Author's note: Welcome to Act III of The Curse of the Sun and the Moon, also known as A Live Showing of Enzo's Slow Descent into Temporary Insanity Thanks to His Obnoxious Cast.
Thank you for all the kind words for the previous chapter, beautiful darlings! I'm very touched and moved. Without further ado, on with the show!
Now that they were blissfully in an intermission, Enzo could allow himself a moment of respite from the near-constant stress he felt since the play began. Act Three would begin within twenty minutes and allocating several of those toward the end to give a pep talk to his cast, this gave Enzo at least fifteen minutes to completely unwind.
And boy, did he ever need it.
When Rebekah promptly cancelled any plans to take Matt Donovan on a whirlwind world tour following graduation because she'd just gotten back together with her longtime love, Marcel, Tyler opted to take him around, instead. Rebekah still offered to fund the trip, while the boys went wild, exploring the globe to their hearts' content. For Matt, this was his first chance to really find who he was outside the small town that he had hitherto never left. For Tyler, it was an opportunity to test out his new identity, mostly through purchasing all kinds of exotic and highly potent spirits to test his shiny, new hybrid constitution. Tyler Lockwood would be the quintessential frat boy once college started. He brought a few back for the secret cast party that they planned to have in a private corner they'd squirrel away during the wedding reception.
Enzo looked over the contraband, his gaze lingering on wormwood-infused absinthe and Jamaican rum, notorious for its high alcohol-by-volume count. Figuring that he needed to calm his trembling nerves before what was arguably the most important act in the play – at least to him – since he had high hopes for the emotional impact of the last scene on at least one audience member in particular, Enzo decided that it was time for shots. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the cast, sans Hayley due to her pregnancy, joined in. Unprofessional? Yes, but look at where being professional got him, Enzo thought with a pout. At least this way they'd finally be on the same wavelength.
This was either going to be a complete disaster or utterly brilliant, Enzo surmised.
Bonnie liked seeing the effect Keelin had on Freya. Even sitting next to her and holding her hand throughout the performance had a noticeable impact, since Freya had not a single vengeful look in her eye at what was clearly a not-so-subtle dig at her family.
"I'm going to take a little peek backstage," Bonnie said wryly. "I have a feeling that not all of those misadventures we've been privy to were planned."
"And you'll finally unveil your big surprise, when?" Freya asked, unable to resist her suspicious nature.
"After the play," Bonnie said lightly, a mysterious smile on her lips as she made her prompt exit from their box.
Bonnie made her way through a series of doors until she finally found the Green Room, with the cast of The Curse of the Sun and the Moon laughing uproariously over – well, she couldn't quite tell.
Poor Hayley sat in a corner, sulking, clearly not sharing in on the very intoxicated fun.
Why did she even come here, Bonnie wondered? Oh, right, to check on Enzo, who appeared to be in obvious distress during the performance to anyone in the vicinity containing even an ounce of empathic magic. Watching the hybrids and the occasional werewolf gather around him, she felt her heart constrict. She had to tell him. How would he react? Enzo certainly wasn't a witch, so the Twin Flame spell had absolutely no effect on his dreams.
Deciding to gather her courage, Bonnie swiftly swept through the doorway, announcing her presence with a playful lilt to her voice. "So, this is where the esteemed Moonlit Players gather when they plan their mischief?" she asked, her hands clasped together behind her back, unwilling to give anything away.
"Bonnie!" Enzo instantly brightened, fixing his hair, while the rest of the cast groaned at what they assumed was impending admonishment for their onstage misbehavior.
"In the witchy flesh," Bonnie smiled. "I think you should do something to let poor Hayley in on the fun; after all, her description of Klaus in Act One was positively inspired," she remarked with a grin, and exited with what she hoped was a flair of mystery, ultimately chickening out of her endeavor.
The wedding guests all took their seats just as the curtain parted, revealing a scene in the woods. They certainly made use of that set design, Bonnie thought. It appeared in every act. Outwardly, Bonnie looked perfectly content and peaceful; inside, she was an anxious wreck. In her hands, she held a box containing Rebekah's present. No one knew what was inside, save for herself and her annoyingly obsessive ancestor, who was still pining for a loser of yesteryear after two thousand years. At least they managed to get rid of the Other Side painlessly, Bonnie thought with both relief and an inward scoff. Freya had really been a huge help. It turns out she learned quite a bit from her aunt Dahlia, traumatic though it was.
