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CHAPTER 46: THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD

❝ moral of the story is: we all run away from the things we want most. ❞

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IT IS THE OLDEST STORY; there is a boy. You think you know how the rest goes. He has sea-storm eyes and the bones under the skin of his wrist are the most graceful you have ever seen. You would like to plant flowers at the juncture of his neck and shoulder and set stars into every vertebrae of his spine.

The story goes: your eyes meet, your hearts jump, true love. Every second sinking into the way your hand finds his. Disambiguation. Love rises, crests, plateaus. A steady burning ache. He denies it—the way scared boys tend to. Finds excuses to be away from the way you make him feel. Love is not for everyone. There is a certain kind of courage in allowing yourself to fall. And he has only ever known how to fly.

Perhaps that is why Enola found it so hard to believe that Klaus had been in love with other women. Especially ones who leave a rotting corpse on the ground of the compound with a love letter attached like a care package. He had only chased women who were uninterested in him which is why she herself was such a worthy candidate. His ex lover, however, seemed unhinged.

Enola perked up at the sound of footsteps entering the compound. She had put her daughter down for a nap before heading to the kitchen for a little snack when she suddenly tripped over this dead body that lay on the ground of the courtyard. She scanned over the note she found on the poor victim with a clenched jaw when Elijah and Klaus rounded the corner, blissfully unaware of what was waiting for them not too far away.

"So my first sire wants to kill you. Yours wants to kill me." Klaus noted. "Makes you regret turning any vampires in the first place."

"Well, the division of labor seems crystal clear." Elijah shrugged. "Two of them, two of us—"

Elijah and Klaus froze at the entrance of the courtyard. Elijah remained still and Klaus made the short distance over to Enola. She wordlessly handed him the little note that came along with the dead body. She kept her gaze hard as he scanned the sheet of paper. She refused to look at him, afraid of what she might find swimming deep within his eyes.

"Roses are red. Lavender is blue. Come find me before I find you. Signed Aurora." Klaus read out loud. His eyes flickered up to his fuming wife. "I remember her a better poet."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that this is lacking in poetry." Elijah muttered, stepping forward to examine the corpse.

"She wants us to find her, so let's." Klaus nodded.

"Well, aren't you eager?" Enola scoffed.

"Eager to kill her," Klaus corrected. "You needn't worry about me falling back into bed with her."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Elijah commented. "You and Aurora had a nasty habit of taking one another to bed after one of your little fights."

"Is that so?" Enola scowled.

"No, no," Klaus immediately shook his head. "That is most definitely not so."

"Whatever," Enola muttered in annoyance. "How fun with your little scavenger hunt today. I have plans today anyways." She paused in thought. "Though my plans don't include me canoodling with my ex."

"Canoodl—" Klaus gasped in disbelief as Enola began to storm in the opposite direction. "I will not be canoodling with anyone!"

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"Orange or purple?"

Enola was forced to cooperate with Hayley and Jackson in the name of Davina Claire. She had demanded their presence in Lafayette Cemetery that afternoon. She was the reason they were currently walking around on two legs. She didn't have a problem threatening to blow out the candle if they didn't show and none of them wanted that. So Enola left Hope with Freya to handle business. Though she didn't expect business would mean helping Davina with a fashion crisis. Especially when the two options to choose from were some ugly scarfs that reminded her of the one Fred wore in Scooby-Doo.

"Did you seriously call us to play fashion police?" Jackson scoffed.

"Okay—I know today is sacred oil, but can we please not do that right now?" Davina snapped, shooing her witch entourage away before turning to her lap dogs as she tied the orange scarf around her neck. "Sorry. Thanks for coming."

"Like we had a choice, Davina." Hayley scoffed. "Either we do your bidding or you blow out that candle of yours and you turn us back into wolves. So we are pretty much your slaves."

"Now, Hayley, come on." Jackson sighed. "This is the deal we made. We have to at least hear her out." He turned to the young witch with a deep scowl. "What do you want?"

"This is my first Cadeau as Regent. Since I represent the city, the covens have to pay tribute to me and I throw them a party." Davina explained shortly. "I need them to respect me, but this is the first public event since—"

"Since you had me massacre those witches in the Ninth Ward?" Enola deadpanned.

"I have a feeling it might not go so well. Especially since Van Nguyen blames me for what happened to his mom. He vowed to get back at me." Davina sighed. "Actually, he said he would erase me—I mean, who even talks like that?"

"So you want us to be your bodyguards?" Hayley questioned.

