XIX - 𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔢𝔯 & 𝔞 𝔯𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔭𝔱.2

(edited)

"BY THE POWER INVESTED ME, I BANISH YOU, DEMON!"

Esther Mikaelson almost wished she was back in the coffin as she watched her grandson hold up two crossed fingers to symbolize the crucifix.

As if that would get rid of her.

"For the millionth time," She said. "I'm not a demon."

"You sure look like one," He retorted, peeking at her with familiar green eyes. When she glared harder, he settled down.

"Enough," Esther commanded. "Do you know who I am?"

"Esther Mikaelson, my good old grandmother. How is that hip, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I never had a problem with it, foolish boy," She snapped. "Your parents, where are they?"

"Uh.. Claire's up in New York and Donny is probably in the garage. Why?"

"Not those parents," Esther pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Oh. My real parents," Judas scoffed. "Yeah. They're a little bit busy not caring in their huge mansion."

"Perfect," The witch smiled slowly. "Take me to them."

---- Δ ----

"So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?" Elijah started.

"That's very simple. Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, and Elena live happily ever after. No grudges," Damon smiled fakely.

"The deal sounds fair, brother," Elijah offered.

"I don't think you understand. Elena's doppelgänger blood insures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind," Klaus said.

He got out of his chair and started to pace back and forth. "Let's say I do leave her here, under your protection, what then? How long before one of you turns her into a vampire? Or worse, how long before she dies caught between your feuding? You see, each one of you truly believes that you're the one that can protect her, and that is simply a delusion. Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is...the two of you."

"Ain't that the sorry truth!" Lilura toasted, drinking the entire bottle of champagne.

Apparently, Klaus' speech had gotten to Damon, so the older Salvatore grinned weakly and excused himself.

"Let me deal with this," Elijah said to Klaus and Lilura before walking out of the mansion to find Damon.

"All this talk has made me thirsty," Klaus said mischievously.

"Here," Lilura held out the champagne. "Go wild."

"Thank you, love," He kissed her cheek swiftly before speeding to Stefan. "But I was thinking more of a drink with a heartbeat. What do you say Stefan? Can I interest you in a little after-dinner drink?" He prompted, pulling the servant up to said vampire.

Stefan shrugged, and the blood fest began.

---- Δ ----

"Delicious. Aged to perfection," Klaus finished his meal. The servant clutched her neck and made no sound as she slipped out the room, swaying a little at the loss of blood. They had been compelled to remain oblivious to vampiric activities.

"Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother," Stefan said.

"Oh no, I think you're doing that well enough on your own," Lilura chimed in.

"Yes and because of Elena, you're going to lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame," Klaus grinned, already imagining the eternal sorrow a certain vampire was going to feel. His blue eyes sparkled in mockery that was not playful in the slightest; it was immoral and repugnant — true abhorrence for the façade Stefan and Damon Salvatore wore like masks.

For was it not the truth? Elena Gilbert was doomed the moment the Salvatore brothers set their eyes on her.

Damon and Elijah returned to the dinner table, where Lilura was scoffing down several pies. She ate when she was bored, and Klaus' stare down with Stefan was not entertaining enough to keep her from snacking.

Suddenly, Damon spoke. "What do you say, Klaus? It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter."

Klaus stroke his chin, "Okay. I offer Elena's future happiness. You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot. And to fall in love with a human, maybe that nice football player, you know the blond one?"

"Matt Donovan? Really?" Damon frowned.

"He's pretty cute," Lilura came to Matt's defense. "And more of a man than you'll ever be."

Klaus nodded, "Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family."

"And continue the Petrova bloodline. Every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelgänger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right Klaus?" Stefan leaned against a chair, eyebrows raised sky high at the Hybrid implicit intentions.

"Caught that, didn't you?" Lilura yawned, pushing herself up from her chair. "If only you were that quick to get out of my face."

"Consider it a small return on my investment in her well-being. See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life. You know it's what's best for her," Klaus bargained.

"So, what do you say Stefan, hmm? Do we have a deal?" Lilura tag teamed, standing beside Klaus with an expectant smile.

With an unreadable expression, Stefan walked over to Klaus and Lilura.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked, eyes never leaving the exchange.

Stefan gave Lilura a stiff nod before grasping hands with Klaus.

"See? It wasn't so hard," Lilura gloated.

"Nice try, Klaus, Lilura. But no deal."

Klaus sighed softly, very burdened with the fact that no one seemed to understand his good intentions.

"Oh well," Lilura drawled, breaking the silence. "I guess I'll start."

"Start what?" asked Damon.

Klaus and Lilura lashed out at the same time, the Original breaking Stefan's hand and Lilura breaking his leg.

Without a moment to waste, Klaus dragged the struggling vampire to the fire and began burning his arm with unconfined joy. He practically burned with the seductive of power of control and authority— two things Klaus Mikaelson had been deprived of when he was human.

"What are you doing?" Damon gasped but made no move to intercept, not when Lilura was stationed loyally in front of Klaus, watching his back.

