universe at play

Whenever Penelope Park had gone to see Josette Saltzman, she hadn’t imagined it would end with a kiss, and, to her credit it hadn’t. It ended with the siphoner knocking her out and leaving her. It was lights-out for the witch until another Saltzman found her, shaking her gently, waking her up. As she started to come to everything was fuzzy, too bright, too loud, and she tried to focus on what she could tell. Hands on her shoulder, someone speaking to her, and the same someone right in front of her. Looking forward at the man as her vision cleared, she finally placed the voice and a face to a name. “Dr. Saltzman?” Although she knew it was him, she’d recognize him anywhere, everything was still hazy. How she got there, how she ended up unconscious, how long she’d been out there, and as the moments passed, the pieces started to come back, and she remembered that last kiss. “Josie…. Where’s Josie?” 

Relieved to see her come to, he moved a bit back so she could get her bearing before he asked her any questions about what happened--namely when she had even gotten back. He thought she was safe off to grander things than the Salvatore School but if this situation proved anything, it was how out of touch he’d truly been to everything going on inside. “Yeah, it’s me.”  He confirms gently before furrowing his brows. “Josie? I’m not sure. Did you see her?” It took an unfortunate turn in his thought process for him to put things together. “She did this to you?” That must mean she really was dangerous. 

“Which means we don’t know if there are any limitations. Come on Dr.Saltzman if Malivore wants to take over my body I’m gonna assume he wants it cause it benefits him some way. And something tells me its not my curls and the color of my eyes he’s after.” After all why would some seemingly immortal creature want to take the body of someone who could die at anytime. Landon wasn’t really sure what Malivore wants but he had to figure there was something hidden in what he was. Landon looks down at his shoes, “I just-want to be able to contribute, with Josie going all dark. Hope trusting Ryan Clarke, who has been sneaking around in plain sight and Lizzie being so freaked out over worrying about her crazy uncle and her sister. I need to do something, I want…I need to protect the family I found, who aren’t out to kill or use me.”

Typically, Alaric would be the first person to admit when a student had bested him and in this case, Landon had a point. He had always been smart about things, even if he was being smart about something inherently stupid. “You’re right, Landon.” He submits with a nod, figuring he deserves the verbal recognition as well. “And I won’t stop you from trying to help your friends. I just can’t afford to lose any one of you.” Which spoke contradicting to many of the kids trapped here--that was something he had to come to terms with on his own. “You can help me hunt down the ascendant. And promise me if I go down--you’ll keep looking for it?” 

Elijah nods, “I understand the type I do.” Aurora after all wasn’t one that Niklaus would kill, she was too sick in the mind to be fearful of death, no it was being trapped and alone that truly put fear in her heart. Or at least in the shriveled black thing she called a heart. Elijah hums at the idea of it, a witch and vampire, Kol would be giddy about the very idea, “Well it seems an Original is just the thing to try and even the odds.” Elijah couldn’t be killed or well as long as no one goes looking for the stake that could kill him and a search that would be. Hearing that Hope would run at the danger was no shock to be sure and Elijah even held a small proud smile hearing it. “Her mother.” Elijah corrects, of course the whole Mikaelson family had gotten better about working together, doing anything for one another but it was thanks to Hayley and Hope they had gotten that far. “How are we supposed to be getting out of here?” 

Surely, there was no one stuck in this prison world that was used to people coming for them as much as the MIkaelson’s who’d namely made the most enemies out of anyone. So, he was glad to have some kind of understanding coming from him or at the very least--the semblance of one. “The people that are bound to this world can’t die. So you’ll be at about even odds with the devil himself.” In which he was referring to Kai, not the students he’d sent here because he had no doubt that they’d want his blood on their hands and not really anyone else’s. “There are three things we need. The ascendant for this prison world which acts as the key. Bennett blood and a celestial event to unlock that key. Only thing is--I’ve never traveled with this many people before. I don't even know if it’s at all possible.” 

@broodysaltzman​

      Coming back the dead was a complicated process, even under the best of circumstances. For Josette Parker Laughlin Saltzman, it felt especially complicated. When she’d woken up, it’d felt like a nightmare. Everything reminded her of the last she came to life, safe for the fact that this time she wasn’t wearing her bloodied wedding dress, and she was terrified for it meant for Alaric and their daughters. She couldn’t come into their lives just to endanger them again, she couldn’t put them through getting her back just to lose her again. Josie, Lizzie, and Ric all deserved better than that. That’s why when she woke up in the cemetery in Mystic Falls, instead of going to the Boarding School,  she went back to Whitmore. She’d intended to stay there, to stay away and let them live their lives uninhibited by the strain she would put them under. Everything was supposed to work out, everything was supposed to be just like last time she ran away, she thought she had it down to a science by this point. The thing Jo hadn’t counted on was the human element, the element that failed her. She couldn’t stay away from her children, and she couldn’t stay away from Ric. So, she got in her rented car and drove to Mystic Falls, intending of seeing them again, and then fate intervened the way it always did for her, and changed everything.

