this slope is treacherous
Hope Mikaelson, Thurs.
[8:07 am]:>screenshot345<
[8:08 am]: we have to be more careful.
[8:18 am]: maybe you can do some damage control?
[8:18 am]: Does your kitchen look like mine?
[8:19 am]: Or can you post a pic from your mom’s patio?
Me, Thurs.
[9:43 am]: what???
[9:43 am]: seriously?
[9:43 am]: how are they so observant?
> incoming call Hope Mikaelson <
“Good Morning, Jo!” The older woman sounds chipper, unlike Josie who answers with a shaky breath.
“What do we do?”
Hope has the audacity to laugh and that confuses Josie even more. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, I’m sorry.” Hope tries in a more serious tone. “Josie, it’s okay, nothing to worry about.”
Josie does the opposite and clutches her phone in worry. The barstool at her kitchen island suddenly becomes uncomfortable, so she gets up and takes a few steps towards her couch.
“Didn’t we just violate our nda less than 24 hours ago?”
Hope sighs on the other end, some shuffling is audible.
“These posts I just sent are from tiny accounts. They barely reach their target audience.” Hope explains. “Like I said, nothing to worry about.”
“Are you sure?” Josie anxiously flops down on her couch. “I don’t want to get into trouble.”
“I’m sure. I only found them, because my social media person sent them to me.”
Josie furrows her brow in confusion. “Do you mean Alex? She didn’t send me anything.”
Alex is part of the whole package deal that comes with signing for Emma’s agency. She has a whole team at her disposal and whenever there’s something blowing up, Alex will take care of it. Josie didn’t get any reports though and considering these posts concern both her and Hope means she probably should have.
“No, I didn’t get any reports from Alex. I have my own ways.”
“You don’t work with Alex?”
“I do, but I have additional help.” Hope says. “Before I signed with Emma, my aunt was doing most of the management work, but she wasn’t into the idea of entertaining my social media accounts.”
Josie is catching on.
“So we enlisted a college student.”
Josie isn’t catching on anymore.
“You have a college student managing your social media accounts?” Josie shoots up from her couch and starts pacing. “What?”
Hope chuckles and starts to explain. “She studies at UCLA, needs a part time job and is always online. It makes sense. She stalks my accounts, fan accounts and tags concerning me. I get a report every night.”
Josie sighs in disbelief. This sounds risky and not at all appropriate for a celebrity of Hope’s caliber.
“She tells me exactly who tagged me during the day and what posts I should like or respond to. She sends me fanart and fan edits to repost and gets rid of hate comments and desperate boys in my dms. It’s great.”
Josie is amazed by this rather insane, but also low key good concept. Alex only sends her weekly notes or emergency briefings. With the huge amount of content she gets spammed with, Josie often forgets to interact with her friend’s posts and regularly receives “comment something to stay relevant” texts from the social media team.
“This sounds very uncharacteristic for people in our industry.” Josie says. “Is it safe?”
“She signed a bunch of agreements and contracts.” Hope says. “And I pay her way more than necessary. She won’t reveal any of my secrets.” The last part is said with a certain uplift to Hope’s voice. She’s teasing.
Josie rolls her eyes, it’s not really because she’s annoyed, but rather because she finds it cute. Oh Lord. She clears her throat quickly and doesn’t think twice about what to say next.
“What secrets are we talking about?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know...”
°°°°
Me, Fri.
4:27 pm]: so about, sunday
[4:28 pm]: there have been some paps around my mom’s house recently
[4:38 pm]: do you think we should cancel?
Hope Mikaelson, Fri.
[5:03 pm]: don’t worry! I’ll be there.
[5:04 pm]: I have my ways…
[5:15 pm]:I’m looking forward to it.
°°°°
“Would you calm down already?” Lizzie is annoyed. “She still has like 20 minutes to show up.”
Lizzie is lounging on the living room couch, checking her nails with a bored expression on her face. Josie is doing the opposite. She’s pacing around the whole house, constantly sparing glances at the phone clutched into her hand. She just passed her sister and is on her way to the kitchen island. She’s nervous.
“I am calm.” Josie snaps.
“Yeah, right.” Lizzie scoffs back.
“Girls.” Caroline’s voice interrupts. “Relax. We’re just having brunch with a guest. It’s not like we haven’t done that before.”
Lizzie is rolling her eyes. “Steff barely counts as a guest. She’s family.”
