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CHAPTER 32: THE GOOD AND THE BAD

❝ there is no such thing as an innocent bystander. ❞

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THESE PAST TEN YEARS HAVE LEFT ENOLA OVERWHELMED. These last three thousand days have brushed upon her shoulders for all the wrong and right reasons. It was scary how much time had passed. But it was also amazing. If you were to tell her that she would be happy, she would laugh in your face. If you were to tell her that she would finally be honest with herself in therapy, she probably would have cried. If you would have told her that three thousand days ago that she would understand the importance of healing her inner child, she would have smiled in relief. If you were to tell her three thousand days ago that she still had a lot left to live for, she would cry for all the people who have made that possible.

Enola learned that a lot can happen in ten years. It shaped her and changed her to reach her highest potential. Yes. These past ten years have left her overwhelmed. These last three thousand days have brushed upon her shoulders. If you were to tell her that she would scream and shake because her husband was no longer with her, she would have shut down so she would not feel a thing when it happened. If you were to tell her that she would become a single parent for a second time, she would have detached herself from her husband beforehand. If you were to tell her that she would speak to him only to be dismissed as a stranger, she would tear her own heart out of her chest and serve it to him on a silver platter. If you were to tell her that she eventually stopped reaching out to him, she would be more heartbroken then she is now. If you were to tell her three thousand days ago that she was still here, trying to do better and be better, she would not have believed you. But she is here. She has made it here today thanks to a little bit of hope and grace. These last ten years have been overwhelming for both the good and the bad.

"If these do not prepare your liver for Mardi Gras, then nothing will." Poppy boldly claimed, settling the drinks on the table with that same dazzling grin she wore when she greeted them.

"My liver was probably dead before I became a vampire," Josh claimed with a simple shrug, accepting one of the glasses with enough Finn to put Elijah Mikaelson to shame.

"Thanks, Poppy." Hayley smiled kindly.

"Welcome!" Poppy hummed, skipping away.

"We should probably get back to Mardi Gras prep," Vincent warned.

"We got this," Josh reassured. "It has gone off without a hitch for ten years now."

"That is because we haven't taken it for granted in ten years," Vincent huffed. "Moments of prosperity are invariably followed by times of great pain—"

"Unless we remain vigilant," Enola mocked.

"Thank you, Mr. Buzzkill." Freya sang.

Josh turned away at the sudden chim of a phone. These five have spent the past ten years creating a peace greater than anything ever attempted. It only worked because of communication and trust. Which obviously took years to build up and could only take just a moment to tear down. That is why Vincent was always so serious about everything.

"What do you have for Mardi Gras prep, Freya?" Vincent sighed.

"The witches will be working on their float in the City of the Dead," Freya answered.

"The werewolves in the bayou," Hayley informed without needing to be asked.

Enola turned towards Josh expectantly. She rolled her eyes once she spotted him tapping away at his phone. He thought he was being sneaky but the fool did not know the meaning of the term. He had this furrowed brow look and with a single glance down, she knew exactly why.

"Josh," Vincent called out.

"Yeah?" Josh hummed, immediately looking up like a deer caught in headlights.

"This is where you're supposed to say that the vampires are gonna steer clear of both," Vincent reminded.

"Actually," Josh began, setting his phone back down on the table. "Maybe we should offer them some sort of incentive."

"Ten years of peace and prosperity not enough for you?" Hayley raised a brow

"It is," Josh nodded frantically. "But we could always use more Daylight Rings."

"Is this a negotiation, Josh?" Vincent frowned.

"More like Marcel," Enola commented.

"First of all, reading that was very rude." Josh glared. "And second—"

"Josh, I do not know how many times I have told you that what goes on in this city no longer concerns Marcel Gerard." Vincent huffed in frustration. "This is what I am always talking about. Marcel means Rebekah. Rebekah means Kol and Elijah. And I don't even want to think about Klaus right now."

"That makes two of us," Enola muttered so only those with enhanced hearing could hear.

"I take it you have heard the rumors?" Josh cringed.

"We don't know if those rumors are true," Freya reasoned.

"We know that we need to make sure that they stay as far away from the city as possible," Vincent scoffed. "And, Freya, I would be Mr. Buzzkill if it means reminding everybody here that the magic that those four carry inside of them—if we just put two of them in the same place, it is a ticking bomb."

"Relax," Hayley groaned. "Marcel is in New York. Elijah is . . . "

"In Amnesia Land." Josh finished.

"Right," Hayley nodded before clearing her throat. "And Klaus is—"

"Wherever Klaus is these days." Enola interrupted. "We are fine."

"Declan sent these over," Poppy informed, setting a plate of beignets down in front of Enola. "To tide over until your date tomorrow."