      Being in a prison world complicated things a bit, but the witch was too stubborn to let her stop her now when she’d come this far. The hardest thing would be finding them, a feat magic would make easier than it could have been given the circumstances. Two spells later, the witch found herself looking at her husband, invisible to the eye as she took him in. He was as handsome as ever, and the longer she looked at him, the more she realized how much she’d missed him, and how long it’d been since she’d last seen him. Looking at him now, it almost felt like a lifetime ago. It’s now or never, she told herself as she sighed, and lifted the cloaking spell and finally spoke up.

      “Ric…. we need to talk.”

There was absolutely no mistaking Alaric’s inability to accept that his wife was gone after Kai stabbed her through the abdomen at their wedding. He spent months on end trying to track down information regarding the phoenix stone, psychics, witches, absolutely anyone to come to some way in bringing her back. He wasn’t new to this, he knew that people came back from the dead albeit with significant cost but he was willing to pay. And even then, when he reanimated her body it wasn’t her. He had allowed someone else who was trapped to walk around in the skin of Jo and that alone did things to him that couldn’t be undone. Saying goodbye to her--but not her. It was something he didn’t think he could recover from but then Valerie said his kids were safe and he thanked God every day that that gun he put to his head that very night was blank. 

He salvaged what he could of his love, the part of him that wasn’t broken to make a family for his girls. Alaric had even tried to make things work with Caroline to no avail. Obviously, it wasn’t meant to be but he was grasping for fucking straws. Every single woman he loved perished and even though he wasn’t alone in the sentiment--at least he though Caroline would be safe then. His girls had to be safe then. And then it was the god damn necromancer. It actually WAS her that time. She was actually walking around retaining all their memories and their love. EVERYTHING. But she wasn’t living, she wasn’t even breathing. She wasn’t in control and then they had to kill her. It was his own worst nightmare personified and the girls had to go through it too. He was the monster, he had to send her away but it was to be peaceful. After rising was peace even guaranteed? He didn’t know but he tried to think well of it. And as much as he tried to move on it didn’t feel right. He had enough on his hands, he inherited an entire school of kids to look after. And that he’d failed too. 

As he jogged around his prison, he was trying to pick up the pieces of his mistakes. Right his wrong and save the people that were suffering the consequences. Weapon strapped to his side he was admittedly started at first when the figure appeared in front of him. He’d walked among witches enough to know the game but he could never expect it. But Alaric heard her voice before he saw her. A picture of health and this time not attached to the haunting memory of her wedding dress. She looked normal--here and modern. God, this was his prison. “-no...”  He breathes out, tears stinging his eyes as he attempted to focus on her. “You can’t be here.” Not only did it feel impossible at this point, but his heart couldn’t handle the burden of protecting someone as pressure as her on top of everything us. He hadn’t even realized that he hadn’t lowered his gun yet and he honestly didn’t feel safe to. “NO--he..he took your magic. You gave it to him.” He was trying to justify all the things that weren’t her about the person standing in front of her. “You’re...” He stumbles, choking on a sob as his grip on his gun shakes and eventually lowers. “What are you?” Certainly not his wife. 

“you know what ric, fuck you!” luke replied, knowing that his petulant response wasn’t doing himself any favours after what ric had just said – it was true, luke was feeling angry and cheated at the fact his life was taken for him. it wasn’t ric’s fault, and that was something he needed to make clear to himself, and to ric. “I’m sorry, i’ve just been through a lot – as you already know, and i know that sounds shitty, because I know that you’ve been through a lot too; but I’m just trying to make it through the day – there’s only so many coping mechanisms one person can have before they just break – y’know?” he offered a weak smile, but his very nature and attitude ensured that he refrained from saying the words I’m sorry, but he hoped that his eyes said what his mouth wouldn’t say.