“Awwww.” Josie teases with a hand on her heart for dramatic effect. “I’ll tell her you said that.”
LIzzie sticks out her tongue. Caroline rolls her eyes and busies herself with a charcuterie board. Of course she’s making something on top of the food that they’ve already ordered.
Sunday brunch is a Forbes Saltzman tradition, but since Lizzie had been busy in Europe Caroline and Josie had kind of turned it into a monthly thing instead of a weekly meetup. Now that they’re all back in the same city, they’re starting to get it reinstated. Sometimes they make the food themselves, but most of the time they opt for the more comfortable route and order.
Their orders are already on the way, including Hope’s and should arrive shortly after the actress.
Josie’s phone screen lights up and it startles her momentarily. It’s a random text from an unsaved number and she doesn’t bother reading it. She’s been getting a few weird messages lately, but unfortunately it’s just part of her job. Sometimes people get a hold of her number and then spam her with messages. She’s about to block the number when a different text distracts her.
Hope Mikaelson, Sun.
[10:12]: Just a few minutes out.
Josie’s face flushes in panic. Of course Hope is early. She briefly considers sending a response, but then clumsily stuffs her phone into her pocket instead. She has to prepare her family again.
“Hope is almost here.” She says. “Okay so remember, no questions about her family — specifically her parents and don’t bring up her nasty ex boyfriend.”
Lizzie seems to actually take her seriously now, because she sits up straight and nods along.
“Don’t treat her like a celebrity, in this house she’s just Hope. Oh and don’t invite her to anything! She’ll feel pressured to say yes, even if she doesn’t want to come.”
Caroline casually hums from her spot behind the kitchen counter.
“Is there anything we can talk about?” Lizzie asks, genuinely interested.
Josie doesn’t hesitate. “Her workout routine, food, sports and tv shows.”
Lizzie scoffs and seems grossed out. “So she’s a frat bro?”
Josie pretends she doesn’t hear the chuckle her mom lets out and glares at her twin.
“You did not just call Hope a frat bro? She doesn’t even drink alcohol.” Josie says agitated.
Lizzie’s eyebrows are raised while she reaches for a mimosa she put aside earlier. “No alcohol? Jesus, how does she survive any award show?”
Josie doesn’t have an answer to that. She simply groans in frustration. “Why don’t you ask her yourself when she gets here?”
Lizzie smirks and sips her drink. Josie groans at the obvious mischievous glint her sister’s eyes have taken on.
“Oh yeah, I think I will do just that.”
Josie chokes up when a new message comes through.
Hope Mikaelson, Sun.
[10:18]: Could you open the gate for me, please?
She rushes to do just that and is surprised to see a black SUV pull into the driveway through the window. Hope steps out of the back of the car and gestures to the person behind the steering wheel. It takes Josie a second to realize that Hope is signing to her driver and her hand movements have a purpose.
“Wait, is she signing?” Lizzie’s head pops up next to Josie as both of them scramble to see the interaction happening outside.
“Yeah, she mentioned once that her driver is deaf.” Josie has the faintest of memories of Hope telling her about her driver once.
Hope is laughing at something her driver just did and leans back into the back of the car. Josie's eyes can’t help but travel up Hope’s toned legs, covered by fitted and cropped mom jeans. Damn, she really looks good in jeans.
Hope emerges with a bunch of flowers and waves at her driver. The car reverses out of the driveway and Josie takes it as her cue to close the electric gate. She already gravitates towards the front door, ready to let her friend in, when she sees Hope hesitating. The redhead stares at the building warily, but ultimately ends up approaching the front door.
She probably had to psych herself up. Josie feels bad for putting her in this situation.
“Be nice.” Josie sends her sister a warning glare before turning to open the door. Lizzie sticks out her tongue again.
Hope is standing in the doorway, flowers in hands. A lot of flowers.
“Oh wow.” Josie gasps in surprise. “Hey.”
The flowers didn’t look this beautiful from the window and definitely not this extravagant. Josie can make out different colors and assortments.
“Hi.” Hope says, a bright smile on her face.
Josie smiles right back at her. She can’t see any traces of worry or discomfort on the redhead’s face. That’s a good sign, right? It also doesn’t look like Hope is just forcing her smile or putting on a facade like she so often does. Josie can breathe a little better now.
Hope eyes drift towards the silhouettes standing behind Josie. Apparently both Lizzie and Caroline came up right behind her, ready to greet their guest. Josie can feel their eyes on her and knows every step she takes is closely observed and will be dissected later when the two blondes analyse her behavior towards Hope.
