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CHAPTER 61: THE FEAR

❝ you see, that family drama you so joyfully deride does have its merits.❞

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AND THERE IS THE TRUTH OF IT; the fear. It is the fear of being outrun when the bullets are flying. It is the fear of being eaten by a shark before you can reach the shallows. It is the fear of being the constant stranger: never being recognized, reconciled, or rewarded. It makes good cops dirty, thieves wealthy, and sinners worthy. We all worship the Great Tit, hoping for an extra few seconds of suckle before the pipes run dry, before we get to feel full and happy. We might as well have blood and skin under our fingernails because we have all left our marks on the ones we held back in order to hold our own.

Klaus stood on the balcony that overlooked the city. The morning sun glared down at him as if trying to ease his anger. But it only grew. He stepped back into the shadows of the guest bedroom before softly closing the doors behind him. He kept his gaze lowered in an attempt to avoid his dead friend who lay with nothing but a white sheet covering their decaying corpse. It was a valiant attempt to hide what he already knew was there; the fear. Thankfully before it could get too overwhelming for him, a soft knock sounded at the door. He didn't need to turn to know who it was. His tense shoulders immediately relaxed and he felt more comfortable in the presence of his wife. Even if he was grieving.

"Did you bring it?" Klaus questioned gruffly.

"Jackson wrote down everything that your father told him about the ancient werewolves," Enola informed. She pulled the leather bound journal out into the open. She had thought it had been lost considering she hadn't seen the thing for a year. But in the end, she found it in a box of old things. She handed over to her husband with no complaints.

"Thank you," Klaus murmured softly.

Enola gave Klaus a gentle nod. She turned to leave before her eyes flickered over to the bed. He had been holed up in here with a rotting corpse all night. And she wasn't judging him for that. But something had to be done about the body. It couldn't just stay there forever as Elijah kindly pointed out. Cami would want to be properly put to rest. Klaus, however, didn't seem interested in granting this wish. He simply flicked through the leather bound journal in hopes of finding the answer to all of his problems.

"Nik," Enola began hesitantly. "We need to do something about the body—about Cami." Klaus quietly continued to flip through the journal. "I know that she wanted an Irish wake. I can make arrangements."

Klaus snapped the journal closed in one fluent motion before turning to face Enola with a ferocious glare. She wasn't at all surprised by his less than enthusiastic reaction. It was the reason everyone was so scared to speak up. Being on the receiving end of his fury was a horrifying thing. But she was his wife. If anyone could talk some sense into him, it would be her.

"It does not matter. She is gone. There is no time to sing dirges." Klaus said coldly, turning back to the journal with a deep scowl. "We are at war."

Enola said nothing more before turning to leave. She knew he was still processing things. She was quiet as she closed the door behind her before making her way down the hall and towards the foyer where Freya could be found, attempting to extract the serum from a comatose Aurora. Vincent had been in and out helping, but they had yet to actually accomplish anything.

"How is he?" Freya inquired, briefly glancing up.

"Angry," Enola answered tiredly. "Vengeful."

"Give him time," Freya smiled reassuringly. "He will come to you when he is ready."

"I hope so," Enola muttered sadly.

"Freya!" Freya and Enola shared matching looks of concern before rushing into the courtyard where Kol and Marcel were entering with distraught looks adorning their features. "Freya, we need your help."

"What is it?" Freya asked in concern. "What happened?"

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Davina Claire was dead.

Kol was poisoned by the ancestors. They hijacked the spell that brought him back to life in order to turn him into a bloodthirsty vampire. He had been struggling with his hunger for weeks, but it only grew until he snapped completely. He saw nothing but red as he ruthlessly attacked the woman he loved and drained her of blood. He only snapped out of it when she was dead in his arms.

"This is a war," Elijah explained slowly. "Please understand. I despise the situation."

Elijah did not hesitate to shut down the idea of saving Davina. Sure, he felt bad for those who loved her. But in the end, they had more important things to focus on. Like killing an enhanced original. His family always came first and her death would not change that. Not even when his brother arrived covered in her blood. He wanted them to use their resources to protect them from extinction, not save a teenage girl whom he didn't care for. Besides, she was already dead. Just like they will be if they don't focus their attention on their bigger problem; Lucien.

"That is the wrong answer!" Kol growled, lurching forward.

"No, no, no, no, no," Marcel quickly intercepted Kol before turning to face Elijah. "I know this is a war. But I have lost a lot of friends too. Today I need your help."

"Then you shall have it," They all turned towards the stairs to find Klaus descending.

"Thank you," Marcel nodded, tossing a dirty look at Elijah.