"You think you're being slick, Bonnie Bennett, but I know you – you've had three micro-expression changes within the last few seconds. What gives?" Freya asked her fellow witch with a raised eyebrow. "Nervous about the present?"
"Yes and no," Bonnie admitted with a sigh. "I really think she'll like it, but it's just such a huge deal. It'll change everything."
Feeling a rare softness for a fellow living being that wasn't a Mikaelson, Freya took Bonnie's hand in hers. "Look, I know I acted suspicious – but that's just who I am. My aunt Dahlia ensured that," she admitted bitterly, before allowing the emotion to pass through her to reveal the sincerity underneath. "But I know you've a good heart, and I know your intentions are good, so no matter what happens, I know I'll love it. And Bex will, too."
Bonnie smiled and squeezed her Co-Queen of the Witches Council's hand, feeling touched despite herself. "Thanks, Freya," she breathed, feeling some of the anxiety evaporate. "I feel better already."
"Now on to more pleasant news," Freya grinned. "I noticed that way you've been gazing at our troublesome director since the spell was cast. Is it him?"
"It is," Bonnie admitted with a nervous wince.
"Does he know?" Freya prodded.
"Not yet, and I have no idea how to tell him," Bonnie admitted, deflated.
"It'll come to you, Bonnie," Freya winked, stealing a glance at Keelin, who sat on her other side. "In the right moment, when you finally gather your wits, you'll know exactly how to act."
Meanwhile, on the stage, Enzo-Elijah approached the hybrids meant to be playing the doppelgänger and her friends. Hayley looked a bit green, her morning sickness deciding to visit her in the afternoon that day. Tyler, playing himself, was relieved to be able to remove his Cloud wig, since it was making his scalp itch.
"Quick, everyone" Tyler-as-himself intoned in a manner that he was positive sounded utterly heroic, "we have to make haste and away before we encounter the wrath of that coward, Klaus! I'll protect Caroline, Bonnie, and our doppelgänger, Elena!"
"Oh, Tyler!" Melanie-Caroline swooned, positively alight with admiration for the hybrid that seemed entirely too real.
"You're so strong and handsome!" Alyssa-Bonnie gushed, though hers didn't sound anywhere as convincing, prompting Enzo to think that perhaps Melanie's crush may be entirely too real.
"Oh, Tyler! You're so – " Hayley-Elena intoned miserably, then made a quick dash off the stage, holding a hand over her mouth desperately.
"Oh, what the fu—" Caroline began exclaiming, only to be interrupted from loud shushing from the increasingly irritated lady in front of them, who definitely liked someone in the cast. "You, shh!" she shot back, irritated by her portrayal.
"Mine is accurate," Elena snickered when her vampiric ears picked up the sounds of Hayley's vomiting backstage."
Craig-Damon and Alessandro-Stefan watched Hayley depart with utter confusion, at a complete loss of what to do now that the lead actress of the scene disappeared, only to be even more bewildered when Enzo made a move to follow her, making exaggerated running motions to let the audience know that her departure was apparently part of the act.
Though her castmates plainly knew otherwise.
"Where did Elena go?" asked Craig-Damon, running after Enzo with equal dramatic flair.
"She's been kidnapped!" Enzo-Elijah announced woefully, not quite sure how else to explain the chaos onstage. "Probably by my brother, Klaus," he added, looking at Tyler meaningfully, and gesturing backstage with his eyes, hoping that Tyler gets the hint and dons his spiky, blond wig again.
It looked like Tyler Lockwood was going to have to improvise. This was either going to be a disaster or the greatest unintentional farce of all time. All Enzo knew is that he was grateful for all those drinks, because otherwise, he would have probably had an anxiety attack.
"Vampire Barbie acting desperate, Fratty-Fratty-Wolf-Boy being a windbag, and Elena getting kidnapped. Probably the most accurate summation of last year I've seen yet," Damon smirked. "And naturally, Damon's the best actor in the cast."
