Lizzie knocked at the door softly. Part of her almost wished it was so quiet that Hope wouldn't hear it. Then, she could turn away and pretend like she had never come over here in the first place.

But the door swung open instead.

"Oh." Hope's eyes widened as she realized who it was. She smiled a little as she stepped aside to let Lizzie in. "It's just you."

"Expecting someone else?" Lizzie asked, hoping the sad attempt at casual conversation would hide how irrationally nervous she was.

"Your dad, mostly. I still haven't gotten a disappointed dad lecture on ..." Hope sighed heavily. "... on everything I did."

Lizzie nodded. "You mean beating him into a coma. Sending him to limbo. Convincing one of his daughters to leave forever. Killing the other one."

Hope's eyes dropped to her feet guiltily. "Yeah."

"Well ..." Lizzie let out a loud exhale as she helped herself into Hope's bed. "If I can forgive you for it, anyone can."

Hope crawled in next to her. "I'm not so sure everyone is as forgiving as you."

"You killed me," Lizzie scoffed. If there was anyone who shouldn't forgive Hope, it would be her, the person Hope killed, and yet, she did. She adjusted the blanket to cover both her and Hope's legs. The tribrid didn't answer, and Lizzie looked over just in time to catch her staring at her neck.

Hope still remembered the way Lizzie's bone protruded from her throat as she dropped her dead body callously on the dirty, stone floor. She was still having nightmares about it just last night. How could Lizzie forgive her for that? How could anyone? She was a monster.

"I forgave Josie after she killed me," Lizzie pointed out simply.

Hope blinked in surprise. With everything going on lately, she had almost forgotten about that chapter of their lives. It certainly didn't help that everyone, including Lizzie herself, chose to pretend like it just didn't happen.

"She's your sister," Hope argued half-heartedly. It was different. Way different.

"And you're my best friend." Lizzie reached for Hope's hand, cradling it in hers. "And you're a part of my family too. I meant it when I told you that. Right before I told you ..."

She slowly let go of Hope's hand, suddenly aware of that line she was crossing. Sometimes it was easier to pretend like she hadn't bared her heart to Hope only to get her neck broken in response. But she had, and Hope couldn't un-know how Lizzie felt now. Embarrassment burned in her cheeks.

Hope pressed her lips into a flat, unfeeling smile. "Right before you told me that other thing we have yet to discuss." She nodded. That Lizzie was in love with her - used to be in love with her. Before Hope tried to make her kill Aurora, and before Lizzie managed to find a loophole to the sire bond by no longer loving Hope. That other thing.

"I've done some reading on sire bonds," Lizzie started. "I was trying to make a solid case in my defense. Just ... anything to get everyone to understand why I did what I did."

"It's not the same kind of sire bond I had with Henry," Hope said before Lizzie could get the wrong idea. She knew all the books in the library outlined all the way her father had misused his sire bonds with his hybrids. She also knew that kind of bond wasn't possible between her and Lizzie.

"Oh, I know. I called my Aunt Elena." The corners of Lizzie's lips turned up involuntarily. "She told me all about the time when she was sired to my uncle - and how she broke it by turning off her humanity."

"Except you, being as clever as you are, found a loophole." The words hurt Hope just to say, but they caught Lizzie's attention. In all of her research, she hadn't been able to find an explanation as to how she broke it. She had a strong theory, but not one she could prove. "The sire bond was created out of love, so all you had to do was stop loving me to break it."

"No." Lizzie shook her head immediately. "No, I didn't. Something in my broken - no, not broken, different - mind was able to resist it. The same way I could resist the Oni when it tried to possess me." She hadn't realized she was leaning closer and closer to Hope as she spoke until she was very much on Hope's side of the bed, her face inches from hers. She was being overly intense, like she always was when she liked someone. She was too much. She was going to scare Hope away, but she couldn't stop. "I didn't stop loving you. Please don't ever think that. I found another way. I don't know how, exactly, but it wasn't -"

Lizzie never got to finish her rambling sentence, because Hope cut her off with a kiss. Lizzie still loved her, and if she was being honest, the rest of what Lizzie was saying had turned into a loud buzzing in her ears. She'd ask all about it later, but for now ... Lizzie still loved her and that was all that mattered. She grabbed the front of Lizzie's shirt, pulling her closer.

"I am sorry," Hope rushed out against Lizzie's lips.

Lizzie's reply was just as quick and breathless. "I already forgave you."

"I know, but just -" Hope cut herself off with another desperate kiss. "- I have to make it up to you."

"You already did."

"I'm serious."

"Me too." Lizzie pulled back, trying to catch her breath as she looked into Hope's eyes. "All you had to do was come back, and you did. All I ever wanted was my dad and my Hope back. I have both now. I don't think it's my forgiveness you're looking for."

Hope kissed her again. How could she not? Lizzie was just too perfect.

And she was right, as always. It wasn't Lizzie's forgiveness she was looking for. It was her own. She didn't forgive herself for all the horrible things she did while her humanity was off.

It was like Lizzie could tell what Hope was thinking just by the way she felt under her hands.

"You are not what you've done," Lizzie reminded her gently. "You told me that."

"You didn't kill anyone."

"My point still stands. Maybe we're both too hard on ourselves, and we both could learn to forgive ourselves a little more." Lizzie held Hope's face in her hands, and her eyes flickered back and forth between Hope's.

"Maybe we can work on it together."