the greatest films of all time were never made

Loud music is playing through the surround sound system on the porch. Punches and kicks landing on a punchbag add to all the noise and make it hard to hear the groans and huffs of exhaustion coming from the sole occupant of the building behind her.

Hope is letting out all of her frustration and aggression. She has been working out all day, putting her body through hell and ignoring the warning signs that keep reminding her to take a break and relax. 

It’s not so different from how she usually spends her weekends, specifically her Sunday afternoons. She likes to stay in shape even when she’s not filming and weekends just happen to be a great time for her to squeeze in longer workouts. 

This Sunday is unique though. It’s only been like 40 hours since she caught her boyfriend cheating and ran off to her little bungalow outside of LA.

The small 2 bedroom home has been in her possession for a few years now, it’s her escape for whenever city life gets too busy or apartment living gets annoying. It’s situated in a gated community, which makes it so much more secure than living out in the open, but still allows a great deal of privacy.
She doesn’t constantly have to worry about security and her protection and the neighbors are all pretty nice and mind their own business. 

She likes being here in her little bubble, far away from all the hollywood buzz. She almost feels normal and at peace whenever she’s here. Maybe that’s why she has never actually brought people with her. Even Roman doesn’t know the exact location of this house and it makes it rather easy to avoid him. 

Hope had blocked his number and social media accounts first thing upon arriving at the house. She would seek an explanation and apology from him at some point, but not yet.

Her phone is constantly buzzing and lighting up with new notifications. The news broke early on Saturday, waking her up after a rather short night. 

She has been dodging all the articles about the situation and only pays attention to texts from family members. 

Her aunts Freya and Keelin facetimed her last night  and pretty much distracted her from all the heartbreak with her little cousin Nick showing off some art projects he is working on in preschool. 

Her aunt Rebekah just sent a short text  I love you. Hang in there. I’m handling it. I’ll be there on Sunday.

So Hope really isn’t that surprised when she suddenly hears a soft voice coming from inside the house. She stops her movements immediately and waits for her aunt to come into view.

“Hope?” Rebekah appears seconds later.

She doesn’t look like someone who just traveled all the way from London on short notice. Her blonde hair is flowing down her shoulders, framing her delicate facial features. She is wearing dark dress pants and a white blouse topped off with a thin coat. 

Rebekah spots Hope and immediately drops her chic handbag on the outdoor dining table. Her blue eyes are alert and hold no trace of jet lag or fatigue even after multiple hours of travel as they meet Hope’s equally blue ones. 

There is a twinkle in her eyes that reminds Hope so much of her father’s loving gaze. While seeing her family brings her a tremendous amount of comfort and warmth Hope can never swallow the bitter taste of sadness and dread that comes with it. 

Having a big family is amazing. She knows she can always rely on every single one of the Mikaelsons and the extended family that might not share the same name, but the same understanding for family. 

Unfortunately her family is not big enough. Not anymore. Hope is missing some important people in her life and family reunions are a reminder of that. 

When she looks at her father’s siblings she sees so much more than just them. His bone structure, the color of his eyes, his gestures and facial expressions shine through.

Just like when they all sit together and reminisce about the past it’s rather obvious that they’re missing the best storyteller and most beautiful soul who had somehow weaseled her way into the Mikaelson clan.

She lost her parents years ago, but it still feels fresh every single day when she wakes up and prepares to live another day without them. 

So many thoughts run through her head upon Rebekah’s arrival. She loves her so much and is grateful for her company, but at this moment all Hope really wants is something she can’t have. A hug from her mom. 

Hope can’t muster any words. The reality of the situation sinking in again. Rebekah only needs a split second to read Hope who is standing frozen in place and tackles her into a bone crushing hug. 

The tears start coming and don’t stop.

“It’s okay. I’m here now.”

A while later they find themselves on the couch, steaming cups of tea within arm’s reach on the coffee table.

Hope has already filled her aunt in on all the details and her tears have dried in the process. 