Josie still feels the urge to pull Hope into a hug, prying eyes be damned, at least to give her and herself a little bit of comfort. It’s hard with so many flowers between them, but she manages to throw an arm around Hope and squeezes as well as she can. Hope smells amazing, as always and the fabric of her white blouse is surprisingly soft.
“It’s so great to have you here!” Josie says. The delivery seems a little stiff and formal, she visibly cringes at her own words.
“I’m happy to be here.” Hope says softly. She can’t reciprocate the hug, because her hands are full, but her shoulders relax a little.
They pull apart and Hope looks at Josie expectantly. It takes the brunette a moment to remember that they’re not alone.
“Right. This is my sister Lizzie and you already know my mom.”
Hope smiles at the mother daughter duo, she nods at Lizzie in a I’ll get back to you later -way and visibly gets super excited when her eyes meet Caroline’s gaze.
“If you’d be so kind and excuse me for a second.” Hope says towards the twins, who are standing in front of their mother. “I’m only here for your mom.” Hope says.
Lizzie laughs out loud from her spot. Hope just steps past them and teasingly bumps into Josie’s shoulder. Of course, in true Hope Mikaelson fashion she winks at her friend. Josie is rendered speechless, the surprise and shock evident on her face. She knows Hope is joking, but she really didn’t see that one coming. An amused smile pulls on her lips.
“It’s so nice to see you again, Miss Forbes.” Hope has reached the host and is offering a bouquet to Caroline. Josie now realizes that the flowers are separate bouquets in different color schemes. The one being offered to Caroline has blue and white accents.
Caroline chuckles and accepts the flowers. She catches Hope totally off guard and pulls her into a side hug, the flowers making things awkward again. “Please, Hope. Call me Caroline. I’m so glad you could make it.”
They separate and Caroline eyes her bouquet. “Oh my gosh! These are so pretty.” She plays around with her flowers, while Hope steps back and finally addresses Lizzie.
The blonde had watched the exchange with curious looks, even hiding a barely there smile. Now she’s morphing her face into an unreadable expression. She’s going to give Hope a hard time and Josie can already see it.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Elizabeth.” Hope is offering her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
Lizzie is visibly irritated by the usage of her full name and Josie can see her stoic mask crumble. The taller Saltzman is a sucker for when people use her full name and Hope had nailed it with her British accent even though she didn’t even know. Josie smirks and watches how her sister goes through multiple emotions at once.
Lizzie shakes Hope’s hand and clears her throat audibly. “Likewise.”
Hope raises her eyebrow which prompts Lizzie to awkwardly stumble over her next words. “I mean… it’s nice to meet you… too.” She feels the need to explain further while her face blushes subtly. “And I’ve heard lots about you too!”
“All good things, I hope.” Hope full on winks at Lizzie.
Josie tries to hide her chuckle with a cough. Lizzie is completely out of it. Her blush is getting darker and she’s visibly flustered. It’s the first time Josie sees Hope Mikaelson’s charme at play like this and it’s truly remarkable. It takes a special person to make Lizzie speechless.
“Uhm… I suppose.” Lizzie says.
Hope presents her with a bouquet as well, this one has red accents and is just as pretty as the one Caroline received. Hope really went all out for a good impression.
It leaves the four of them standing in the entryway, Hope seemingly at home and not at all uncomfortable. Lizzie smells her flowers absently when Caroline breaks the silence.
“We better go and put these in some water.” She pulls Lizzie with her towards the kitchen and sends Josie a knowing smile. Lizzie on the other hand, is still recovering and mouths something at her twin. “Wow, she is fucking hot.” is all Josie gets.
Hope grins at them and raises her thumb at Caroline. It only takes a second before she drops it awkwardly, shaking her head in embarrassment.
Josie takes their privacy to ease up a little. “Wow, so you made quite the impression on my sister.”
“You think?” Hope asks genuinely interested, watching Lizzie’s retreating form.
“Yeah.”
“Good. I hope so.” Hope spares another glanze towards the kitchen island where Caroline and Lizzie hustle around.
“So, are you going to give me my flowers?” Josie asks.
Hope still has a bouquet left. It’s yellow. Sunflowers, tulips and a bunch of other flowers bundled up together.
“Oh right.” She hands them over. “They reminded me of you.”
