A Ripper in Mystic Falls

"We're almost there," Hope said with a smile as she rested her chin on her folded arms, gazing out the window at the passing scenery that thinned from mountains and trees to homes and businesses while heading into town.

Knowing something so well yet looking so unfamiliar was an odd feeling. Still, being back sent a warm wave through her chest.

"When was the last time you were here?" Newt asked, leaning forward between the two seats while Albus drove.

Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled softly. "Hm, unfortunately, that was when I tried to raise the dead. Not the best memory, but before then, I think I had been here to celebrate Thanksgiving with some friends." Biting her lip, she sighed. "That didn't exactly end well either. Lizzie and I argued. We said some things we shouldn't have. I left and…I never went back. Not until that night."

Reflecting on the past made her stomach roll, but what could she do about it? She couldn't take back what happened.

Albus glanced at her, his gaze forcing her to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry you lost her, Hope."

Pursing her lips into a thin line, she nodded, looking out the window again. Most days, Hope woke with a smile, thinking about everything she'd gained. Then, there were days she remembered all the things she'd lost.

Though, hadn't she lost them before that night?

"Do you think they're looking for me?" She asked softly, voice barely above a whisper.

After a very long pause, Albus finally nodded. "Probably." He murmured as he reached over and took her hand, gently squeezing it.

"I know I would be…" Newt offered with his crooked smile.

Blushing, Hope smiled back at him. "I'm sorry. I'm being a complete downer."

Albus shook his head and lifted her hand to his lips, caressing her knuckle gently with a kiss. "It's okay to be sad. To miss what once was and still love the present. I do it all the time."

As they pulled through town, Hope perked up a little and smiled. "Are we okay to get out and walk around?"

"Of course," Albus said as he found a space to park, and the three of them emerged from the car, stretching limbs they'd not used for a while. Hope loved road trips for the aesthetic, not the realities of muscle cramps and nowhere to pee that didn't involve bottles and bushes.

People busied around, but different from New York. There were brighter faces, trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation. Still, despite a hundred-year difference, very little changed. Sure, they didn't have certain buildings, but overall, the structure was as she remembered.

Walking around the square, Hope smiled up at the clock tower.

"Come on," she said through a welling of nostalgia, "I want to show you something."

Weaving her way through Mystic Falls, much like in New Orleans, Hope made her way toward the building she'd grown to call home for so long. It took a little time to walk, but she didn't mind. If she ignored the style of the cars and how people were dressed, she could almost pretend she was back in her time.

It came up sooner than she anticipated. Hope soon stood at the gate separating them from the Salvatore Boarding House.

"This was my Hogwarts." Hope giggled, bumping her hip to Newt's, who smiled as they stood beside her, viewing the house. It wasn't a castle, but it was still a beautiful design.

"Was it?" Albus asked with a smile.

Nodding, she looked over at him. "I started using Magic practically at birth and learned so much more as I grew up in New Orleans, but this is where I met more supernaturals my age. People that, maybe, I couldn't relate to, but I could at least pretend I did. Like I said, New Orleans had so many groups that devoted themselves to hating each other, but here…" she looked at the house, "I could be more myself. Even if I was the official guard dog."

Newt frowned as he leaned against the iron. "What do you mean?"

Shrugging, Hope touched the tip of her finger against the pointed gate top, not meeting his eyes. "I moved here already knowing so much. I mean, I'm the descendant of Esther and Dahlia. Daughter of Klaus. I was already capable of things Witches twice my age hadn't even attempted. I came here after," she quickly swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, "after my parents died. People learned pretty quickly my level of power was above others. I sort of became a protector. If someone was hurt or in trouble, I-" she frowned at the look on Albus' face.

"What?" Hope asked, furrowing her brow.

Albus pursed his lips, forcing a small smile, though his eyes glittered with a different kind of sadness. "How old were you?"

"Fifteen," she shrugged, "why? Does it matter?"

"Please don't take offense," he murmured, "I just think being put up as a protector is a lot to ask of a fifteen-year-old."

Meeting his eyes, her stomach did a somersault. She hadn't thought of it that way, mainly because it's how it always had been. She'd been expected to keep people safe, and a part of her liked that. She'd had a purpose and did some good in the world, but she supposed someone who hadn't grown like that would see it differently.

"I don't…regret coming here."

Albus nodded and smiled softly with a slight hum. "If you could go back, would you have changed anything?"

Hope looked through the gate and at the house again, picturing her past self walking through those doors for the first time. "I suppose if I had another chance, I might have more slumber parties and less death." Shrugging, she smiled softly, looking over at him. "But then again, that life wouldn't have brought me to the one I'm leading now. Less danger and pressure sounds nice, but if it meant giving up this, this relationship, then I wouldn't change a thing."

Newt pressed a soft kiss to her ear, pressing a hand against her lower back. Grinning, Hope leaned against him and sighed just as a voice sliced through her resolve.

"Can I help you?"

Spinning on her heels, Hope's eyebrows raised as she took in an average-height man with semi-styled brown hair. His clothing, while nice, looked disheveled. However, what struck out most were his eyes. They were guarded with anxiety, and if Hope had to put a name to it, she'd say he looked…hungry. 

"Stefan," Hope said in a hushed, surprised voice as the realization came into stunning clarity. 

