Chapter 4
After Josie and Hope are done with their bath, they head down to meet Freya and Davina in the dining room for the meeting. Faith is sleeping in the baby carrier that they brought down with them. With the new danger looming, they don’t feel safe leaving their child in the crib in their bedroom even with the double protection spell in their house now. When they reach the dining hall, Keelin offers to take care of sleeping Faith in the quieter living room and they gladly hand their sleeping baby to her.
Aside from Freya and Davina, Hope and Josie are also greeted by the presence of Lizzie in the dining room.
“Lizzie, what are you doing here?” Josie asks, wondering who invited her sister.
“I got the call from dad and got here as soon as I can. The twins are at home with Landon.” Lizzie informs and hugs her sister and her sister-in-law.
“Good thing Lizzie’s here too.” Freya adds. “As leader of the Gemini coven reporting to the high council of witches, we could use her help.”
“What’s the plan?” Hope throws the question to the table as she and Josie take their seats.
“Before we go into that, we should update you about what happened after the incident.” Davina reports. “Someone reported the murder in your museum to the police.”
“Fuck!” Hope exclaims, face-palming. “It must have been that girl.”
“The witch who helped you break the spell, I believe.” Freya then asks. “ But why would she help you and then report you?? I don’t get it.”
“She may not be a witch then.” Hope guesses aloud.
“But who would have broken the spell?” Freya wonders.
“Perhaps our 5-month old?” Josie shrugs.
Everyone else is shaking their heads except for Hope and Josie.
“I was six months when…” Hope highlights but is cut off by Freya.
“Hope, Faith is only five months! And she wouldn’t know an unfreeze spell works!”
“I wouldn’t know a spell to stop a car too, Aunt Freya!” Hope argues with her aunt. “Perhaps our tribrid baby brains just know how to sense danger and react with unspoken magic! You’re a Mikaelson first-born too whom Dahlia wanted more than the rest of my uncles and aunt. It must be something that makes us more powerful than others!”
Freya considers Hope’s words for a moment and can’t help but agree. She then adds. “Let’s find that girl as soon as possible and make sure we find out what she is.”
“Anyway, the police were here while you were in a bath, Hope.” Davina continues. “Kol compelled them so that’s done. We now need to find that girl and compel her too before she tells too many people.”
“And what do we do with the French Quarter coven?” Hope asks.
“We should explain the incident to the high council first and try to gain their support to be on your side and protect our family against the French Quarter coven.” Freya tells them. “Lizzie can help us with that.”
“I’ll put in a word for a meeting right away.” Lizzie nods. “They did promise they’ll protect Faith after all.”
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They are split into two teams, one team to find Megan and another team to meet the high council of witches. Hope, Davina and Kol are the team to find Megan. Lizzie, Freya and Josie will go to seek help from the high council of witches. Keelin and the kids stay home with baby Faith. Mia and Nik are given magic rights to protect those at home.
“Three of the high council witches will meet us. They asked for a neutral meeting place and I suggested the Salvatore school.” Lizzie reports after she receives a reply on her phone. “They will see us in half an hour’s time.”
“For them to readily agree to meet us on such short notice, I suspect they must already have some kind of plan.” Freya guesses aloud.
“I think so too.” Josie agrees.
“Let’s head there now. I’ll drive.” Lizzie offers her car.
When they reach the school gates, they see two cars already waiting outside the gate. Josie keys in the security code for all of them to head into the school. The three council witches follow the trio into an empty private hall with a round table meant for such meetings.
“Looks like Hope Mikaelson has done it again.” One of the witches, Grace comments as she takes her seat. “She can’t get out of trouble, can she?”
“I apologize for my niece’s recklessness.” Freya quickly apologizes.
“She was just acting out of a mother’s instinct. They were going to kill our daughter!” Josie defends her wife.
“Josette Saltzman, I respect you for completing your prison world sentence faithfully.” Grace adds. “But I will not respect your wife for overreacting. Killing a fellow witch is unnecessary even if they were attacking first. Hope could have just thrown a sleeping spell or something less violent.”
“He said things about killing and sacrificing our baby. Those are the very things we, as mothers will feel overprotective for.” Josie explains. “I hope you can understand as a fellow mother too.”
“I understand, Josette. But now we have to deal with one of the strongest coven since your wife had killed one of theirs. I’m sure their coven leader will be contacting us anytime. So far, they are radio silence and that is worrying. We really don’t want any surprise revenge attack from them.” Grace replies.
“Where is Faith?” One of the highest council witch whom everyone calls formerly as Madam Claire asks. “Is she safe now?”
“She’s safe at home with my wife and kids. We placed a stronger protection spell over the house now.” Freya reports.
“Just a werewolf and two young witches protecting her? I still don’t feel safe for the child.” Madam Claire shakes her head. “Ever since Faith was born, I have been away in Europe and haven’t had the chance to see the child. Can I suggest we move this meeting to the Mikaelson mansion? I would like to see Faith and while we are there, we can protect her while we discuss matters on how to deal with the French quarters coven.”
