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CHAPTER 05: BAYOU ADVENTURES

❝ oh my god. we are gonna die. ❞

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ENOLA WOKE UP ALONE. The spot Klaus once occupied was empty. They had agreed to take their relationship slow. Last night was actually the first time they had shared a bed since their time together in Mystic Falls. It was . . . nice. Neither of them had done anything quite that intimate before—cuddle and talk.

Enola was unfortunately hit with a spell of morning sickness. She showered not too long after and brushed her teeth before heading downstairs for breakfast. She now found herself seated on the ground in front of the coffee table with her sketchpad and watercolor paint. Rebekah had gifted it to her that morning as an apology for being so snappy the previous day. She didn't think her friend had anything to apologize for, but was thankful nonetheless. She was pulled out of her thoughts by her lover who used enhanced speed whisk through the room with a startled witch in tow.

"We had a deal; you protect Enola and our unborn child and I dismantle Marcel's army." Klaus reminded. "And whilst I've been busy fulfilling my part of the bargain, you allow Enola to be attacked and almost killed by a gaggle of lunatic witches."

"I had nothing to do with that, I swear." Sophie promised as Klaus collapsed on the couch behind Enola. "We are linked, remember? She dies, I die."

"Then who were they?" Rebekah demanded, tossing her magazine to the side.

"They're a faction of extremists," Sophie said. "Sabine stupidly told them about some vision she had about the baby."

Enola immediately dropped the paintbrush and looked up. She had spent hours after that day trying to translate the foreign words Sabine had spoken only to come up empty handed. She leaned forward, eyes narrowed in determination.

"What was this vision about?" Enola demanded.

"She has them all the time. They are totally open to interpretation." Sophie shook her head. "I'm guessing she's wrong on this one."

"Well, how was this particular vision interpreted?" Enola pushed.

"Pretty much that your baby would bring death to all witches," Sophie confessed.

"Ah, well, I grow fonder of this child by the second." Klaus grinned.

"Of course you do," Enola scoffed in amusement.

"Sophie, look, I promised Elijah that I would protect the Mikaelson miracle baby whilst he tries to win your witch Davina's loyalty." Rebekah sighed. "Why don't you tell me just how extreme this faction is?"

"Elijah's talking to Davina?" Sophie sat forward.

"Yeah, as we speak, I imagine." Rebekah nodded.

"I'm guessing she'll have plenty to say about that crowd," Sophie muttered.

"Do tell," Klaus ushered as Enola leaned back. He ran his fingers through her soft curls that reminded him of Katherine. While he missed the pink highlights that made her . . . her . . . he had to admit that the curls made her look more grown. He liked the curls on her. Especially when she would style them in a ponytail or a messy bun. She looked gorgeous.

"I wasn't always an advocate for the witches. My sister was devoted like our parents and our upbringing was very strict, which drove me nuts. The minute I turned twenty one, I left the quarter to travel . . . and play." Sophie began. "But I wanted to be a chef, so I came back to Rousseau's and that's when my sister told me about the harvest."

"What the bloody hell is the Harvest?" Rebekah frowned.

"Sounds like something ritualistic," Enola muttered.

"You're not too far off," Sophie confessed. "It's a ritual our coven does every three centuries, so that the bond to our ancestral magic is restored. We appease our ancestors; they keep our ancestral power flowing."

"And why haven't I heard of this?" Klaus frowned.

"Because the world doesn't revolve around you," Enola teased.

"But my world revolves around you," Klaus grinned.

"You are an idiot," Enola scoffed, but she couldn't stop the smile from tugging at the corners of her lips.

"But I am your idiot," Klaus hummed.

"Back to the ritual," Rebekah grimaced at the loving couple.

"Right," Sophie cleared her throat. "The harvest always seemed like a myth, a story passed down through generations like Noah's Ark or the Buddha walking on water, the kind some people take literally, and some don't." She looked down in shame. "They had the girls of our community preparing for months. Four would be chosen for the harvest. They said that it was an honor, that they were special. I thought it was a myth."

"Was it?" Rebekah wondered.

Their conversation was put on hold when the shrill cry of a cell phone cut through the air. Klaus reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his phone. He smirked down at the device before standing to his feet and answering the call with a hum.

"Marcel, a bit early in the day for you, isn't it?" Klaus sang, listening to the reply. "Rather you than me. All that responsibility seems like such a bore." A pause. "Dead witches in the bayou? Sounds like less of a problem and more like a cause for celebration." He sent the witch a large smirk. "Well, why not I haven't been to the bayou in ages. I'm on my way."

"You can't go out there now," Sophie panicked the moment that phone call had ended. "I need to gather the witch's remains and consecrate them. If I don't get to them before sundown, we lose the link to their magic."

Hayley entered the room with a cup of tea, taking the seat behind Enola that Klaus once occupied. The werewolf set the cup on the coffee table in front of the doppelgänger who had requested it a while ago. The truth was that she could have gotten it herself, but she used her pregnancy as an excuse to be lazy.

"Those witches tried to kill my girl," Klaus reminded. "I prefer for Marcel's informant not to find anything that would lead him back to us, to her, or to, you know—" He pointed at the small baby bump you could see through the tank top Enola wore. "That."

"You are all class," Enola scoffed, taking a sip of the tea Hayley had brought.

"Stay put," Klaus demanded, sending them all a pointed look. "And save the rest of the story till I return."

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Of course no one listened. Sophie slipped out the back the moment Klaus was gone. She went straight to Lafayette Cemetery before packing a backpack of essentials that she would need to consecrate the dead witches. She didn't particularly care about them. She cared about preserving their link to magic. She hummed to herself when she had collected everything she needed in the mausoleum before turning to leave, only to come face to face with someone she wasn't expecting.

"Hey," Sophie blinked in surprise. "What the hell?"

"You're going out there anyway, aren't you?" Hayley grinned. "I want to go with you."

"No thanks," Sophie hummed, moving around Hayley only for someone else to block her way.

"You guys heading to the bayou?" Enola wondered.

"Yes,"

"No,"

Enola looked between Hayley and Sophie with a raised brow. She knew her answer the second they had both snuck away. She was no fool. They were planning to leave for the bayou which was extremely stupid on their parts for multiple reasons. She believed that those reasons might just play a role in why they had both decided that they were going no matter what Klaus said.

"I want to go," Enola claimed.

"Already got assaulted by Klaus this morning, I don't need a repeat because you are bored and lonely." Sophie deadpanned.

"But you're taking Hayley with you," Enola pointed out.

"No, I'm not." Sophie scoffed.

"What if whatever is responsible for all the dead witches is still out there?" Hayley questioned. "We have already established that it likes us and hates witches."

"Yeah," Enola nodded along. "You'll be much safer with us."

"Sorry if I'm not buying your sudden concern for my safety," Sophie scoffed.

"Listen," Enola sighed. "The whole reason I came to this stupid town is because they have a good art program and now I am stuck doing the stupid class online because I am pregnant with the antichrist. I refuse to live my life like a prisoner, so I am going with you."

"What she said," Hayley nodded along.

"Could you three be more idiotic?" Rebekah groaned, entering the mausoleum behind them. "Three can play the follow game, you know." Her eyes flickered between the idiots. "You heard Klaus. He and Marcel are heading right where you're going."

"So district them," Hayley huffed.

"Unless you want to lock a hormonal, pregnant lady in a tomb, I am going." Enola boldly claimed. "And wouldn't Elijah be mad if he hears that the baby and I died of asphyxiation?"

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Enola hadn't expected to spend the day traipsing around the bayou with Hayley, Rebekah, and Sophie. She wished she would have dressed for the occasion. She wore her usual pair of sweatpants with a matching sweater and her plain old sneakers. She was so warm. It almost felt like she was having a heatstroke.

"What's the matter Rebekah? You cross I'm out with your ex?" Klaus teased through the phone.

"What is that dreadful hillbilly ruckus in the background?" Rebekah questioned, cringing at the country music she could hear.

"According to the dreadful signage, it's Big Auggie's Bayou Bar." Klaus hummed.

"Well, order up a few rounds of moonshine and stay clear of the dead witches for a few." Rebekah demanded. "The witch is on a burial mission, the werewolf is on a spirit quest, the doppelgänger was simply just bored, and I am keeping Elijah's promise to keep them safe. So stall, please." She ended the call before giving the witch a pointed look. "So this Harvest thingy—tell me more."

"Klaus said to wait," Sophie reminded.

"He also told us to stay put, yet here we are." Enola hummed, jumping over a fallen log.

"Ah, yes." Rebekah sighed, swatting away flies that got too close. "Amongst the crawly, buzzy creatures."

"We're here," Hayley announced as they stepped into the clearing to find body parts sprinkled across the ground. "Whoa."

"Is that a wolf track?" Sophie wondered.

They all found themselves staring at a bloody claw mark on the tree. Their attention was pulled away when they heard rustling nearby. Hayley and Rebekah immediately took a protective stance in front of Enola as Sophie stood back obviously startled.

"Who's there?" Rebekah spoke up.

"Oh my god. We are gonna die." Enola muttered.

"We will be just fine," Hayley reassured.

A scrawny man suddenly stepped out of the woodworks. He paused as he eyed the four women like a deer caught in headlights. He looked mortified like he was doing something he probably shouldn't have been doing. It didn't take them long to realize that this was the informant.

"What the hell?" He breathed. "An Original?"

Before they could even utter a single syllable, he used his enhanced speed to escape into the trees. They shared a look, realizing what this meant. They had to tell Klaus who was going to kill them the second he caught wind of this. Then again, their bayou adventures probably wouldn't come to much of a surprise to him.

