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CHAPTER 40: BURNING HOUSE

❝ you are my burning house. ❞

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CAESAR AND BRUTUS WERE FRIENDS LONG BEFORE THEY WERE LESSONS. They played with sword sticks and placed flower crowns upon their heads and painted mud on their faces. The pair could often be found walking down dirt roads—Caesar stomping proud and tall as Brutus followed in the footprints left behind.

Caesar grew into a strong man and Brutus grew into Caesar. They threw their weapons into a wishing well and whispered the words to the prophecy: we live and die together. Brutus took a pause the day before the slaughter and turned to Caesar in thought: I will love you twice as hard today to make up for tomorrow. They stayed up and played cards on the kitchen floor. It wasn't until the next morning that Brutus realized just how cold the tile was. Life and death are not mutually exclusive. When Caesar died, so did a part of Brutus. Now when someone mentions one of them, they fail to mention the other.

"What is going on?" Hope demanded.

"He is the one that led the vampire extremists to me in the church attic," Enola informed.

"He is also the one who led the ambush when your dad and I went to retrieve your mom," Hayley said.

"How did you know where she was?" Hope questioned. She paused. "You got inside my head. That first day you touched me. When you tucked my hair behind my ear. You were really just trying to figure out where my mom was hidden."

"I know this looks bad," Roman tried, taking a step forward only for Hope to take three steps back. "But if you just do the binding spell—"

"Binding spell?" Enola interrupted. "What is he talking about, Hope?"

"Greta said that if Finn and I did the binding spell, then they would let you and Aunt Hayley live." Hope explained.

"Greta said that?" Hayley questioned in obvious shock.

"It is just so that no more hybrids can be made," Roman said. "Our movement is about getting the natural order back. That is all my mom wants."

"Wait," Hope whispered. "Greta is your mom?"

"Untie me," Enola demanded. "Now!"

"I can't," Roman frowned. "Just do the binding spell and you will be fine."

"You realize that your mother is insane, right?" Hayley questioned.

"It is not insane to defend yourself, is it?" Roman shot back. "Werewolves kill to trigger their curse. None of them are innocent. But at least they are a naturally occurring species. Hybrids are a proversion. Look at Klaus. Look at Henry. They are just unnatural."

"Well, at least I know how you really feel." Hope whispered.

"Hybrids have a choice too. We all have free will." Enola said. "Klaus did not take what he did because he is a hybrid, he took what he did because he is Klaus. Henry is just a kid, who will eventually learn self control."

"Mom," Hope began hesitantly. "Henry is dead."

"What happened?" Hayley demanded when Enola froze.

"They tore his heart out and strung him up outside of Rousseau's," Hope muttered.

"Who did?" Hayley pushed.

"No one knows," Hope informed.

"I bet your mother knows," Enola claimed, turning to Roman. He immediately began to shake his head in denial but she was already continuing. "Think about it; if they did that to some backwoods bayou kid that they barely even knew, imagine what they are gonna do to us."

"No," Roman said. "No. My mom just wants peace. If you all bind yourselves, you will be free."

"If you believe that, then you really are a fool." Enola chuckled humorlessly. "Your mother doesn't want to bind us. She wants to kill us."

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Klaus and Finn resumed the journey in silence. Though this silence was less tense than the last. Music softly drifted through the radio as they drove down the empty freeway on the way to their location. Wherever that may be. Perhaps all they needed to do all along was to actually talk about how they felt. Now all that was left was to reunite with their missing family members and they could finally sit down and all have an actual conversation.

"You will arrive at your destination in 4.1 miles,"

Finn was not surprised when Bonnie and Freya failed to track Hope with a locator spell. Which was not much of a bother to her. There were other ways to track someone who did not want to be found. Like this nifty little app that her mother had both her and her sister install on their phones so she would always know where they were. It was a precaution considering how easy it was for a young girl to get kidnapped these days. Even if she was a tribrid. Her mother always worried regardless of those things.

"We need to prepare for the worst," Klaus began. "If Hope was successful in tracking your mother, she could be in grave danger."

"I know her well enough to know that she is going to try and strike a deal," Finn muttered. "She is going to bind herself so that I don't have to."

Klaus and Finn fell silent once again. The sun shone bright. As if promising a happily ever after. But that was impossible because always and forever was a taut thing. Bending and breaking like nothing. Words could only get them so far—a statement that could not be more than true.