"Look—I know you guys aren't exactly thrilled with me right now, but if I die, that candle's magic dies too." Davina snapped. "And then there is nothing stopping you from changing back into wolves"

"You two check out the crowd. I will stay with Davina." Enola decided. Hayley and Jackson knew it was best not to argue, so they quickly scurried out of the mausoleum without a word. When they were gone, she turned back to the young witch. "I will keep you alive, Davina. But if you wear that awful orange scarf, you'll wish that I hadn't."

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Enola watched Davina from the back of the crowd as Hayley and Jackson checked the perimeter. Her mind kept wandering back to her husband who was confronting his ex girlfriend. She couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous. She hadn't spoken to him much lately. What if he got bored of waiting for her? What if he realized that she wasn't as perfect for him as he once thought?

"Another goat. How lovely." Davina muttered sarcastically. "I would like to thank the Gentilly Coven for their generous gift on this day of Fete de Cadeau." She paused before finally taking in the face scattered amongst the crowd. "I apologize. I need a minute."

Everyone exchanged confused glances when Davina rushed away. Enola waited a few moments before deciding to follow. She was able to find the girl thanks to her strong sense of smell and the quiet crying she heard off in the distance. She found the regent seated on stairs outside of a mausoleum with a sad look.

"Not a fan of goats?" Enola teased.

"I love goats—but do you know how many of them I've had to sacrifice? Just once, I would like a gift card." Davina sighed, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her dress. "I mean, I know this is all tradition, but it's just not me. And you know what I really hate?"

"That choker scarf?" Enola quirked a brow, eyes lingering on the purple scarf Davina wore.

"This choker scarf!" Davina agreed. "I only wore it because Josephine did. I thought maybe if I were more like her, then maybe they would respect me."

"Can I make a confession?" Enola inquired. Davina nodded. "I wasn't okay with what you had me do to the Versailles coven. But I'm guessing you're not okay with it either. So you're running from it, pretending to be someone that you're not. Someone who you think they want you to be. But do you know what I've learned? No one is going to respect you until you show them who you really are." Enola pulled the scarf off of Davina. "So If you're going to wear old lady choker scarves, you're going to get old lady goats."

"You're surprisingly really good at this whole advice thing," Davina muttered.

"I had a sister who really needed it a lot," Enola shrugged.

"Had?" Davina echoed with a frown.

"She is sorta in a supernatural coma and won't awaken until her best friend dies," Enola explained. "I lost my only chance to say goodbye to her because I was stuck as a werewolf for months."

"I see," Davina muttered in thought.

"Moral of the story is: we all run away from the things we want most." Enola finished.

"What changed for you?" Davina inquired.

"What changed?" Enola muttered in thought, mind immediately going back to Klaus and Hope. "I guess I found something to run towards."

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The sun had finally gone down when it happened. Shouting near the entrance of the mausoleum Enola hid inside with Davina. It was then that Hayley and Jackson came into view, dragging a boy, kicking and screaming, along with them. This was the boy Davina was so worried about? He seemed so childish and incapable of harming a fly. I guess you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

"You have already taken everything away from me, so go ahead and kill me." Van spat. "Get it over with!"

"You tried to murder a regent," Davina pointed out. "By witch law, you should be hanged."

"Murder? Is that the first place your mind goes? Do you even know what I was using to attack you?" Van growled. Hayley handed Davina a creepy looking voodoo doll.

"He wasn't trying to kill me," Davina realized.

"It's a figure veritas," Van explained to the others who had no idea what was going on. "Stab it in the heart, and the victim must confess their darkest truths."

"You wanted me to admit what I did to your mom so I would be shunned," Davina whispered with wide eyes.

"Maybe I would rather see you dead, but at least that would be justice." Van spat.

"Look—she is the one who attacked me. She wanted a mutiny. And if that happens, what's next? An all out witch war to decide the next regent? How many more people will die then?" Davina argued.

"So you think the covens are better off with you?" Van scoffed in disbelief.

"I do," Davina nodded honestly. "I have seen things done the old way. I have done things the old way. And it doesn't work. If you don't want peace, then fine—go. You're free. But I'm asking you, please stay. We can work together. We can change things."

Van stared at Davina in thought for a long moment. But in the end, he turned on his heels and walked away. He would rather die than work with the person who had his mother killed. And any of them could say the same. Friends come and go. But your family always stays with you. No matter what.

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Enola stood outside of the mausoleum in order to give Davina some space. Hayley and Jackson had already gone home to their rundown apartment. She wanted to be anywhere but considering home is where her husband waited with news of his day. The last thing she wanted to do was hear about his adventures with his ex girlfriend. Thankfully Freya didn't mind watching Hope for an extra hour.

