09. O Come, All Ye Faithful

Lily entered the Mikaelson's living room where she saw Klaus busy painting, without saying anything to the hybrid, Lily walked behind and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Pretty" she commented, looking at Klaus's painting over his shoulder.

"Thank you, love" Klaus said, smiling at Lily before turning back to his painting.

"Looks like a giant snowflake" Stefan commented, entering the room and announcing his presence to the couple.

"I prefer to think of it as an expression of post modernism" Klaus retorted, "It's my donation to the Winter Wonderland Charity event".

"You said it was urgent?" one of Klaus's hybrids asked, entering the room.

"Yes, take this to the Mystic Grill immediately" Klaus demanded, gesturing towards his painting.

"You want me to be a delivery guy?", Lily frowned hearing the hybrid's tone, for some reason, recently, Lily has felt something was really wrong with Klaus's hybrids but she didn't tell Klaus her suspicion because she hadn't figured out what was wrong yet.

"What I want is for you to do whatever I say without the attitude" Klaus snapped, the hybrid slowly nodded his head and went over to pick Klaus's painting, "And be careful with that, it's still wet".

"Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, you know" Stefan taunted, after the hybrid had left.

"What is the point of my hybrids being sired to me if I can maximize on the benefits of free labor?" Klaus asked.

Lily chuckled, "Only you Klaus, only you" she said, before turning to Stefan, "So, what's up with the early morning visit?".

"Elena is sired to Damon" Stefan revealed.

"You already told me that" Lily reminded.

"And I intuited as much" Klaus added.

"Which means I need to find the cure now more then ever and yet here you are making post-modern snowflakes" Stefan said.

"I've delivered" Klaus reminded, "I retrieved the hunter's sword, from Italy which we'll use to decipher the map hidden in the hunter's mark, you're the one who's supposed to deliver the hunter and his mark".

"Well, Jeremy is the hunter, and he has to keep killing vampires to complete his mark but we can't quite figure out how to keep him from killing us" Stefan said.

"Sounds like quite the chore, which is why I feel perfectly justified doing a little charity work" Klaus taunted.

"Or maybe you're lying about having found the sword" Stefan retorted.

"He's not lying" Lily said, Klaus having shown her the sword.

"She's right" Klaus said, "And why would I lie to you, Stefan?", Klaus walked away from Stefan and towards his safe, "We're in this together", Klaus opened the safe up and pulled the hunter's sword out of it, "The hilt acts as a cipher which we'll use to decode the marks on Jeremy's tattoo, when he's killed enough vampires to complete it", Klaus placed the sword on the table and took a seat on the couch, placing his feet on the table while Stefan grabbed the sword and started examining it, "I heard you moved out of your house".

Stefan looked at Lily, who in turn gave him a sheepish look, "Oh come on, you knew I couldn't not tell him that".

"Bit of a martyr move?" Klaus teased.

"I'm not here to bond, Klaus" Stefan stated, placing the sword back on the table.

"Oh, on the contrary, I think right now I'm the best friend you got" Klaus said.

"Uh wrong" Lily said, standing next to Stefan, "Not to be possessive or anything, but I'm his best friend, you can be his good friend, not best".

Stefan chuckled at Lily and then looked at Klaus, the look on his face told the amused Klaus that Lily was absolutely right.

***

At Mystic Grill, Caroline walked over to Klaus who was busy admiring his displayed painting, "Here to steal Tiny Tim's crutches?".

"Dickens was a dark man" Klaus said, "You would've liked him".

"Nice snowflake, by the way" Caroline said.

"Is my work really that literal?" a slightly annoyed Klaus asked.

"I'm serious" Caroline said, "There's something lonely about it".

"Well don't worry, that loneliness left the moment your sister entered my life" Klaus said, knowing Caroline wasn't talking about the painting, she was talking about him.

"Speaking of my sister, where is she?" a curious Caroline asked.

Klaus looked behind Caroline and a smile formed on his face, "Right behind you".

Caroline turned around and saw her sister making her way over to them, wearing a black dress, the complete contrast to Caroline's white.

"Champagne?" an amused Klaus asked Lily, seeing the scowl on her face.

"I'm going to need something much stronger then that" Lily stated, looking around the place in distaste, "Why does this town have so many events?!".

"Come on, little luna" Klaus said, lacing his fingers with Lily's, "It's Christmas, cheer up".

"Can't do that, that will go against my whole reputation" Lily stated.

Klaus chuckled, "Come on then, let's get you something stronger then champagne".

"Please" Lily said, letting Klaus lead her towards the bar.

Caroline watched Klaus and Lily walk away with a small smile on her face, she wasn't blind, she sees the way Klaus changes whenever he's near Lily, she sees the way her sister changes when Klaus comes near her, to the outside world, these two made no sense, but to Caroline, they were a perfect match, two broken people, healing each other of the wounds their tragic pasts had left them with.

***

Stefan walked over to Klaus, who was standing at the town square talking to Hayley.

"She doesn't like me much" Klaus told Stefan after Hayley walked away.

