XXI - 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔣𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔟𝔢𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥

(edited)

"HERE," Judas grinned boyishly as he handed Elena a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," the doppelganger blushed, touched by the simple action.

"No problem, I kinda figured you'd need it." Judas paced himself to Elena's steps as they walked up to the Salvatore Boarding house.

"How come?" She asked, sipping her coffee.

The door opened on its own accord and the pair were met with a makeup-smeared Rebekah and shirt-unbuttoned Damon.

"Because of that," Judas finished.

"Hello, nephew," Rebekah greeted haughtily, before shouldering past Elena and Judas.

Elena's jaw was practically on the floor, which made Judas reach out to close her mouth.

"In case flies get in," He defended himself when Damon sent him a weird look.

"Did you stop taking your vervain?" Elena asked, stepping into the house.

"You think Rebekah had to compel me?"

"What's wrong with you? She tried to kill me less than forty-eight hours ago," Elena gestured frantically.

Judas kept his mouth shut.

"Can we just move past that, Elena?"

"So is that how it's going to be now? I hurt your feelings and this is how you lash out at me?"

Damon poured himself a drink and drawled lazily, "Well, maybe, for once, something I did had nothing to do with you."

Elena huffed, walking into the house uninvited. "You should know that Esther is planning on killing her entire family. She's linked them all together with a spell. Whatever happens to one, happens to all of them."

"Well, that's great! Klaus will finally be dead. We win. Why do you look like someone just shot a panda bear?" Damon chuckled, looking at Judas' similarly worried expression.

"Uh, because to kill Klaus she has to kill all of them, including Elijah and Lilura. And they don't deserve this!"

"Lilura?" Judas and Damon echoed at the same time.

"Yes. She drank the champagne at the party," Elena bit her lip. "Ergo, she dies too."

Damon sighed, black bags under his eyes more prominent than before. "It's better, you know, for the greater good." He said a bit mockingly.

Elena blanched, "But she's your friend."

"I guess that I should care about Elijah too?"

The Gilbert blew a strand of hair out of her eyes, "Shouldn't you at least care about Rebekah?"

"Two seconds ago, you were pissed that she attacked you. It's a win-win."

Elena grew quiet.

"You seem oddly quiet about the mass extinction of your own blood," Damon commented, shifting his eyes to Judas.

For a moment he looked conflicted. It had passed so quickly Damon was unsure if he had seen it or if he had just imagined it.

"Family isn't by blood," Judas replied. "I learned that much going from foster home to foster home, adoptive family to the next. Family is who you love."

Elena and Damon watched as he turned around to leave without another word.

---- Δ ----

"Well, well, well, there's our girl!" Kol joked giddily when Rebekah finally returned.

"Get out of my way, Kol," She snarled.

"Out all night. What a scandal! I trust you did better than that commoner? Matt, was it?"

"If you don't shut your mouth, the next thing to come out of it will be your teeth," answered the female Original.

Klaus grinned.

"Don't start, Nik!"

"I didn't say anything," He managed through his laughter.

"Were you with Damon?" Lilura piped up, coming down the stair with Sirius in her arms. "I can smell his bloody axe cologne all the way over here."

At the sight of the siren, Klaus immediately closed up. The smile slipped from his face and the muscles on his back tightened.

"I'm bored," Kol cleverly changed the subject, trying in vain to mask the new tense atmosphere. "Our sister is a strumpet, but at least she's having fun. I need entertainment."

"What are you waiting for? Go on, have at it," Klaus said shortly, grabbing the newspaper on the coffee table and flinging it open to block out the sight of the siren.

"It's not fun to go alone. Join me, Nik! It's the least you can do after sticking a dagger in my heart."

"Okay. Why not? I didn't have nearly enough to drink last night, what with you trying to murder Rebekah's date."

"Yes, please go, this house has enough men rolling around it in."

Rebekah sneered.

"Just like you, Bekah!" Kol stuck his tongue out before whisking himself out the door.

Rebekah threw her earrings at their disappearing backs. "Good riddance, both of you!"