Enola took a much needed sip of the beer. She had been able to snag the bottle free of charge. She looked down at her reflection in the glass. She was immediately reminded of that night four years ago. The annual bonfire. She was there with Elena and Bonnie. She remembers Bonnie jokingly using a beer bottle as a crystal ball to see into her future. She saw four wolves running free under the moonlight. Her, Klaus, and Hope. But who was the fourth? She was immediately reminded of the wailing baby in the background of the vision Alexis had shown her.

"Good. You're still here."

Enola looked up to find Davina exiting the mausoleum. She went to speak only to freeze completely at the sight of the magical candle that was allowing her to walk around freely at the moment. She grew tense thinking that this was the end and that she would be sentenced to another six months in the bayou, only being able to see her daughter once a month.

"What are you doing?" Enola asked slowly.

"I wanted to thank you," Davina smiled.

"For what? The free fashion advice?" Enola chuckled anxiously.

"You were right. Since I became Regent, I have tried to control everything and everyone. But that is not me. I don't want to be that person anymore." Davina confessed. She looked down at the candle with a soft smile. "I asked the ancestors to give me the magic to lift your curse. Since it is Cadeau . . . they granted it." She blew out the candle and nothing happened. No bones breaking, souls shattering, heart disintegrating. "Keeping you as a slave seems like something the older generation would do. I would rather have you as a friend."

"Davina, thank you." Enola immediately ditched the beer bottle on the steps and pulled Davina in for a bone crushing hug.

"Don't thank me yet," Davina chuckled. "There is more."

"More?" Enola furrowed her brows.

Davina didn't elaborate, leading Enola back into the mausoleum. She set the candle aside before moving towards the stone table. She had her grimoire opened to a specific page with her handy dandy ritualistic dagger and a crystal ball. She extended her hand to her friend expectantly.

Enola was hesitant to comply. But in the end, she allowed her palm to be cut open. Her blood dripped down onto the crystal ball before she was instructed to grab onto it from either side. She watched the candle light flicker as the chanting began. She bit her cheek as the wind began to wildly whip her hair around, forcing her to clench her eyes shut. And then everything stilled. She slowly peeled her eyes open to find that she was no longer in the Mausoleum. She wasn't even in New Orleans.

Enola stood on the pathway to her childhood home. The same one her sister burnt down two years ago. She looked around to find the streets empty with no one in sight before slowly making her way up the porch stairs. She paused at the door, hesitantly pushing it open. She stepped inside to find it exactly how she remembered it. Sad and lonely. She walked down the hallway towards her favorite part of the home; the kitchen. This is where so many of her favorite memories were made. She would do anything to have that back.

"Enola?"

Enola froze at the sound of that oh so familiar voice. She refused to turn around at first, scared it was all some desperate dream. Then she felt the gentle hand on her shoulder. She closed her eyes for a long moment before finally turning around. Her knees nearly gave out at the sight of her sister standing behind her with a sad smile. She lunged forward, closing the gap between them. She was surprised with how real it all seemed.

"How—How is this possible?" Enola stuttered, pulling back to make sure she wasn't imagining it.

"Davina," Elena explained shortly. "She said she owed you."

"Lena, I am so sorry I wasn't there for you." Enola immediately apologized.

"Hey, hey, hey," Enola repeated in an attempt to calm Enola down. "It is not your fault."

"But I had distanced myself from you since I came to New Orleans," Enola reminded.

"We spoke on the phone every Sunday," Elena pointed out. "You made an effort."

"But apparently that wasn't enough," Enola shook her head.

"It was more than enough," Elena reasoned. "All I needed was to know you were alive—"

"Well, here I am." Enola interjected, spinning around for emphasis.

"—And yet you couldn't look more dead," Elena finished. "Talk to me."

"Where would I even start?" Enola scoffed in both disbelief and amusement.

"At the center of your rage," Elena suggested. "Klaus."

Enola was silent. She had almost forgotten how well her sister could read her. She had made no attempt to reconcile with anyone. But then there was him. She couldn't move out of the compound because she couldn't bear the thought of being away from him. Despite everything, she still loved him. And that kind of love—it never dies.

"There is a part of me that is desperate to know if my absence has done any damage to him. That there is a possibility that he has experienced long restless nights due to the thought of me. That his heart is broken in the same places as mine." Enola explained. "I want to know that I am not the only one hurting from this. I want to know that I actually meant something to him."

"You know," Elena began. "After you were cursed, he came to Mystic Falls to ask for Bonnie to help. He didn't just ask. He begged—with tears in his eyes and a throbbing pain in his chest."

"You think I should forgive him?" Enola inquired.

"No—but I do think that you should look at things from his point of view." Elena said. "He made an honest mistake and now he is going to spend the rest of his life making up for it."