"The fact that he can make even you look good is a testament to his skill," Caroline shot back, seething.
As Hayley's retching became louder, Elena felt her own gag reflex stir, having always been particularly sensitive to the sounds and smells of vomiting. She worked to take deep, even breaths, gripping her seat tight in an effort to keep the contents of her stomach inside.
"Oh my God, Elena, please don't hurl here!" Caroline gasped, horrified.
Within seconds, Rebekah was at their side, compelling Elena to be able to leave her seat if she needed to throw up – the feeling was certainly relatable – and she was not about to have her wedding play ruined by questionable sights and smells in the seats.
"I'm okay," Elena breathed, when Hayley finally stopped, leaning back in her seat and letting Damon wrap a comforting arm around her.
"Definitely stay away from bartending, as far as after-class college jobs go," Stefan winced.
"Is life about to imitate art with the real-life doppelgänger following Hayley's example?" Kol grinned in a manner that Rebekah found positively obnoxious, as soon as she got back to her seat.
"She's not the only one," Marcel quipped. "If I have to watch that Lockwood kid blunder through one more dramatic 'aside,' I might join her.
Tyler-Klaus stood on a sparsely decorated section of the stage, meant to resemble a room, with a very pale Hayley-Elena. "The ritual is in two days, Elena. Soon, you will be sacrificed to unleash my wolf side," he sneered.
"Oh, get bent, you snotty, overbearing, hyper-dramatic baby!" Hayley groaned, trying to get some energy back. "And quadruple-texting isn't a power-move. It just makes you seem like an anxious dick. Maybe try spending a bit more time with Cami this week? You definitely need it," she needled sarcastically, clearly-not-entirely in character.
Tyler's eyes widened, not expecting Hayley to go this far off-script, but they were improvising, he reasoned. "I text as much as I want, because I am the Great Klaus Mikaelson!" he screamed with the most self-importance that Tyler could muster – able to admit to himself that this was kind of fun.
"My friends will save me," Hayley weakly moaned, taking a seat on the couch in the corner, and promptly choosing to lay down instead. Her pregnancy nausea was really knocking her out.
"Are you saying that my arch-nemesis, the fearsome Tyler Lockwood will save you?" he roared, then exited the stage, only to come back without a wig two seconds later.
"Elena!" Tyler-as-Tyler announced. "I've come to save you! I just fought Klaus and knocked him out, because he's such a pathetic weakling. Come on! We don't have much time before he wakes up," he urged. "I left some paint supplies and a canvas in hopes he gets distracted and decides to paint more wolf porn," he added as a smirky afterthought.
Hayley just groaned and turned away from him, wishing she could just take a nap. Luckily, in the next second, Enzo-Elijah and the rest of the Mystic Falls group rushed in, picking her up in their arms and taking her backstage.
"What!?" Damon balked. "That is not how it happened. I saved you. Me! From your crazy kamikaze missions," he pouted. "Stef helped occasionally, in-between bouts of YouTube hair tutorials and brutalizing all of Bambi's descendants."
"I think I prefer this version of events," Caroline smirked. "Much more handsome lead."
Damon gave her a withering look.
"Why don't I have any lines yet?" Stefan complained.
"He just has you crying in a corner," Elena winced, pointing to the shuddering figure with tears that clearly came from a spray bottle rolling down his cheeks.
"Probably just hiding from his real arch-nemesis, Captain Planet," Damon quipped, before turning to Stefan with a wag of his finger. "Remember, Steffie, the Planeteers don't take too kindly to polluting the environment and killing helpless forest creatures, so keep that hair spray addiction under control."
Stefan scowled.
Tyler, Melanie, and Craig ran out into the forest-set again, gazing dramatically at a large, painted sphere being raised to signify the Full Moon.
"Noooo!" Tyler-as-Tyler screamed dramatically, before grabbing a large, plush wolf and placing it before his face, crouching behind the adorable toy.
"No, Tyler, please control the sexy beast within!" cried Melanie-Caroline, fanning herself. "That animal magnetism is just too hot!"
"Watch out, Blondie!" Craig-Damon, exclaimed, just as the cute little plushie nuzzled his arm. "Aah!" he screamed, grabbing his elbow.
