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CHAPTER 47: TO BE HUMAN

❝ i don't care if he is a gemini who likes long walks on the beach, marcel. ❞

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NIKLAUS IS SLOWLY LEARNING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN. He is slowly learning how to forgive the past. How to accept that sometimes beautiful things end, that sometimes the timing isn't right, that sometimes the messiness of life gets in the way. He is slowly learning that endings are not something to be upset about, but rather, he is slowly learning how to appreciate how damn lucky he was to experience something real and hopeful in a world that sometimes fails to be soft.

Niklaus is slowly learning what it means to be human. What it means to make mistakes and learn from them. What it means to be both happy and sad at the same time. He is slowly learning how to do the damn work. How to stop running from what is heavy and uncomfortable in his life. How to take the easy route less and less. How to grow himself, how to be a better person.

Niklaus was slowly learning what it means to be human. And it was all because of Enola. She taught him that it is okay to be alone. It was okay to wake up in the middle of an empty bed because you don't have to share with anyone. It was okay to make just one cup of coffee in the mornings. It was okay to hold his own heart, to take up his own space. She taught him how to stop filling voids with other human beings, and instead, he is learning how to confront the void itself. How it heal it. Even if that meant beating Elijah to a pulp in the courtyard.

Enola and Freya woke up to the sound of glass shattering and distant yells. They stepped out of their respective rooms that were currently across from each other. They shared a worried luck before rushing downstairs to find everything in absolute shambles; broken glass was scattered across the ground with wooden splinters that came from the broken chairs. They turned to find the door to the dining room ajar. They slowly made their way over before finally pushing the door open to reveal Elijah and Klaus sitting on opposite ends covered in blood.

"May I ask what happened?" Freya cautiously questioned.

"Do you want to know?" Enola wondered, eyebrows drawn together in concern.

"Probably not," Freya shrugged simply.

"We had a little chat about the past," Klaus answered anyway.

"I politely informed Niklaus that I am not his enemy, and though they entered the city under the guise of peace, Tristan and Lucien in truth are allied against us." Elijah revealed. "A fact that required a little bit of gentle persuasion."

"And so I reminded Elijah, who angered them in the first place." Klaus hummed as if it was just another Tuesday morning in the Mikaelson household—and it was.

"And after all of this civil discourse, what understanding did you come to?" Freya inquired, taking a seat at the table as Enola leaned against the doorframe.

"That we expose and destroy our first sired," Elijah muttered.

"Couldn't agree with you more!" Klaus grinned happily. "You see, gentlemen know when it is time to call a truce and turn our fury in a more pertinent direction."

"And what about Aurora?" Enola questioned in distaste.

"I will be keeping her more than occupied today with a tour of the city," Klaus explained. Enola frowned. "Don't you worry, little monster, we will remain six feet apart at all times."

"Good," Enola nodded. "Because I will be too busy to drop everything just to come kick your ass."

"Where are you off to?" Elijah wondered.

"Davina needed a hand with something," Enola explained. "Hayley and I offered our services."

"You two make up?" Freya asked.

"Nope," Enola chirped. "But we are on the same side. For now."

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Hope remained in the safe care of Freya and Elijah while Klaus and Enola were out running their errands. She didn't even want to think about what he was doing. She knew that this was for the greater good. But who wanted their husband to spend the entire day with his ex. Again. She realized worrying wouldn't make things any better. So she pushed all thoughts of Klaus and Aurora to the back of her mind in order to focus on the problem at hand.

"Hey, Davina. We're running a little late. We should be there soon." Enola informed through the phone. She paused when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her eyes briefly flickered through the store window she passed just in time to catch sight of a man tailing them. "On second thought, we'll be a little longer."

Enola lowered the phone before crossing the street with Hayley following close behind. They might be in a bit of an awkward spot right now, but they could still read each other. It was like second nature. They glance at one another and a plan is already being formulated. They turn into an abandoned alleyway, immediately disappearing from view. They used their enhanced speed to find a hiding spot just in the nick of time.

An unfamiliar man entered the alleyway. His jet back hair was slicked back to make him look more rich than he actually was. His jaw was set and his thick eyebrows were furrowed as he scanned the alleyway for his intended targets. It was then that an empty paint canister rolled forward. He frowned, using his oxford clad foot to stop the rolling tin before lifting his head. He kicked the canister out of the way before taking a step forward. And then he felt it. The gentle breeze at his back.

"You're not very good at tailing, are you?" Hayley scoffed.

He wore a flat look on his face almost as if he had been expecting it. He was much older than them. His senses were probably ten times sharper than theirs. He used his enhanced speed to turn the tables, getting behind Hayley with unadulterated ease.

"My talents lie elsewhere," He shrugged.

Hayley made an attempt to attack. She threw her elbow at his face and missed completely before using the momentum to kick at him. But he dodged her. Every single time. He let her have her fun before finally making a move. He punched her in the gut, knocking the wind straight out of her before kicking her back into the brick wall. He rushed at her, wrapping a hand around her neck and lifting her off the ground.

Enola stood on the roof that overlooked the alleyway. She watched the fight with peaked interest. She noted how polished his moves were. She had admittedly used Hayley as bait to see what she was working with. And now that she established that he was trained in martial arts, she realized it was possible that he was a hitman sent to take her out. Her train of thoughts were disrupted by the sounds of struggle below. She had almost forgotten that Hayley was fighting for her life.

Enola stepped off the roof. She landed light on her feet directly behind him. He must've heard her because he went to turn around. But before he could act, she swiftly set a kick to the back of his knee and took a chunk out of his neck. He released the death grip he had on Hayley as he collapsed to the ground in an unconscious heap.

"You did that on purpose," Hayley wheezed.

"Did what on purpose?" Enola played dumb. "Let's get him out of here. I would like to ask a few questions before he dies."

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Enola and Hayley led Marcel into St. Anne's Church. He had converted it into a boxing gym for vampires. They figured it was the perfect place to hold a hostage. The stalker was tied to a wooden chair with his wrist bound tightly behind his back. Alaric had taught Enola how to tie a tight knot. She honestly didn't think it would ever come in handy, but here we are.

"You might remember him from that pretentious excuse for a party," Hayley said.

"Shen Min. Eight hundred years old." Marcel noted, crouching in front of the enemy in curiosity. "According to Tristan, he was a torture consultant for Genghis Khan."

"I don't care if he is a Gemini who likes long walks on the beach, Marcel." Enola scowled. "Why was he following us?"

"I don't know," Marcel answered honestly.

"You don't know?" Hayley echoed in disbelief. "Or you're sworn to their code of silence?"

"Hey. Easy. We're on the same side here." Marcel defended.

"Then prove it," Enola pushed.

Marcel paused. He closed his eyes in thought as if this was one of the hardest decisions he has ever made. The problem is, he had no idea what to do. And it wasn't because he was with the Strix. It was because of who they had tied to that chair. If he didn't come to a decision quick, they would all probably end up scattered throughout this gym.

"Give me a second," Marcel decided.

Before Enola or Hayley could get a word in, Marcel was already rushing away to call Elijah. They shared a look of confusion before turning back to their stalker who had been unconscious for the better half of an hour. He was an ancient vampire. There was absolutely no way he was still knocked out. They wouldn't be surprised if he had been awake this entire time.

"You gonna sleep all day?" Enola questioned, giving Shen a light kick on the foot. She doubted herself for a moment. And then his eyes slowly began to open as he lifted his head. "There he is."

"Now we can get started," Hayley clapped her hands together with a smug smile.

Marcel slowly returned with a distraught look. He looked absolutely horrified of that man in the chair. They were starting to think that they should be too. But when Shen Min made no move to even attempt to free himself, they thought that maybe they had won. But they were wrong.

"Yes," Shen smiled sweetly. "We certainly can."

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Hayley crouched in front of Shen with a look of curiosity. Her eyes found the Enola sized bite on his neck before prodding at it. He remained stone faced as he stared ahead. It was hard to believe that they were able to capture him. Unless that had been his plan all along. To get captured.

"There is still time," Hayley noted, peering down at the werewolf bite. "Maybe if you talk, you will get healed." She paused to poke the bite, finally making the eight hundred year old vampire flinch. She saw it as a small victory. At least she got him to react. "Why were you following us?"

"Her," She corrected, eyes finally focusing on Enola. "I was following her."

"Fine," Enola sighed. "Why were you following me?"

"Because we have a use for you," Shen shrugged, a cocky smirk tugging at his lips. "Or is it some other reason? You will never know and it won't even matter because when I get free, I am going to tear you to shreds." His eyes briefly flicker to Hayley. "Along with your little lap dog."

"Screw you," Hayley growled.

"How about we just calm down?" Marcel suggested smoothly.

"And you," Shen spat in disgust. "The others were so pleased when you joined our ranks, but I knew from the start you were filth. You've proven it by siding against us. For that, I will end you. But not before you watch them die. Screaming."