Enola noticed the look Klaus shared with Marcel and Elijah before looking to Kol. He had dried blood dripping down his chin and staining his shirt. She knew right now he was hellbent on saving his girlfriend, but it was clear that the other men had plenty to discuss concerning the matter at hand.

"Come on, Kol." Enola began. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Enola gently guided Kol over to the stairs. She led him to the room she shared with her husband. They had to be quiet considering that her daughter was asleep in the nursery next door. Because he had been staying in some undisclosed location with his girlfriend, he had nothing to wear at the compound. She disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a wet washcloth to find him sitting on the bed without a shirt. If you walked into the room with no context, this scene would definitely raise some brows.

"Why are you helping me?" Kol questioned quietly.

Enola didn't give Kol an answer. She was far too busy scrubbing the blood from his chin and chest. She briefly wondered if he had gotten any strange looks from any pedestrians and then she remembered that this was New Orleans. Death was inevitable. Even so, everyone feared it.

"Because you looked like you could use it," Enola muttered. "Besides, I sort of owe you."

"What for?" Kol frowned.

"Killing you," Enola shrugged. "The first time."

"If I was the same person I was three years ago, I would have killed you on the spot." Kol confessed. "But I didn't because I'm not. You have Davina to thank for that."

"Then I guess that means we have no choice but to save her," Enola grinned, tossing Kol one of Klaus' henley shirts from the dresser. "It's the least we could do."

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Enola didn't really understand what was happening. Vincent planned to consecrate Davina. The problem was that the ancestors wanted her dead. She had been disobeying them for three long years and they were tired of it. She had sided with the vampires, took her magic for granted, and killed her own. It was time to devour her soul. But Freya was determined to prevent that.

They were currently split into two teams. While Vincent would be consecrating Davina in Lafayette Cemetery, Marcel and Hayley would be acting as a security detail to make sure everything went as planned. That left Enola at the compound with Klaus, Elijah, Kol, and Freya. She had volunteered for protection detail duty, but considering she was with child, they were all against the idea. She was in no shape to be fighting should the occasion rise, Klaus had said. And he was right, which only pissed her off further.

"I will draw Davina's spirit to a circle. As long as she is there, the ancestors won't be able to torment her." Freya explained. "With luck, that will buy you some time to find a way to resurrect her. But I will need to channel an original if I'm going to sustain the spell."

"Take me," Kol immediately volunteered. "Put me down for all I care. Just as long as it keeps her safe."

"No. You have been marred by the ancestors magic." Freya shook her head. "So Klaus and Elijah—rock, paper, scissors."

Klaus and Elijah looked across the foyer at one another. They were communicating via eye contact. It was no secret that they weren't big fans of the harvest girl. In fact if it was up to Elijah, Davina would be suffering in the ancestral world while Lucien was defeated. But Klaus just had to be feeling nice today of all days. Before either of them could decide who would be stepping up, the candles on the table suddenly flared.

"That cannot be good," Elijah frowned.

"My early warning system," Freya breathed, eyes wide in horror. "I think a New Orleans witch is trying to meddle with one of you."

"If Lucien has the new Regent at his beck and call, then it is me he is coming after." Klaus boldly claimed, only to be proven wrong seconds later when an old portrait of Rebekah that hung on the wall suddenly went up in flames.

"Of course Lucien is going after the one person who can't defend themself," Enola scowled. "What a damn coward."

"Lucien thought that killing Cami would have me charging into his lair on a suicide mission. When it didn't, he set his sights on Rebekah." Klaus concluded. "He is kicking hornets nests until we have no choice but to confront him."

"Presumably, he still believes she is at the bottom of the ocean." Elijah pointed out in thought.

"I cloaked all of you," Freya said. "But with the ancestors working for Lucien, Rebekah will be found in a matter of hours."

"I will go get her," Klaus decided.

"It's not safe out there—" Freya tried.

"What then?" Klaus huffed in frustration. "Are we to sit here and play cards until Lucien slides Rebekah's bitten corpse down the hall."

"Let me go," Elijah said.

"I moved her." Klaus admitted, earning looks of bewilderment from his elder brother. "Oh, don't look so surprised. I never did like you two sharing secrets."

"Tell me where she is," Elijah demanded. "Unless you expect me to stay here and leave our sister entirely defenseless?"

"Lucien deserves our collective ire. Today, your grievances are tabled." Klaus said. "Rebekah is in the bayou. It won't take long.

"Then you are not going alone," Enola spoke up. "I am coming with you."

"Absolutely not," Klaus scoffed.