“Yes, Madam Claire.” Grace and the third witch, Victoria nod in agreement.
Freya and the twins could not refuse such a request as well.
“Looks like they may be already on our side.” Lizzie whispers to Freya and Josie as they lead the high council witches out of Salvatore school headed towards their home.
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“She’s beautiful.” Madam Claire notes as she caresses the chubby cheeks of the yawning baby in the crib. The witch then looks at Josie. “And she does have a fair share of your looks, Josette. You must be a proud mother.”
Josie blushes from the comment. Hearing from others saying that Faith shares her eyes and skin tone already delights her but to hear it from the high witch? That is another level of delight for Josie.
“Did you say that the baby may be the one who undid the freeze spell?” Victoria asks Josie.
“Well, Hope was frozen in body and mind, she could not have broken the spell.” Josie explains. “The French Quarter witch only thought of freezing my father and Hope but not the baby. We at first suspected a girl who had witnessed the incident to have broken the spell but she reacted the way most humans did. Ran away in shock and reported the case to the police. So, we are quite sure she is no witch. It all comes down to Faith to have broken the freeze spell with her natural instinct. Hope at least believed so since she herself has ever displayed such magic as young as six months old.”
“Where is that witness? Best way to find out is to get hold of that girl and check if she’s a witch.” Victoria suggests.
“Hope is out with her uncle and aunt to find her. If she’s not a witch, they have to compel her to forget the incident.” Freya replies.
“I think it’s impossible for a baby to break that spell.” Grace gives her opinion. “That witness could be a witch after all.”
“Then why would she break the spell to help Hope and then ran off to report Hope to the police? It doesn’t make sense to help a fellow witch and then turn against them right after.” Josie reasons.
“Perhaps she didn’t expect Hope to react in such a murderous way?” Grace counters.
“I agree with Grace.” Victoria concurs and then looks at the oldest witch, Madam Claire for her opinion. “What do you think, Madam Claire?”
“I believe Josette.” Madam Claire replies as she lifts baby Faith into her arms. The baby is wide awake now and smiling adorably at the older witch. “Babies, especially powerful ones like Faith, are capable of any non-verbal, intuitive powers to counter any danger they can sense. The witness is just a mere human. They can kill the girl to shut her up for Hope’s violent act for all I care. It’s Faith and her family that needs our protection at all costs!”
There are sighs of relief from the Mikaelson-Saltzman clan.
“What about Hope?” Grace asks. “Will we be giving her up to the French Quarters coven to deal with?”
“Faith needs her tribrid mother. We will negotiate with the coven leader to pardon Hope. But…” Madam Claire pauses to give Josie a serious glare. “Do note that there is a reason why I am helping Hope Mikaelson this much..”
“Are you asking for something in return?” Josie glares back as she guesses out loud. “My child will not be traded to you for any deal! NEVER!”
“No no.. Josette.” Madam Claire shakes her head slowly. She is soothing baby Faith in her arms. “That I will never do. Like I said, Faith needs both her mothers by her side. You’re her blood and she needs you.”
“Huh?” Josie is trying to understand.
Lizzie can’t help but lean and whisper to Freya next to her. “Did she just refer to my sister as Faith’s bio-mom as well?”
Freya is as confused as well and does not respond as she guesses Madam Claire has more to explain.
“Let me try out something as I explain.” Madam Claire fiddles baby Faith’s hands as she mumbles an inaudible spell.
Everyone watches as the baby whines as if she is experiencing pain and anger.
“What are you doing to my baby?!” Josie yells at the older witch but stops herself when she notices that Faith’s hand holding onto Madam Claire’s finger is turning bright red.
“It seems to be true after all.” Madam Claire draws a satisfied smile at the baby who is now calm again. “She is a siphon witch just like her mother. A siphon tribrid. The first of its kind. Hope Mikaelson may be the world’s first tribrid but she could never siphon magic. Faith Mikaelson is a tribrid able to do that. And that makes her by far the most powerful witch in the universe to date.”
“I-I don’t understand. Why do you keep saying…” Josie looks confused at the older witch. “Like I’m her bio-mom as well. Hope was the one who gave birth to her.”
Madam Claire smiles gently at Josie as she hands the baby back into Josie’s arms. “Because that siphon gene Faith has, could only have come from you.”
“How?!” Josie asks the question that everyone in the room is asking as well.
“You may wanna sit down to hear the whole story.” Madam Claire advises.
“Are you really going to tell her the truth?” Grace checks with Madam Claire.
“I think she deserves to know. If I were a female heretic, I would also want to know how I managed to ‘father’ a child. Besides, I had a part in all that led up to the creation of the most powerful supernatural in her arms now. The least I could do is, well, tell the truth.” Madam Claire admits with a shrug.
“They may hate you..more, Madam.” Grace warns.
“Well, I believe I deserved it then.” Madam Claire adds. “And I think it’s time they deserve the truth after unknowingly fulfilling the elaborate plan I made years ago.”
“What plan?” Josie asks, or rather demands. Faith wiggles a little in her mother’s arms, as if startled by her. Josie quickly coos her baby.