Elijah entered the room with a frown on his face. "Sister...Lilu."

"Not you too, Elijah," Rebekah groaned and stomped her feet.

"What is it, 'Lijah?"

"I'm worried about mother. Have you not noticed her strange behavior?"

Rebekah fixed her hair in front of a mirror, "She's been dead for a thousand years. What's strange for her?"

"Burnt sage," said the Original as he held up the herb.

"You know she fancies such things. Why don't you ask Finn? He's been doting on her," Rebekah challenged.

Elijah rolled his shoulder, as if to get rid of a bad feeling. "I don't trust Finn. He hates what we are, he always has."

"That's not true. And as for mother, she returned for one reason, to make our family whole. She loves us. What trouble are you looking to find?"

Lilura and Elijah locked gazes at the exact same moment.

That wasn't the only reason Esther returned.

Elijah's lip twitched before walking over to pour himself a drink at the piano. Lilura subtly followed by settling herself in an armchair adjacent to it. Squealing in delight once she saw Oliver Twist, the Siren flipped it open enthusiastically.

"I'll be upstairs, showering," Rebekah informed. "I need to get this Salvatore stench off me."

"Good luck with that!" Lilura called, chuckling when Rebekah sniffed her clothes and sham retched at the smell.

When Rebekah disappeared, Elijah rushed to the seat beside the siren.

"You can't come with me."

Lilura set down her book. "Aw c'mon! Why not?"

"I believe Elena will suspect things faster if you accompany me to question her," Elijah stroked his chin. "Why not keep an eye on my mischievous brothers instead?"

"Instead of being your brilliant wing woman, you want me to babysit Klaus and Kol?"

"Precisely."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"NO!"

"I'll buy Sirius a house!" Elijah said.

Lilura thought for a moment, mulling it over. Elijah grinned at the interest in her eyes.

"...and I'll buy you alcohol."

She grasped his warm hand. "Deal."

---- Δ ----

"What can I get for ya?"

Lilura groaned inwardly at the waitress's cheerful voice. She was a nice-looking girl but the thought of babysitting the two most mischievous originals made her want to curl up into a ball and sleep.

Even so, Lilura smiled brilliantly. "Water please, and maybe a chicken drumstick for my dog."

"Coming right up!"

Where were those gits?

She lazily observed the Grill, not caring much until she glimpsed chocolate hair and a smile.

"Saltz?" She whispered to herself. A movement of brunette hair alerted Lilura to another presence. "With a girl?" She gasped.

Sirius was already out of his seat.

"Sorry to interrupt," The enchantress drawled, coming up from behind Alaric and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Saltz! Who's this pretty lady?"

"Oh, this is Meredith Fell."

"Nice to meet you," the woman smiled.

"Enchnaté," Lilura returned politely. "So what were you two love birds chatting about?"

Meredith froze but Alaric waved a hand. "She's good," He said, patting Lilura's head. "Can you believe there's a new serial killer in town, Lily?"

"Oh. That's nice," She replied like he had just told her it would rain today.

"More like serial vampire," Meredith said, leaning in.

"Wait...you think the killer's a vampire?" Alaric unconsciously mirrored her action.

"There are no other suspects. It's the obvious conclusion," Meredith shrugged.

"Oh come on now. Let's not go blaming the new family in town just because you lot have got yourselves a killer at large," Klaus stepped in arrogantly. "Don't mind us. My brother and I are just here to let off some steam, right Kol?"

Kol smirked, delighted by the company. "Right."

---- Δ ----

The brothers had depleted half of the Mystic Grill's alcohol supply but seemed to be standing upright.

Lilura, unfortunately, was sober.

"Stop being sad!" Kol said. "If you pout anymore I might not be able to control myself."

Immediately, the enchantress chuckled. "Go wild. I'm quite bored myself."

"I love life-endangering activities!" Kol giggled before kissing her cheeks swiftly.

Klaus, on the other side of the room, growled.

"I forgot to tell you, last night you looked ravishing," Kol ignored his bigger brother, leaning closer to Lilura. "Exquisite...almost good enough to eat."

