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CHAPTER 31: HOPE

❝ i wished to make you my wife. ❞

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IT IS HARD TO FIND WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAL WITHIN YOURSELF. Enola began searching for change in others. Doing so has freed her in ways she can't even begin to imagine. Doing so was a necessary piece of the life-you-want puzzle. Because all the energy she was using to try to avoid or deflect or delude her way into not acknowledging what she needed to heal or change or deal was being wasted at best and was actually keeping her from the life she wanted at worst. Which is why she was so used to all the suffering.

What is worth suffering for?

Everything is hard in some way. It is hard to be in the wrong relationship. It is hard to be in the right relationship. It is hard to be broke and miserable. It is hard to achieve your dreams. It is hard to be stuck in the middle, not really feeling anything at all. Everything is hard. But Enola soon realized that she chose her hard. She chose what is worth it. She did not choose whether or not she would suffer, but she did choose what she wanted to suffer for. Is it happiness? The past? The relationship that almost was but ultimately wasn't? Her fear? Her loneliness? Her lack of self worth? Everybody has one thing that they will continue to suffer for—that ultimately owns them, drives them, controls them at some visceral level. It is the pattern that everything is rooted in; it is the issue that crops up again and again. It is what she insatiably seeks, then runs away from, only to find she ran right into it.

For Enola, there was only one thing worth suffering for. Her daughter. Her daughter is what drove her to make their home safe again. Her daughter is what drove her to become the alpha of the crescent werewolves. But until then, Hayley would watch over the pack in New Orleans while she made the trip to visit her daughter with Klaus. Her leg subconsciously bounced up and down as they neared their location. Her heart clenched at the thought of holding her daughter in her arms.

"Is something on your mind, my love?" A sudden voice inquired.

Enola turned to Klaus. His eyes were still glued to the road as she shifted in the seat. She had yet to inform him of the new wedding details. Hayley had already called dibs on being the wedding planner, but there would be no wedding without the groom. She didn't know why she was so nervous to talk to him about it. Perhaps it was because this was last minute. Or perhaps she wasn't ready. She nearly scoffed out loud at the thought. She was more than ready to marry him. Perhaps she was worried he wouldn't want to marry her. She really needed to work on her communication. Now would be the perfect time to do so.

"Do you want to marry me?" Enola blurted.

Enola violently jerked forward when Klaus suddenly slammed on the brakes. She glanced the the rearview mirror to make sure they weren't holding up traffic, but his bewildered gaze was locked solely on her. He couldn't help but feel incredibly anxious at the topic of conversation and hoped that she wasn't changing her mind about them.

"Of course I want to marry you," Klaus expressed. "I would do this all over again, a hundred times so long as I marry you in the end."

"Good," Enola nodded.

"Good," Klaus agreed.

Klaus relaxed back into the drivers' seat as Enola swallowed thickly. Then he gently laid his foot on the gas and continued down the empty highway, unaware of the constipated look his dear fiancé wore. He was unsure whether the question was some sort of strange test, but he was confident in his answer. The only woman he wanted to be with was her. None of his past loves could ever compare.

"How would you feel about marrying me in an ancient ritual to unite the werewolves of New Orleans?" Enola wondered.

Enola violently jerked forward once again when Klaus suddenly slammed on the brakes. His head swung around to meet her wide eyed stare. She was unsure whether or not the look of alarm on his face was a good thing. She just hoped that she wasn't pushing him too far.

"Explain," Klaus commanded.

"Drive," Enola demanded.

"You explain, I drive." Klaus settled.

Enola waited for Klaus to put the car in drive and continue down the long abandoned highway. They were lucky no one was around for miles. They would have caused a pile up otherwise. And considering they were both immortal, it would be quite the hassle to explain to law enforcement why they were the only survivors.

"It's called the unification ceremony," Enola began. "If two alphas were to get married, their unique abilities would transfer to the werewolves who bothered to show up to the ritual."

"Unique abilities?" Klaus echoed with furrowed brows.

"You and I are hybrids, which means we both have the unique ability to transform at will." Enola explained.

"Seems like you have it all figured out," Klaus muttered. "Except for the fact that neither of us are the alpha of the pack."

"Jackson agreed to relinquish alpha rights or whatever to me so long as we sever the connection between the werewolves and the witches, meaning no more moonlight rings." Enola hummed, noting the look of hesitation from Klaus. "I would completely understand if you're not comfortable doing it."