"Do you—" Klaus hesitated. "Do you regret having me as a father?"

"Seriously?" Finn blinked. "I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter."

"But if you did," Klaus reiterated. "Would you rather have David as a father?"

"Declan," Finn corrected. "He is a good person who made mom happy."

"I see," Klaus muttered. "Your mother didn't deserve what I put her through."

"No. She didn't." Finn agreed. "But neither did I." She watched the scenery pass by in a blur with an unreadable expression. "I was five when you left and I have been five ever since. I would bleed for anything if it held me the right way."

"My absence did that to you?" Klaus questioned softly.

"I was so little. It almost never bothers me anymore. But sometimes it hits me out of nowhere. I was completely helpless. I was a child. I see pictures and my heart breaks for that little girl who carried something so heavy inside of her. Who reached for the light and cried in relief when she thought it was over." Finn muttered. "There is no vengeance for that little girl. She is still somewhere. Haunting the halls of my mind and praying for all the bad things to finally end. Ruining the life of the girl who came after her out of spite and me. Grown now—or more grown than I had been—cleaning up the mess she had left behind and tucking her into bed so I can finally live a life where this never happened."

"I will honor that little girl inside of you. That little girl who was abandoned. Who felt as if she was never enough. I will make her feel safe and loved from this day forth. Because she is special and she deserves it. She will be warm and nourished. Free to embrace the things that made her happy." Klaus decided. "But most of all, I will honor who you are now. Because who you are now is very different from who you were then and I cannot wait to get to know the wonderful person you have become."

"You have reached your destination,"

"I guess we will have to put this little heart to heart on hold," Finn hummed.

Klaus pulled over on the side of the abandoned road and Finn wasted no time hopping out. Her eyes immediately scanned the area only to find no sign of her sister. Which was strange because the app on her phone told her this was the correct location. There was definitely something strange going on.

"They should be here," Klaus fumed. "Where the bloody hell are they?"

Finn sighed at the dramatics Klaus had put on display. She tapped away at the device in her hand and found her sister under emergency contacts. Her eyes flickered around the area again as she pressed her cell phone to her ear. She had never been so eager to hear the sound of her sister's voice until now. Her heart stopped in her chest when the sound of a nearby phone ringing caught her attention.

Finn recognized the ringtone immediately. She slowly lowered the device from her ear and followed the sound to a cell phone that laid in the grass a few feet away. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she reached down to retrieve the familiar device. She clicked it on only to be met with a passcode that she already knew by heart. She smiled softly when the phone opened to a picture of Hope and Roman that was as recent as last night.

"There she is," Finn joked.

Meanwhile, Klaus had reached for the other device that presumably belonged to Roman. He chuckled darkly when he turned the device on to reveal there was no passcode he needed to enter. He opened the camera roll so he could have an idea what this fool looked like. Though his heart stopped in his chest when he scrolled through a few of the photos to find this boy his daughter was currently traveling with beside the leader of the vampire extremists; Greta.

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"This is Greta. I am unavailable. Please leave a message."

Greta has had it out for Enola and Hayley since day one. She could not fathom the idea of her people trusting them. Relying on them for anything other than destruction. But they had been in the city for more than a decade and had already earned the trust of the people so her opinion meant nothing. It was clear that she had decided to take matters into her own hands and obliterate their whole family.

"Why is she not answering?" Roman muttered.

"Maybe Greta didn't recognize the number of your burner phone," Hope spat.

"You do the math, Roman." Hayley sighed. "Why else would she send you to the middle of nowhere?"

"If she really wanted my daughters to do the binding spell, she would have got both of them here." Enola pointed out. "Let me guess; she only had one pair of those mystical handcuffs to keep magic in check."

"I trust her," Roman argued.

"That is what she is counting on," Hayley said.

"She is not how you think!" Roman tried. She had to pause to take a deep breath after he had gotten so worked up. Then he faced them with unyielding loyalty as he explained his side of the story. Not that it would help. "When I was a kid, werewolves literally tore my family apart and they left me for dead. Greta saved me. She treated me like a son. She gave me a new family. Until Klaus Mikaelson showed up and killed the man who was like my father. Because of him, I spent fifty years desiccated in a cave. But she never stopped looking for me. She never gave up. She is a good mother."

