salvatore: the musical!

I sit with my mom as she looks through a textbook in the library. "I never thought I'd see the day I would be in a history book!" Chimed my mother. "Don't you feel rather special, to be related to moi?"

"Mom, the chapters about you killing a village of people in the 1500's."

Mom hums in thought. "Well, it was a rather daft time. Disease, famine, oh, and don't forget Shakespeare." She winked, a grin on her face. I roll my eyes, slightly grossed out. "Now, Anna, I was talking to that Kirby boy, Langdon?"

"Landon." I correct her.

"Right." She waves me off. "Well, we needed a new art program, and Landon is planning a musical about the history of our school!"

I raise brow. "Isn't that bad because, well, Dad was a murderous psychopath?" I ask my mom.

Mom rolls her eyes. "Landon and I have already discussed it. He wants to clear it up with Hope, but no Niklaus, no Salvatore School. So, I already told him I'm willing to tell him everything he wants to know if Hope reacts poorly." She explains

"Of course Hope is gonna act horribly, it's Hope." I say, twirling my pencil between my fingers.

"And Anna, I already promised Landon you'd audition."

My eyes practically pop out of my head. "I'm sorry, what?" I ask, confused. "Why would you do that?"

Mom scoffs. "Because, Anna, you need a music credit, and as the head of the art department and your mother, I'm making you."

♚

I go to audition after Jed. "I can't believe you and my mom made a deal out of this." I grumble.

Landon shrugs, "Sorry." He gives me an awkward smile. "What role are you, uh, auditioning for?"

I shrug. "Well, I noticed a lack of one of the most powerful witches ever in the play, and I'm demanding you put Bonnie Bennett in the script and give her a solo, or else I will set the entire school on fire, again." I explain, giving a fake smile. Landon stares at me for a long moment, and suddenly a piece of paper on his desks lights on fire. He quickly pats it out, and looks at me again.

"Okay, Annie King as Bonnie Bennett, thank you, Annie."

Lizzie walks into the room. "I'm playing Caroline."

"Lizzie. You have to audition." Landon says.

"Are you saying someone knows my mom better than I do?"

Landon looks up at the blond. "Got it." He mutters.

Lizzie looks at me. "And I know who should play Elena." She hums.

Within minutes, Landon, Lizzie, and I find my girlfriend. "Me?" She asks.

"We all know you can sing." Landon shrugs.

"Well, that doesn't mean I want to be the lead in a musical." She explains.

"But I thought you were step, stepping into the light." Lizzie hums.

Josie gasps dramatically. "You promised." I smile at Josie, who had cut her hair since she went on her trip.

"Look, you're just back from a great visit with Mom, you're feeling good. This could be a great opportunity for a non-magic human to participate in the school's community."

Josie purses her lips, "Can I read the script at least?" Lizzie and I look over Josie's shoulder as she takes it, Landon stumbling over his words. That's when realize, its blank. "It's a work in progress." He takes the book from Jo's hands. "Um, I'm working on it, okay?"

Lizzie walks away, leaving Josie and I. "So, we haven't really talked since you came back." I hum, turning to her slowly. "I was wondering if we were ever going to talk about the things we did when you were Dark Josie and I was Dark Annie."

Josie stares at me for a moment, blushing furiously, "You remembered." She hums.

"Of course I remember." I say, reaching my hand to push a piece of hair behind her ear. "That was our first time, JoJo." The Saltzman's eyes searched the room to make sure nobody was listening to me. "But we haven't said anything, or really done anything since." I explain, putting my hands behind my back awkwardly.

I watch as Josie shrugs awkwardly, looking at me for a moment. "Well, it was a bad time for us." She pauses, looking at me. "Not that- not us- I just mean, like, we were both kind of evil, and not really ourselves when it happened." The two of share awkward chuckles, and I step closer to her, bringing her hand in mine.

"Well, maybe, sometime soon, we can have a redo. Where it's really us." I say softly. Josie's eyes widen, not expecting that idea. I give her a smile, walking away from her.

♚

I lean against a desk in my moms classroom. It was a mismatch of random history artifacts and art pieces, both classes she teaches. Including, history of magical art.

"I'm just saying, Landon excluding my part in the play was rather cold." Mom pouts.

"Mom, you told him not to."

She scoffs. "I didn't think he'd listen." She looks at her board, frowning in thought. "I also thought about Hope, and how she's been struggling recently." I sit up straight, looking at my shoes. "Do you think I need to talk to her?"