"Ah!" Stefan bit his lip, face red from stifling the pain.

"Stop!" Damon cried.

"Now, bring us the coffin before Klaus burns him alive," Lilura smirked coldly.

The raven haired Salvatore backed away. He conceded reluctantly, "I'll get it."

"Go with him, brother. You keep him honest. And when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family."

They disappeared out the doors.

"Go ahead and kill me. I know you'll do it when he brings the coffin," Stefan droned, occasionally grunting in pain.

Deeply saddened by the resignation, Klaus abruptly pulled Stefan's hand out of the fire. "You really have given up, haven't you? Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?

Lilura glanced to the door, cocking her head to the side when she saw the boys were back.

Klaus greeted him with less enthusiam. "Elijah...why haven't you left?"

'Where are your manners, brother? We forgot dessert."

With a flourish of his hankercheif, Elijah pulled open the dish covers where two silver daggers laid. They flashed as the light caught the silver, sending a pant of panic with the beam of light straight to Klaus's heart.

"Oh my god," Lilura squeaked.

The others?

Klaus, however, was aghast. "What have you done?"

"What have you done?" Elijah countered, "You see, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."

Kol Mikaelson entered the room with his manic laugh first and foremost. The deep and rich sound bounced off the walls of the mansion and echoed in Lilura's bones, rattling them in excitement. The youngest Mikaelson prowled to the group, arms outstretched in an ostentatious display of power and arrogance. The charismatic bark brown hues of his animalistic eyes were alive with an internal source of jubilation, and they were trained directly on Klaus and Lilura.

"Kol," Klaus breathed.

"Long time, brother," He quipped.

Klaus clutched Lilura's hand until the blood stopped running, turning her skin a sickly white. Instinctively, Klaus backed away; even he was not immune to the tremors of fear a hungryily vengeful Kol Mikaelson could elicit.

Klaus stumbled into a strong chest, whipping around and bringing the siren closer in some small act of controlling the situation. Finn Mikaelson loomed in front of the couple, a dagger clasped tightly in his large hands. With stern eyebrows, he gaze pierced Lilura's soul and sent a shiver down her spine at the anger hidden in his grey gaze.

"Woah, big boy. Let's talk first, yeah?" Lilura laughed awkwardly.

The eldest Mikaelson merely winked at her, so subtle the enchantress thought she had missed it. Before she could look to his strong set face again, Finn nodded. Immediately, Lilura was sped to the other side of the room by an elated Kol.

"Fancy seeing you here," He grinned, leaning against the bar. "Fix me up a Bloody Mary, sweetheart?"

Lilura rolled her eyes but snatched the ingredients. "Don't go too hard on Nik."

"No promises," He yelled, rushing back into the fray.

"Finn, don't!" Klaus shouted. "Rebekah!"

Lilura grabbed a glass as she watched Rebekah appear in a illuminated fury, floating in a tornado of destruction that went straight to her older brother. She also had a dagger in her perfectly manicured hands, sneer deepening at Klaus' constant evasion.

"This is for our mother!"

"You're free to go," Elijah said to the Salvatores who both looked like they might faint at the sheer degree of power the Original family displayed. "This is family business."

---- Δ ----

"I like what you've done with the new place, Nik," Rebekah remarked, throwing a vase and smashing it against the painting.

"Why does he gets all the credit?" Lilura whined from her seat. "I designed it."

"Well, I adore it," Kol grinned, patting Lilura's bum gently so he could sit down beside her.

"I wanted it to be for all of us. A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again," Klaus quickly input, smiling widely at his siblings.

"Well you're right, none of us will be," Elijah crossed his arms.

Finn picked up right where he left off, "You're staying behind."

"We're leaving you, Nik," Rebekah spat. "Right after I kill that doppelgänger wench, then you will be alone. Always and forever."

Lilura bit her lip as the conversation veered off the happy-go-lucky track she had wanted it to be. She thought that if the rest of the Mikaelson were able to show their frustrations, they would not be as angry at Klaus.

She was wrong.

"If you run, I will hunt all of you down," Klaus seethed.

"Then you'll become everything you hate. Our father," Elijah said.

"I'm the hybrid! I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you," Klaus roared, stepping into Elijah's space. Lilura swiftly stood up, preparing to jump in if things went south.

"You will when we have that coffin," Elijah simply replied. His brown eyes never lowered, silently challenging the Original Hybrid.

Bang!

The door flew open and a woman with long blonde hair careened into the space. No one seemed to notice the young man sauntering in after her.

Everyone, except Lilura.

"Mother?" Rebekah whispered in disbelief, hands shaking at the sight.

"Look at me! Do you know why I'm here?" Esther demanded Klaus, who had clamped a firm hand on Lilura in case they needed to bolt.

The enchantress squeezed his hand, silently showcasing her concern.

"You're here to kill me," Klaus said.

"Niklaus, you are my son and I am here to forgive you." Now she dressed the entire Mikaelson clan. "I want us to be a family again."