"What if he can't?" Enola questioned. "What if he won't?"

"He will," Elena hummed. "This is Klaus we are talking about. He worships the ground you walk on."

"I hope you're right," Enola muttered.

"I'm your older sister," Elena announced with a large grin. "I'm always right."

"I miss you, Lena." Enola softly confessed.

"You're immortal," Elena reminded. "And soon a hundred years will fly by and it will be like I never left you."

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Enola hesitantly entered the compound to be met with nothing but silence. She looked around for any sign of human life. She noted the dead body had been taken care of before making her way over to the staircase. She dreaded every step she took as she walked up the stairs. She didn't want to know if he was there. She didn't want to know if he brought her back with him. But then she remembered what her sister said. He worships the ground you walk on. She could only hope that was true.

Enola froze at the top of the stairs. She immediately spotted the pile of red flower petals. She peered further down the hallway to find a trail of them. Her eyes briefly flickered around the courtyard below to find no one in sight. She sighed before reluctantly following the line of petals. She walked past the study, the nursery, and the room she once shared with her husband before finally turning the corner. The trail finally stopped right outside her new bedroom. She could hear the soft hum of music inside before cautiously sauntering over.

Enola drew a deep breath before finally pushing the door open. Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran welcomed her in the form of a vinyl on the record player in the corner of the room. Memories of the Mikaelson ball a few years back immediately bombarded her as she finally stepped past the threshold of her room. Her eyes take in the rose petals that were scattered across every inch of the room and the candles that must've taken hours to light. Unless you have a willing witch on deck, which they did. She paused in front of the bed where a note addressed to her sat neatly.

Enola reached out at a leisurely pace. Her hand closed around the paper before finally flipping it open to see the words inscribed: SAVE ME A DANCE—FONDLY, NIK. She swore her heart stopped beating at the memories they shared. Nothing could top what she had felt that fateful night. After that night, she saw him differently.

"May I have this dance?"

Enola whirled around to find Klaus lingering in the doorway of the room. He wore an expensive three piece suit that rivaled one of Elijah's with his hair slicked back with gel, a few stay curls falling onto his forehead. He stayed rooted to his spot in the doorway, afraid that if he moved, it would frighten her away.

"Klaus—"

"Nik," Klaus corrected quietly. "Please call me Nik."

"What are you doing?" Enola questioned softly.

"Dance with me," Klaus begged.

Enola stared at Klaus in silence for a long moment. She was taken aback by his nervousness. She hadn't seen him like that in a long time. It made her feel reminiscent. He only got like that when he was being genuine. She was suddenly reminded of what her sister had said. How she should look at things from his point of view.

"One dance," Enola decided.

Klaus took three slow strides across the room until Enola was standing just inches away. He gently grabbed her hands before wrapping them around his neck. His fingertips danced across the bare skin of her arms before they finally landed on her hips. They slowly began to sway back and forth with the music in silence.

"I thought you would be busy with Allison," Enola whispered.

"Aurora," Klaus corrected. Enola glared. "Allison it is."

"Where is she?" Enola inquired.

"Probably out and about wreaking havoc," Klaus shrugged. Enola frowned. "Why do you look so surprised?"

"I thought you would be with her," Enola confessed. "Catching up."

Klaus looked down at Enola in confusion. Then it hit him. She thought that he would want to spend his spare time with another woman? The idea itself was preposterous. The only reason he seeked his ex lover out today was because he knew how dangerous she could be if left unattended. Besides, he had Elijah with him.

"A thousand years ago, I begged Aurora to flee with me and she refused—she said that she didn't want to spend eternity with a monster." Klaus began softly. "Today I learned that Elijah had compelled her to say such things because he had found out what I had done to our mother. Even after knowing this information, I am not upset." He finally caught her eye. "Would you like to know why?"

"Why?" Enola whispered.

They had stopped dancing. He gently reached up to cup her face while her arms fell around his waist. They stared at one another like lovesick fools. It was clear that no matter what, they will always be helplessly in love with each other. That was one thing that would never change. Because this kind of love never dies.

"Because you are it for me," Klaus repeated the same thing he said the night she left Mystic Falls behind. "Whether it is today, tomorrow, a year, or decades from now, that will never change."

Klaus and Enola didn't say anything else. They didn't need to. He simply leaned down to place a lingering kiss on her forehead. That was about as close as they were capable of getting right now. But it was okay because this is the most intimate they have ever been with anyone else. They were simply two fools in love.

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AUTHORS NOTE.
i am finally back. i really hope you liked this chapter. enola and elena have my whole heart. their bond is one of my favorite things to write besides the love story of enola and klaus. anywhore,, thank you so much for reading. until next time, my loves!!!