CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
of getting ready & parties

"DAD IS SO SUSPICIOUS." JOSIE TOLD HER SISTER as she did the girl's hair. She stood behind her sister, both in front of the mirror.

"Uh, duh. So am I." Lizzie said in an obvious tone.

"I just think that she's more fairy godmother than zombie." Josie said, ignoring her sisters' statement. 

Lizzie inhaled before releasing it. "She's not our mother. She's DNA. We can be mad at Mom all that we want for missing our party, but we cannot cheat on her with Mombie Dearest." 

Josie, who had finished her sister's hair, looked saddened but didn't say anything about it. She looked down at the ground before looking back up at Lizzie. 

"You're not even dressed." Lizzie told her as Josie looked down at herself. "I don't want to be late to my own party."

"I'm done." Josie said to her sister, referring to her hair. "I'll catch up with you, okay?" Lizzie nodded and got up, walking towards the door as Josie picked up the mirror and brush. 

Lizzie walked out, leaving Josie alone. She put the mirror and brush back into the drawer of her dresser and glanced at her bed. She looked back at the dresser before doing a double-take. 

A red envelope stuck out from in between two pillows. She reached over and grabbed it. Her name was written on the envelope in a black pen. 

She opened it and pulled out a pouch. She looked at it, feeling what was inside through the fabric before setting it down.

Josie reached back into it and pulled out the red piece of paper. She read it.

Hope your
birthday wishes
came true,
Hope and Katelyn (this bitch tried to take all the credit)

Josie laughed at what Katelyn wrote at the end. She realized after a bit of observation that Hope and Katelyn had a sisterly relationship, almost instantly. Josie envied Katelyn because it took almost a decade for Hope to finally open up to her while Katelyn swooped in and the two seemed to be best friends already.

Josie smiled at the card before setting it down and picking up the pouch. She opened it up, pulling the contents out. 

It was a beautiful silver necklace with a talisman on the end. Josie put it on instantly, smiling. She smiled because she got a present from her friend that she hit it off with and she smiled even wider because it was Hope - the girl that she was pretty sure she loved - gave her a necklace for her birthday, not Lizzie... her.

She fingered the talisman, zoning out about what happened a couple of nights ago when Lizzie was supposedly sleeping with Katelyn.

After Josie kissed Hope's cheek, the two had retired to the tribrid's room and had a night of their own. Whispering how they felt about one another, kissing whenever the other said something too adorable or cliche, and cuddling until they were both asleep and safe in each other's arms. 

A knock interrupted the siphoner's thinking and she looked over to see who it was. 

Penelope stood in the doorway with a dress on and some earrings in along with a necklace around her neck. "Hey, Jo Jo. Need an escort?"

Josie let go of the talisman, grabbing the card and envelope. "Sure. Do you know anyone whose heart isn't made of stone?"

"Look, I am sorry about earlier." Penelope said somewhat honestly. "I saw a chance to make Lizzie suffer and, uh... I shot my shot." Penelope chuckled softly, smiling.

"Why can't you just ease up on her?" Josie asked as she walked towards the girl, stopping at a safe distance. She knew Hope still had doubts about Penelope and that Josie wasn't completely over her which Hope had reassured her that it was fine and all wounded hearts need time to heal and figure out what they want.

"She sucks the air out of every room you're in." Penelope replied. 

"She's my twin. We can share oxygen."

"Are you sharing love interests now, too? Because she's the only one with a date."

Josie had a feeling Katelyn was going to get Hope to escort her whether the tribrid wanted to or not. The blonde always knew that something was going on between them. Josie could see it in Katelyn's eye every time Josie and Hope were in the same room.

During her time thinking, she didn't say anything which Penelope took as the confirmation she needed that the assumption was right.

"See? You have crawled so far down the codependence rabbit hole that you think taking care of yourself is selfish." Penelope told her. "But it's not. So when are you gonna take care of you?"

"I take care of myself just fine."

"Oh, really?" Penelope raised an eyebrow. "Party starts in five."

Josie raised her eyebrows as if saying 'so, what?'

"It's a shame you spent all of that time helping Lizzie get ready." 

Penelope walked out, leaving Josie in her room by herself. The brunette breathed unevenly for a second before coming to a last-minute decision. 

She got dressed in her pinkish-white dress and let her hair down. She turned off the light in her dorm after grabbing the mirror she put in her drawer and ventured off towards her father's office. 

Josie made it to Alaric's office a couple of minutes later and siphoned the barrier spell that was on the door. She cast a spell that opened the doors and she scanned the office, walking in, looking for Josette.

She found the woman looking at an old photo book, staring at her with a soft smile. 

"Do you know how to braid?" Josie asked her.

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Lizzie walked to the assembly hall where she and Josie's party is taking place. She walked through the doorway where party streamers fell from the roof ceiling. 