Stefan Salvatore stood right in front of her, and by the way his expression shifted into confusion, Hope knew she'd fucked up.

"You know me?" He asked, taking a little step forward. Not menacingly, but more searching for understanding.

Hope searched her mind at record speed for an excuse for how she might recognize him. "Lexi sends her regards." She nodded with a smile.

"How sweet of me." Another voice behind them sounded

Turning, they locked eyes with the spritely young woman with auburn hair that Hope knew would eventually turn blonde. Lexi tilted her head to the side and smiled. "It's actually Alexia, but you know, I like Lexi. I might keep that." 

Hope didn't have to look to know Newt and Albus were gripping their wands tightly in their overcoat pockets.

"Now then," Lexi nodded, eyeing Hope as if she were being questioned in a courtroom, "if you're here for some sort of revenge scheme, I promise you, it's not worth it." 

Glancing at Albus and Newt and then back to Lexi while keeping Stefan in mind that he was right behind her, she slowly shook her head. 

"I was among the original settlers to the Mystic Falls area," she nodded, "I was among the hidden when I heard what happened to the Salvatore Brothers. So many Vampires were burned in the church, but one of them helped me to escape before I could suffer the same fate. I owe a lot to them, and I wanted to pay respect." Hope said with a small smile, lying through her teeth.

"Who saved you?" Stefan asked.

Glancing over her shoulder, she nodded. "Pearl. I was friends with her daughter, Ana. She and I made it out with the help of a witch. Maybe you remember her. Emily Bennett?"

Stefan nodded with a slight frown. "I do remember. I just don't remember you."

"Well, I remember you." Hope smiled, thinking of Newt and Albus licking between her legs, which forced a blush and her heart rate to spike.

The forced biological reaction seemed to do the trick as Stefan offered a small, polite smile now as he nodded.

"Well, then. I'm glad you're well." He gave a nod and looked at Lexi, who took the hint.

"It was nice meeting you, but I do advise you not to stay long," her eyes suddenly held a warm concern, "it's not safe at the moment." Lexi squeezed her shoulder and nodded to Stefan, who bid them all goodbye and retreated to the Boarding House.

The three of them silently started walking down the sidewalk, away from the house. When they were far enough out, Newt finally broke the silence.

"I fear lying comes a little too naturally to you, Hope."

Hope burst out laughing and shook her head. "Lie or die, I say," she smirked over at him and elbowed his ribs, happy to see he was smiling too, "anyway, not all of it was a lie."

"Which part?" Albus asked, eyebrows raised.

Grinning, she continued walking, looking up and down streets as they made their way to the town center for a bite. "Technically, my family did settle in the area. Mikael came over from Norway around 1000 AD, and they took their home in this area. He was basically a Viking. My family was technically born here just before it all became states and property. Not to mention, all the things I said did happen. I just wasn't there."

Newt smiled and slowly shook his head. "Troublemaker."

When Albus held the door open for them to enter the restaurant, they were on to another conversation.

"Why did she say it wasn't safe right now?" Newt asked, sitting at the table, brows furrowing with worry.

Hope nodded, taking the waitress's coffee, and smiled, sipping it as she left. She swallowed the scalding mouthful before answering. "Well, if I have my timeline right, Stefan would have been in Chicago for much of the twenties, where he met my dad. They became good friends and allies, but Stefan isn't the average vampire."

"How do you mean?" Albus raised a brow.

Biting her lip, she added some sugar to her coffee. "He's…a ripper."

They stared at her, slow bewilderment lighting their features. "I've heard the term in passing," Albus murmured, stroking his beard.

Nodding, Hope cringed a little as she leaned forward a little. "You know Jack The Ripper?" Hope asked. "All those murders that everyone always said were his? Not all were. I'm not saying Jack The Ripper does or doesn't exist, but many of the horrific crime scenes police have stumbled upon, especially in Chicago, was Stefan."

Newt blinked in surprise. "He seemed so cordial."

"Some vampires have far less control than others, but after losing control like that, he's still a person who feels intense guilt. All vampires have heightened emotions, but his skyrocket, ya know? That's why Lexi is here. She always helps bring him back after a binge. Instead of killing him off, she helps rehabilitate him. She knows he doesn't want to be that way, not really."

Newt frowned and glanced over at Albus. "I'm used to how the Ministry handles uncontrollable Vampires."

Biting her lip, she nodded. "I assume it's more of an execution-style?"

He cringed, sipping his water.

"I get it," Hope murmured, "sometimes people turn into the monsters they never intended to be. I'd like to think if I ever lost it like that, you'd stop me too-"

"Hope…" Newt cut her off, setting his water down but holding it to tether himself to the conversation.

"I mean it, Newt," she frowned, "a ripper doesn't care who they hurt. They're just bodies to them. Bodies that provide them pleasure. I'd rather be put down than continue to destroy lives."

Newt squirmed in his seat, and while Hope reached forward to take his hand, Albus placed his hand on his thigh and squeezed lightly.

"Hey," she murmured, "that's not going to happen. I learned my lesson a while ago about how important my humanity is. I'm not going to just let that go, okay?"

He swallowed hard and nodded before looking up to meet her eyes, forcing a slight smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Hope smiled softly. "I have way too much to lose by losing myself." She murmured and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

It was true.

The only way she could lose herself now was to lose what she'd gained, and Newt and Albus weren't going anywhere.