“caroline’s house – that’s where we need to start then.” luke passed ric some extra crossbow bolts that he found in the corner of the room. his picked up and dusted off a brown satchel he found in the room; it didn’t match what he was wearing, but he was trying to get his priorities straight. he stuffed the bag full of candles; he didn’t know what kinda magic he was going to need to do and a witch would never go anywhere without a few candles to power the stronger spells in their arsenal. “I just hope we’re going to be the only ones there.” 

his backlash was as much expected as it was respected. it simply would be a cause for concern if luke hadn’t spoken out against being reprimanded. he was only free of his parent’s rule for so long before life decided his time was up. it was no wonder he had an aversion for authority when it had previously taken away all of his agency. alaric had no intentions of doing that, he was in this game long enough to recognize an asset. “i understand that, luke. and i don’t blame you for it. i’d rather it come out with me because you should know it’s safe here.” not as in their exact location but between the two of them, he was safe to be his authentic self no matter what. 

alaric couldn’t imagine that kai would’ve been here for 20 years without getting his hands on the thing and guarding it with his ever-revolving life. but there was no harm in checking the spot he’d left it--in fact he felt safer driving luke away from him and the fire of the fight if he could. “everyone was kind of scattered when they arrived here so there’s no telling where people are.” although, luckily a majority of the people there weren’t a threat to him. Just a select few. “the only other people i could imagine being there are my girls or caroline.” which didn’t truly concern him even though josie had all that dark magic in her. he trusted that she had sense enough not to seriously hurt her family. with that sentiment, he jogged out of the armory cove and headed through to tunnels toward the exit. 

“Josie needs you more than I do, daddy. you should be there with her, instead of with me.” her hand came to catch the tears that escaped down her cheeks, wiping away at them viciously. she HATED feeling weak; but around her dad, she didn’t mind. he had always seen her at her worst and her best. he was one of the only people who had seen every side of the blonde. EVERY PART OF HER, which she tried to hide and push away. “this was my plan, it’s MY FAULT, I never noticed she was struggling with magic before it was too late, and now; now, you should find her and help her.” Lizzie didn’t believe personally, see would offer much help. she was selfish and the worst kind of sister. 

                    “why would?” a wave of anger flared inside her at anyone that wanted to hurt her dad, no matter what he had done, Lizzie always believed that she would forgive him for anything. and this was why it angered her so much; EVERYTHING her dad had done for the other students, and someone wanted to send him away, send him to Kai. she was going to find whoever it was, AND KILL THEM. 

but then he continued talking, and something inside of the blonde broke; maybe it had been the trust she had held for her father. “you send students here? what could they have possibly done?” her own mind flickered back to all the episodes she had held within the school, the way students would avoid her at the slightest sign that not all was right within her mind. “what if I had hurt someone? would you have sent me here?” or Sebastian; her mind supplied, knowing he still was capable of harming others. “he was telling the truth about you..”

                     “We just talked,” she muttered hand fishing into her pocket to pull out her magic-filled bracelet Bonnie had given the twins; holding it out to her dad. “I accidentally siphoned it, and my anger took over. you need to keep it safe. he makes me so angry, the way he talks and -—-- I don’t want to hurt anyone, so I need you to keep it.”

“there’s no such thing as INSTEAD OF when it comes to you girls, Lizzie.” in fact, there was no part of him that was less concerned with her in this moment, everything they did and felt was together. so even though Josie's physical body had absorbed all that dark magic--they were both feelings its effects. for that reason, he can only believe that it was each other that could take it away. Caroline and Ric had been TEARING THE GOD DAMN WORLD APART just to curb the idea that they’d only have one of them after they turned 22. 

               “they mercilessly slaughtered, murdered and dismembered a group of children-” which was obviously horrid and unspeakable but so was sending them somewhere with the person he both hated and feared most. there was no excuse and he didn’t want it to seem like he was making one--he just wanted to provide the answers for her that she wanted and deserved. “WHAT? of course not. you don’t want to hurt people. the kids that are here didn’t express remorse or any kind of guilt about what they did. that’s NOT YOU, that will never be you.” 

apprehensively, he takes the bracelet from her and slides it into his jacket pocket, he didn’t believe that she would pose a danger to anyone. but if it was her wish to be rid of it then he would do what he could to make her feel safe--from anyone and herself if necessary. “i know, baby.” and he would never send anyone away that was afraid of themselves. let alone his own daughter. “he tried to get in your head and look? YOU’RE OKAY. you’ll live to see another day and thousands more if i have anything to do with it.” 

“Yeah, sure.” Josie nodded. “So, I heard a little rumor about you.” She started, wanting to ask him about the students he had sent here. “Is there anyone else, besides crazy uncle Kai, that would be here? Wanting to get out with us?” She gave him a questioning look.

“Yeah?” He suspected he’d be confronted with that for a long while now, during their imprisonment here and when they inevitably returned home. An endless cycle of people begging questions about that decision and he figured that was Alyssa’s plan anyway. “Who from? Was it a reliable source?” He challenges with the rise of a brow, picking up on the obvious change in attitude she was having--aside from the obvious physical changes. “There are past students of mine, yes.” Still, he felt in no way inclined to lie to her either way.