“I’m so sorry this happened to you.” Rebekah has a reassuring hand resting on Hope’s knee and squeezes. “Is there anything I can do? Primarily as your aunt? The official business talk can wait for now.”

Hope knows her aunt will eventually switch into full on business mode and take reigns over all the official and legal steps they will have to take from now on. Rebekah takes the responsibilities that come with being Hope’s agent and manager very seriously. 

“I don’t know.” Hope sighs exasperated. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” Rebekah scoots closer and puts an arm around Hope in a half embrace.

They sit in silence for a couple of minutes before Hope finally decides to voice some of her thoughts.

“I don’t understand — .” She tries to find the right words. “I don’t understand me.”

Rebekah keeps her niece close and doesn’t say anything. She knows how hard it is for Hope to talk about her feelings. She usually keeps everything bottled up, afraid that she’ll inconvenience others with her baggage. So Rebekah waits for her to find the right words.

“I think I never actually loved him.” Hope whispers. “So why did I stay with him then? Why did I pursue a relationship, knowing I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life with the person I was with? Why did I waste so much time and energy? Why did I wait 2 years before finally walking out?”

Hope shrugs off her aunt's arm and starts pacing around the small living room. She comes to a stop and looks at Rebekah expectantly. 

“What is wrong with me?”

“Nothing is wrong with you.” Rebekah sits up straight. “You are a young adult living thousands of miles away from your family. It’s totally normal for you to seek comfort in another person. In this case Roman.”

Hope crosses her arms over her chest and starts pacing again.

“But that’s the thing. The relationship didn’t bring me any comfort. I was constantly annoyed at him and hated all of his stupid jokes.”

Hope has no trouble already referring to the relationship in past tense. It just proves her point that something about her must be off.

“Okay, so maybe it wasn’t about finding comfort.” Rebekah tries again. “I can see how the pressure of the media and the way relationships between celebrities are glorified might have pushed you towards him.”

Hope snorts and raises one of her eyebrows. The last thing she had in mind when she started seeing Roman was becoming the new Brangelina. Except for some instagram posts and mini comments in interviews she doesn’t really address her dating life much.

Roman on the other hand overshared a lot of details which is one of the reasons why Hope had been constantly annoyed.

“I really did not date him for good press and clout. It really was the other way around.”

Rebekah sighs, but has to admit that her niece has a point.

“Well, you are a young woman with … certain… needs….” 

“The sex was bad.” Hope deadpans.

Rebekah gives up. She crosses her legs, places her hands in her lap and absently starts playing with her wedding ring. 

“Let’s try a different approach. Not every relationship is a perfect love story, Hope. It takes dedication and work to fully understand another person and be with them.” 

Hope is looking out of the giant living room window and watches as a light breeze moves the water in her pool. 

“I’m just not made for relationships.”

“Bloody hell.” Rebekah stands up. “I was trying to be easy on you with this, but I think I have to rip the bandaid off.”

Hope spins around surprised at her aunt’s sudden outburst.

“I think we both know damn well why you dated that idiot. He is boring and plain. A really superficial person who wasn’t interested in you as a person. He never expected you to open up to him, which made it easy for you, because you’re emotionally unavailable. You don’t like to talk about your feelings, you just bottle them up and pretend that things don’t affect you.”

“You work 24/7, you go from project to project and barely take time for yourself in between. You’re a hard worker and there is nothing wrong with that, but what you don’t realize is that you use it as an excuse to shut yourself out. You isolate yourself from others. Hope, you barely have friends. I honestly think that you have none. 
You stayed with Roman, just so you could lie to yourself and tell yourself that you are doing well when in reality you are miserable.”

Hope is speechless. Not because her aunt offended her, rather because deep down she knows Rebekah is right and just voiced the exact thoughts Hope had been too afraid to say out loud.

A sad smile tugs on her lips and Hope stares holes into the hardwood floor.

“You’re right. I’m just broken.”

Rebekah approaches her and takes one hand to lift up Hope’s chin, so that the younger woman is forced to lock gazes with her.