Enola peered into the kitchen to find Declan smiling softly as Poppy skipped away. She had been casually dating him for the past year. It had taken her a while to get comfortable with him but he was a patient man. And he was sweet. And he was kind. And he had not ignored her for ten years to raise two rambunctious children all on her own.

"Oh my god," Josh groaned. "I swear if you don't marry that guy, I will."

"Baby steps," Enola shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"That would mean divorcing Klaus," Freya pointed out. "You ready for that?"

"Baby steps," Enola repeated with yet another lazy shrug. That was when a sudden buzz drew her attention. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and immediately frowned. "It is the school." She quietly excused herself from the table to answer the call. "Hello?" She paused to listen to a vague explanation of the situation. "Who did what?"

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Finn was slumped in the chair beside Hope. A deep scowl marred her otherwise passive face as she waited for her mother to arrive. She was fifteen now and everything her older sister did still somehow reflected poorly upon her. It was not hate she felt towards her sister. More so resentment. There were plenty of reasons for this horrid feeling to fester. But this one was the only reason that mattered at the moment.

Finn was no longer the shy little girl who saw the best in everyone. Her blood red lipstick signified her anger and her smudged black eyeliner told forbidden tales of love and war and how none of it is fair. Because she was sitting here. Being punished for something she did not do. What is fair about that?

"Later, dude." The voice of Roman Sienna drifted down the hallway like a soft summer breeze. Hope Mikaelson could not help but stare at the stunning creature that pranced down the hallway. Her eyes doubled in size when he caught her staring. She quickly averted her gaze to her lap but he still decided to approach her sullen figure. "You guys going somewhere?"

"Home," Hope stuttered. "We—We got suspended."

"I wonder whose fault that was," Lizzie Saltzman scoffed from the entrance to the Stefan Salvatore library. It was Finn Mikaelson who stared in awe at the beautiful angel this time. She had never thought of her best friend in a romantic way before. Then she hit puberty and everything changed. She had heard that story a thousand times before and decided that she would rather die than live it. "Hope does what Hope wants. Even if it only hurts the people she claims to love most of all."

Hope watched Lizzie skip away with a deep scowl as Finn attempted to hide a smile. Roman did not seem amused at the mean remark. Though it was nothing new. Hope and Lizzie despised each other. It was a feud that began what felt like eons ago. Hope took Finn for granted and Lizzie hated it. So she took matters into her own hands. And who could blame her. She knew what it was like to always be linked to someone who she could not escape.

"Lizzie is wrong," Roman said. "You are the most selfless person I know."

"Then you don't know her very well, do you?" Finn muttered.

Roman shifted awkwardly before giving Hope a stiff nod and disappearing down the empty corridor. She looked at her sister out of the corner of her eye before averting her gaze back to her lap. Fine. She messed up. This was all her fault. But she desperately wanted her family back and this was the only way.

"Sorry I got you in trouble," Hope began.

"You gave Henry Benoit your blood and I got in trouble?" Finn scoffed. "How is that fair?"

"I told him to be discreet," Hope argued.

"What part of jumping out of a tower is discreet?" Finn questioned rhetorically.

"At least it worked," Hope shrugged.

"Why do you care if it worked?" Finn huffed. "You don't even like the kid."

"I care because I know what it is like to be hated," Hope said.

"No. I don't think you do. Otherwise you never would have given him your blood." Finn spat. "He is a hybrid now. He may be able to defend himself from the bullies, but they will only hate him for being different."

"You wouldn't understand," Hope sighed, shaking her head.

"Me? I wouldn't understand?" Finn laughed.

"No. You wouldn't." Hope spoke firmly. "Because everything you do is right."

"Yeah, because I'm not a fucking idiot." Finn said.

"Language," Hope and Finn stilled at the familiar voice before slowly turning to face Enola who was strutting down the empty hallway with an unreadable expression.

"Mom—" Hope immediately stood up.

"Not a single word from you, Hope Jenna Sommers." Enola glared. "Grab your stuff. I will wait in the car."

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Enola entered the empty compound with Hope and Finn trailing a good distance behind. Enola lived comfortably beside Hayley and Freya while Hope and Finn were away at school. Bonnie had used to reside in the compound before deciding to backpack through Europe three years ago. Bonnie had tried to convince Freya to go along and failed. Freya could not leave Enola behind to raise the little munchkins alone and this latest fiasco just solidified that. Though Bonnie and Freya have decided to work things out and are now in a long distance relationship.

Enola was happy for Bonnie and Freya. Her husband had not bothered to reach out for five years. Something had happened between him and their youngest daughter which prevented it. He refused to talk to her about it and slowly began to withdraw. Though she still sent him updates that he read but never responded to. Her relationship with him might be strained at the moment, but she would never keep him in the dark about their daughters. So he would certainly be hearing about this.

"Can you just yell at me already?" Hope huffed. "Seven hours of hostile silence is punishment enough."

Enola stopped in the middle of the compound, causing Hope and Finn to freeze in place. She was scary when she was mad. But she was beautiful when she was happy. They had spent years trying to fix what their dad broke. Years trying to make her laugh. And they had succeeded. Multiple times. But this was certainly not one of those times. She was pissed. No. She was furious.

"The whole point of sending you to that school and calling you Hope Sommers, was so you would not draw attention to yourself to keep you safe." Enola spoke through gritted teeth, slowly turning to face Hope and Finn. "Why? Why did you do it? What could you have possibly needed the money for?"

"That is my business," Hope countered vaguely.

"And selling your blood is mine," Enola argued. "You had no right."

"You are being a hypocrite. You are the one who taught me my body, my choice." Hope reminded. "Well, my blood, my choice."

"You are not just anybody, Hope." Enola huffed in absolute frustration. "Do you even understand what you have done?"

"Henry came to me," Hope tried to justify.

"And you should have said no. He was already a kid who was struggling to fit in. Now he is gonna be only one of four hybrids in the entire world and seen as a threat to everyone in the city." Enola pointed out. "You have no idea what you have done. You cannot create something without taking responsibility for it."

"What are you gonna do? Ground me? Lock me up?" Hope scoffed. "I will just whammy myself out. I am a witch."

"And I am your mother," Enola said before pointing an accusatory finger at Finn. "And you."

"Me," Finn smiled awkwardly.

"How could you let your sister do something so idiotic?" Enola questioned in exasperation.

"I did not let my sister do anything," Finn reasoned. "She has her own mind. An idiotic mind. But a mind nonetheless!"

"That is not the point," Enola scowled.

"Then what is the point?" Finn huffed.

"The point is that you knew. You knew what she was planning and you did nothing." Enola stressed.

"I am innocent in all of this," Finn reasoned.

"There is no such thing as an innocent bystander," Enola sighed. "Now excuse me while I go clean up the mess the both of you made before it gets worse."

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Finn was confined to her bedroom. She whisked around the large room to put her freshly clean clothes away. Her phone sat on her vanity as she was in the middle of a facetime call with her best friend who was just as livid about the situation as she was. The worst part was that there was not a damn thing either of them could do.

"On a scale of one to ten, how pissed was your mom?" Lizzie inquired.

"I would say a solid eighty five," Finn hummed.

"This sucks," Lizzie groaned. "My dad should not have suspended you."

"But are you really surprised?" Finn sighed. "Your dad hates my dad."

"Yeah, but my mom loves your mom." Lizzie countered. "Did you know they used to date?"

"Date is a strong word," Finn scoffed. "They were together for, like, five seconds."

"And what a beautiful five seconds they were," Lizzie reminisced. "Maybe my mom will consider unsuspending you or something."

"If you go over your dads head, he will be mad at me for negatively influencing you." Finn remarked.

"If anyone is negatively influencing anyone, it is me." Lizzie scoffed.

"Speaking of negative influence," Finn hummed. "What should I do about the Hope situation?"

"Tell your mom," Lizzie deadpanned. "If she finds out you knew what your sister was planning and didn't say anything, she will be even more pissed and I will have to go longer without seeing my best friend."

"There is no such thing as an innocent bystander," Finn mocked. She was in the middle of stuffing her pajama drawer with her favorite sleep shorts when her phone began to buzz. She made a face at the screen before speaking out. "I have to go. Aunt Bonnie is calling."

"Talk to you later," Lizzie hummed. "And good luck."

"I am definitely going to need it," Finn agreed. She ended the call with her best friend before taking a moment to herself. Though she knew that she could not avoid her aunt forever. And so she answered the incoming facetime call. "Aunt Bonnie! How is Europe?"

"I already spoke to your mom," Bonnie deadpanned.

"Oh," Finn cringed.

"This is the third time you and Hope have gotten suspended this year," Bonnie reminded. "If your mother was not good friends with the headmaster, you two would have been expelled a long time ago."

"Which is bullshit, by the way." Finn scowled.

"Watch it," Bonnie warned.

"Sorry," Finn apologized. "But Hope is always doing something dumb that ends up getting me in trouble."

"No. What gets you in trouble is the fact that you know what your sister is planning and chose to not say anything about it until it is too late." Bonnie corrected.

"Are you telling me to snitch on my sister?" Finn scoffed. "Where is the loyalty in that?"

"This is not about loyalty. This is about being a good person with morals." Bonnie said. "When you see someone about to do something that could potentially end up hurting someone else, it is your job to speak up about it."

"Even if it gets her in trouble?" Finn muttered.

"Even if it gets her in trouble," Bonnie confirmed. "Listen—I have to go, but I want you to think about what I said. Be a good person with morals."

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Enola was expecting nothing but anger from Lisina after what Hope had done to Henry. But she found something else. Something more. Understanding. She did not stand on that doorstep as a Mikaelson or a Crescent. She stood on that doorstep as a mother. A mother who had a kid that royally screwed up. And she could not change that. But she could try to make up for it. Which is why she offered to teach the newest hybrid everything about this way of life.

Enola walked down the bustling street of New Orleans. Her phone was clasped tightly in her hands as she made the arrangements. She had learned long ago how to clean up after her daughter. Though no situation was ever the same. She was pulled out of her thoughts when a hand suddenly grazed her arm. She immediately whipped around and slapped the stranger in the face only to learn that it was not a stranger that she had hit.

"Declan," Enola gasped in shock. "I am so sorry. I did not realize it was you."

"So you stand me up and beat the crap out of me," Declan joked, cradling his now red cheek.

"Our date. I totally forgot." Enola cringed. "I am so sorry. Something came up with my kids."

"Are they okay?" Declan frowned, suddenly becoming more serious at the mention of Hope and Finn.

"Yes. It is just complicated." Enola explained without actually explaining.

"Look," Declan sighed. "I know how you feel about the dreaded B word."

"Bitch?" Enola teased.

"Boyfriend," Declan corrected. "And as your boyfriend who happens to care for both of your daughters, I would really like to help in any way that I can."

"I so wish that you could," Enola sighed. "But I think right now Hope and Finn are going to need all of my attention which means you and I should maybe take—"

"Please do not finish that sentence. I deserve better than that." Declan groaned. "Come on. I am a chef. You are a good eater. You can't break up with me."

"Well, you can't break up with someone if you are not really a couple." Enola countered.

"Well, one half of this couple was deeply committed." Declan shot back. "If you want to break up, you are going to have to do it like a civilized person at a bar with bourbon."

Enola went to respond when a sudden buzz sounded. Her eyes flickered down to her phone to find an incoming call. Panic immediately blossomed in her chest. She could never seem to leave her daughters for too long before they bombarded her phone with text messages and calls.

"Look—I will talk to you later." Enola promised. "But my daughters need me now."

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Hope found Enola seated on the bed with an unreadable expression. Her mother did not look angry at her. Which was something that left her unnerved. Seeing as all she did these days was make people angry. There were reasons for her acting the way she did. But she was unable to speak of them because she knew that no one would understand. And the one person who did, wanted nothing to do with any of this.

"Going somewhere?" Enola hummed. She pulled a passport out in the open with an unimpressed look on her face. "Is this what you needed the money for?"

"Now you are rummaging in my room?" Hope scoffed in disbelief.

"Actually," Enola countered. "This was handed directly to me."

"Finn," Hope realized. She scowled before storming over to the wall on the other side of the room. She delivered a series of annoyed knocks before speaking. "You are a fucking snitch!"

"What is it with the fucking language in this household?" Enola scowled. Hope blinked. "Where were you going?"

"I met a guy online. He is in a band and he lives in London." Hope informed. "He says he is twenty five, but he seems older."

"You wanted to see your dad," Enola nodded understandingly.

Hope shifted uncomfortably in the doorway. Her mind raced in an attempt to come up with another lie to cover up her tracks. Mentions of her father always brought about a tense atmosphere in this household. She sighed before taking a reluctant seat on the bed beside her mother.

"Finn says he doesn't care," Hope began. "I know it is stupid but I just thought that maybe if we were in the same place for even a little while—"

"It is not stupid," Enola reassured. "He loves you. He just knows that being near you puts you in danger."

"A phone call wouldn't," Hope reasoned.

"I really hope that one day you will be able to see your dad in person. I do." Enola smiled softly. "But until then, try not to judge him too harshly."

"I can't judge my deadbeat dad, but you can judge me?" Hope frowned.

"I don't judge you; I judge your actions." Enola corrected. "I am your mom. I love you and I would forgive you for anything. But that is not a blank check for bad behavior. And this is not the first time you have done something this reckless. I am not judging you, honey, I am looking out for you."

"And I am trying to look out for you," Hope reasoned. "I thought that if I could convince him to at least call you, everything would be okay and we could go back to being a family."

"You and I both know that it is not that simple," Enola sighed.

"But it is," Hope argued. "What is complicated about answering the damn phone—"

"Hope!" A sudden voice echoed throughout the compound. Enola and Hope shared a look before rushing out of the bedroom to find Finn already standing on the balcony overlooking the courtyard where Henry came into view. He was frantic and covered in blood that is not his own. "I made a mistake."

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AUTHORS NOTE.
first and foremost, the time skip is originally seven years. but i made it ten because i wanted to age finn and hope up. i hope that is okay with all of you. also, i would just like to reiterate that this entire act is mostly about the sisterhood between hope and finn because i have plans. plans that have already been set in motion. until next time, my loves!!!