Black and White

Part 13

Lizzie Saltzman was a warm pressure against her back, and a consistent comforting presence. Hope could feel, even though they were flying, herself falling for this angel of a girl. If it weren't for the werewolf parts of herself Hope would have been freezing cold. It was bracingly chill to her even despite that. Joy radiated from the twin sisters and Hope basked in it.

The night was beautiful and the flight felt much shorter than she would have liked. Hope could have stayed up in the sky with them forever it seemed. Here was no pressure there and no expectations. She was beginning to understand the feeling of freedom Lizzie had been describing before. If this was what flying felt like whilst being carried, Hope wondered what it felt like to be the one with wings.

She missed Lizzie's touch as soon as they stepped down onto the solid ground. Hope stepped away and Lizzie immediately felt a little more empty. They knew they needed to talk, but weren't willing to have a conversation with that degree of depth while Josie was around. Hope did find herself wanting to get to know the sister of the girl she was interested in. The balance and trust carefully built between Lizzie and Josie were something truly beautiful in Hope's eyes.

Hope had no siblings of her own, nor would she after the loss of her stepfather, Jackson. She got mad about it whenever she was particularly lonely, and she wished she had been able to know him better. The sibling relationships amongst the Mikaelsons were tumultuous, to say the least, but the youngest of them knew for a fact they loved one another dearly. She would never consider them the best role models in the world, however. Unending and uncompromising love, however, she had learned from her father, his brothers, and his sisters.

Hope felt immediately more grounded when Lizzie looped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. She reached up and threaded her fingers through the blonde's; turning her head to kiss the back of the hand.

"Can you two get yourselves into my room unseen? I just need to say hello to my family and visit for a while before I join you." Hope looked to the twins and gestured to the window of her bedroom. Lizzie and Josie nodded shortly and simultaneously. They joined hands and lifted from the ground, no wings required. Hope held Lizzie's hand until she lifted too far to reach and grinned as they slipped in through the window, near silently.

She felt a slight buzz at the watch on her wrist, a reminder that Lizzie was with her, always. It was more comforting than she ever could have thought. As soon as Hope opened the door, her mother greeted her with a warm, tight, hug, and a kiss on her cheek. Elijah clapped her on the shoulder as she passed by him, a content smile on his face.

"Hello, Hope. Your mother says I can take you for another practice drive some time soon if you would like. You are becoming quite good, the longer we have been working at it." he ruffled her hair.

Hope pushed up onto her tiptoes to kiss each of their cheeks as well. Soft and adoring eyes followed her in and through each room, she entered. Hope loved when the whole family was in town, but it did get exhausting. The eyes and the expectations all weighed heavily on her.

"That's my little girl, coming home covered in paint. I recognize that look in your eyes. You want to go right back up to our studio and finish, don't you?" Klaus announced as though he knew all the things that went through her head. Hope repressed the deep urge to roll her eyes.

"You caught me, Dad." she lied, for the most part smoothly, though Hope could feel some of her nerves shining through. "May I grab a plate and be excused? I don't want to lose my inspiration."

"Of course, my darling. I will see you in the morning. Try not to go to be too late, you are still growing, my littlest wolf." he hugged her and kissed the top of her head with all of the tenderness no one called The Great Evil ought to have. "I love you, more than the whole world."