Music played loudly through the speakers as students danced with their significant others. Students were at the top where the stairs were, looking over the railing and mingling with one another. 

Lizzie stood at the top of the stairs and looked down at her party with a proud smile. Everyone was dancing and having a good time as she began to walk down. 

The DJ saw Lizzie and grabbed the microphone. "Ah, let's welcome birthday girl number one, and her lucky escort." 

Lizzie stopped in the middle of the stairs where Katelyn was supposed to be. She felt her heart clench painfully in her chest as every applauded. She didn't think Katelyn would flake out on her.

She slowly began to walk down the steps as MG used his vampire speed to get to the bottom of the stairs before she made it down. He fixed his coat as Lizzie looked at everyone, searching for Katelyn. 

"Where's my date?" Lizzie asked MG. 

"You're looking at him." He replied. 

Lizzie looked down at his shoes. "You're wearing sneakers?"

"These are Concord 11s, Milady." He replied as he took the rose out of his coat pocket and handed it to her.

She took it, still looking upset over the fact Katelyn stood her up. "What if I told you my favorite was sunflowers?"

"I'd know you were lying." MG said.

"How?"

MG didn't reply, he just lifted his hand toward a group of witches that were at the back of the party. They all raised their hands, their fingers dancing, and then dropped them slowly. 

Silver and blue confetti fell onto them out of nowhere, meaning a spell had generated them. Lizzie looked around with a smile. 

"The same way I know that your favorite color is lavender, your favorite dessert is key lime pie, you like a blend of hip-hop and old-school Motown, and powdered bat wings make you sneeze."

Their arms interlocked and MG lifted his arm once again and gestured to the DJ who pointed back at him in return. 

♫ Girls just wanna have fun ♫

"My favorite song." Lizzie said as she walked down the remaining steps with MG. 

"I know."

The music continues to play as MG starts to dance with Lizzie watching him. He dances around her, trying to get the blonde in the mood to join him. 

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Josie and Josette laugh together as the older woman does her daughter's hair. 

"Aren't you gonna be late?" Josette asked Josie. 

"Oh, no. It's cool. No one will notice." Josie replied like it was the usual thing. If Hope hadn't come to find her yet then nobody would notice that she was gone. Even Katelyn was probably wrapped up in her sister.

"At your own party?" Josette asked as she handed Josie back the brush. 

The smile never once wavered from the young brunette's face. "Maybe if I had a date." 

Josette leans down, putting her hands on each side of the chair. "Is there someone special?"

The siphoner smiled even wider. "That is a complicated question."

Josette sat down on the couch across from her, putting her hands on her thighs. "Humor me." 

"Well..." Josie giggled. "Last year, there was this girl, um, but she dumped me." 

"Oh." Josette said in that way that was sympathy, not disgust. 

"And now there's this girl. Um, but Lizzie and her don't really get along so we've kind of been keeping it a secret from everyone. Including dad." 

"Why don't you tell Lizzie that you like this girl?" Josette asked. 

"No. That would be... bad." Josie said as she nodded her head in agreement with her own statement. She still hasn't come clean about being the one that started the fire in Hope's dorm which she wanted to really soon. She couldn't keep it in anymore. 

"Being 16 and having a strong twin sister isn't a cakewalk." Josette said with a shake of her head. "But anybody who spent five minutes with you would know how special you are."

"You're only saying that because you're..." Josie stopped herself before she said anything else. Josette's face fell slightly, knowing what she was going to say. 

"It's okay." Josette said honestly and sincerely. "Caroline is your mom. She did a great job." 

"Lizzie's exactly like her. You would never know that she's not her biological mom."

"And you take after me." 

Josie laughed softly. "I'm really happy you're here. I honestly think that Dad is really lonely."

"He's a pretty terrific guy, your dad. But you can catch me up later. I want to know about who gave you this." She pointed to the talisman around her daughter's neck. "Was it the girl?"

Josie smiled and fingered the necklace, looking down at it. "Yeah, it was. Her and my friend. The two of them have, like, a sisterly bond with one another that happened so quickly. It's like they are real sisters..." Josie frowned. Where did that come from? 

Josette laughed softly. "Could it be the girl that was in here earlier? With me and your dad? The blonde one." 

Josie looked up at her and chuckled. "No, she's all Lizzie's. The girl... her name is Hope Mikaelson." Josie smiled just hearing the auburnette's name. 

Josette smiled softly at her daughter before realization seemed to hit her. "You have a party to go to. You can catch me up all on you and this Hope later." 

Josie thought for a moment before looking at her biological mother. "Actually, do you want to come with me?" 

Josette smiled.

AN: Oh, God. The next part is gonna hurt me to write. When I first saw this episode I was like- 👀👀 'Jo Jo's back baby!' but then as it progressed my anxiety skyrocketed and you know HOSIE had their moment and I'm pretty sure I died peacefully... Anyway, thank you for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment.