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CHAPTER 46: THE POSSIBILITY OF NOTHING

❝ the heart wants what it wants. ❞

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KLAUS MIKAELSON ALWAYS LIVED IN THE PRESENT. He does not know the future and no longer has the past. The former persecutes him as the possibility of everything while the latter persecutes him as the possibility of nothing. He had no hopes and no nostalgia. Knowing what his life had been up until now—which is the complete opposite of what he wanted—what can he assume about his life tomorrow except that it will be what he does not assume and does not want. There is nothing from his past that he would ever wish to repeat. His past is everything he failed to be.

It had been a week. Hope and Finn returned to school. Everyone had been working around the clock to find a cure for the darkness. Klaus arrived in Mystic Falls with Enola and Elijah that morning. He had decided that the best choice was to divide and conquer which is how he could find himself leaning against the wall of the Salvatore Boarding School with an impatient look on his face. He received strange looks from a few passing students for lingering about like some weirdo. But he was too preoccupied in his waiting to notice. Or care.

"At the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, we are big on spirit." Caroline began. "Education is our first priority. Obviously. We have sent students to the Ivy League and Silicon Valley." She led the group through the halls until she entered the dining area. "Of course, if you are looking for a more unique course of study, I assure you, we are unmatched. We believe in an inclusive blending of the species here." She sent her daughter a quick wave before stopping to face her tourists with a bright smile. "So outside of full moons, vampires, witches, and werewolves all cohabitate peacefully."

"Where do you keep the hybrids? In the root cellar?" Klaus joked, earning an eye roll from Caroline. He pushed off the wall to address her with a cordial nod.

"Excuse me. I just need one minute with this very lost janitor." Caroline lied. Klaus smiled. "Come on, Bob. I will show you the toilets." She harshly yanked him by the elbow and dragged him into her office as if he was a misbehaving child and closed the door behind them. "Seriously? You are not exactly a selling point for this place."

"Because these kids have so many other options," Klaus scoffed.

"You promised that you would never show up in Mystic Falls again," Caroline reminded.

"That was a long time ago!" Klaus defended. "I need your help. Hope is dying. She will not survive her first full moon."

"She triggered her curse?" Caroline gasped, eyes wide in both shock and horror.

"And here I thought Enola shared everything with you," Klaus said.

"It must have slipped her mind between all the funerals she has been attending these past few months," Caroline countered. "I thought the Crescent werewolves could control their transformation."

"Not the first one. It is a rite of passage. Unavoidable." Klaus informed.

"What do you need from me?" Caroline questioned.

"I need a very rare type of witch," Klaus began. "From the Gemini Coven."

"You cannot be serious," Caroline scoffed in disbelief.

"I need Lizzie and Josie," Klaus continued. "Please, Caroline."

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Elijah stood back and watched the way Enola was with Hope and Finn. They were acting as if he did not exist. Which was certainly understandable after all the pain he had caused them. He only wished they would give him a chance to prove he was not that man who got someone they loved dearly killed. But even he was unsure because you do not just forget a love like that.

"The Diary of Stefan Salvatore," Elijah read out loud.

"We are not supposed to touch it," Finn muttered.

"I have the whole thing memorized," Hope said.

"Like mother, like daughter." Enola teased.

Elijah stared at the display case with curious eyes. Memories had been resurfacing to the forefront of his brain. Of who he used to be. Of who he was now. He wondered what was written about him inside the mysterious journal. Probably nothing good seeing as he used to be known for his underhanded methods of manipulation. Everything he had ever done was in the name of family and look at them now.

"Spoiler alert," Hope hummed. "Dad is the villain and you are the evil henchman."

"From one very biased perspective," Elijah argued.

"If you want a second opinion, I would recommend The Mystic Falls Files by Alaric Saltzman." Finn chirped. "Volume One."

"So you refuse to read The Diary Of Stefan Salvatore, but you will waste your time with The Mystic Falls Files?" Hope scoffed.

"Only one of those things is behind a display case," Finn reminded.