Josie weighs the flowers in her hands and smells them with a big grin. Hope observes with a facial expression Josie hasn’t seen on her before. It’s almost shy? Flustered? Like she desperately needs to hear that the flowers are pretty.
“These are very pretty.” Josie says immediately.
“Really?” Hope sighs relieved which makes Josie deeply confused.
How come Hope seemed perfectly fine and calm, not at all nervous when meeting a complete stranger a minute ago, but now that she’s alone with Josie, she’s more on edge and nervous? It doesn’t make sense. Plates clatter in the kitchen and Josie peeks over her shoulder, she’s met by her mother and sister’s curious eyes. They’re desperately pretending not to stare, but Lizzie is currently cutting air on Caroline’s cutting board while Caroline is stacking plates, even though the table is already set.
Josie closes her eyes momentarily and chalks Hope’s nerves up to the watchful eyes from the kitchen island. She turns back to her friend.
“Sorry, they’re a little nosy.” Josie says. “Very nosy, actually.”
Hope’s eyes shoot over Josie’s shoulder and realization dawns on her. It’s like she is just now seeing that they have spectators. Nevertheless she smiles brightly and turns her attention back to Josie.
“Like I said, they reminded me of you.” Hope points towards the flowers. “Bright like your smile and sunny like your personality.”
Josie almost chokes on her saliva. This might be the cutest compliment she’s ever gotten in her life. How does Hope do this so casually? She really doesn’t know how huge the impact of her words can be. Josie is trying to remember how to speak and Hope clears her throat, an embarrassed look on her face. Why does she look embarrassed?
“Anyways, should we go …” The redhead gestures to the kitchen island
“Yup. Yup.” Josie leads the way to her family, still trying to figure out how to build coherent sentences.
They reach the others and are met by an empty vase already prepared for Josie. She busies herself with the flowers and Hope lingers near her.
“Is there anything I can help with?” Hope offers.
Caroline furrows her brow in confusion and looks slightly offended. “No, Hope, of course not. You’re our guest. Do you want anything? Water? Tea?”
“Not right now, thank you.” Hope says.
Lizzie has recovered from earlier and is no longer slicing through air, instead she’s eyeing Hope warily.
“So, Hope, do you like it here in LA?” Lizzie is starting an interrogation, likely to determine whether or not she likes Hope.
Josie finishes arranging her bouquet and cringes a little at her sister’s choice of words. It’s pretty much the most basic conversation starter. Hope doesn’t seem bothered and reluctantly leans on the kitchen island.
“I do. It’s big and loud, but it could be much worse.”
Lizzie nods and steals a tiny piece of cheese off of her mom’s charcuterie board. Caroline catches her and slaps her daughter’s fingers away.
“You like it quiet then?” Lizzie pokes. “Josie told me you live a little secluded from the main roads?”
Hope’s eyes instantly fall on Josie who can feel herself blush at the direct eye contact. She still hasn’t gotten her composure back.
“It’s mostly for privacy reasons, but yes, I do prefer quieter places.”
“Understandable.” Caroline chimes in.
Josie finally regains the ability to speak and keeps the conversation alive. “Why didn’t you come with your own car today?”
Hope turns her full attention to her.
“I didn’t want to risk anything with the paparazzi. So I figured I was better off driving around in a car with tinted windows and a driver.” She shrugs. “I’ve never used that car before, so they won’t trace it back to me or us. Our nda is safe.”
Hope makes finger guns at Josie who chuckles in relief.
“You communicate with your driver through ASL?” Lizzie asks.
“Yes, David. He is my driver and when the situation requires it, he steps in as my bodyguard.” Hope explains calmly. “He’s a very nice guy and has adorable children. He has a hearing impairment, so we usually sign. He’s very good at lip-reading though, so sometimes I don’t even have to bother with ASL.”
Caroline is suddenly very interested in the topic. “Can it be challenging for him? Especially when he has to be alert?”
Hope doesn’t hesitate. But, it does look like she’s getting a little defensive.
“No. He has great intuition and reads situations better than any hearing person would. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else. The company I hired tries hard to be inclusive and I really appreciate that. Everybody deserves the chance to pursue their dream job.”
They fall silent and Josie feels the awkward tension radiating off of all of them. They’re off to a great start. She mostly blames herself for this, because Lizzie and Caroline are obviously too cautious to address anything that could potentially make Hope uncomfortable.