"Say another word and I'll tear out your liver," Klaus hissed under his breath, but all the immortals could hear it as clear as day.

"Are you idiots done with whatever this is? Day drinking is not a fun activity."

Klaus walked over to Kol and Lilura, brooding gaze still locked in place.

"Why don't you join us for a drink?" Kol wiggled his eyebrow and placed a hand on her thigh.

The Siren shoved his head, "Mmm, I'd rather die of thirst. But thanks." And then she got up, walking out the Mystic Grill.

Kol sighed dramatically, "Isn't she stunning, Nikki?"

"She certainly looks good walking away from you," The Hybrid grinned.

"She's walking away from you too, brother," Kol said, suddenly serious. "Maybe one day, it'll be forever."

Klaus was visibly shaken by his words. "We're going through a rough patch. It's merely a spat. She'll be over it in the next century or so."

Kol shrugged, enjoying his brother's insecurity. "Will she? She put her heart out on her sleeve and bared her soul to you. She made sacrifices unparalleled to anyone. Are you ready to let that walk away?"

Klaus set down his glass. "You make a damn good point when you aren't being impulsively stupid."

Kol stuck up his middle finger and let it stay there until Klaus had disappeared to go after Lilura.

---- Δ ----

"I thought I would find you here."

The siren refused to look at him. "Oh, so now, you're talking to me?"

"What's wrong with now?" Klaus asked, sitting next to her on the same bench on top of a hill.

"You're only here because you're jealous," She answered. "Last night too. Couldn't stand seeing me dance with Elijah and Kol?"

"As a matter of fact," Klaus hummed. "I can't."

"Oh?" came her outraged cry.

"That's stupid because they are my friends. You can't not let me talk to them."

"I know," He said, looking up at the sky. "Lilura, I wanted to -"

"Shit!" The enchantress gasped, placing a hand on her throbbing chest, which felt like it was about to fall apart any second.

Klaus clutched his chest too. Agonized, he looked at her in confusion.

"Klaus, what is this?"

A moment of realization dawned on his features. "Kol," He whispered.

Lilura staggered to her feet and sped after Klaus.

They arrived at the alley behind Mystic Grill, where they could hear some very unathletic grunts.

"Tell your sexy doctor "Good work"!" Damon smirked slyly.

"Maybe," Lilura hissed, still clutching her chest. "You shouldn't celebrate too early."

They dropped Kol's body and turned around to see two very furious immortals.

"Surprise," Klaus deadpanned before rushing over to undagger Kol.

Lilura fought with Stefan, careful not to let his teeth puncture her skin. Vampire venom always had an unpleasant sting to it, so she avoided it all costs. Stefan struck her side, making the siren double over. As she panted, she felt her strength slowly return to her body; Kol opened his eyes and coughed in the corner, reviving. She realized they were connected somehow.

"I should have killed you months ago," Klaus spat in Damon's face, holding the younger vampire against the wall.

"Do it. It's not going to stop Esther from killing you."

Klaus slacked his grip, "What did you say?"

Damon smirked, "You didn't know I was friends with mummy Esther? Yeah, we have a lot in common. She hates you as much as I do."

Klaus' entire being shifted before he began to pounce. However, Elijah appeared at the top of the stairs and stopped it.

"Leave him! We still need them, Niklaus."

"What did mother do? What did she do, Elijah?" Klaus said.

Elijah walked down to them and held up a phone. He nodded to Lilura, confirming what she was thinking. Somehow, the Originals were connected, and they could feel each other's pain. If one died, then the rest did too.

A chill slithered down her spine.

"You tell me where the witches are or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now," Elijah said grimly, expression almost absent as if he could be doing better things.

"You told me we had until after nine."

"I'm sure Rebekah will be more than happy to start her work early."

---- Δ ----

The immortals met each other at the base of the hill. The moon was peaking through several clouds and the overall morale was low, to say the very least. On the way, Elijah had explained what exactly Esther had done and was met with disbelief, anger, and resignation.

"Always and forever was apparently a lie," Lilura grumbled, hiking up her sweater as they slowly ascended the hill.

