Stephanie was seated on the ground watching as Mandy was dancing with Landon, having grown the courage to ask him to dance with her, Jenna fast asleep on the blanket next to her, "I see my partner is taken." a velvet voice claimed next to the brunette, a velvet voice that had Stephanie's heart clenching and slowly turning to the person. 

"Yeah, Mandy asked and he accepted. Sorry." She whispered back, too afraid that her voice would break and that the tears that were threatening her eyes would fall, "It's alright. He looks like he's enjoying himself." Hope Mikaelson replied, looking back at Landon and the girl that she knew was with the brunette next to her.

A peaceful silence surrounded the two for a moment before they both asked shyly "Would you like to dance?" both their eyes widened and they broke into a small fit of laughter, Stephanie had missed this, the feeling of home and comfort, of being just them against the world, but she knew that this wasn't her Hope.

Hope, on the other hand, had never felt like this, she felt like she belonged, she felt like maybe if she died there would be someone who would miss her, that maybe she wasn't a mistake. Hope was the first to stand, offering her hand to the brunette that was on the ground with a small smile, Stephanie slowly grabbed it and allowed Hope to pull her up with ease.

The two walked to the dancefloor and watched as Landon and Mandy sat down in their previous spots, Stephanie looked into Hope's eyes as she gently placed her hand on her waist, watching as a small blush covered her cheeks and she placed her hand on her arm, before breaking into a slow dance, "I'm Stephanie by the way, Stephanie Williams." Stephanie half lied, the lie coming off her lips like tasteless venom, burning her tongue and lips.

"Hope Marshall." Hope replied, smiling as they danced, moving in perfect harmony almost as if they had danced before, which they kinda had, "Do you go to Mystic Falls High?" Hope questioned, "No, my sisters and I are transferring to a boarding school." the 'Williams' replied, laughing slightly at Hope's half relieved face.

"Any boarding school I might know?" Stephanie pretended to thing and she swayed with Hope before shrugging and stating "Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted."her smile grew when she saw Hope's eyes fill with happiness, "I-I go there." Hope quickly stated, having never been happier than in that moment, and she couldn't understand why.

"Really?" Stephanie gasped in fake shock, "Then you're the first person I know from there." Hope smiled more and tilted her head to the side, taking in the brunette's features, until her eyes landed on her necklace, it looked awfully familiar but in that moment she didn't care, she was happy despite the events of the night and she wasn't going to let her mind get her down.

The two danced for what seemed ages to them, just swaying to the music and staring at each other, that was until Hope's father, the famous Niklaus Mikaelson, the man that Stephanie Salvatore had dreamed of meeting since falling in love with his daughter in her own dimension, stepped closer to them, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he cleared his throat. 

The two girls stopped dancing and turned to him, Hope slightly embarrassed that her father caught her dancing with a person of the same gender while Stephanie looked at him like he was a hero. "Hope, it's time." he said calmly. And that's when reality came crashing down on the young Tribrid, her eyes darkened with the heavyweight that was on her shoulders and her head tilted to the ground.

"Right, I guess I'll see you in school Williams." Hope claimed quietly, not daring to look at the brunette girl next to her, "I'm sure you will, I'll be the one with paint in her hands and paintbrushes in her hair chasing twin girls." Stephanie replied, smiling at the girl that wasn't looking at her. "You paint?" Klaus inquired, shocked that a teenager these days would have such hobbies that didn't include electronics.

"Of course sir, make most of my own paints from the elements around me." Stephanie replied, looking at the man before her, her smile never fading, her hazel eyes shocked Klaus, he had seen them countless of times throughout the ages and yet as they stood before him now he couldn't help but feel fearful. They held so much knowledge and so much pain that he had only seen in his and his siblings' eyes, but he kept quiet.

"Your parents must be proud of you then." Klaus smiled, a fake one that Stephanie could read, "They were sir, said that one day I would become an artist to be remembered for centuries to come, like a frenemy of theirs." at her words Hope's head snapped up as she understood the meaning behind Stephanie's words, or at least some of it, and Klaus's eyes casted to the ground for the first time, almost sorry that he brought up a seemingly sad subjects.

"You're..." Hope started, the word that she wanted to say not leaving her lips, the bitter taste of it as she even thought about it making her want to gag, Stephanie nodded before quickly claiming "Well you have business to attend and I have a sister to twirl." both Mikaelson's nodded and watched as Stephanie walked away from them.

"She's quite the human." Klaus told his daughter as his blue eyes casted down to her, "Yeah, she is." Hope mumbled, knowing fully well her father could hear her.