Josie sighs, because even when she only has limited things to talk about, Lizzie usually drums up conversations with ease. Something about the blonde Saltzman is off today, she seems nervous and if Josie didn’t know any better, she’d almost assume Lizzie is star struck by Hope’s presence.
Josie makes eye contact with her mom and tries to convey her distress. Caroline picks up on it right away.
“Alright, girls. How about we sort out what everyone wants to drink and move this party outside?”
Josie flinches at the last part, but obliges.
°°°°
“This croissant is to die for.” Caroline hums in content. Her plate is stacked with cheese, fruits and other delicacies. She picked a French breakfast platter and seems very happy with her choice.
They’re sitting on the porch, the table decked with all of their food orders, as well as Caroline’s charcuterie board that hasn’t been touched once. The table is meant for four people, one person on each side. Josie sits across from Hope, her sister on the right and her mom has the left side to herself.
Lizzie gives her mother a disapproving look and smears butter across her toast. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, mom. Nothing can beat the croissants from a cafe on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Nothing.”
Hope perks up. Josie wonders if she has ever been to Paris.
“I disagree, actually.” Hope puts her fork down and meets Lizzie’s offended expression. “The Champs-Élysées is pretty, but it’s overpriced and way too overrun by tourists. The best croissants are the ones made in tiny cafes or boulangeries, tucked away in back alleys or off of main roads.”
Lizzie has a challenging look on her face. She isn’t used to being disagreed with. She always gets her way and agreement from others, it has always been this way. Until now.
“Fair enough.” The blonde says.
Josie almost gasps in shock. Lizzie usually turns everything into a discussion and never deviates from her point, even when she knows she’s wrong. It’s a matter of principle.
“How often have you been to Paris?” Caroline asks Hope.
“A few times. Mostly work related. Press tours and promotional stunts.” Hope is picking through her scrambled eggs with her fork. “One time when I was around 9, my dad took me there and showed me all the touristy stuff. It was terrific. My fondest memory is from when he bought me a croissant and I got to dip it into my hot chocolate.”
Josie can feel her family’s eyes on her. It really only took them 5 minutes into the actual brunch to accidentally bring up Hope’s parents. Fantastic. At least Hope doesn’t seem bothered. She munches on her mountain of eggs, apparently it’s her main source of protein for the day. Josie is pleasantly surprised that the redhead seems so at peace. She hasn’t faked any smiles today and has remained normal and her true self so far.
Hope doesn’t realize that the Saltzman-Forbes are in a weird staring contest, trying to figure out if they made things awkward or not and just casually continues the conversation.
“From what I’ve gathered, Elizabeth, you’ve been quite busy in Europe?” Josie watches in confusion as Lizzie’s cheeks flush red at her full name again. What’s that about?
“Yeah, mainly in the fashion industry.” Lizzie’s blush is slowly disappearing. “I was lucky enough to travel between London, Paris and Milan and got to see the world’s best designers at work.”
Hope nods. “My aunt dragged me to London fashion week once, it was intense.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot all at once. I’m quite disappointed I never ran into your aunt, she’s still in the business right?”
“She got pretty busy, being my manager, a full time mom and then also having responsibilities with the family company. It was a lot and she put her label on the back burner for a little bit.” Hope is pretty excited to talk about her aunt apparently. “But now that I’m signed with Emma, she definitely has more time to work on a new collection.”
Hope is obviously talking about her aunt Rebekah who is quite popular for her exquisite fashion label. Lizzie has a few pieces and never shuts up about how Rebekah Mikaelson is an artist and fashion icon.
Lizzie is giddy and bouncing on her chair in excitement. “That’s great news! I love basically everything she puts out:”
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear that.” Hope says.
Lizzie’s eyes widen in shock, she’s having a hard time picturing a world in which Rebekah Mikaelson knows she even exists.
“If you’d like to meet her, to talk fashion or design, I could set something up for you.” Hope offers.
Lizzie practically hyperventilates and Josie stirs her smoothie bowl in annoyance. Her twin is making this into a much bigger thing than necessary.
“Uhm … that would be amazing.” Lizzie chokes out.
Hope smiles adorably and sheepishly grins at Josie, proud of the connection she’s forming with Lizzie. Josie can’t help but feel a little, for lack of a better word, weird. Lizzie’s behavior has been irritating, she blushes, stumbles over her words and keeps glancing at Hope. Much like Josie did when she first met the redhead.