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"Let me understand this," Klaus began, pacing outside Big Auggie's Bayou Bar in annoyance. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Marcel hadn't decided to follow him before continuing with his angered rant. "Against all logic, you took Enola and Hayley to the bayou where you ran into a man you think may be Marcel's informant and then you lost him?"

"Yes, and now that we have established that I am a failure of a sister and a friend and an original, you should probably know he is on his way to Marcel to rat me out—skinny guy in a hurry, looks like he saw a ghost." Rebekah explained.

"I'll handle it," Klaus sighed. "I'll need a distraction."

"I'm on my way," Rebekah hummed before swiftly ending the call. She swatted yet another bug before storming back over to the others who were in the process of packing up. She gave Enola and Hayley a pointed look almost as if warning them. "You two head straight to the plantation—no detours. Do you understand?"

"Yup,"

"Mhm,"

"Good," Rebekah turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Hayley called after her.

"Big Auggie's Bayou Bar," Rebekah answered.

Enola and Hayley share a look of confusion as Rebekah used enhanced speed to disappear into the trees much like the informant had. When she was out of sight, they helped Sophie carry her supplies back to the car before loading the trunk up.

"Those people, all this because of a vision about my baby you don't think is true?" Enola wondered.

"Look," Sophie sighed, tossing her backpack into the trunk. "I love Sabine, but she's the witch equivalent of a drama queen. I've learned to take little stock in whatever she says or sees." She closed the trunk. "Just kind of wished she'd kept her mouth shut though."

"The Harvest Ritual," Hayley began. "You said you didn't believe in it. Were you right?"

"No," Sophie shook her head in denial. "I saw it with my own eyes. It was working. It was real."

"Then how can you be so sure Sabine's vision isn't?" Enola inquired. Sophie never did answer that question. Maybe it was true. This baby would bring destruction.

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Enola and Hayley returned to the plantation an hour before Rebekah. They now found themselves standing around the grand piano in the parlor as they awaited the return of Klaus Mikaelson who had spent the entire day drinking with Marcel Gerard.

"I don't care if I have to get you a leash. That was your last trip to the bayou." Rebekah warned Enola before turning to Hayley. "And you are to blame for this little fiasco today. What is it with you and those wolves anyway?"

"I feel like we're connected somehow." Hayley confessed. "I don't know. Maybe it's just some pipe dream that I have of finding any real family out there, but sometimes when I feel like it's me against the world, it keeps me going."

"Well, if you ask me, family is a pain in the behind." Rebekah grumbled, pouring a glass of scotch. "And as for being in it alone, how dare you? I don't ruin a perfectly fabulous pair of boots traipsing through the bayou for just anyone."

"That's family for you," Enola hummed. "No matter how bad things get, you always fight for each other."

"I'll drink to that," Rebekah hummed, sliding a glass of scotch over to Enola.

"You do realize I am pregnant, right?" Enola quirked an amused brow.

"Right," Rebekah cringed.

"But I'm not!" Hayley cheered, downing the scotch in one big gulp.

Hayley nearly choked on the scotch when the front door to the plantation suddenly swung open in dramatic fashion. They all turned to face the culprit with startled faces to find Klaus entering the room with an unreadable expression. He looked as if he had just gotten into a fight.

"Nik, finally." Rebekah groaned. "What—" Klaus stepped aside to reveal Elijah. "Oh, Elijah. You're safe." Rebekah tackled Elijah in a bone crushing hug. "Now that you're home, is your first plan to kill Niklaus."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that." Enola teased, being the next to pull Elijah into a tight hug. "I've missed you, Eli."

"And I you," Elijah hummed in agreement as they pulled apart. "Now, I do believe it is time for us to get down to business."

"Must we?" Enola groaned.

"We must," Elijah hummed.

"Fine," Enola sighed reluctantly.

Elijah and Enola skipped into the study with their arms interlocked, missing the jealous look Klaus was wearing before following them into the study with Rebekah and Hayley close behind. They were all eager to put together what they had all found out about that day.

"Eight months ago, Sophie Deveraux and her sister Jane-Anne lost everything." Elijah informed. "Now four months after that, a young, pregnant girl and her friend wander into their restaurant. Suddenly all hope is renewed. Jane-Anne actually sacrificed her life so that her sister could use you to find Davina. If Sophie Deveraux is successful in capturing Davina, she can return Jane-Anne's daughter back to life." He looked around the room to make sure everyone understood. "We thought we'd come here to wage a war for power. This is about family. In order to return her niece to life, Sophie Deveraux will fight to the death. That makes her more dangerous than anyone."

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AUTHORS NOTE.
elijah is finally back, klaus is a little jealous, and enola is none the wiser. don't worry this is not a love triangle. elijah is the big brother enola has always needed. there are definitely no romantic feelings between the two. klaus is just really territorial. until next time, my loves!!!