CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
happy birthdays & bio-moms

JOSIE LEANED BACK AGAINST THE DOOR TO HER DORM room before opening it to see Lizzie standing near her bed. She smiled slightly at her sister as she walked into the room, keeping the door open. 

"Hey, I didn't see you at breakfast." Josie said to her, wondering what was up with her.

Lizzie smiled brightly, skipping over to her sister. "I'm too excited to eat. Happy birthday to us." She said as she wrapped her brunette sister in a hug and spun her around as Josie, who looked surprised, hugged her back. "Isn't it a beautiful day for a party?" Lizzie asked as she pulled away and squeezed her sister's upper arms. 

"You're... cheerful." Josie stated as Lizzie took her hands. 

"Why wouldn't I be? Mom's coming home." Lizzie inquired before turning away and starting to list things off. "I had sex with Kate, my pores are practically invisible..." 

"Wait, what?" Josie asked, hearing the part where her sister had sex with her friend - someone who was turning out to be someone Josie could rely on and trust not to hurt her. "You had sex with—" 

"Last night." Lizzie said as she turned to face the brunette siphoner. "You know how Mom always says that things work out, in the end, the way they're supposed to? She's right. I wouldn't have time to represent the witches now with a girlfriend, so you getting the consolation prize is perfect." 

Josie looked down at her hands and rubbed them together before looking back up at her sister. 

"Okay. I need your help." Lizzie said as she showed Josie two clips. "I'm going for Meghan Markle tasteful." 

Josie shook her head, opening her mouth to speak when someone interrupted. 

"Woot, woot!" Penelope's irritating voice sounded from behind the brunette. She turned around to see the witch holding two cupcakes. "Happy birthday, witches."

"Oh, look. It's Satan." Lizzie stated dryly. "In a crop top. Come to burn my world down?"

"Retro. Princess Di before she got style. I dig it." Penelope said and Lizzie quickly took the clip out of her hair. 

Josie sighed. "What do you want?"

"Oh, just to cheer you two up. You know, 'cause your mom's not coming." 

"What?" The twins ask at the same time, Lizzie a bit more forcefully. 

"Oh, I heard them cancel her pickup at the office. I thought you knew." Penelope replied and Josie looked down at the ground with a saddened expression. "Oops." 

"Park!" A voice called and the three witches frowned as Jed appeared. "You need to leave. Now. Before I get Katelyn. She warned you to stay away." He said, getting in between the twins and Penelope. He crossed his arms. 

"All right. Don't get your tail in a twist, mutt. I'm going. Go cry to your alpha or something." Penelope sneered before walking off. 

Jed huffed out a humorless laugh before turning around to look at the two. "You two good?" He asked and they nodded slowly. He gave them a nod before leaving. 

Lizzie closed the door with a wave of her hand before turning to Josie. They ignored the strange encounter and looked at each other with shocked and sad looks. Their mother wasn't coming. 

.

.

.

.

Hope had promised to teach Katelyn how to dance after Katelyn got back from Alaric's office. He had called her in after speaking with Emma and the woman had put up a boundary spell to keep Josette in the vicinity, just in case she was a monster. Katelyn had followed her around, Alaric giving her orders to protect the woman just in case of any threats that wanted to interfere. 

"I put a basic boundary spell to keep her in." Emma told Alaric as she looked over at Josette. "Are you sure she can't do magic?"

"She couldn't before she died, so if she can now, I guess we'll learn the hard way." Alaric replied.

Katelyn rolled her eyes at the two adults, giving Josette an apologetic look. 

"Um, she's right here." The woman said as Emma grabbed her bag and walked towards the door of the office. "And she's got a lot of questions."

Emma looked at Alaric. "Be careful with this one, Ric." She looked at Katelyn. "Protect him?" 

Katelyn nodded her head as Emma walked out. Josette rolled her eyes, crossing her arms after seeing the look Alaric and Emma exchanged. The man looked at Katelyn and nodded towards the doors. She closed them with a flick of her hands and put a spell on them. 

"Okay, let's talk." Alaric said as he stood next to Katelyn and looked at Josette. "Who are you? What do you want?" 

"I'm Josette Laughlin, almost Saltzman." 

"No. Jo Laughlin is dead." 

Katelyn slapped the man on the chest lightly, giving him a glare. 

"I'm well aware. It's not every day you get murdered at your shotgun wedding." Josette said and Katelyn found the wall suddenly very interesting.

"Okay." Alaric said. "What's the last thing you remember?" 

"Morning sickness. My dress. Our vows. My psychopath twin brother with a very large knife. And then... nothing." She replied as she leaned against Ric's desk. "How long ago was that?" 

Alaric looked at Katelyn who looked back at him before they both looked at the woman. 

