My eyes flutter open as I feel the sun's heat upon my skin. Yawning, I stretch, sitting up. Wait, this isn't my bed. I look around the room. This isn't my room. It's only when my eyes land on Klaus's sleeping figure next to me that last night returns to me...
I slept with Klaus.
I groan internally, I can't believe that I actually slept with him. Add this to the growing checklist of stupid things I've done.
Watching as his chest rises and falls, I take it as my cue to slip out of the bed. Hopefully, I can be gone before he wakes. As I head towards his bathroom, collecting my bra and underwear along the way, I grab a plain black shirt from his dresser drawer. Plain colored t-shirts in the the top right drawer...some things never change.
Entering the bathroom, I shimmy into my bra and underwear, throwing Klaus's shirt over my head. I turn on the sink, leaning over it to splash some water on my face. I know that if I want to make my escape, it needs to be soon, but I couldn't resist the wake up call the cold water brings me. As it touches my skin, each chill down my spine reprimands me for being so stupid for coming to Klaus. And not even coming to him, but sleeping with him!
With a sigh, I raise my head, reaching out with my hand to grab for the hand towel, but as I do my vision blurs. I stumble. My elbow slams into the vanity as I begin to fall. However, I quickly grab onto the edges of the vanity to stabilize myself. Though my lack of grace seems to have alerted my companion as I hear the footsteps approaching the bathroom door.
"You alright in there, Love?" Klaus's voice calls through the door.
A throbbing in my head stops me from answering. My blood rushes in my ears, and I start to see black spots. My lungs fall and expand rapidly as I start to cough. I squeeze tighter onto the vanity as the coughs rack my body and my legs seem to give. Suddenly, I feel light. Light enough to float if it wasn't for the pulsing of my heartbeat in my mind, bouncing off my skull.
There's a knock at the door. "Lily? Are you okay in there?"
A bitter copper taste overwhelms my mouth. I cough and cough, leaning over the sink. Blinking between the blackness, I look at the red color that stains Klaus's otherwise perfectly white sink. Oh no, this isn't good.
"Lily?" His tone is more frantic, no doubt he can hear how fast my heart races and how guttural my cough is. "Lily, if you don't tell me what's going on, I'm coming in."
This time when the lightness whips through me, it's strong enough to bring me to my knees. My head hits the cabinet of the vanity and soon I'm falling onto my right side. I can feel blood drip down from my nose as my body starts to shake.
"I'm serious, Liliana! Tell me what's happening!" I can barely hear Klaus pounding at the door over the pounding in my head. "Lily!"
The door bursts open behind me as another round of coughs courses through me. A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead as my body convulses with each hack of my throat. More blood stains Klaus's bathroom, but this time his crisp, white, tiled floor is the one tarnished. Footsteps stop behind me. I can feel his eyes on me, watching as I suffer.
I can only imagine what he's thinking...
His hand falls onto my back, another scrapes my hair away from my face as he crouches in front of me. His eyes are wide with fear and concern. "Liliana..." he whispers, "what's happening?"
I blink, trying to meet his eyes, but a flare of pain shoots through my head. I scream, gripping it. Klaus's arms immediately surround me, pulling me to his side. I fall against his chest as I continue to shake, breathing deeply. I tilt my head back, looking up at him. "St..efan.." I manage to breathe out. My voice is so quiet, so weak. "Stef..an."
"Lily, I don't understand. I-I...what's happening to you?"
I part my lips but another lightening flash of pain extends from my head down my spine. As I cry out, I fall from his arms, landing on the ground. More red falls from my lips.
"Stef...an..."
Instead of a few spots, I begin to see only black. And then...nothing
Klaus's POV:
A bang wakes me up. As my eyes open, I immediately turn to look for Lily. She's gone. Looking around my room, it doesn't take me long to figure out the bang had come from my bathroom, presumably from the women missing from my bed. If she's still here, using my bathroom, that has to be a good sign, right? It has to mean something, doesn't it?
I ease out of the bed and make my way to the bathroom door, slipping on a pair of pants on the way. "You alright in there, Love?" I ask through the door, smirking to myself. I can only imagine what she might have done to create such a noise. She's probably blushing from embarrassment of being caught right now.
When she doesn't reply, my gut sinks. Surely, everything's fine and I'm overreacting...but the taste of dread in the back of my throat tells me otherwise. I knock on the door. "Lily? Are you okay in there?"
I could open the door, it's not locked and even if it was, I still could, but I'm trying to prove to her that I can be respectable by giving her privacy. However, when I hear deep, retching coughs from the other side of the door, I grow nervous. Listening in, I can hear her breathing deeply. Her heart rate is out of control. "Lily?" I try again. "Lily, if you don't tell me what's going on, I'm coming in."
Another bang sounds from the bathroom followed by something colliding with the floor. My fingers curl into my palm as I inhale deeply. I pound on the door. "I'm serious, Liliana! Tell me what's happening," I growl. My voice is low and deep. I hate that she's not saying anything and all I can hear is her coughing.
Fuck being respectable. I push the door in so hard it slams against the wall; the knob gets stuck in it. And what I see has me freezing in my step. My eyes fall upon Lily's body curled up on the side against the tile floor. Her skin is pale...so pale. Blood runs from her nose and lip as her body shakes and twitches with each cough that falls from her mouth. A puddle of blood rests in front of her.