"Look, Nik, we both know how this is going to go down." Enola rolled her eyes. "You are going to tell me that I can't go and then I am going to remind you that I love Rebekah too. Then you are going to say that I am pregnant and will slow you down to which I will remind you that you are the one who cursed me to be a werewolf for six months which means I know every inch of the bayou." She took a deep breath after that long rant and continued. "So unless you want to be delayed by a pack of angry Crescents who have every right to hate you and will probably tear you to shreds the moment they see you, you should just admit that you need me."

"Fine," Klaus scowled. "But I am driving."

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Enola was disappointed when Klaus said they couldn't take the Impala. He claimed there wasn't enough room to store a coffin and she reluctantly agreed. Her car was her very first baby. She had rebuilt it from scratch alongside her father. It was special to her. But she understood that she couldn't take it everywhere.

Enola watched Klaus dig up an unmarked grave impatiently. He pointed out that she was more than welcome to help, but she reminded him that she was pregnant. The walk all the way out there was enough to tire her out. They were only further stalled when a phone began to ring. It echoed off of the trees for a moment as he set the shovel aside to pull the device out of his pocket. It was his brother with news of a plan. A plan that involved using Davina as a conduit to channel power from the ancestors who created whatever Lucien is. Once they have that power, they can use it to make Lucien killable again.

"And Freya is certain this power will be enough to kill Lucien?" Klaus questioned, leaning most of his weight against the shovel.

"Yes," Elijah answered, pausing for a moment in uncertainty. "We would be placing Davina in terrible danger. The only thing protecting her from the ancestors is Freya's circle. Now if it is broken—"

"They will rip her apart," Enola breathed. "Elijah, she is just a kid."

"What choice do we have?" Elijah sighed.

Enola thought of Hope. She thought of her unborn child. If she had a choice between revenge and saving someone she loved, she would choose the latter. Their enemy could wait. Their family couldn't. Then again, Elijah and Freya would kill just about anyone in the name of family. Especially considering that Davina wasn't their family.

"No. Find another way." Klaus uncharacteristically decided. "If we destroy Davina, we lose both Kol and Marcel. And let us not forget my wife would be quite angry with me. I won't have us all turning on each other. Keep looking, brother."

Klaus hung up the phone, turning to find Enola with a smug smile. His eye twitched in irritation, making her grin somehow widen. He knew what she was going to say before she even said it. That is the thing about being husband and wife, you tend to pick up on their habits a little too well.

"You did a nice thing," Enola pointed out. "For Davina—who you hate."

"I do not hate Davina," Klaus defended.

"Then why save her?" Enola quirked a brow.

"I assure you that it was a purely strategic decision," Klaus announced. "I can't very well spend the rest of eternity sleeping on the couch because my wife is upset by a decision I made."

"You did it for Cami," Enola said. "You did it for your friend."

"I don't have any friends," Klaus scowled.

"You had Cami," Enola reminded. "And it is okay to care about her."

Klaus went silent following the words Enola had just spoken. She was right and he knew it. If there was one thing he had learned these past four years, it was that caring about someone or something did not make you weak. It made you stronger.

"I thought I told Camille everything. Every moment that mattered from my past." Klaus confessed quietly. "And yet in the mere hours since she has died, I have thought of a thousand things I forgot to say."

"Which is exactly why you should do what she would want—have a funeral." Enola said. "You know her best."

"I do not wish to talk about this right now," Klaus sighed. "Let us get Rebekah to safety before we begin this conversation."

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Enola sat in the passenger seat while Klaus drove down the abandoned road. He didn't speak and she didn't make him. She was hopeful that he would do the right thing in the end. They couldn't keep a rotting corpse in their home forever. However, they were distracted from their journey by the ringing of a cell phone. He reached into the cup holder for the device, only taking his eyes off the road for a moment. But a moment was all that was needed.

"Nik, watch out—" Enola was interrupted by the sound of skidding tires. Klaus looked up to find an unfamiliar vehicle a hairsbreadth away. But it was too late. Glass flew everywhere as their car was knocked off the road. He immediately held an arm over her chest in an attempt to make sure that his wife and unborn child would walk away from this alive.

Enola woke up in the car all alone. It took her a long moment to register what had just happened. She immediately used her enhanced hearing to check on her unborn child. She released a shaky breath of relief when she realized that her baby would be okay. But her husband was a whole other story. She looked over to the drivers seat to find it empty. The windshield was completely broken with bloody pieces of glass.

Enola scrambled out of the car in worry. She quickly rounded the car to find blood smeared across the concrete. Her husbands blood. She could smell it. Her eyes followed the trail of blood towards the forest. She sniffed the air like some sort of bloodhound to be completely sure that was the direction her husband had taken off in. She quickly realized that he was not alone. She used her enhanced hearing to pick up on a brutal fight in the distance.