"No. She is not a mother. She expects things from you that no mother should. A mother who really loved her son would never use him as a soldier." Enola spoke softly. "Do you not see it? She has trained you to become a terrorist."

"Shut up!" Roman snapped. "She just wants us to live separately and in peace."

"Until everyone she doesn't consider pure is annihilated," Hayley scoffed. "She wants us dead."

"You really are not helping," Enola deadpanned. "Maybe let me do the talking from now on."

"Who talks doesn't matter. You are all wrong." Roman snapped. "She would never do that."

"How sure are you?" Enola questioned. "Sure enough that you are willing to risk all our lives."

"And you think I am lousy with words," Hayley scoffed.

"You have to let us go," Hope pleaded.

"I have to make a phone call," Roman decided. He walked out of the room without another word. Though it was obvious he was beginning to second guess everything as he slammed the door behind him and stepped out onto the porch to try calling his mother again.

"Mom, I am so sorry." Hope whispered in defeat. "For all of this."

"Where is my apology?" Hayley teased.

"This is not your fault," Enola reassured, headbutting Hayley to shut up. "This is all Greta."

"I just—" Hope stuttered. "I thought I was actually gonna fix it by doing the binding spell."

"Please tell me you were not actually going to do that stupid thing," Hayley scoffed.

"No. Finn was." Hope explained. "But dad stopped her at the last minute."

"Your dad does have good timing," Enola chuckled softly.

"If anyone should make that sacrifice, it should be me." Hope continued. "Roman said he knew a witch who could help. I was going to make a deal with Greta. I would bind myself if she would leave my sister out of it."

"You remind me so much of your Aunt Elena. She would do anything in her power to protect me. Even if it meant hurting herself." Enola hummed. "Hope, you have to promise me that you will never deny any part of yourself."

"Aunt Freya said that you didn't want me to trigger my werewolf side," Hope frowned.

"Breaking all two hundred and six bones in your body really sucks," Hayley announced.

"Hayley," Enola scowled.

"But when you are running through the woods under a full moon and with freedom, there is no greater feeling in the world." Hayley continued. "I was there to see the first time your mother experienced that. We ran through those woods together all night long. It was the moment I realized that she is my family. Which makes you my family. So we will get through this as a family." She craned her neck to get a good look at her niece figure. "Always and forever."

"Always and forever," Enola agreed.

"I am so stupid," Hope sighed. "I actually thought that he liked me."

"Hope, you are absolutely incredible and anyone would be lucky to have you in their life." Enola said. "We would never find peace if we spent even a fraction of our time judging ourselves based on the mistakes we made off the men in our lives."

"Yeah, just look at your mom and dad," Hayley teased.

"Nowhere to go but up, I guess." Hope laughed. "I just hate that I can't get us out of here."

"Freya and Bonnie have probably already found us now that you are here," Hayley said.

"I cloaked Roman and I. There is no way for her to find us. I also am unable to do magic with these stupid chains on." Hope huffed. She paused. "Wait."

"What?" Enola questioned through narrowed eyes.

"It is a really bad idea," Hope informed.

"All your ideas are really bad," Enola reminded. "What is it?"

"Why don't we just give them what we want?" Hope began. "Let them bind us."

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Something changed. Freya and Bonnie had been working on some sort of beacon just in case the cloaking spell that captured Enola and Hayley had mysteriously broken. That time was apparently now. Klaus and Finn had received the exact coordinates and arrived at an abandoned home in record time.

"Stay in the car," Klaus demanded.

"Like hell," Finn scoffed.

"Must you make everything so difficult?" Klaus scowled.

Finn and Klaus clambered out of the vehicle with haste. Their eyes were set on the building that looked like the perfect place to store hostages in the middle of the day. Especially considering it laid in the middle of nowhere. The last house they had seen was an hour away. That gave them room to do what they needed to do with interruption.

Finn had yet to reach the porch when a surge of anger vibrated through her bones. Anger that was not her own. She whipped around on instinct only to meet the eyes belonging to her uncle. She had this vague memory of him from when she was little. He had made her an entire bouquet of flowers out of origami. Her sister had just been taken captive by the Hollow. But everything was different now and he looked at her as if she was nothing more than a stranger.

"Uncle Elijah?" Finn whispered.