"It's not that," Klaus reassured. "It's just that I hadn't expected so many people to be in attendance."

"I know we agreed on immediate family, but we need the wolves on our side." Enola sighed. "I will give you some time to think about it."

The ride was continued in silence until they reached a long gravel driveway. Rebekah and Elijah could be spotted exiting a house with a white picket fence. Their eyes immediately lock on the small child who seemed to perk up at their sudden arrival. Klaus was unable to put the vehicle in park before Enola jumped out.

Enola sprinted down the gravel driveway with Klaus following closely behind. They froze a few feet away from their daughter with teary eyes. It wasn't until the small child twisted around and reached out that either of them was able to make a move. Enola was the first to embrace Hope with Klaus staying close. The second their child was in their arms, everything suddenly fell into place. There was absolutely nothing that could ruin this moment.

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Enola had been able to put Hope down for a quick nap before heading outside where Klaus waited alongside Rebekah and Elijah. They began setting up the firepit for a bonfire as they spoke of their newest discoveries. Surprisingly, the unification ceremony was the least of their concerns with the information Klaus had gotten out of Finn.

"Curse on the firstborns?" Rebekah frowned. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to be?"

"Well, according to Finn, our sister Freya didn't die of plague." Klaus explained. "She was taken as payment by our Aunt Dahlia, who then cursed all Mikaelson firstborns for an eternity."

"Is any of this true?" Enola frowned in concern.

"It is if we're to believe Finn who learned it from that bastion of truth, our mother." Elijah scoffed.

"Well, no wonder Finn hates us." Rebekah muttered. "He lost the sister he adored and instead got a judgey pack of siblings who found him unbearably dull."

"Great—so is there any chance of us running into your psycho Aunt Dahlia any time soon?" Enola hummed nervously.

"Fables over a thousand years old," Elijah pointed out. "Dahlia is long dead."

"Like Esther?" Enola shot back.

"No one is going to hurt Hope because no one's going to find her," Klaus promised his dear fiancé before sparing the bonfire a quick glance. "That is enough wood, Rebekah. You'll burn down the whole bloody state of Arkansas."

"We're just missing the key ingredient," Rebekah grinned proudly.

"No, we're not." Klaus adamantly shook his head in denial.

"Yes, we are, Nik." Rebekah jumped up and down in excitement. "Back me up, Elijah."

"I suspect that Niklaus would rather choke on the ashes," Elijah chuckled in amusement.

"What are you all talking about?" Enola inquired with a slight frown.

"Well, before we light it, we write down our wishes for each other, to burn for luck." Rebekah informed. "It was Kol's favorite part when we were kids."

"Further evidence as to why we should ignore it," Klaus pointed out, even though Kol was supposed to be on their side now.

"This is our daughter's first bonfire season," Enola smiled. Klaus grimaced. "I like it. We are doing it."

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Enola stormed into the kitchen where Klaus sat at the table with Hope. He had a wide smile on his face that didn't falter even as she set a notepad and pen in front of him. He remained focused on their child as she stood back and waited for a response. She was notably excited much to his annoyance. It had been awhile since they had been together as a family. Though a few key players were missing, she was just elated to have a majority of them here and ready to play house.

"I am holding a small child, my love." Klaus sighed, not bothering to spare Enola a single glance. "This silly wish game will have to wait."

"You write, I hold." Enola hummed, waiting for Klaus to hand hope over. When he refused, she narrowed her eyes into dangerous slits. "You do realize that I had to endure horrendous labor and actual death birthing the child that you are currently holding, correct?"

Klaus couldn't help but smile at the witty quip Enola had shot out before finally handing Hope over. She already had her tiny arms extended for her mother before her father finally gave her up. There was this unspoken connection between a mother and their child. A connection that could never be broken no matter how hard you try. That is what this mother and daughter duo had felt the moment they had met again. A connection.

"I wish that you would have confided in me before agreeing to marry in front of a bunch of strangers," Klaus spoke out loud, jotting those words down onto the notepad.

"I knew you hated it," Enola huffed, bouncing her daughter on her hip.

"I don't hate it," Klaus sighed. "I just wish you would have spoken to me about it first."

"What difference would it make?" Enola frowned. "You want to get married, I want to get married."

"Not like this," Klaus sighed. "I want to get married for love, you want to get married for power."

"Oh, how the roles have reversed." Enola grumbled. "I want to marry you because I love you."

"Tell that to the pack of mangy wolves you have invited to our wedding," Klaus shot back.

