what this is but here ya go. It's also being posted way later than intended because I'm still convinced it is only the start of December lol. Anyways, enjoy :)

Every year at the exact same time on Christmas Eve for as long as she can remember, Hope has received warm, freshly baked cookies. But she never knows who they are from.

"You coming out to play in the snow with the rest of us?" Ten-year-old Josie asked ten-year-old Hope on Christmas Eve. The young girl looked up from where she was sitting to see Josie watching her.

"I'm good."

"Oh come on! It'll be fun! Christmas is tomorrow." Josie jumped up and down. She was wrapped up nice and warm, in a yellow hat with a matching scarf.

"I know. I just don't really care for it because I won't get to spend it with my family." Hope frowned. Josie mirrored it, wishing she could make Hope a bit happier.

(Of course at the time, Josie didn't know it was because they couldn't come back as it would risk revealing Hope's true identity. Not only that but because of all the drama they faced and all of the enemies that would come after her if they knew who she was.)

And that is when it started. It was only ever meant to be a one-time thing. Josie only ever planned for it to be a nice and quick gift to cheer Hope up. She'd seen how unhappy she had seemed and wanted to try something to change that.

Except, it has become a yearly thing. Every night on Christmas Eve in the kitchen of the Salvatore School, since she was 10, Josie has baked Christmas Cookies for Hope. All of them were different and unique. She's made several festive shapes and colors over the years.

Year one, given the lack of time, she'd made a small amount of tree-shaped cookies with the assistance of her mother (only she never told her they were for Hope). She used some green, red and yellow icing to finish them off. Then, she ran to Hope's bedroom door, knocked, put the cookies on the floor, and ran into her room before Hope could see. She watched through the peep-hole to make sure Hope took them. And she saw, what was initial confusion, turn into a smile. That warmed her heart, and she hoped that her little task had been a success. She watched as Hope looked up and down the corridor before taking them into her room.

The following year, she just couldn't help herself. It had been fun last time, and her mother was happy to help again. So, they took a lot more time with it, being far more creative. And, with the added bonus of magic, Josie was able to get them perfect. They turned out exactly how she liked. This time, however, when her mother wasn't looking, Josie chose to write a note to go with them. With the help of magic and a different grip of her pen, she was able to ensure it didn't look like her handwriting. It read:

To Hope Marshall,
I know you don't normally like Christmas, but I thought you might like these. I baked these just for you, fresh from the kitchen. Merry Christmas, Hope.

She didn't sign her name. Looking back on it, she can't remember why. She knows she had a reason, but it seems to escape her every time she tries to think of it.

Anyway, in year three, Josie felt like a confident thirteen-year-old, who was perfectly capable of baking cookies by herself. So, bake them she did. All alone. And she realized it was just as fun (also much less stressful and difficult) on her own. She didn't have her mother hanging over her, asking where the sudden interest in baking had come from.