"You look a little... seasoned." 

Katelyn choked on air, coughing out her laughs as Alaric shot the blonde a glare. 

"About 16-years-ago." Alaric told Josette. 

"16 years." She sighed. "I don't know what to say. "How are you? How have you been?"

"Oh, just cut the... Just drop the act, okay?" 

"Ric, I don't think it's an act." Katelyn said with a sigh as she leaned against one of the chairs. Josette nodded in agreement, thankful that someone believes her. 

"This is Mystic Falls. I'm not exactly the first person to be brought back from the dead." 

Katelyn agreed with that statement.

"Yeah, well, things have gotten a little complicated around here lately." Alaric snapped as he glanced at Katelyn. 

They all turned their attention to the door when the doorknob started to rattle as if someone was trying to open it. Knocking could be heard when the person couldn't get in. 

"Uh, Dad?" Lizzie asked from the other side. "Why is your door locked?"

Josette pointed to the door. "'Dad'?" She asked him quietly before looking at Katelyn. The blonde kept a passive face, showing nothing but interest in the situation, nothing else.

"And when were you going to tell us that Mom wasn't coming back?" Josie asked through the door and Katelyn pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"I was about to." Alaric lied making Katelyn glare at him, dropping her hand to her side. Alaric grabbed Josette and covered her mouth with his hand as she tried to talk. "There— there's a strike at the airport in Mozambique." 

"She couldn't compel a pilot and hop on a private jet?" Lizzie questioned. 

"She'll explain everything later." Alaric said as he looked at Josette. "Okay? But right now I just need you to go because I am wrapping your presents." 

Katelyn stared at him with a 'that was the lamest excuse on the planet' look.

"No, you're not. You're lying through your teeth." Josie countered.

He threw his head back in annoyance. Katelyn watched as the doors opened after hearing Lizzie and Josie speak something in Latin that she couldn't understand through the door. Alaric let go of Josette as he looked at his daughters. 

Their eyes first went to Katelyn who rubbed the side of her nose, then to Alaric, and then to Josette. The woman stared at them as if trying to figure something out. 

The twins walked in but kept their distance after Katelyn raised her hand, signaling them to stay back. 

"Who's this trollop?" Lizzie asked, staring at Josette. 

"You two need to leave right now." Alaric told his daughters.

"I'm sorry. How old are you?" Josette cut in and Katelyn winced. 

"16." The twins answered simultaneously. 

"Today." Lizzie added. "It's our birthday."

"You're twins?" Josette asked, her eyes welling up with tears. 

Lizzie looked at Katelyn and her father. "What are we interrupting here?" 

"I'm serious. Do as I say and now just go." Alaric said. 

Katelyn stood up straight and crossed her arms. Josie looked at her and Katelyn knew the realization hit her. 

"Lizzie." Josie said, her eyes locking back onto Josette.

"What?"

"Lizzie, it's her." 

Josette came to the same conclusion Katelyn did and inhaled sharply.

"Her who?" 

Josie blinked a couple of times before going over to one of the shelves and grabbing a picture frame. She looked at it and then back at Josette as she walked back over to her sister. Lizzie looked between Alaric and Josette, starting to piece it together. Josette put a hand to her mouth, trying to keep it together.

"Her." Josie stated as she showed Lizzie the picture of Alaric in a tux and Josette in a wedding dress — the wedding dress.

Josette looked between them. 

"Holy crap." Lizzie said. "You're Bio-mom." 

"This is impossible. I wasn't even showing at our wedding. How...?"

Alaric turned away from them and started walking towards something at the back of his office. "Your family's crazy coven magically implanted them in Caroline when you died. She's their birth mother." 

Katelyn whacked his chest again, rolling her eyes. Seriously, would it kill him to be a little less snippy? 

"Caroline?" Josette asked, looking slightly proud but mostly shocked. "So... you two..."

"No." Alaric said. "She married Stefan Salvatore. Who basically died on their wedding day, too, but that's a long story." 

Lizzie decided to cut in. "They're still very close."

"We opened this school together." Alaric said as Katelyn, Josette, and Alaric looked at Lizzie. 

"She's overseas right now doing very important recruiting work. I'm Lizzie. After my mother's mom." 

Josette smiled at her adoringly, lovingly. Katelyn released a shaky breath and Alaric looked at her in concern.

"And I'm Josie. Josette. Like—" 

"Me." Jo finished.

She went to step towards them but Katelyn got in the way.

"Look, I believe you but I don't trust you." Katelyn told Josette who nodded in understanding and kept her distance. Katelyn looked at Alaric. "I have to go meet Hope." Then she walked out of the room.

"Katelyn, wait—" Alaric stopped himself with a sigh. He realized that this whole mother-daughter thing was probably getting to her. 

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