Enola weaved through the woods with enhanced speed. She stopped just outside an old shack in the middle of nowhere. She recognized it as one of the many places she hid during her time as a werewolf. The sound of splintering wood and shouting could be heard inside. She didn't need supernatural hearing to know what was going on. Her husband was getting his ass kicked.

Enola snatched a shovel off the wall before storming into the building with a one track mind. She stepped into what used to be the living room to find it torn to shreds. Her head snapped to the side at the sound of glass breaking coming from the next room. She narrowed her eyes before moving towards that location. She emerged into a narrow kitchen where Lucien could be found standing over a beated Klaus. His back was turned to her so she used it to her advantage.

Enola knocked Lucien upside the head with the metal part of the shovel. This gave Klaus the perfect opportunity to kick Lucien back. Once Enola and Klaus were standing side by side with Lucien on the other side of the room, the fight began. Klaus admittedly took most of the ass whooping in hopes of protecting Enola before Lucien finally grew tired of this confrontation.

Lucien kicked Klaus back against the weak wall. It gave way immediately and he was sent rolling across the dry leaves that littered the ground. It took him a moment to regain his composure before quickly jumping to his feet. But before he was able to do something, Lucien emerged from the rubble with Enola in a headlock.

"Well, well—a Queen and a King, caught by a one time pawn." Lucien taunted, running an elongated fang across Enola's neck. "Thus the game comes to its inevitable end."

"What are you proving by killing her? It's me you hate." Klaus spoke stoically despite the rapid thumping of his heart.

"Was I not clear when I murdered Finn and Camille? I do not care who dies. But since you do, indulge me and I just might spare the love of your life." Lucien began. "Kneel. Get on your knees." Klaus froze. "One small bite and your wife and unborn child die. Do you really want to measure your pride against my mercy?"

Klaus looked at Enola with so much love and adoration. It was then that she knew they would be okay. He would make sure of it. And so he slowly sunk down onto his knees. But not for his first sireling. For the love of his life whom he would sacrifice anything for. Even if it is his own pride.

Lucien gave a breathy chuckle before moving to speak only to be interrupted by Elijah and Freya. Elijah was able to get Lucien away from Enola as Freya began to chant the words to an ancient spell no one understood. Klaus took the time to scramble over to Enola with teary and anxious eyes.

"His power is gone," Freya breathed out a sigh of relief. "He is nothing but an ordinary vampire now."

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Lucien was blubbering like a baby at the feet of Elijah and Klaus while Freya consoled Enola. He had spent the better half of an hour explaining why they shouldn't kill him, but all that gave them was reasons why they should. He had come to them under the pretense of protection when all he had done was hurt them. There was no mercy in the cards for him. He would figure that out the hard way.

"You see, that family drama you so joyfully deride does have its merits." Klaus said.

"You can kill me, but the prophecy still stands." Lucien warned. "You cannot outrun it."

"I have heard about a thousand years too much from you. For a century, you lived with my name and you never did quite recover from losing it, did you? You became a man of wealth and stature, but you never could crawl from my shadow." Klaus degraded. He crouched down and swiped a piece of broken glass off the forest floor before turning back to his sireling. "And in the end, despite the gift of immortality, you have always known what you truly are." Elijah grabbed Lucien by the back of the head, giving Klaus the access to cut a mocking smile onto Lucien's face. "You are nothing."

Klaus plunged a fist into Lucien's chest. He had no mercy to give to people who threatened his wife. So he didn't hesitate to tear the heart from his sirelings chest. He watched as the light disappeared from his eyes before hitting the forest floor with a dull thud. It was finally over. Or so they thought.

"Let us collect some gasoline," Elijah nudged Freya in the direction of their parked car, leaving Klaus and Enola alone in silence.

"Camille liked the Preservation Hall Jazz Band," Klaus suddenly spoke, earning a look of confusion from Enola. "For the funeral. " He explained shortly. "The second night, we should hold the wake at Rousseau's."

Enola didn't respond right away. She was busy looking at her husband with those soft eyes he fell in love with. She was glad that he finally did the right thing. They couldn't just leave the corpse to rot in their guest bedroom forever. It had only been a day, but it was time for their dear friend to be put to rest.

"Of course," Enola smiled.

"Come. Lucian can burn alone." Klaus decided, holding an arm out to Enola. "We should get back to Kol and Marcel."

"About that," Freya began, sharing an awkward look with Elijah as they returned with the gasoline. "There is something you guys need to know."

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AUTHORS NOTE.
freya and elijah were insane and davina deserved better. then they wonder why their brother (kol) wants nothing to do with them half of the time. they took the one thing he loved most and destroyed it when they could have in fact saved it. until next time, my loves!!!