Lilura let out a breath she was holding in but didn't miss the look Esther gave her. It was bathing in chaos, gleaming in wicked intent. Her thin lips quirked upward in a sinister smile.

The Siren's blue-green eyes found their way once again to the boy with midnight black hair. She shook her head as if it would get rid of the thought that had already been planted in her head.

He was so familiar.

But it couldn't be. Judas Mikaelson had been given away the moment he came into the world, sent off to lands unknown due to the deal she had struck with Esther.

For all Lilura knew, he could be dead.

When Klaus gently squeezed her hand, Lilura realized they all were watching her and the boy.

"What is this?" She asked Esther, voice barely audible.

An electric shock ran through Lilura body, starling her nerves awake in a sudden instant when the boy's green eyes met hers.

Suddenly, she couldn't breathe fast enough. It felt like her chest was collapsing in on itself like an ancient cave, burying her and her sanity with the broken walls. She felt trapped under the rubble, powerlessly trapped.

"Who is this?" Klaus inquired, blue eyes squinting in concentration like he found the boy to be familiar too. His question made Lilura double over and clutch her heart, decades of secrets and pain threatening to become known.

The enchantress closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. She felt Klaus' warm touch and focused on just that, willing her panic to fade away.

"Judas?" Lilura said finally, straightening.

He shrugged his shoulders, avoiding her scarily similar eyes with a shake of his hair.

Klaus observed him stoicly, mouth set in a hard frown.

"Hey mom," He said. Then he faced Klaus with that identical smirk, bracing himself. "Hey dad."

---- Δ ----

The Original family sat stunned with the exception of Esther.

Rebekah was the first to stand. "I think Klaus and Lilura need some time alone." She adjusted her dress. "Coming?" She called to her brothers.

One by one, the Mikaelson men retired to their rooms. Esther flashed them a small smile before leaving, closing the door gently with her milky fingers.

Lilura sat on the couch, a meek expression on her beautiful features. Klaus was wringing his fingers tightly, unbothered by how they bruised from the force.

"I think I'm gonna go," Judas said, tugging his jacket from the chair. The night had been spent in complete and utter silence since the revelation — hardly exciting. Esther had promised him gratifying revenge but all he received were two identical blank stares.

"Do you need a place to stay?" Lilura blurted out. "We have more than enough room."

Judas rubbed his neck. "I do, actually, but I'd rather not."

She recoiled.

He turned around and strode to the door, pausing only to throw them a look over his shoulder.  "Please don't start acting like my mom," Judas stated. "You weren't before, and honestly, I don't ever see you being one."

The door slammed shut loudly. Klaus exhaled heavily when he was gone as if a weight had been take off his chest.

"So this is what you've been hiding from me," He said without looking at her.

"Let me explain," Lilura interjected, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He shook it off. "Well then, explain."

"My alleged death, Judas, my secretiveness — it's all connected.

Please Klaus," Her eyes twinkled with tears. "I didn't mean any of it."

He only stared at her, quiet and emotionless. This Klaus scared her more than the angry, screaming version.

"In 1482, five years after our marriage, I became pregnant. I didn't breathe a word to anyone just in case he didn't make it, but your mother knew. Esther told me some disturbing things — including the creation of sirens and my purpose. She cursed me...to tip the scale. To exterminate the Original vampires. Obviously, I chose not to do that. I love you all."

"I had inevitably failed. Esther was not pleased. So, as payment, she struck a deal with me. If I wanted to protect all of you when the full moon came instead of attack you, I would hand Judas over."

"And you never thought to consult me?"

"I did. Many times. Almost caved in during those few months," Lilura smiled sadly. "However, it was part of the deal. I was bound to silence by Esther's magic. Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn't. It's been a hell of a secret."

"And your death?" Klaus asked.

"My death was entirely unplanned. You know, I was human before," She remarked.

"I could tell," Klaus replied in a somewhat melachony manner. "That was perhaps the most charming part of you. Other than the fact you could hold your own against me."

She chuckled nervously, "When I turned 18, the signs came. I was a siren by blood, and I could do nothing about it. Doomed to turn every full moon like a werewolf, only more painful and with no pack. I didn't know what to do when I realized I had another life growing inside of me."

She shifted in her seat, "I was growing myself as a teenager."

"I have a son," He said, the words sounding foreign on his lips.

"You do," The enchantress held in her tears.

The lone look Klaus Mikaelsok gave Lilura Anthemoessa was enough to send her over the edge. It was more than wounded. It was guttural pain. It was the millisecond before nightfall, before everything came to light and seemed the darkest shade of black.

"I have a son, but he wants nothing to do with me because of your stupidity," Klaus broke their stare and got up.

"Good night, Lilura."

🌟 heheheheh im sorry. I had to.

I hope this chap cleared a few things up about Lilura's past.

Fyi, Judas Mikaelson is played by Zayn  👀

I think he's the perfect blend between Klaus and Lilura. What do y'all think?