"In every story, dad is the big bad wolf." Hope hummed, turning to Enola. "And then he met you."

"I had nothing to do with his sudden change," Enola objected. "I just gave him you."

"You did so much more than that," Elijah said. "You gave him something he never thought was possible; love."

"Like the love you felt for Aunt Hayley?" Finn inquired.

Silence. A sign that none of them have forgiven Elijah for what happened to Hayley. He did not know who she was to him at the time. It was only after the fact that these memories began to arise. Memories of her showing up to his bar in France five years ago. Of him falling in love with her all over again. No one blamed him for what happened like he did.

"Perhaps even greater," Elijah whispered.

That is the moment Hope chose to nearly faint. Her knees nearly gave out as the whispers intensified. But she could not say she regretted her choice to take the darkness inside herself. It was the one thing she had done right. Until she accidentally killed her sister.

"What is it?" Enola demanded, rushing over to Hope. "What is happening?"

"Nothing," Hope muttered. "I am fine."

"Bullshit," Finn scoffed, eyeing flaring in obvious concern.

"I thought you would be enjoying this," Hope chuckled. "All my suffering."

"Yeah, if you weren't dying." Finn deadpanned.

"Tell me what you need," Enola demanded.

"To be anywhere other than inside this stuffy room," Hope groaned.

"Then let us go," Elijah began. "I know a place in town that specializes in greasy food."

"Not hungry," Hope sighed.

"Fine," Elijah huffed. "Then have a milkshake."

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"Absolutely not!"

Caroline had never been the biggest fan of Klaus. A fact that she never hid from him because it was the truth and she was known for her brutal honesty. Which was much needed during this dreadful conversation. She had always known that he was a fool. But this was just insane. He was insane and she was not going to let him drag her children into this madness.

"Caroline," Klaus sighed.

"They are children," Caroline reasoned.

"They are siphoner witches. It is what they were born to do." Klaus argued. "Siphon magic from one thing—"

"And put it in another," Caroline finished. She marched across the room for a specific filing cabinet and whipped out an expensive bottle of whiskey. She poured it into one glass for herself and immediately downed it before pouring another. "So after they siphon it from Hope, what are they supposed to do with it? You can't just shove a demon in a jar and put it on a shelf."

"They will put it in me," Klaus decided.

"That is great," Caroline scoffed, downing the second shot. "And then you can practice mindful meditation while we just cross our fingers and hope that you don't develop some sort of temper—oh, wait."

"Do you remember when you and your friends threatened to chain me up, drown me in cement, and drop me in the deepest ocean?" Klaus questioned, taking the shot glass away from Caroline and setting down on the desk. "Well, when your daughters put the magic in me, I need you to make good on that threat. I will not fight you this time."

"We were just kids back then," Caroline reasoned. "That was a long time ago."

"I cannot allow my daughter to die. But I promise you I will not endanger yours." Klaus swore, earning a look of uncertainty from Caroline. "Please. I am begging you."

"Have you spoken to Enola about this?" Caroline questioned.

Klaus looked away in shame at the mention of Enola. All he told her was that they were here to make sure everything went according to plan during the full moon. Which is why he had dragged his brother along. To distract her from the truth. And the truth was that he would die in place of their daughter.

"She will not survive losing Hope," Klaus said.

"She will not survive losing you," Caroline countered.

"She has survived worse," Klaus argued. "I am protecting her."

"Protecting her? By making the conscious decision to cut her out of your life like you did five years ago?" Caroline wondered. "You are not protecting her. You are running away from her."

"What choice do I have?" Klaus spat. "Our daughter is dying. One of them already did."

"Tell her," Caroline said. "She should at least have the choice to say goodbye."

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Enola sat at a table outside the Mystic Grill across from Elijah. It was clear to him that she would rather be anywhere else. Though she was not sitting here for him. She was only tolerating him for the sake of her children who clearly despised him. They had both made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with him. And despite how much it hurt, he was only here to distract them from whatever their foolish father was up to.