"Not a lie," Elijah said. "Just misinterpreted."

"And misleading," Kol smiled despite his looming death. "Who knew mother hated us all?"

"I did," Finn Mikaelson boomed from his place next to Esther.

"My sons, come forward," She smiled serenely.

Finn eyed their collective stance - which Lilura would like to describe as fiercely cool - with disgust. "Stay beside me, mother."

"It's okay. They can't enter," said a third voice from within the circle.

Judas stepped out of the shadows and stopped in front of Lilura and Klaus.

"Mother," He bowed, smirk on full display. "Father. Fancy seeing you here."

Beside the siren, Klaus Mikaelson controlled his hands from reaching out to throttle his son.

"What are you doing?" Lilura hissed.

"Grandma wanted some help carrying these torches and whatever that witchy

crap is," He nonchalantly pointed to the scroll binding all their names together.

Klaus growled low in his throat.

"Relax, old man. I'm only here for the show."

"How could you?" Lilura choked, reaching out to touch Judas' shoulder, but flinching back when the fire around them roared to life. "We may not be perfect parents, but we are yours."

Judas' blue eyes stared into her soul. They were so much like Klaus', only they portrayed a new kind of hate Lilura could feel emanating from his entire form.

It felt like the sky when chaotic hail fell. It was a knife coated in poison, twisting and turning in your stomach. It was a small fire being blown out by the thundering wind and the Arctic ice all in one.

She shivered.

"I have parents," Judas said. "Their names are Donny and Claire. They live in New York. Lilura and Klaus Mikaelson are dead to me."

"Listen," Lilura whispered to Judas, praying that Esther was too occupied to hear their conversation. A quick glance told her that Kol was causing a good distraction.

"I didn't give you up willingly. I was forced to. Esther struck a deal in exchange for their lives," She gestured to the Mikaelsons. "Please. I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted you to go from home to home and never feel like you truly belong. I love you Judas, from the moment I laid my eyes on you."

The siren's expression conveyed the rest of what she wanted to say. She could see his resolve slowly break and -

"You're lying," came Judas' response, voice short and harsh. "You're desperate. You just want to live."

He turned away and left Lilura with tears in her beautiful eyes.

"Whatever you think of us, killing your own children will be an atrocity, and roping an innocent soul into this is no better," Elijah intervened.

Esther stared at Lilura, "My only regret is that I did not let her kill you a thousand years ago. How foolish was I to give you a chance to escape, Siren?" Esther chuckled softly. "But then again, I liked seeing you squirm. Should I give up my son and face a lifetime of regret or save my husband who would inevitably become more sinister from my fake death? Choices, choices. They weren't your strong suit."

"Enough," Klaus fumed. "All this talk is boring me. End this now, Mother, or I'll send you back to Hell."

"For a thousand years, I've been forced to watch you. Felt the pain of every victim, suffered while you shed blood. Klaus: the impetuous monster, Kol: the shrewd psychotic, Rebekah: the hopeless bloodthirster, and Elijah: the noble hypocrite. And you, Lilura Anthemoessa, the fated killer meant to destroy my children one way or another."

Esther raised her arms, the fire reflecting in her eyes. "All of you. You're a curse on this Earth. Stretched out over generations. If you've come to plead for your life, I'm sorry, you've wasted your time."

---- Δ -----

Stefan Salvatore's phone buzzed consistently.

"Answer it," Damon ordered. "With your luck it'll ring when they come."

He quickly yanked his phone out of his pocket. It was a simple text, but anything but the person was simple.

JM : Do it. Now.

"What?" Damon asked when Stefan looked up.

"Just the signal," Stefan mumbled and pointed to the warehouse. "There they are."

Abby and Bonnie trudged through the forest, arriving to the warehouse just as Stefan pointed out. They entered and the Salvatore brothers waited.

Stefan gulped in a large breath before following, all the while knowing things between him and Bonnie would never be the same again.

Damon propelled himself forward to the second floor, where he could hear Abby shuffling around for materials. He nodded to his brother.