Oh my god. Josie’s head snaps to her sister. She narrows her eyes suspiciously and waits for a reaction from her twin. It’s like Lizzie can feel the eyes on her, because she stares right back.
What are you doing?
No, what are you doing?
Having a conversation.
They possess the ability to have an entire conversation by only using their eyes and facial expressions. Right now Josie is getting pissed at her twin for being so flustered with Hope while Lizzie is denying it and brushing it off as a normal conversation.
Caroline definitely sees this, because she interrupts her daughters. “Guys, how do you like your food?”
°°°°
It’s well past lunch time when Josie accompanies Hope outside into the driveway. Her driver hasn’t arrived yet, so they have a little time to themselves.
“Well this was…” Hope starts.
“Awkward.” Josie finishes. “I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have invited you.”
Hope looks offended. “I was going to say nice, but okay.”
“Nice?”
“Yes. Your family is pretty cool.”
Josie’s eyebrows disappear somewhere in her hairline. She didn’t expect this outcome.
“For real? I thought they were super awkward today, especially Lizzie. I think it’s my fault. I told them not to bring up anything that could make you uncomfortable, so they ended up not bringing up anything?”
Josie kicks some gravel and sighs deeply. “I’m sorry.”
Suddenly she feels a warm weight on her shoulder. Hope has placed her hand there and squeezes. Josie leans into the touch, but Hope quickly drops her hand again and bites her lower lip aggressively. Josie misses the warmth.
“Don’t be. I kinda figured. Lizzie didn’t really give me a run for my money, like I expected her to.”
Josie chuckles, but feels some uneasiness creep up inside of her.
“But for the record, I think your sister is pretty nice.” Hope admits while dragging her foot through the gravel.
Josie’s mind races through all of the interactions she had observed today. She gets caught on all the times Lizzie blushed and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear — Debby Ryan style — and she hates it.
“Really? Nice?” As much as Josie wants to seem nonchalant, there is some bite to her voice.
“Yes, she seems alright?” Hope asks, confusion evident in her voice.
Of course she has picked up on Josie’s undertone instantly and is now trying to figure out what’s going on in the brunette’s mind. Josie can’t explain it herself. It’s a familiar feeling when it comes to her sister in these kind of situations, but it hasn’t happened in a long time and Josie is definitely not ready to think it aloud.
Hope’s phone vibrates and lets her know that her driver has arrived. With a swift motion Josie opens the gate via an app on her phone and watches the SUV roll in.
“I guess this is goodbye?” Josie states.
Hope sighs disappointedly. She opens her mouth to say something, but ultimately decides against it.
“See you at training tomorrow!” She goes in for the hug and Josie tries not to inhale her immaculate scent. “Thanks for having me.”
They have their first training and stunt lesson tomorrow. Suddenly Josie is dreading it even more than before.
“Thanks for being here. Next time won’t be this weird, I promise.”
“I'll take you up on that promise.” Hope smirks and gets into the car.
After the gate has closed Josie bursts back into the house. Some anger has built up inside of her and needs release. Lizzie is lounging on the couch and practically jumps up when Josie charges at her.
“What the fuck was that?” Josie raises her voice.
“What are you talking about?” Lizzie asks.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Why were you flirting with Hope?”
Caroline watches from her armchair, seemingly unbothered and entertained by her daughters’ antics.
“I wasn’t flirting.” Lizzie states.
They’re both standing now, all up in each other’s faces and it drives Josie insane that Lizzie is taller. She has no idea where all of this anger is coming from, but she needs to let it out.
“Yes you were. You did the Debby Ryan tuck like 20 times.”
Lizzie’s face scrunches up in confusion. “I did not.”
“Yes, you did.” Josie accusingly pokes her finger into her twin’s chest.
Lizzie takes a step back and smiles confidently. “Okay, so what if I did? Why is it bothering you so much?”
Josie is fuming, because now Lizzie is just having fun with it. She can drag this out longer or just rip the band aid off, quickly and painfully - for both of them.
“Every time I’ve ever liked anyone, you go for them. And you always win.” Josie shouts. “You know how I feel about Hope, so why don’t you just back off for once? Huh?”
Lizzie’s lips slightly twitch upwards. “Oh so you’re finally admitting it? This is more than a crush, right?”
“Of course it is.” Josie chokes up. Tears are threatening to spill out of her eyes.
Lizzie’s features soften noticeably and she pulls a reluctant Josie into a comforting side hug.