"If you are here to tell us that our dad has a heart of gold, this is probably the worst spot considering that there is a plaque inside near the dartboard for Jenna Sommers." Hope deadpanned, turning to Enola. "How did you fall in love with him again?"

"It is complicated," Enola cringed.

"He killed your aunt," Finn reminded.

"And I hated him for it," Enola agreed.

"But you forgave him," Hope said. "Why?"

"The heart wants what it wants," Enola hummed.

"What if the heart wants to maim and kill?" Finn questioned.

Hope and Finn glanced at Elijah. They had not said it out loud. But it was clear that they blamed him for what happened to their own aunt. Forgiveness was not on the table for them. He had not earned it. He had seemed to spend most of his time avoiding them instead of earning it which only fueled their anger more. They were certain that there was no fixing it.

"Take a look at the storefront across the street with the charcoal awning. That piece of land used to be our home. The smell of it still haunts me to this day. The burning wood. The crushed flower. The berries." Elijah began. "Your father was incessantly painting back in those days. Mixing. Searching. For brighter reds or deeper blues. He used to wake me in the middle of the night just to show me the color that he would swear that he himself had invented. I remember the first time that he showed me a turquoise." None of them could contain their smiles at this. "It was also the first time I smelled blood. You see, when Mikael found Niklaus fashioning a paintbrush from a small branch, he took that branch and struck my brother across the face."

"What did you do?" Hope questioned, unable to contain the curiosity bubbling in her chest.

"Niklaus begged me to run away with him. But I told him that I would never leave Rebekah and Kol at the mercy of Mikael. So we stayed. Of course it was a mistake. We should have run away together." Elijah continued. "But I did swear to him that I would protect him from that very day. Just like the two of you protect one another."

"It is complicated," Finn muttered.

"Sounds familiar," Enola teased.

"Peanut butter blast, whipped cream on the bottom." The waiter announced, setting the three orders on the table before looking at Hope. "Just how you like it."

"Thanks, Landon." Hope smiled.

"Yeah," Landon nodded, eyes briefly flickering between all the other unfamiliar faces at the table.

"Oh," Hope blinked. "This is my mom and uncle. You already know my sister."

"Yeah, yeah." Landon nodded, sending Finn an awkward smile before turning back to Hope. "You have not been around much lately."

"Oh, yeah, there has been stuff back at home." Hope explained curtly.

"Oh, well, I was hoping you would be back. I mean, you are from New Orleans, right? I have always wanted to go." Landon ranted. "It is home to some of the greatest musicians of all time—"

Landon was interrupted by a jock a few tables over. Ice came in contact with the back of his head. He briefly closed his eyes as his cheeks dusted pink in embarrassment. Though it was clear that he was not surprised by the bullies laughing at his expense. He just seemed tired.

"You should go," Hope muttered. "No matter where you are, there is always someone playing a Louis Armstrong song somewhere."

"Actually, there is music in the square tonight." Landon awkwardly started. "I mean, they do it all the time, but tonight there is this kind of bluesy vibe and I thought maybe if you wanted . . . "

"Oh, Landon, I can't tonight." Hope blinked in surprise. "I have a thing."

"Right, yeah. I should probably pick up an extra shift anyway." Landon said dejectedly.

"Thanks, though, for asking and for the milkshake." Hope smiled.

"Yeah. It was nice meeting you guys." Landon gave Enola and Elijah a smile before making a quick getaway.

"That was by far the most awkward interaction I have seen in my entire life," Finn laughed.

"The full moon will not be out for another couple of hours," Enola noted. "You could have gone with him."

"It would have been giving him false hope," Hope sighed. "Especially considering that I am gonna be dead soon. Not that it matters. It might even be for the best."

"Well, I am already dead." Finn joked. "And, let me tell you, it is not that bad."

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It took nearly everything for Caroline to convince Lizzie and Josie to have this conversation. She almost had to drag them to the old mill at the edge of the property. She knew for a fact that their father would not go along with this. He was still very bitter about the negative mark the original family had left behind in Mystic Falls. Despite the fact that they shared a family.