“You’re not broken.” She wipes away a stray tear that escaped Hope’s right eye. “I know how hard it is for you to form deep and meaningful connections. You don’t open up easily and it takes a lot of time until you finally fully trust someone. You have your reasons for it. You’ve lost enough and don’t want to endure any more pain.”

“But, Hope, you still have me. You still have so many people who care about you. Freya, Keelin, Marcel, Kol, Davina and so many more. We will never abandon you. We might not be here in LA, but we’re only one phone call away and have spare beds in every single house. We love you and we want you to be happy. We are a family and what do we say about family?”

Hope takes a deep breath to ground herself and looks deep into Rebekah’s eyes. For a second they almost look like her father’s. She pictures his and her mother’s voice as she speaks.

“Family is always and forever.”

Hours later Rebekah and her discuss the huge media fuss Hope is unwillingly a part of.

“I think it’s time we hire somebody new.”

Rebekah is referring to a sensitive topic. The blonde has been acting as Hope’s agent since the girl first started acting. She makes calls, negotiates contracts, organizes and basically plans Hope’s entire life. However she does all of that from her home in London. 

Years ago they tried to pass some of Rebekah’s responsibilities to an American agency, but it ended up being a total disaster and the Mikaelsons decided to keep control over Hope’s life to themselves. She nearly suffered a burnout under the demanding agent and only got roles that clearly served one purpose and not more: look pretty for the male audience.

“I have someone in mind.” Rebekah says and looks at her watch. “She should be here in a couple of minutes.”

Hope’s not surprised that her aunt already made some decisions without asking for her opinion, but she is too mentally exhausted to complain.

The phone rings, letting them know a Miss Tig is trying to get into the community. 

MInutes later Hope meets her for the first time and is pleasantly surprised when she hears a British accent.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Mikaelson.”

“Welcome.” Hope shakes her hand and likes how firm her guest squeezes back. “Can I offer you something to drink, Miss Tig?

Miss Tig smiles surprised and accepts the offer opting for some earl grey. They sit at the dining table, Rebekah and Hope on one side, Miss Tig on the opposite one. 

“I know you weren’t expecting me, especially this late on a sunday. So allow me to introduce myself.” Miss Tig takes out a business card and hands it to Hope. “I have my own talent agency and represent actors and actresses in the greater LA area. My biggest clientele is in the television industry, but I have experience with movie and theatre performers as well.”

“My work doesn’t end with getting you auditions and interviews, I come with a whole team of qualified employees, that includes a publicist and social media manager and everything else you need. I would love to work with you. You are a talented actress and I think together we can move past everything that’s going on and get you the roles you deserve.”

She talks for five more minutes, giving the Mikaelsons a perfect sales pitch on why they should work together. Hope is impressed and convinced. She was already content when the woman opened her mouth for the first time and revealed her accent. A little taste of home. 

She talks to Rebekah in private before giving Miss Tig her consent and seals the deal with another firm handshake. They decide to sign the paperwork in the following week.

“There are different ways to approach the current dilemma. We can either ignore or address the situation.” The agent is nursing her second cup of tea. “We will definitely discuss this with a publicist first, but I personally think you should make a statement.”

Hope swirls around the last few drops of liquid left in her mug. 

“The photos are pretty self explanatory. I think we can work around them without accusing your ex boyfriend of cheating or slandering his name in public. The last thing we want is a lawsuit. So I think we should go with a short and simple note in which you explain that your relationship status has changed.”

Hope chuckles at that. “I think I can come up with something.”

A phone suddenly startles all of them and Miss Tig apologizes before checking the caller id.

“I have to take this real quick.” She gets up and takes a few steps to the side for some privacy. 

Hope doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, but can’t help herself, because there is nothing else demanding her attention right now, except for her aunt who is currently typing up a storm on her phone. She saw that her husband put the twins to bed way too late on instagram and is furious. 

“How did it go?” Hope’s new agent looks excited and waits for an answer through her phone. “That’s great, Josie! I’m going to call them first thing tomorrow!”

Hope doesn’t pay any more attention, because she keeps repeating the name she just heard over and over again. 

Josie. That sounds like a very pretty name.