"The only person who likes you in this town is Lily, speaking of whom, where is she?" a curious Stefan asked.

"Using the restroom" Klaus replied, "Me and Lily have been enjoying this lovely winter wonder land, where have you been all day?".

"I've been around" Stefan simply said.

"I'm not interested in vagaries Stefan, you've been dodgy" Klaus pointed out, "Now, do you have something to share with me or should I compel it out of you?".

"I broke into your safe to look for the sword" Stefan finally admitted.

"Why?" a slightly hurt Klaus asked.

"Because I don't trust you" Stefan stated.

"I showed you the sword, I explained its value" Klaus reminded, "I've been on your side the entire time, what do you want from me? A secret brotherhood handshake?".

"I found the letters" Stefan informed, "You have a few pen pals over the centuries?".

"Well, is keeping my victim's letters really so different from writing their names on a wall, like you did, Ripper?" Klaus taunted, his eyes then landed behind Stefan where one of his hybrid was waiting for him, Klaus walked away from Stefan but after a few steps turned to him again, "Loneliness Stefan, that's why you and I memorialize our dead, there's the briefest of moment before we kill where we literally hold their life in our hands, and then we rip it away, and we're left with nothing, so gathering other people's letters, or writing their names on a wall, it's a reminder that in the end we're left infinitely and utterly alone", Klaus's mind suddenly went to Lily, "That is until we find that one person who accepts us for what we are, who doesn't want us to change, whose willing to love all the flaws, I found that in Lily, but you lost that from Elena".

***

"Lily!" Hayley yelled, running over to the Forbes werewolf the moment she stepped out of the Grill.

Lily groaned in annoyance seeing Hayley, "What the hell do you want?".

"Look, I know you don't like me, but it's Klaus" Hayley informed.

Immediately a frown appeared on Lily's face, "What's wrong with Klaus?".

"Tyler unsired all his hybrids and they're planning to attack Klaus tonight, at the woods near the Lockwood cellar" Hayley revealed, "I informed Klaus but I think he might need back up".

That's all Lily needed to hear for her to rush to find Klaus, while Hayley stood there watching Lily run away, the reason Hayley told Lily about the hybrids plan against Klaus was because she knew the Forbes werewolf didn't trust her, she was hoping this little gesture will convince Lily to have at least a little bit of trust in her, so when she eventually does end up telling Lily about their mutual pack, it would be much easier for Lily to believe her and she will agree to come to New Orleans with her to find more about their families.

***

"Where is the witch?" one of the hybrids asked, as her and the rest of Klaus's hybrids waited in the woods, "Adrian should be here any minute".

"Kim", Kim turned around and saw her boyfriend Adrian standing there, he suddenly let out a gasp and fell to the floor, behind him stood Klaus with Adrian's heart in his hand.

"No!" a devasted Kim yelled, she went to charge at Klaus when suddenly Lily appeared, the hunter's sword in her hand, which she used to behead Kim.

Lily then looked towards Klaus who gave her a small nod, the original and the werewolf then turned to the hybrids, and started slaughtering all of them, by the end of it, all the hybrids were dead and Klaus and Lily were covered in blood.

Suddenly the two werewolves attention went towards the Lockwood's cellar where they saw a werewolf crawling in, the two quickly followed after her, "Where is Tyler Lockwood?" Klaus asked the hysterical werewolf, "You'd do well to answer me love, where is he?!".

"I don't know".

"Wrong answer" Klaus stated, as Lily stepped forward and cut the werewolf's head off.

Lily turned to Klaus, fury shown clearly in her eyes, "Kill him" she said, if Tyler didn't care about her feelings, then Lily was done protecting him.

Klaus smirked, "With pleasure, little luna".

***

"Tyler, honey, you're supposed to be my sober cab" Carol Lockwood said into her phone, while leaving her son a voicemail, "I think I drank half the party", after leaving the voicemail, Carol sat by the fountain.

"Good evening, Carol" Klaus greeted, walking over to Carol, who was shocked seeing his bloody appearance, "You're looking for Tyler? I'd like a little word with him myself".

"Klaus, please" Carol pleaded, recognizing the look of murder in Klaus's eyes, "Don't hurt him, he's my son, he's all I have".

"And you're all he has" Klaus suddenly realised, "There's a beautiful symmetry to that, don't you think?", Klaus suddenly grabbed Carol by the back of her neck and start drowning her in the fountain behind her, Carol struggled to free herself but Klaus was too strong, once Klaus was sure she was dead, he finally let her go and left for the Mikaelson mansion where Lily was waiting for him.

***

Presenting 3x09 of Fire & Flame!

How was the chapter?

Thoughts on Lily refusing to let Klaus call himself Stefan's best friend?

Thoughts on the talk between Klaus and Stefan?

Thoughts on Lily wanting Klaus to kill Tyler? Honestly, Lily's villain era is here and I'm here for it! Whose ready for Lily to not give a shit about anyone but the Mikaelson's and sometimes Stefan? 😂🙈