"Stefan? What's going on?" Bonnie asked, staring at the vampire in mild concern.

"They took Elena. They're going to kill her unless we stop Esther."

"Stefan, I- I can't stop her. She's channeling us!"

"Bonnie, if you can't stop her. I have to find another way," said Stefan.

Bonnie's caramel eyes widened in realization. "No...Stefan, no."

The witch struggled to escape his clutches, "What are you gonna do? Even if you kill us, Esther is channeling every witch in our ancestry, living and dead."

"Esther's drawing from the witches. The only way to cut her off is if one of you is no longer a witch."

Upstairs, Abby stopped as she heard Bonnie's high pitches tones. "Bonnie?" She called, frowning when a book fell from its shelf.

Then a gust of wind blew past her and an unmistakably hard voice said, "This will only hurt a second."

And then Abby Bennet fell down with a thud.

---- Δ ----

"I guess this is it," Lilura said to the Mikaelson brothers. She looked up at the sky, unaware the Salvatore brothers had pulled off Elijah's request. "We're all going to die."

"I'm sorry I used my devastating good looks and charm to get you into bed," Kol apologized abruptly (also ignorant to Elijah's schemes).

"But...you've never successfully seduced me," The siren replied, eyebrows scrunched at the proclamation.

"Yet," Kol hummed. "One of my regrets."

"I'm sorry I constantly push you to your limits, brother," Elijah told Klaus. "I want the best for you."

Klaus nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry I carted you two around like knick-knacks in those coffins. Truth is, I never wanted to be alone. My paranoia inhibited me from ever undaggering you."

"I'm sorry I left you all so suddenly," Lilura said, running a hand through her hair. "I regret everything."

"We understand," Elijah spoke up, flashing her a gentle smile. "Kol and I are grateful for your sacrifices."

Pointedly, the youngest male Mikaelson looked at Klaus, signaling for the Hybrid to talk to Lilura.

"Elijah," Kol called. "Tell me about that tree over there."

Lilura raised an eyebrow, "In your last moments on the is earth, you want to listen to Elijah ramble about Maple trees?"

"Yes," He sniffed, again flashing Klaus a look over Lilura's shoulder. "They're fascinating."

The two brothers turned around to give Lilura and Klaus some privacy.

The Hybrid coughed. "I'm sorry."

"Pardon?"

"I said, I'm sorry," Klaus managed. "I understand that your actions were limited - and although I believe if you had told me we were expecting a son, I would have found a way to keep him and keep my life - I am thankful for the choice you made."

"You are?" She inquired, biting her lip from smiling.

"Yes. I love you, Lilura Anthemoessa. I hope you know that."

"I do know," She giggled. "You're terrible at hiding it."

After a few moments she enveloped Klaus into a hug. "I love you too."

He breathed in her scent. "If this is the way I'm going, then I'm glad it's with you."

Lilura felt a tear slip down her face as she realized the intensity of what was to come next. Their immortal lives were soon to be long gone. Legacies and stories would end tonight. The clouds would recede into the dark sky. The sun would not rise for them again.

And then suddenly, Esther shrieked, "No! Sisters! Do not abandon me!"

"Mother!" Finn shouted, quickly rushing to her side.

"You!" Esther snarled at Judas, sensing this current pain she was feeling was due to the demonic spawn known as Judas Mikaelson. "What did you do?"

"Severed the Bennet ties and realized I needed my family," He smirked. "Bye-bye Esther. Hope you get that hip checked out."

With a wave of his hand, Judas dislocated Esther's hip, enacting a scream of anguish.

Simultaneously, the torches flared up. Lilura, Klaus, Kol, and Elijah crouched down in order to avoid getting burnt.

And then, as if by signal, everything disappeared. There was no trace of Esther or Finn, and the vampires looked around frantically.

Out of the circle, Judas Mikaelson greeted his family. "Sorry about that," He dusted off his black sleeve. "I hate lying witches more than lying bïtches."

Judas' blue eyes met Lilura's, "No offense."

She chuckled, marveling at how grown up he looked, "None taken."