"Right. Okay. Well, that is about enough of that." Enola decided. "Let's kill him."

"Let's," Marcel agreed. He rolled up his sleeves before taking a risky step forward.

Shen Min seemed to have other plans. He stood up—with the chair still attached to him—and knocked Marcel to the ground with force. The wooden chair broke on impact, freeing him completely. He grabbed two of the chair legs out of the pile of splinters as both Marcel and Hayley rushed forward under the delusion they could take him on. When they were inevitably beaten to smithereens, he turned to the last one standing.

"What are you waiting for?" Shen smirked.

"A knight in shining armor," Enola shrugged.

"You scared?" Shen taunted, taking a step forward.

"No," Enola defended, taking a step back. "I happen to be logical."

"How so?" Shen inquired, taking another step forward.

"I'm not dumb enough to think I can beat you by myself," Enola answered.

As if on cue, Hayley attacked Shen with a weight plate. She had momentarily stunned him, but it wasn't enough to weaken him. He was quick to catch her wrist before she could throw a single punch. He used his free hand to backhand her across the face, sending her across the gym.

Marcel rushed forward in a lame attempt to capture Shen in a chokehold. He simply earned an elbow to the gut before a hand was suddenly wrapped securely around his heart. It took him a moment to realize that Shen was moments away from killing him and there was nothing he could do to stop him.

Hayley rushed forward in an attempt to save Marcel only to suffer the same fate. Like a fool, she ran into the trap set by Shen who looked mildly disappointed by how easy this was. Now here he stood, both his hands occupied holding two hearts that did not belong to him.

"How poetic," Shen grinned. "Two warriors fighting side by side. Dying together."

"It would have been poetic," Enola agreed. "If you hadn't forgotten all about me."

Enola used a piece of splintered wood to stab Shen in the chest. She had purposely missed his heart by centimeters. But it was enough to force him to let go of Hayley and Marcel. He collapsed to the ground just as the double doors to the church swung open in dramatic fashion to reveal Elijah who paused to assess the situation at hand.

"It would appear that you have got it all handled," Elijah noted. "Niklaus would certainly be proud."

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Shen writhed in pain on the cold ground. Enola stood off to the side with Marcel and Hayley as Elijah pondered the next course of action. He was more than irritated. He was in the middle of trying to bring Rebekah home when he got the call that they had a dangerous assassin in their grasp. This was shaping up to be one hell of a day.

"Between blood loss and that bite, I'm not so sure we have enough time to get answers." Marcel noted.

"Then let's make the most of it," Elijah said, turning to Shen. "I have questions." Elijah yanked the wooden splinter out of Shen earning screams of agony in return. "I want answers."

Shen attempted to fight Elijah off. But due to the wooden splinters nearing his heart with each beat and the werewolf venom pumping through his veins, he wouldn't last more than ten minutes. He growled in annoyance when the hand of his enemy wrapped tightly around his neck before he could make a move.

"If I were you, I would give him answers." Enola warned.

"Why were you following Enola?" Elijah questioned calmly.

"I was ordered to remove her from the playing field," Shen choked out.

"Why?" Enola questioned in curiosity.

"There are many reasons," Shen shrugged.

"Feel free to list some off," Enola pushed.

"You are one of three hybrids and Klaus Mikaelsons wife," Shen pointed out. "Everyone wants you dead."

"But that isn't the reason you do," Enola said.

"Why do you want Enola dead?" Elijah compelled. Due to the blood loss and werewolf venom, no amount of vervain could stop him from compelling the information he needed.

"Davina Claire," Shen blurted.

"What do you want with Davina Claire?" Elijah questioned.

"Tristan needs her to activate a weapon to use against your family," Shen spat.

"What weapon?" Elijah demanded, earning nothing but silence from Shen. "Forgive me. I'm having a little difficulty hearing you right now. Speak."

"I would rather die," Shen decided.

She broke away from Elijah with amazing ease. He stepped directly under the window before pulling his daylight ring off of his finger. He immediately burst into flames. He welcomed death with arms wide open and they let him.

"There was a time when all I wanted to do was find a place that I belong. A home. New Orleans is that home." Enola muttered. "And they are going to take that, aren't they?"

"No," Hayley disagreed. "We won't let them."

"Might be harder than you think," Freya announced, storming into the gym with a distraught look on her face. "We need to call Klaus."

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AUTHORS NOTE.
sorry for the short chapter. i still hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. until next time, my loves!!!