"What do we get if we say yes?" Lizzie questioned.

"The warm feeling in your heart that comes from helping a friend in need," Caroline smiled.

"Well, we are in need of new cell phones." Lizzie continued, nudging Josie in the side.

"And permission to go to the senior solstice dance," Josie added. "And you and dad—take the skirt length rules out of the dress code. It is anti feminist and oppressive."

"And not cute," Lizzie agreed.

"No to the phones, maybe to the dance, and yes to defying the patriarchy one plaid skirt at a time." Caroline said. "Deal."

"Deal," Lizzie and Josie nodded.

"Now Mister Mikaelson is going to explain exactly what he needs you to do. Very clearly and kindly." Caroline hummed. "Without even a hint of a temper or frustration."

"First of all, thank you." Klaus began. He did not get to finish seeing as a wooden stake was being shot clean through his heart. He yelled out in pain before collapsing to the floor in an unconscious heap only to reveal the person standing behind him with a crossbow.

"Dad?" Lizzie gasped.

"Whatever the hell is going on here," Alaric began. "No."

"Girls, give your dad and I a moment." Caroline said. Alaric scoffed. She just waited until the kids were out of sight before storming over to him and snatching the crossbow away. "I am confiscating this forever."

"Fine," Alaric huffed. "It is only for the security of the school. But apparently that is a thing of the past since you are just inviting Voldemort to campus."

"Ric, we started this school to help these kids." Caroline reminded. "Hope is one of them. She is in trouble. We can't just turn our backs on her."

"This is Klaus Mikaelson—a cockroach of a creature who wreaked havoc on this earth for a thousand years and can never be stamped out ever. Do you really want to give him more evil power?" Alaric ranted. He waited a few moments to collect his thoughts. He didn't mean to yell. "Caroline, I know your intentions are good and I want to help Hope. She is family. But why can we not call another witch?"

"This is not something that another witch can do. Our girls can." Caroline reasoned. "Then you can pop a bottle of champagne and watch him sink to the bottom of the atlantic. Everyone wins."

"And how many times have we tried to sink him to the bottom of the ocean?" Alaric questioned rhetorically.

"He is a willing participant this time," Caroline sighed.

"Alright. Fine." Alaric nodded. "Let's just pretend—for one insane moment—that you have reason enough to believe that it is true now. You think that is gonna stick? The ocean is not big enough to hold him down—"

"Very impressive system," Alaric yanked the crossbow back from Caroline and aimed it at Klaus who was standing as if nothing had just happened. "I am sure it is impressive. If you are a baby werewolf navigating puberty. But I am a little past that."

"Klaus," Caroline warned.

"Alaric is right. The ocean will not hold me. But when I have transferred the Hollows magic into me, I do not intend to drown it." Klaus claimed. His movements were calm as he pulled a wooden stake out from his inside jacket pocket. It had been weighing heavy on him all day and he had not intended on showing it to anyone.

"What is that?" Caroline demanded.

"This is the last remaining white oak stake," Klaus informed. "When the power is in me, there is only one way to make sure that it is gone for good." His eyes flickered between the two people he had just confided in. "Someone needs to kill me."

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Elijah trusted Enola with many things. He had never once handed her the keys to his Bentley. He had seen the way she drove and had decided long ago that she was to stay away from his car. But he would be a fool not to notice the distance she had been putting between them since he had returned. He figured that by offering her the keys to his vehicle she would see that he trusted her. Though the fear in his eyes as she drove down the street said a whole other thing.

"That would be a stop sign approaching," Elijah muttered anxiously. "That is a stop sign."

"Relax," Enola scoffed in disbelief. "I know how to drive. I have had my license for years."

"Besides," Finn chirped from the back seat next to Hope. "All of us are either dying or dead."

"But is it absolutely necessary to destroy this work of art in the process?" Elijah huffed.

"The car is in perfect hands. My very capable and complex hands." Enola grinned.

"I have seen the destruction those hands can cause when you are upset," Elijah reminded.