Landon shakes his head, “No, no, not a parlor trick but a secret weapon.” He never thought he was all the special and it bothered him his whole life, now that he knew he could do something to help others he couldn’t not want to help. “Its not right, its not right that everyone else puts themselves in danger while I hide on the side when I can help Dr. Saltzman, please. This is what I do, this is what I can do, its all I can do.”

“We still don’t understand the benefits and limitations of what you are, Landon.” Which was to say that just because he hadn’t stayed dead yet, didn’t mean that his time was infinite. Just like vampires who were seemingly immortal, everyone had an Achilles heel and until they figured his out--it made him nervous to say the least. “You’re not expendable. And using you as bait so that you can keep dying is far from the only thing we value you for. Your friends, me, this school, they all benefit from having you here.”

“Absolutely not, Luke.” The sentiment may have been general, but he knew that he was referring to himself. He was always the first person to self sabotage his happiness by playing the savior. “Until you live to be as old and grumpy and tired as me, you don’t get to make the calls OR the sacrifices.” Alaric reminds him rather sternly, he’d be damned if he let any of these kids go down for him. “I don’t care how much time has passed. You’re still 22 and that means you’re just a kid. You have plenty of life left to live. This mess is because of ME and I will go down with it, alone.”

Hey  Jo [DEAD BABY MAMA],

It’s time like these where I feel like I need you more than ever. You always knew what the right things was–what the best things were. I think I’ve become a worse man since you left me were taken from me. You should see the girls, they’re so strong. I’m running out of the strength to be strong from them and then I’m reminded that they don’t get it from me. It’s all you. I’m scared for them because they’re always fighting whether it’s some force inside themselves or some kind of monster destined on destroying their friends. I wanted to make this a safe place and now it seems like it’s the least safe place for all these kids to me. I just wish you were here to tell me what to do, Jo. It’s in your blood to save lives and we need you more than ever.

Yours Always,

“the circumstances?” he raised an eyebrow, the audacity of the situation was slightly overwhelming to luke – well, that’s how he was acting. “you mean the fact that after my sister and I have been dragged from the depths of perdition to be brought back to this sad sack of a town to then be transported to a prison world of the same sad sack town but 18 years earlier with our psychotic uncle?” he scoffed. “I would say I’m doing well to not be drunk by noon everyday; but you know” he looked ric up and down “if that works for you, then that’s cool I’m not judging” he said, mustering as much judgement as he possibly could on such short notice. 

“don’t worry about liv and i, we can take care of ourselves, you don’t need to protect us.” he shrugged. “our odds aren’t great on that front are they?” this time, he spoke matter of factly. it is what it is. 

the tunnels smelled damp, he could hear the faint drip of water droplets in the distance, and honestly? it was annoying. he followed alaric into the room filled with weapons. the other was fumbling with the sticks, in this moment, he was grateful for his magic; a sword really wouldn’t suit him. “I can sense magical objects; give me a minute.” he closed his eyes and started to hum slowly, before uttering an incantation quietly before he stopped over some strange, short black dagger. “here you go – I would suggest throwing, rather than hand to hand combat; also – I can’t believe you didn’t see that crossbow on the wall?” he turned around pointing; waving his hand to remove the cloaking spell that had been placed on it. 

“well what do you say we carpe the fucking diem outta this situation and try and get a few steps in front – we know what he needs, bennett blood and the ascendant; we only need to find one to stop him.” luke mused out loud, and started pacing – maybe he should be the leader of their little super squad. “any chance your foggy alcoholic brain can remember where the ascendant was on this day 18 years ago; even a rough location and we’d be in the running to not get murdered. 

alaric had built up a tolerance to teen angst and he supposed that came up with seeing over an entire student body and still navigating being the parent to two teenaged girls. so, for the most part he let things fly over his head relatively unscathed--but luke’s constant blows were coming from a deep-seeded fear. he played brave, always had in the name of protecting his sister and as much as he wanted to be respectful of the ways in which he let out that frustration at a lack of control--he was buckling under the pressure of his own mistakes as well.