“Everything was planned. From the start when you and Hope landed in the prison world.” Madam Claire relates. “I was awed by your strong love for each other for years. Two powerful rare supernaturals, a full tribrid and a heretic who would die for each other. Go to the prison world with each other so they’ll never be separated. And I wondered to myself. How amazing it would be if they were able to give birth to a child who would carry all their powers? How to make it possible? Both of you were already vampires and the fertility taken away. But Hope may have the rare fertility her father carried when he managed to impregnate her mother as a hybrid. Hope was our last hope, no pun intended.
So, I thought maybe we could have her impregnated by a man if we got her out of the prison world but NO, Hope Mikaelson was too in love with Josette Saltzman she would never ever bed anyone else, right?
But maybe being separated from Josette long enough, Hope would find solace in another man. Most possibly her ex, Landon Kirby but he was already seeing Lizzie Saltzman by then and knowing how much Hope loved her Josie, she’ll probably remain single till her Josie comes back from the prison world. I also considered that maybe years later when Hope and Josette marries, they’ll consider getting a male sperm donor and try having babies. But I found out that insemination would not help in the procreation process of a siphon tribrid. Faith would just have been a normal tribrid like her mother.
I admit that at that point, I was impatient. I wanted this powerful being to birth and watch her grow up and take over the world. And Yes, I admit back then I had intentions of just taking the child away from the both of you and raising her on my own. So, I started planning. I had to think of potential events that would lead to the birth of a siphon tribrid. Also ways on how to make sure Hope Mikaelson would willingly bed another man. I would never resort to rape! The only way was to get rid of Josette Saltzman in her life. But I can’t kill Josette Saltzman. I need Josette to create this miracle child as well. So, the only way was to make Hope think she has lost her Josie for good. I could keep Josette in the prison world for longer but Hope will still find a way in or a way to get Josette out. So, I thought of a plan to send Hope to a world without Josette Saltzman.
I soon discovered how the gemini coven were able to create alternate prison worlds and use similar methods in creating an alternate world. And that was how I created that world I sent Hope to. The world where the Saltzman twins were never born. That was what I was able to create but beyond that, the world created itself. Hope Mikaelson was still Hope Mikaelson but others could be different. Landon Kirby was not a phoenix in that world. He never appeared in her life and sadly, Hope had no intentions of finding him. It was a long wait for Hope to move on from Josette. Hope rejected everyone. For 3 years she didn’t move on. She only focused on finding her way back to this world.
To be honest, I was losing patience and almost gave up. Hope’s love for Josette was just too deep. Then Rafael Waithe appeared in her life. At that time, Hope was living mostly in New Orleans and had very few friends. Rafael moved there and they connected as friends. He was just a pure werewolf there, unlike in our world where he is an infertile hybrid. He was perfect for Hope because he was still into her. But Hope was still missing her Josie and Rafael would stand no chance…..
Unless, I link him to Josette Saltzman in this world.
And it worked because Hope was drawn to him subconsciously. He even had Josette Saltzman’s scent! I made his link to Josette so strong Hope could hardly resist it! Though she still rejected his courtship, physically, she was not able to resist, especially with the help of alcohol intoxication. Lots of alcohol she had taken willingly in her sad state of missing her Josie.
Linking someone to Josette was always my plan. In my research to create a siphon tribrid carrying both Hope and Josette’s genes, sexual intercourse between a man and woman is still necessary. I can’t link Josette through artificial insemination. I just needed a man and preferably someone Hope was comfortable with enough to move on from Josie. She didn’t move on but thankfully she got drunk enough to copulate with him since he had a strong Josette scent and whom she certainly took for her Josie in her drunken stupor.
Believe me, Josette. The nights you possibly spent missing Hope and having passionate dreams of her….Well, one may have been the real deal that led to how Faith was conceived.”
Josie had gasped a few times throughout the story-telling but she needs to ask something.
“How is it possible that...I could impregnate Hope through Raf? You mean to say my body was Raf’s?”
“Not really. How do I put it? Your blood was linked to his. Which means… Raf has your dna?” Madam Claire tries to explain in layman terms.
“I’m sorry, Madam Claire.” Freya decides to ask. “I have never heard of a link spell so unique. I mean it’s every same-sex couple’s’ dream to have a child with both their genes! Something that science can never achieve!”
“It was not an easy spell, Madam Freya.” The elder witch informs the older yet younger looking witch. “I almost died creating such a strong linkage. Let’s just say, I had to drink a strong poisonous potion and take its antidote within half an hour or I will be dead. So, I had to pray that the….mating session was successful during that half hour. Fortunately it worked. But unfortunately for other same sex couples, that poison potion had an ingredient that is as rare as the white oak stake and there’s none left now.” Madam Claire reveals. “As you can see, I saved it only for the creation of the most powerful supernatural possible.”
“Unbelievable.” Lizzie Saltzman is slow-clapping in admiration. “Now can you teach me what you did earlier to check if a baby has siphon powers?”