Tyler-as-himself threw the wolf away to signify his transformation back into man and fell to his knees mournfully. "Oh, I am but a villain, for I have forsaken my honor and wronged a friend, in a way most foul."
Moments later, Enzo, followed by Hayley, Alyssa, and Alessandro joined them. Enzo raised an inquisitive eyebrow at seeing Tyler on his knees, crying in overdramatic despair. Maybe he really shouldn't have let his cast drink prior to Act Three. Oh well – no going back now.
"It's not your fault," Melanie-Caroline said, gathering him into a hug, while Tyler made some loud noises that were probably meant to sound like crying, but really just reminded Enzo of a truck getting caught in some mud, and unable to back out.
Before he could say anything, Hayley swiftly got up, and ran backstage, feeling her nausea – which she couldn't with any degree of certainty say was from her pregnancy alone – worsen again.
Taking that as his cue, Enzo-Elijah jumped out as well, projecting to the audience, "Oh no! Elena got kidnapped again!" and moved to follow her, praying that the rest of the cast would take that as a hint and stop this ridiculous scene.
"That's like the tenth time she got kidnapped!" tutted a woman sitting in front of the vampiric quartet. "She should really be more careful."
"Again, accurate," Damon smirked.
"You did get kidnapped a lot, Elena," Caroline concurred, horrified at actually agreeing with Damon on anything.
"It wasn't my fault!" Elena cried in annoyance, petulantly crossing her arms over her chest. "You try being a doppelgänger."
"I can't, baby," Damon soothed, wrapping in a comforting embrace and rubbing her arm to soothe her. "Imagine this face on multiple gorgeous bodies? The world wouldn't be able to handle that level of sexy. Everyone would just stop what they're doing to ogle us all day. Society as we know it would collapse entirely."
"And if you all ever came together, the combined egos would probably form a gravitational field strong enough to rival a black hole and destroy us all, you're right," Elena murmured into his chest, hiding her smirk.
"I'm always right," Damon said, dropping a kiss into her hair.
"Now I'm going to vomit," Stefan deadpanned. "Must be because I'm a doppelgänger. I'm sure that's the only reason," he said, rolling his eyes, as Hayley's retching became increasingly audible to their vampiric ears.
The scene was set. The Moonlit Players were back in the woods, but now three of them stood inside bright rings of fire. Kim grinned with unadulterated glee. This would be her moment.
In the circles stood Hayley-Elena, Kim-Jenna, and Lisa-Jules, as Tyler-Klaus menacingly strode back and forth along the stage.
Somewhere in the distance, Craig-Damon and Alessandro-Stefan – surreptitiously spraying water to look like tears onto his face every time he turned his back to the audience – watched the scene helplessly.
"The hour is at hand!" Tyler-Klaus announced to Beth, a New Orleans witch who gleefully volunteered to play the witch in this scene – she'd always dreamed of the stage but was too painfully shy for a speaking role. Happily, this one only required her to cast some magic, like keeping the fires in the circles contained and some extra dazzle for 'special effects.' "In but a few moments' time, my wolf side will be freed!"
Enzo had a decision to make. Would he stay true to Tyler's story and portray Elijah betraying them all? Or would he dedicate himself entirely to his 'secret scene' and play himself? If it weren't for their impromptu pre-act party, perhaps his professionalism would have won out.
But not today.
The witch began her chant just as Tyler approached Lisa-Jules, pretending to drain her dry, as she fell limply inside her circle.
Next, he approached Kim-Jenna, who immediately affected a dramatic pose and fixed her blonde wig, breaking the tension with a sweet a cappella melody.
"All of my life, I'd been afraid,
Hiding my in wildness of the night;
Never did I anticipate,
The danger of the moonlight!"
With each note, her voice grew stronger, surer. Tyler's eyes practically bulged out of his skull, and he snuck a helpless glance at Enzo, entirely unsure what to do – except it seems Elijah wasn't taking part of this scene after all. He stood awkwardly as Kim stepped closer, cupping his face gently. What was going on?
"But now I'm free!
Free to explore the wolf inside of me!
Oh, I'm free!
Free to explore and live and just be me!"
Enzo winced at Kim rhyming a word with itself as he re-entered the stage as himself, motioning to Craig to begin their secret scene sooner than anticipated – anything to stop this debacle.
Suddenly, the spotlight shifted to Enzo in a cage, with a roaring fire all around him, while he cried helplessly for his friend to save him.
"I remember this night!" Craig-Damon exclaimed, speaking directly to the audience. "It was when I, Damon Salvatore, abandoned my friend – my brother – to die in a fire, while he begged for mercy.
Damon's jaw dropped for several whole seconds before he re-gathered his bearings. The rest of the audience – with the exception of the vampiric quartet – seemed to find the entire scene utterly hilarious, clearly misunderstanding Enzo's intent.
"So, in that other world," Damon whispered into Elena's ear surreptitiously, "how did you find out that illusion-Enzo left illusion-Damon to die in a fire?"
"He told me," Elena whispered back. "A few minutes before the door to exit appeared."
"Oh!" Damon exclaimed, surprised. "He kept it from you for that long? How did you react?"
Elena winced, apologetically. "I killed him. Ripped his heart clean out – but not before I told him that he should feel lucky that he got such a quick death, and it was only because I was in a hurry – and that I'd been faking my humanity for years, and that we were never friends. He was just a means to an end. I think that may have hurt him even more," she frowned mournfully. "Turns out faking humanity is surprisingly easy, which is a disturbing thought."
Damon listened to her story, grimacing, as he watched the scene onstage unfold.
Kim's eyes narrowed as she saw the spotlight shift to Enzo and Craig – Craig of all people. That insufferable little suck-up.
No matter. All was not lost. She'd just have to up her game, and if there's one thing Kim did well, it was attention-seeking. Abandoning her original song, she instead opted for one considerably more recognizable and decided to skip right to the final act. She grabbed the two little batons she stashed on her person and lit their ends using the ring of fire, before dramatically flipping outside, belting out her best Alicia Keys.
"This girl is on fiiiiiiiiiiire!" Kim sang, while dancing and dramatically twirling her batons. Actually familiar with this song, because they'd at least heard it prior to that day, the hybrid orchestra began to play in accompaniment. "This girl is on fiiiiiiire!"
Enzo and Craig watched, bewildered, as Kim managed to wrestle all the attention onto herself yet again, though Enzo was delighted to note that the audience really seemed to enjoy it, with some even taking out lighters and singing along.
Tyler, not to be left in the dust, immediately crossed over to Kim, and began dancing with her in sensual, grinding motions.
"She's walking on fiiiiire," Kim sang, dirty dancing with Tyler, while Hayley ran backstage again, her body commanding her immediate departure from the play.
"Oh look! Some blood from Klaus that will heal my werewolf bite!" Craig-Damon, not one to leave a plotline unresolved, suddenly appeared from backstage with a glass of red liquid that Enzo strongly suspected was actually wine.
With a sigh, Enzo gave into the fates, ultimately deciding that such rapt audience participation was an absolute sign of success – even if wasn't the kind he originally intended.
And wasn't this chaotic energy, shared between the performers and the audience, the spirit of Shakespeare after all?
"This girl is on fiiiiiire" Enzo joined the rest of the class in singing, as the spotlight centered around Tyler and Kim.
"Is that supposed to be Tyler dancing with one of the hybrids, or Klaus grinding all over Jenna? Was that innuendo before?" Damon laughed, then imitated singing, using the same dramatic gestures Kim employed earlier. "Free to explore the wolf inside of me!"
"Oh God," Elena breathed, not sure if it was Hayley's audible vomiting backstage or the idea of her aunt with Klaus that was making her sick, and promptly made a dash to join her.
Toward the conclusion of the song, both Elena and Hayley dizzily made their way out of the backstage area at the same time, stumbling onto the stage. Desperate to plug their show even more, Enzo grabbed Elena, lifting their clasped hands for all to see. "And now our play has been given high praise by the doppelgänger, herself!?"
Elena, who could barely stand upright after emptying what felt like the entirety of her stomach, just nodded numbly, not entirely sure of what was happening. Hayley surreptitiously poked her shoulder, gesturing for a quiet escape, and the two quickly snuck off-stage while the rest of the cast finished what was now to be their big number.
A very exhausted Hayley wordlessly pointed Elena over to the path that would take her back to her seat, to which she slowly stumbled, while Hayley wondered when she'd be allowed to leave. There was no way she was staying for the entirety of the ceremony and reception, feeling like this.
As the curtain drew to a close, the Moonlit Players each came out in turn to receive their bows, saving Tyler, Enzo, and poor Hayley for last, as they were the stars of the show.
It was only when the three of them made to move backward to join everyone else in their line across the stage that they heard a new set of hands join the applause, with a terrifyingly familiar voice.
Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson both stood from their seats toward the back of their theatre, affecting a sharp and sudden silence in everyone else, as the cast and attendees were frozen in terror.
"What a magnificent display!" Klaus announced with an unreadable expression, one that could be easily construed as threatening. "Elijah, did you know that apparently I was engaged in painting wolves in various stages of undress when I was a young mortal?"
"I had no idea, Niklaus," Elijah replied smoothly as he adjusted his elegant cufflinks. "Though I wouldn't be surprised," he said, affecting the subtlest trace of a smile. "Your talents and tastes would always project to astound."
"Indeed," Klaus grinned. "And as a patron of the arts – with the theatre bearing no exception – I would like to thank the esteemed director and cast of the Moonlit Players privately for their … unusual contribution to the Mikaelson mythos."
There was a collective sigh of relief in the audience. At least Klaus wasn't likely to go after them. The Moonlit Players, however – well, their fate was yet to be determined, it would seem.
"Before you leave, there's one final act in today's show!" Bonnie announced, projecting her voice magically as she stood from her seat. "I have a gift for our lovely bride!"
"Finally!" Freya huffed under her breath, her curiosity getting the best of her.
Rebekah squealed, jumping up and down joyfully in her seat. She loved presents – and surprises, when they didn't come from Klaus, or her mother – or most people in her family.
Bonnie, as Co-Queen of the Witches Council, walked slowly and regally to center-stage. "I present to you, Rebekah Mikaelson, one of your heart's truest desires – the Cure for Vampirism!"
And there you have it! Bonnie was communicating with Qetsiyah to learn how to make the Cure. So, before the story ends, the only person that's going to take it for sure is Rebekah. She can make more, but who actually decides to take it and who doesn't is going to be left deliberately ambiguous, so I'll let your imaginations take care of that. You can probably assume that Stefan will, too, because he really, really should, as a ripper. Just as a favor to society at large.
Given that both Damon and Hope seemed to have absolutely no trouble fooling their respective interlocutors (Lexi and Lizzie) about the status of their humanity, I'm assuming it's not all that hard to fake having it come back, so no-humanity Elena did it pretty easily with illusionary-Enzo, as well.
In the next chapter, we'll have the reception! Klaus and Elijah will make themselves a bit more known! :D
Probably only one or two chapters left – but at most three.
In completely unrelated news, I watched the series finale of Nancy Drew and it was super-satisfying! Considering that they learned that they weren't getting renewed about 3 episodes prior, they did a really impressive job of wrapping everything up.
Is anyone else watching Only Murders in the Building? I'm so itchy to discuss all my wild theories! :D
Thank you to all you delightful souls. I always try to reply to reviews via PM if it's possible, but if not, please accept my gratitude here. :D
For the guest reviewer who asked if I'm ever to write AH TVD fanfics: I love magic too much to disavow it in a magical world. I am planning a story that has an "AH" element, but that in itself will be a nefarious illusion, so the story won't really be AH at all (more like a mystery with strong sci-fi themes), so that's probably not what you mean. :D There are lots of lovely AH stories that I can recommend, though! Scarlett2122 has some great ones, as does DE92 (Cannonball and its sequel, Gravity, made me cry like a baby, because I was so attached to the characters by that point, and its happy ending felt very earned.) I'm probably forgetting a bunch, but there are writers who create AH exclusively. :D (Just not me.) I considered it briefly for a pirate story (since I love pirates so much!), but then I decided that magical pirates are way cooler!
Much love to all you beautiful souls! :D