"Lucky for you, I am not upset." Enola shot back. "Yet. There is still time."

"I know what you guys are doing. With the milkshakes and fresh air. Showing me the little pleasures life has to offer." Hope hummed. "I am not, like, suicidal if that is what you are worried about. That is not what I meant when I said that dying might be for the best."

"Well, you don't seem to care about whether or not you die." Finn hummed.

"It is not like I want to die. I just don't think I was meant to exist in the first place. I think about all the crazy things that led to me being born." Hope said. "Dad lives a thousand years, does a weird ritual to become the only vampire who can procreate. Mom lives eighteen years, is afraid to love because people always leave. And then their worlds collided—"

"Okay—" Enola cringed.

"—When dad suddenly became obsessed with mom. He started sending her gifts like some weird stalker. But it is okay because she apparently likes weird stalkers, why else would she have fallen in love with him?" Hope continued. "Though she didn't want to admit that she was in love with him, and so she pretended to hate him, which means she technically hate banged him—oh my god, I was created during a hate bang!"

"When was I created?" Finn wondered.

"During a love bang?" Hope frowned in thought. "I think they were in love enough to call it making love—"

"We honestly don't have to—" Elijah tried.

"—Then, boom. Loophole." Hope finished. "Miracle babies. But can you be a miracle and a mistake at the same time?"

"Wow," Finn blinked. "Thanks for that."

"No one is a mistake," Enola reasoned.

"Our family has fought to keep you alive from the very moment we found out about you," Elijah said.

"I know," Hope sighed. "But the universe has been trying to kill me since before I was born. To reset the balance of nature. And I am grateful that you guys have fought so hard. But I knew when I took the power back that I might die." Her eyes moved to her mother. "You are always preaching about choices. This is my choice."

"We are here," Enola said. She pulled into the parking lot of Mystic Falls High School where the annual car wash was going on. Her eyes landed on the boy who was bullying the waiter at the Mystic Grill. He was your classic jock with blond hair, blue eyes, and a red letterman jacket. He seemed to really love the red convertible he was using to flirt with girls from the car wash.

"Okay, so, we are gonna spend my final hours watching Connor get to first base with runner up Miss Mystic Falls?" Hope blinked.

"I would love to watch him fail," Finn chirped.

"Why do you think your friend Landon didn't fight back?" Enola questioned.

"I don't know," Hope shrugged. "He has to keep his job?"

"He has to keep his job," Enola agreed. "But you and I, however, have nothing to lose and you know that I could compel any one of these imbeciles to do whatever your dying heart desires."

"Oh, you have jokes." Hope scoffed. "I would much rather you compel them to forget what I am about to do."

Hope climbed out of the vehicle with pulsating energy. Everyone followed her towards the curb where she stood with a devious look on her face. She was about to do something stupid like she always does when she is angry or upset. Only this time it could be too dangerous with the dark magic welling up inside of her.

"You cannot be reckless with your energy," Elijah warned.

"Reckless is her middle name," Finn drawled.

"Relax. I will be fine." Hope reassured. She did not wait for anyone else to argue before raising her arms and chanting. There was some truth in the fact that her sister was more magically talented than she was. Which is why she had taken her time away from school to get better. The water from the hose turned to ice the moment it hit the windshield of the car. All she had to do was flick her wrist and glass was flying everywhere.

"My—My car!" Connor gasped in horror.

"That," Finn began. "Was actually kinda cool."

"Do my ears deceive me or did you just pay me a compliment?" Hope teased.

"You missed the kinda in the sentence," Finn scowled.

Hope wanted to argue further like always. Only the whispers came back ten fold. Her hands shot up to her head and she dropped to her knees in pain. It felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to her skull and was hitting her repeatedly. All she could do was clutch onto the closest thing which just so happened to be her mother. This was it. This was the end.

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AUTHORS NOTE.
i know that the writing is kinda sloppy right now. but bear with me. it is like pieces to a puzzle that inevitably will click together. until next time, my loves!!!