I shake my head. "I don't think she needs to talk to her dads wife he cheated on with her mom." I answer promptly. Mom purses her lips, humming in agreement. I sit up straight, "So, mom, I've been thinking about your sister more, what did you guys do with her body?"

"Klaus buried her in the woods." She explains, "It's long gone now." I watch her as she turns away, writing on the board. "I heard Landon's put you in charge of Bonnie's song."

Groaning, I nod. "He said he won't have enough time to write a whole new ballad, but if I find a song from another musical that can fit Bonnie, I'm completely allowed to use it in the play." I explain, "But Bonnie is so much more than one song, and I'm no musical genius." Mom listens as she prepares for her next class. "Like, what song would personify Bonnie?"

Mom stops, turning her head to look at me. "When Bonnie Bennett lost Enzo, it was the hardest moment of her life." She explains, walking towards me. "And as the former lover of Victor Hugo, and John Cameron, I think I have a song you and Bonnie would both relate to."

♚

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♚

I place my hands in my back pockets as I stand back stage. "You look good." I turn around to see Josie, wearing a dark wig, dressed as Elena Gilbert.

"So do you." I say promptly. We both look at the stage. "Are you ready?"

Josie turns to me, quickly pecking my lips. "I am now." She says, rushing to the stage.

One student begins to sing, playing the sheriff. "If you decide one day to come visit our town . There's a sign you'll see as you drive on down.  It says "Welcome To Mystic Falls."

Lizzie, who plays Caroline, links arms with me and the two of us fake talk across the stage as the boy who plays Matt Donovan sings. We all begin a choreography as we sing. We all move out of the way, Josie, aka Elena, comes to the forefront. She sings about Elena's life, and her parents dying.

The song picks up slowly, all of us continuing our choreography. "Welcome to Mystic, welcome to Mystic. Welcome to Mystic-"

Jed, or Stefan, pretends to jump into Elena "Sorry." He says. "Uh, Stefan."

"Elena."

I scramble back stage, Landon looking at me. "Did you pick out a song?" He asks. "You go on after Doppelgänger." I turn to look at Kaleb and Jed as they sing Hello, Brother.

"Yeah, I have a song. It's about Bonnie and Enzo." Landon thinks for a moment, nodding slowly.

The songs continue, and Josie runs off stage, "Good luck, Babe." She says to me, kissing my cheek. I walk on to the stage, Hope looking at me from behind the stage. I look behind her, seeing Mom. She gives me a small nod, and I close my eyes softly as I embody the emotions I needed for the song.

"On my own, Pretending he's beside me." I sing slowly, looking at the crowd. "All alone, I walk with him till morning." Hope looks at my mom, who slowly shakes her head, smiling proudly. "Without him, I feel his arms around me. And when I lose my way I close my eyes." My eyes flutter shut as I hug my body. "And he has found me. In the rain the pavement shines like silver. All the lights are misty in the river." I look up, as if the ceiling is the sky. "In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight. And all I see is him and me forever and forever." I smile softly, my eyes glossy as I look to my side to see two peoples silhouettes pretending to be Bonnie and Enzo behind a screen. "And I know it's only in my mind. That I'm talking to myself and not to him. And although I know that he is blind." Landon brings his clip board close to his chest as he watches me. "Still I say, there's a way for us."

I look down, tears rolling down my face as I fall to my knees. I try to imagine what it'd be like losing someone. Losing Rafael. My best friend. "I love him. But when the night is over, He is gone. The river's just a river." I look back, seeing now another silhouette pretending to be another Bonnie and Enzo moment. "Without him, The world around me changes. The trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers." Lizzie grabs Landon, leading him somewhere else. I turn to the crowd again, standing on to my feet. "I love him, but every day I'm learning. All my life. I've only been pretending." I walk across the stage, bringing my hands to my chest. "Without me, his world will go on turning. A world that's full of happiness. That I have never known."

I stare at the crowd, now crying as I look around. "I love him." The music was soft now. And I shook my head slowly "I love him." The silhouettes begin to face behind me. I smile gently at them. "I love him." I look at the crowd again, seeing many of them with teary eyes. "But only on my own."

The crowd applauses as I run off the stage. "That was amazing, Anna." My mom says, hugging me tightly.

"Annie, that was so good." Hope says to me. "I'm sorry I almost missed it."

I shake my head. "It's okay, really." I turn to the play as it's suddenly a little red head girl, and Counselor Goodfellow. "Is he-?"

"I believe he is playing your father." My mom says slowly. Hope and I look at each other, turning back to the play.