"If you don't want to do it, say the word and I will call it off." Enola promised. "I'm sure Hayley wouldn't mind marrying Jackson even though she is completely in love with Elijah."

"So this is about Hayley and Elijah now?" Klaus quirked a brow.

"I just want to marry the love of my life," Enola stated. "It just so happens that our wedding can do a lot of good."

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Enola stood with Hope in her arms and Elijah by her side as Klaus lit the bonfire. This moment couldn't be any more peaceful. Though it would be over quickly with all the threats looming over their heads as of late. They could only hope to have their problems quickly resolved before Christmas.

"Hey! Look what I found!" Rebekah called out. She exited the farm house with a small camera in hand and a look of excitement washing over her face. "I wonder if it will work."

"Oh, bloody hell." Klaus sighed, turning away from the group with both hands on his hips.

"Come on. Let's try." Rebekah grinned, making her way over. "Hey, Nik, do you think you can cram us into a selfie?"

"Oh, Niklaus is the virtuoso of cramming his siblings into confined spaces." Elijah smirked in amusement.

"Well, I'm so glad I traveled hundreds of miles to visit my mentally ill brother only to have him insult me to my face." Klaus spoke sarcastically.

"Come on. Just take the picture." Enola rolled her eyes.

Everyone crowded around for the picture. Klaus smiled when Enola came closer with Hope. He didn't care where anyone else stood so long as she was by his side. That was all it took for him to smile as he snapped a quick photo. It took only a couple moments for the picture to develop prompting her to reach over and snatch it into her free hand. She waved it around until it finally came to life.

"I wish it could always be like this," Rebekah muttered, throwing an arm around Enola.

"If wishes were horses . . . " Elijah trailed off.

"Beggars would ride," Klaus finished. "You realize we'll have to burn it. You want me to make a wish for the family? I wish it didn't have to be like this. But it does. We can't risk it falling into the wrong hands."

"I know," Enola whispered sadly. She made her way over to the burning bonfire with Hope on her hip and that picture in her hand. She let out a helpless sigh before allowing the small photo to catch fire. She held the burning piece of paper for a few moments longer before reluctantly releasing it.

"No. This isn't right. We deserve this. We have earned this. I won't let it slip away." Rebekah announced. "I know what to do to stop Esther."

"Rebekah, no." Elijah interjected.

"I'm going to take her deal." Rebekah decided. "And when I do, I am taking her down with me."

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Enola gently set Hope into the crib. She softly smiled down at her daughter before quietly backing out of the room. She closed the door behind her, careful not to wake the sleeping child before turning to find her fiancé leaning against the opposite wall. She put a finger up to her lips, telling him to be quiet before leading him down the hallway and into the study where they could speak in private.

"Hayley is here. Rebekah and I will be leaving." Klaus explained. "I just wanted to say goodbye."

"Oh," Enola muttered, looking down in slight disappointment.

Klaus stared at Enola in silence for a long moment. He found himself examining every inch, every crease, every line, engraved upon her face. He wanted—no, needed—to remember it all. A face that has been used for centuries and yet she made it so different. He truly loved her with all of his heart. He didn't want to leave things on bad terms with her.

"What are you thinking?" Klaus whispered softly.

"That I love you," Enola whispered.

Klaus gave Enola a soft smile. He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before leaning to press a kiss to her forehead, then the tip of her nose and her plump lips. This is the most intimate they had been with anyone. The thought of kissing someone else with so much passion made the both of them physically grimace.

"I love you too," Klaus confessed softly.

"Let me know when you get back to New Orleans," Enola pleaded.

Klaus gave Enola a gentle nod before stepping back. He turned to the door to leave, but stopped himself with a heavy sigh. He turned to face her, earning a look of confusion in return. He didn't respond as he stormed back to her and pressed his lips to hers in a flurry of love and hope. He left her breathless, resting his forehead on hers.

"Do you want to know what I really wished for?" Klaus hummed.

"What did you really wish for?" Enola inquired.

"I wished to make you my wife," Klaus confessed. "So I will."

"The unification ceremony—"

"I am going to marry you regardless," Klaus claimed. "Besides—the sooner, the better."

"I love you!" Enola squealed, pulling Klaus into a bone crushing hug.

"I love you too," Klaus smiled softly. "Always and forever."

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AUTHORS NOTE.
sorry it has been so long since i last updated. i hope you enjoyed this chapter. i know it was a little boring. though they all definitely deserved this moment of silence before the storm. until next time, my loves!!!