“I’m sorry. I was just a little star struck, that’s all.” Lizzie admits. “I got very nervous and flustered, I totally get it now.”
“What?” Josie asks.
“Why you’re so into her. She’s gorgeous and surprisingly cool.” Lizzie says.
They’re awkwardly swaying in the middle of the living room. Caroline has retreated to the kitchen where she’s boiling some water for tea.
“Yeah.” Josie sighs. “Just sucks that she doesn't feel the same way.”
Lizzie snorts into Josie’s hair.
“Trust me, there’s nothing platonic about the way this woman looks at you.” Lizzie says.
Josie groans in frustration. “Don’t get my hopes up.”
With that a shaken Josie storms up into her childhood bedroom, missing the following events completely.
Lizzie sighs with content and pats herself on the shoulder. “And scene.”
Caroline smirks at her from the kitchen. “You’re too good for the oscars.”
“Oh I know.” Lizzie says. “But this will make a great wedding toast for when these idiots get their shit together.”
°°°°°
Josie feels anxious when she enters studio 3. It’s a smaller hangar that’s empty except for some fitness mats and a group of people. Hope spins around from where 12 or so people are mingling and smiles at Josie. It instantly calms her nerves a little, but gives her an entirely different set of nervous energy. Especially since her not so peaceful talk with Lizzie. She has a crush. A huge crush. Maybe not even a crush. She has feelings. A lot of them.
The redhead approaches her eagerly and it pulls Josie out of her wild thoughts.
“Are you ready for this?” Hope’s grin resembles that of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.
“I don’t think so.” Josie admits. “I couldn’t sleep all night.”
“Really?” Hope’s grin shifts into a concerned pout. “You don’t have to worry, the stunt guys know exactly what they’re doing and they won’t push you too hard. If you’re uncomfortable with something, just tell them.”
If Hope only knew that the reason why Josie couldn't sleep had nothing to do with stunts.
“I will.” Josie gulps down some of her anxiety and watches in horror as a buff guy makes his way over to them. “Uhm.”
Hope spins around and eyes the dude with, wait a soft smile? Josie didn’t expect this. The lead actress doesn’t really indulge in off screen friendships, as far as Josie knows. He’s tall and has short dark brown hair and a bright smile on his face. He looks familiar.
“Hey guys.” The dude comes to a stop right next to them.
Josie finally recognizes him. It’s Jed Blakesley, one of her costars. He’s been in both of the previous movies and is reprising his role as Cassius King, the alpha werewolf and somewhat chaotic sidekick to Hope’s character Faith. She didn’t realize Hope and Jed were actually close.
“Josie, this is Jed. Jed, this is Josie.” Hope introduces them.
Jed extends his hand and Josie basically sees her hand disappear in his grasp. He has a firm handshake and a kind smile.
“Nice to meet you!” Jed says. “Super excited to work with you.”
Josie is a little surprised that he seems so genuine, her previous work really isn’t that great compared to his or Hope’s catalogue.
“Likewise! I loved your portrayal of Robin Hood.” Josie vaguely remembers seeing him in a new Robin Hood adaptation a few years ago.
“Oh wow. Thanks. I love everything about Gemini Twins ! My little sister made me watch every episode and the movie.” He chuckles. “But to be honest towards the end I was the one forcing her to continue.”
Josie laughs at that and can feel her heart warm at this nice interaction. Maybe making friends on this set is going to be easier than Hope had let her to believe.
“Do you have any experience in this sort of thing?” Jed asks.
Josie shakes her head nervously. Before she can say anything, Hope chimes in.
“Josie is a natural. She’ll be throwing us all into walls by tomorrow.”
Both Josie and Jed stare at Hope in doubt. She only shrugs with her shoulders and eyes the other people in the studio.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t have any experience either and look at me now.” Jed says. “I do almost all of my own stunts and started doing free running and gymnastics.”
Josie must look shocked, because Jed backtracks immediately.
“I’m not saying you have to do all of those things, God no, we have amazing people that can take over, I just mean it can be a lot of fun and very rewarding.”
A dude calls Hope’s name and she excuses herself to go back to the group. Giving Josie a nice view of her backside in athletic shorts. Josie clears her throat awkwardly, trying to look anywhere else.
Jed lingers near her and eventually gestures for her to come join him and the group as well. On their way over he speaks up again.