Elijah hesitated for a short moment. But a moment is all that Klaus needed to quickly intercept. He held his brother by the throat and protected his daughter from harm. He loved them both dearly and he would rather not let either of them get hurt. But if he had to choose between his brother and his daughter, the answer was obvious.

"Go on without me, sweetheart." Klaus hummed. "Find your mother. She will protect you."

Finn watched Klaus for a long moment before finally rushing towards the house full of dread and despair. She sprinted across the lawn and up the porch before slamming through the doors. Her heart stopped in her chest at the sight displayed before her.

Greta hovered above Hope who had been knocked out with a wooden stake as Roman stood off to the side while Enola also lay unconscious and Hayley hid away from the sunlight that streamed through an open window. Finn rose a hand on instinct and the stake Greta held over Hope was magically thrown across the room.

"You," Greta spat like venom. "I had sent my people out to retrieve you, but it would seem that you came to me instead."

"I promise you," Finn began. "I will not go down without a fight."

"Like mother like daughter, I suppose." Greta shrugged

Greta grinned before using supernatural speed to tear across the room toward Finn. Her fingers were barely able to make contact when she was intercepted by a strong force. She got the wind knocked right out her lungs when she made contact with the hard floor. Though she had no time to recover before a fist made contact with her face. Again and again and again. She could hardly see through all the blood. But she knew exactly who it was. Enola.

Finn took that opportunity to rush towards Hope. She had dropped to the ground beside her sister in tears. Her heart broke as she cradled her sisters limp body in her arms. A part of her felt guilty because her sister had only done this to protect her. Though this was not the first time her sister had done something reckless in the name of family. Perhaps the reason she never spoke up was because she had desperately wanted all these ploys to work. Because deep down she was still that little girl who craved affection from her father.

Enola risked a glance towards Finn and Hope which gave Greta the opening needed. Greta kneed Enola in the gut and used the momentum to break free. Enola was in for a surprise when Greta got the upper hand and began fighting back. Though there was only so much Enola could do with veins pumped with vervain and wolfsbane. Greta was honestly shocked that Enola could move. No matter. Greta pinned Enola to the wall by the throat.

Before Greta could kill Enola once and for all, the doors suddenly swung open once more to reveal Klaus and Elijah in a heated battle. Klaus spotted Enola instantly. He shoved his enemy out of his way and went to rescue her. The love of his life. He had spent the past five years erasing her from his memory. But he could never erase his love for her. Nor could he erase the hope that shone in her eyes at the sight of him. Though he was intercepted by a wooden coat hanger tearing through his stomach.

"Elijah!" Enola screamed in surprise. "Please."

Elijah paused to look at Enola. He tilted his head to the side and stared deep into her eyes as if he had recognized her. Perhaps he had recognized his best friend. Perhaps he had miraculously regained his memories. Then he turned on his heels and shattered her heart with four simple words that he could never take back.

"Roman, are you okay?" Elijah questioned in concern.

Greta smirked before knocking the surprise clean out of Enola with a hand through the chest. It felt as if the world had stopped at that very moment. Her eyes flickered to Klaus who was struggling to stand and to Finn who was holding Hope close. She had come to the conclusion that they would be okay. Her eyes fluttered closed in defeat as she accepted her fate.

Hayley made a very bold decision at that moment. She rose from the shadows of that house and rushed forward at a speed she was not quite used to. She had decided to take one for the team and have the witch bind her. She was definitely a lot slower now that she was just a vampire. But she was strong enough to do one last deed before it was time to tap out. Her speed was still enough to zoom past Elijah and tackle Greta down.

"You are my burning house," Hayley smiled. "So let me burn for you."

Enola dropped to the ground as Hayley tore off the finger in which Greta wore a daylight ring. It took everything she had to drag the enemy through the open door and out into the scorching rays of sunlight. She smiled as she reached the end and allowed the flames to swallow her whole.

"No!" Enola wailed.

Enola did not want Hayley to be a lesson learned the hard way like Caesar and Brutus. Her grief repeated the same thing in her head over and over again; this is not how it is supposed to be, this is not how it is supposed to be! But the world just laughed at her despair, holding any semblance of hope she had left by the throat and said; but this is how it is.

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AUTHORS NOTE.
there was no way in hell that i was going to kill enola off. i prefer killing the people she loves. it makes for great character development. until next time, my loves!!!