“if you’re going to claim to be an adult, someone who can take care of himself and make rational decisions--you ought to start acting like it, luke.” he snaps as he grabs what luke indicates is best for their current situation. for a long time, there was no one on luke and liv’s side and he understood that could be hard for them but now that he was offering to side with him? To be united with him and he was acting like a spoiled brat? It just didn’t sit right with him. “i’m offering all that I can to be your ally and someone who cares about you. and that’s not without recognizing your strengths. your personal jabs at me if anything, are a waste of god damn time.” 

he figured that was enough of her paternal lecture given the immediate danger that their position held, so he moved on to his question--insult ignored for the time being. “I had it.” Alaric admits, having to be the caretaker of the thing after they allowed his daughters to create the prison world in the first place. But he didn’t doubt that Kai had tracked it down in the past 10 years. Still, not shame in checking. “I had it at Caroline’s house.” 

“but —-” her words trailed for a minute, trying to find the right words without letting her dad in too much with how dark her mind had gotten. “but Jo needs you more right now dad, I wish you had found her first,” a weak smile crossing her features, leaning into him a little; taking a moment to let his touch ease all the negativity she was currently drowning. 

                            looking up to him, confused and curious eyes searching for answers that she was worried she wasn’t going to be getting. “who? —- that bitch, I’ll KILL THEM. who the hell thought this was good revenge?” she snapped, but even her usual venomous tone was drained, half-hearted. “and WHY HERE, why not just send us to the empty one, daddy, it’s still not making sense.” a visible shiver ran down her, already trembling body as her dad straight-up called Kai her uncle; ever since she realized where she was, she had avoided even thinking of him as family. thinking it would things easier when she did come face to face with him, oh how wrong she had been. “I’ve seen him,” her small voice admitted, pushing herself out of her dad’s arms, a hand coming up to her head from her sudden movements, willing for herself to gain even an inch of her inner control back. “we need to find her before uncle Kai does.” the words filled with nothing but disgust, another shiver wrecking against her. “please say you have weapons.” for Kai, not Josie.

Alaric had come to know that when his daughter hesitated, it meant she was hiding something. if she were thinking freely than it would come out in definitive strings and rambles as it usually did. so when she stumbled, he narrowed his eyes at her. “ELIZABETH---what are you keeping from me?” the girls were always insistent that the other receive more care, more, love, more attention and he admired that about them. Neither of them was inherently selfish in his eyes. when he had asked if she felt her--he didn’t really get a clear answer. 

                       as much as he didn’t want to lie to his daughter, he wasn’t sure that this was the best time to admit what exactly he was being punished for. still, if he was asking that she share what she knows and feel with him without restraint, he had to do the same. “i think i was the only one who was meant to get sent here. but something got lost in translation and instead, we’re all here.” at least he hoped that alyssa hadn’t wanted all her peers to be in danger. as far as he knew, she was inherently good. “--a long time ago i sent students here after something horrific they had done. i thought they were dangerous and that this was the best place to put them. i was WRONG, Lizzie. but that’s why they sent us here.” Alaric sighs, knowing this will color her opinion of him as the student body’s caretaker which he felt he’d already lost in the eyes of everyone else. maybe EVERYONE EXCEPT HER. still, he didn’t have much to bask in the shame of his confession when she admitted that she’d already seen Kai. “what? did he hurt you? what happened?” if he had let Lizzie leave relatively unscathed then it probably was a sign that his intentions weren’t hurting or killing them, right? maybe he was just grasping at straws. 

as far as Jade was concerned, THAT LIFE she had once held in Mystic Falls; at the school was gone. burnt to ashes when she held Inez’s dying body in her arms —– as she killed her. there had never been any going back for her after that. she had known it, even all those years ago. IT HAD BEEN WHY SHE HAD TURNED OFF HER HUMANITY, it had been the only way she knew to deal with what she had done. 

                       “don’t push me then, otherwise you might just find out.” teeth biting together in an over-exaggerated biting motion, smirk curling up her lips as her hands clasped together behind her back, stepping closer to the teacher. or; ex-teacher she supposed. “they have? oh thank god, no offence but anyone who SENDS THEIR STUDENTS AWAY isn’t all that worthy of a headmaster role.” eyes sparking with mayhem as she smirked to him. 

“so what happened here, did you take the firing bad and send —- near enough EVERYONE here?”

eventually, the students started to filter out considering the tension and THREAT of violence. the older ones had escorted the younger from the situation which he was grateful for because it didn’t seem like Jade was going to follow him into his office to settle things. she wanted everything out in the open and he could understand that. he could understand her WANTING HIM DEAD as well so there wasn’t fear in him--just GUILT. 

                     “i just want to UNDERSTAND, Jade. that’s all i ever wanted.” but it was as if the three of them were in cahoots in not giving him any sort of inkling as to what happened. how it happened, why it happened. they were obviously out against his orders, spelled in the school for a reason before they were let loose to murder all those people. savagely. “you had such big plans. you wanted to help people, save lives...WHAT HAPPENED?”