“You know, Hope has never said more than 10 cohesive words to me in 4 years and today she came in and actually had a 15 minute conversation with me that wasn’t one-sided.” He winks at Josie. “I can already tell that you’re a great addition to our team.”
His eyes practically sparkle with amusement and Josie is sure there was some double meaning to his statement.
°°°°
Me, Mon.
[9:46 pm]: I totally forgot to ask!
[9:46 pm]: have you finally named your plant?
[9:48 pm]: I need to know
Hope Mikaelson, Mon.
[9:50 pm]: I actually came up with something.
[9:51 pm]: drum roll...please…
[9:51 pm]: drrrrrrrrrr...
[9:52 pm]:blue.
[9:52 pm]: blue?
[9:52 pm]: like the color?
[9:52 pm]: yes. like the color.
Josie stares at Hope’s text. Blue . That’s an interesting choice for a plant that’s obviously green. Maybe even unique if it weren’t for the cactus sitting on Josie’s windowsill that’s also named blue . She immediately presses the call icon.
> outgoing call to Hope Mikaelson <
Hope picks up instantly.
“You can’t name your plant blue .” Josie says in lieu of a greeting.
Hope snorts into the phone, probably not expecting this from Josie. “And why is that?”
Josie eyes her cactus. Its designated spot is on her bedroom windowsill with a bunch of other green friends.
“Cause I already have a cactus called blue .”
“And?” Hope challenges. She sounds smug and amused.
“They can’t have the same name. That would be … dumb.”
“It’s a plant, Jo.”
Hope sighs, but not in an annoyed way. It almost sounds affectionate. Josie walks over and picks up her cactus. She has a habit of actually taping name tags onto her plants. Blue is scribbled onto a strip of duct tape that’s sticking to the pot.
“It’s not just a plant. It’s your second most important friend. I’m obviously first.” Josie has no idea why she’s agitated, but she simply can’t tolerate it. Hope can’t just plagiarize her plants’ name.
“Of course you are.” Hope admits. “It took me days to come up with that name and I can’t think of anything else.”
Josie sighs exasperatedly. Coming up with names for her plants is usually pretty easy and not a big deal, except for when it comes to this cactus in particular. Some heat is rising to her cheeks, because she clearly remembers why she named her plant blue in the first place.
“Why would you name him or her blue , though? It’s such a boring name.”
Josie tries a different approach and can practically picture Hope’s smirk as she catches on.
“Is that so? Then why would you pick such a boring name?” Hope’s voice is challenging, daring even.
Josie is glad that it’s just a phone call. Just the teasing undertone in that question is enough to make her blush deeply. Fortunately Hope can’t see her right now.
“I like the color.”
It’s not exactly a lie, but it’s definitely better than admitting she named her plant after her celebrity crush’s eye color when she was 19 years old. Who could have known she’d eventually be friends with said celebrity crush and would get a glimpse of that deep blue every time they met?
“See! I like the color too!” Hope says. “It’s settled then. We both like the color and use it as a name. Maybe one day our blues can meet?”
Hope is laughing at her own joke and Josie can’t help but chuckle too.
“Okay. I will — reluctantly — let this one slide. We’ll see which blue survives longer.”
Josie is convinced her cactus has great chances compared to a tiny succulent living with a person that can’t even keep her basil alive.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at training?” Hope asks.
“If I don’t die from exhaustion in my sleep first.”
They end the call and Josie is left standing in her bedroom. With a sigh she sinks back onto her bed.
She knows sleep won’t come easy again, because now she has visuals of Hope being all sweaty and wired while throwing people around. She’s just very glad that they hadn’t gotten to the part where Hope has to pin her down on the mat. Josie will probably not be alive to shoot the biggest project of her career after that...
Right after she has tucked herself in a message from Stefanie lights up her screen.
STEFF (loyl), Mon.
[10:13 pm]: lmao.
[10:14 pm]: I did some digging.
[10:14 pm]: tumblr wants you and hope in a movie together
[10:14 pm]: they have no idea it’s already happening
[10:15 pm]: uhhhhh hold up! some people are smart!
[10:15 pm]: > screenshot 713 <
tumblr user 1: okay guys, but imagine hope and josie as love interests…
tumblr user 2: when is the cast for tribrid tales coming out?
tumblr user 3: I don’t think josie is going to be in tt3 but maybe we can get them on a show?
tumblr user 4: Remember when Hope was on set for rol? What if…
tumblr user 5: they’re so quiet! Something is brewing!