Chapter Two: The Spark in the Woods

HOPE MIKAELSON - POV

Hope Mikaelson didn't like Beacon Hills. It was too quiet in the wrong places, and too loud in the right ones. The town felt like it was holding its breath - waiting for something to go wrong.

She was here with Alaric to recruit a young witch, a sophomore named Rowan Bledsoe who had started setting things on fire when she got angry. The usual kind of drama. But Hope didn't feel usual here.

Hope and Alaric were staying overnight at a local motel. They planned to leave in the morning with the girl if she agreed to come. Easy in, easy out.

There was something strange in the air - not just magic, but grief. Power. Rage.

She couldn't shake the pull that led her into the Preserve, even after Alaric warned her to stay close. "Five minutes," she'd said. But it had already been ten.

Every step deeper into the forest made her heart beat faster. Not from fear. From something else. Something she couldn't name.

NOVA MCCALL - POV

Nova McCall didn't want to be seen. Not tonight.

The Preserve had always been her place. Her refuge. The one place where she could scream and not be heard, run and not be chased. Now, it was where she came to pretend she wasn't shattering on the inside.

The betrayal still burned in her chest like wildfire. Her Alpha blood roared with it, no matter how still she sat. She didn't want comfort. She didn't want forgiveness. She wanted silence.

But then she felt it - like static crawling over her skin. A presence.

Someone was here.

Someone powerful.

THIRD PERSON - THE MEETING

The Preserve was quiet tonight, but Nova wasn't.

Her claws itched beneath her skin. Her rage sat heavy in her lungs. The betrayal, the pressure, the memories-it was all closing in.

She ignored Scott. Ignored Allison. The very sight of them threatened to rip her apart. She was better alone. Stronger.

She walked the Preserve, hood up, eyes darkened by hurt and fury. Her feet moved without direction, but her body knew exactly what it needed-to move, to breathe, to fight something. Anything.

That's when she felt it.

Magic. Strange. Wild. Ancient.

A presence unlike anything she had ever felt before, brushing against her senses like velvet and lightning.

Then she saw her.

A girl stepped into view through the trees, as if conjured by Nova's turmoil. She walked like she wasn't afraid of anything. Like danger didn't faze her. Long reddish-brown curls fell around her shoulders. Her eyes were sharp and searching, her magic clinging to her like a storm waiting to break.

They stared at each other across the space between.

"Didn't expect anyone else out here," Hope said, voice calm, curious.

Nova said nothing.

Hope stepped forward, the wind catching her coat. "You okay?"

Nova's voice was sharp. "Do I look okay?"

"No," Hope said honestly, still closing the distance. "You smell like blood and rage."

Nova's eyes flickered-deep red for just a second. "You should walk away."

Hope tilted her head. "Or maybe I found exactly who I was looking for."

Nova's breath caught.

There was a moment-brief, electric-where something passed between them. Not just attraction. Not just curiosity. Something deeper. Older. Like fate had stitched them into the same story long before they'd ever met.

Nova didn't know who-or what-Hope really was. Not yet.

But that didn't matter.

"What do you want from me?" Nova asked, voice low.

Hope took another step. "Nothing you're not willing to give."

That was the breaking point.

Nova's mouth crashed into hers, fueled by a weeks worth of grief and fury. Hope didn't hesitate-she responded with fire of her own, hands gripping Nova's jacket, pulling her closer.

Nova pushed her back against a tree, lips parting just enough for a gasp to escape. Hope's hand slid around her waist, grounding them both even as they burned.

They weren't gentle. They weren't sweet.

Clothes were tugged. Teeth scraped. Breath hitched. Fingers curled in fabric. Skin flushed from touch and tension.

There were no lies between them. No promises. Just heat and raw need.

They didn't ask questions.

They just gave in.

When they finally broke apart, their chests rose and fell in unison, the silence between them louder than any words.

Nova didn't speak. She just leaned back against the tree, closing her eyes, her heartbeat finally slowing.

Hope didn't press. She simply stood close, watching her with something unreadable in her eyes.

Nova's back hit the rough bark of a tree, and her breath caught as Hope's lips moved from her mouth to her jaw, to the delicate skin just below her ear. Nova gasped and gripped her shirt tighter, pulling her closer. Every touch felt like it was burning through her defenses.

But then Hope paused. Her breath was ragged, her pupils blown wide with want-but there was hesitation in her voice.

"... I need to tell you something."

Nova's lips brushed Hope's throat. "What?"

Hope swallowed hard. "I'm intersex. I have... a ... dick."

Nova blinked, the haze clearing just slightly. Then she looked Hope in the eyes and said, "I don't care. I just... I need this. I need you. Even if it's only for tonight."

That was all the permission Hope needed.

Their mouths met again, hungry and bruising. Hope's hands roamed under Nova's shirt, thumbs brushing over bare skin, and Nova shuddered at the sensation. Clothes were discarded in haste, skin against skin, the cool night air no match for the heat building between them.

Somewhere between frantic kisses and desperate touches, Nova whispered, "Nova."

Hope looked at her, breathless. "Hope."

No last names. No questions.

Just two broken people clinging to something fleeting.

It was rough. Desperate. Messy.

They didn't speak, only moved-panting, gasping, moaning into each other's mouths, into each other's skin. They didn't think about protection. Didn't notice they weren't being safe. Didn't care. Their bodies moved on instinct, on ache, on need. Didn't think about anything but the way they made each other feel. Reckless. Wild. Whole.

Afterward, they dressed slowly, still catching their breath.

Hope smoothed her hair back and looked over at Nova. "Do you... want to come back with me? I'm staying at a hotel near here."

Nova hesitated. Then nodded.

The motel room was dim and quiet. As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, they were on each other again. This time slower-but just as intense.

They were so caught up in each other that neither noticed, once again, that they weren't being careful. No thought of condoms. No hesitation. Just motion, touch, and heat.

Hope laid Nova down, her hands reverent now, eyes asking for permission she didn't need.

Nova pulled her in with a growl. "Don't be gentle."

Hope kissed her hard.

They didn't stop. Not after the first time. Or the second.

They gave each other everything-over and over again, until the moon gave way to morning.

Hope moved with confidence, with care, with fire. Nova's fingers dug into her back, her breaths coming faster, her body arching into every motion. Their names became prayers on each other's lips.

And when it was over, they lay tangled together-sweaty, flushed, spent.

Neither said it aloud, but both knew: something had shifted.

Even if they never saw each other again, they would remember this night.

They would remember each other.

___________________.....____________________

When morning light filtered through the curtains, Hope stirred against the pillows, her body sore and warm from the night before. She stretched, a slow, satisfied smile curving her lips as she blinked into the quiet motel room.

But the space beside her was cold.

Hope sat up, the sheet falling from her bare shoulders.

"Nova?"

There was no answer.

The clothes were gone. No note. No sound. Just absence.

Nova was gone.

Hope's smile faded as her chest tightened-not from heartbreak, not yet, but something close.

She didn't know her last name. Didn't know anything beyond that first name whispered in the woods.

But she felt the loss like a bruise.

She didn't know it yet, but this wasn't the end.

Only the beginning.

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