As Goodfellow sang, I remembered how my dad used to be. How he cared for my sister and I. The unconditional love he gave us both. Hopes hand clasped in mine as we watched. To our surprise, Goodfellow embodied our father well. We watched with sad eyes, realizing just how much we missed Klaus Mikaelson. I look at my mom, who had a sad smile on her face as she watched with us.

♚

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

♚

After my part in the play, I looked at Landon as the others started the last scene. "Wheres Jo?" I ask him.

Landon looks at me, eyes wide. "Uh, Josie got hurt. She went with Jade to get it fixed." He explains.

My heart sinks slowly. "Jade, right." I whisper, looking at the stage. "Is that Hope?" I ask.

Landon's eyes are wide. "Yeah."

The song began, and Hope looked around the crowd nervously. "They promised always." She began. I sucked in a breath. "They said forever. But in the end I'm left alone." I look at Landon, and he gives me a soft closed mouth smile. "I've tried running But time always finds me." Hope and Kaleb stand on stage together. "And it will take and take, and what you love is never safe. And everyone you need one day will go." She looks past Kaleb, looking at Landon. "So when you said forever. Any wonder that I ran. But I think I'd rather lose you. Than have never held your hand." Her eyes shift to me, and she waves me over. I look at Landon and he quickly shoves me on stage. "So if forever is just tomorrow,"

Hope and I grab each other's hands, Kaleb moving back. "I want to face it with you by my side." We sing together.

"And if our always is just one more day." I sing, looking in the direction Josie would have stood.

"That's one day more you've changed my life." Hope and I sing together. "And I don't want to love you afraid. Of the day that my heart's bound to break." We smile at each other. "So if forever, is just tomorrow," She looks past me at Landon, glancing at me as we finish the song. "Then tomorrow I'll love you always."

I wrap my arms around my sister tightly, the crowd applauding. I pull away, looking over at Landon. He runs out on stage, scooping my sister in his arms. I smile wide as he and Hope kiss, everyone clapping and cheering. I turn to Kaleb, who gives me a thumbs up.

People begin to depart, and I approach Josie's dorm, "Also, sorry if this is awkward, but I hate ambiguity." Josie's voice fills my ears. I frown, cracking the door so I can just see inside.

Jade sits across from Jo, "Um, we shouldn't be a thing, right?" I watch Josie's face become a bright pink as Jade continues. "I mean, like, I'm way older than you. And I used to, like, babysit you, so,"

"Yeah, it's a little weird." The two chuckle, and I watch Josie look at her lap. "But, um, if you are actually leaving," I grip the door frame tightly, watching Jade look up at her. "I think I would kick myself if I didn't get to kiss you, for real." For real? What does that even mean? "Just because last time I was hopped up on black magic, and just so there's no ambiguity."

I feel every emotion crash down on me. I silently watch as Jade smiles, kissing Josie softly. I can't believe it. This was not the first time Josie and Jade kissed, and it's not the first time I've caught Josie kissing someone. I watch as Jade begins to stand up, and I vamp speed to a safe distance, so by the time she reaches the door, I'm on the other end of the hall. She eyes me as I walk by, approaching the door again.

I open it, Josie looking at me. "Annie! Hey!" She gives me a big smile, which I fakely return.

"Hey." I say promptly. "You okay? I heard you hurt your arm."

Josie hums, "Yeah, I got a witch to do a healing spell." She explains shortly. I hum, looking around the room for a moment. "Is everything okay?" She asks me.

Glancing at her, I nod. "Yeah, everything's fine." I mumble, giving her a smile. "I just wanted to check in on you." I start walking to the door again.

"I love you."

The words echo on my ears as I hover my hand over the door handle. A wave of an emotion I hadn't felt in so long filled every cell of my body. I clenched my fist, turning to look at her. I smile at her. "And I love you."

As I strolled out of her room, and down the hall, my walk became more aggressive as I thought. Students glance at me nervously as I narrowed my eyes, one thing on my mind.

Destroying the world of Josette Saltzman.

AUTHORS NOTE

um...i wish i had something to say about what i've done to you all.

heh...heh...

on the plus side, we are getting a side of annie we havent really gotten to explore, not even when she didn't have her humanity. and it is definitely the klaus side of her, which i am so excited to write for.

i hope you guys enjoyed me incorporating bonnie into the musical. i added a song i thought fit bonnie and enzo, and then i needed a cute mikaelson sister moment<3. i hope you all have an amazing day, and i will see you soon.