Glancing to my right, more blood in the sink catches my eye. What's going on? Falling to her side, my right hand finds her back, rubbing it as I stroke her hair away from her temples. Her forehead is damp with sweat and burns underneath my touch. I look at the women I love and feel...fear...
"Liliana," her name falls from my lips. "What's happening?" I watch as she reacts to my voice. Her head tilts toward me ever so slightly but then she's screaming, clutching her head. I reach out for her, sitting on the ground, as I pull her to me. Her head rests against my chest as she shakes in my arms. I don't understand what's happening. Is this some kind of spell? Is a witch doing this?
Slowly, and with so much strain it's almost hard to watch, she looks up at me. Her normally bright blue eyes are dull as she whispers something almost too quiet for me to hear. "St...efan." Stefan? Stefan. What does he have to do with this. "Stef...an," she tries again, her voice cracking.
Involuntarily, I start to shake my head. "Lily, I don't understand. I-I...what's happening to you?" What is this? Why is she in so much pain? Why is there blood? I don't get it. I don't know what's happening and that scares me.
She moves to speak again before her body jolts and another scream falls from her lips. She rolls off of my lap and onto the floor again, spitting blood along the way. "Stef..an," she manages once more. Then, her eyes close.
My heart jumps in my chest. No! No! "Lily," I call. My hand falls upon her back, rubbing it. "Lily, love, please." Finally, a small hum escapes her and I feel the slightest bit of relief. Though it doesn't last for long. Rising to my feet, although I hate leaving her alone, I vamp into my bedroom to grab my phone from my jacket pocket before vamping back to her side.
I dial Stefan's number. With each ring, I grow more nervous. He better be able to help her. If he can't...I don't know what I'm going to do.
The Salvatore sibling finally picks up, annoyance in his tone. "What do you want, Klaus?"
Normally, I would've commented about his attitude, but this isn't a normal occurrence.
"Lily's in trouble. She said you can help. You need to get over here fast."
He's quick to respond. "What did you do?" He demands, lashing out in anger. A door slams on Stefan's side and I can hear him running wherever he is, his footsteps pounding against the ground.
I scoff, biting back a sarcastic remark. "Now's not the time. You need to get here, now!" I yell at him. "She's coughed up blood, she was shaking and screaming, and now she's passed out. Your name was all she would whisper. I don't know what is happening, but I do know that she seems to think you can help in some way."
Stefan must be outside now as wind whips through the line. "I don't...what does she mean I can help. I don't know what's happening either...I...wait!"
"What?" I practically growl at him. Does he not understand the time sensitivity of this situation? She could be dying for all I know. My eyes find her form. Her heart beat has lowered significantly and her breaths are shallow.
"I know what to do. I'll be there as soon as I can." He hangs up.
Time sees to pass so slowly as I wait for Stefan's arrival. I hug Lily's body to my chest, cradling her head against my shoulder. She's still alive, but her pulse and breath are faint. She's dying. I can feel it in my gut. I don't know how nor do I know why. All I know is that I will do anything to ensure her survival. I failed her once. I do not plan to do so again.
When I hear Stefan enter the home, I do not move. "Up here," I call. He appears in the doorway a second later. As his eyes take in his sister's condition, a slight gasp leaves his lips. He falls to the ground next to me, pulling something out of his pocket. Upon closer inspection, it seems to be a bag of herbs. I frown, confused by this whole situation.
"Here," Stefan mumbles, opening the bag with care, "open her mouth." As gently as I can, I lift Lily's head up, sliding my fingers across her mouth to part her lips. They open and Stefan passes me a pinch of the herbs. I sprinkle them into her mouth.
We wait.
Nothing happens.
"She must need to swallow them," Stefan whispers. "Do you have any blood to go with them?"
I nod. "In the fridge." Stefan rushes off and returns a moment later with two blood bags. Popping the cap on one, he gives it to me. I pour its contents into her mouth. Another second goes by before she responds. As her body processes the taste of blood, she swallows it and the herbs. A few more seconds later and her eyes flicker open. They're glazed as she comes back to us. But then, I watch as consciousness takes over her. She sits up in my arms, blinking at me.
"Lily," Stefan calls her name. She turns her glance from me to him and her eyes widen. Then, glancing back at me I watch as terror fills her eyes. She slips off my lap and onto the floor.
"What's..." she croaks out, "what's going on? How did you...how did I...?" Her gaze flips between the two of us looking for some answer unclear to me. Then as her eyes settle on the bag of herbs in Stefan's hands, something seems to click. She reaches for them, snagging them out of her brother's hands. "I need you two to leave," she whispers.
Her request shocks me. "Leave?" Leave after what I just witnessed? No. I was watching her die, I have no doubt of that, and she wants me to leave. "Liliana," I begin in protest. "Th-"
"Leave," she repeats, her voice stronger. Whatever the herbs do seem to have taken effect as her skin has gained some color, her heart beat returned to a normal resting pace, and her breathing has evened out. "I need to be alone for a minute."
Her eyes are bright as she begs me to understand. "But Lily-"
"Klaus." Stefan cuts me off. I face the Salvatore. "Let's give her a minute." And it is then that I understand that he knows what this is...he knew how to save her and he knows it's cause.
"Fine," I state, standing. "But I'll be right outside if you need me." Lily avoids my eyes but nods anyways. As I step into the bedroom, Stefan is behind me. As he shuts the bathroom door, I beckon him to follow. I take him into a spare bedroom and then into the en-suite bathroom, turning the faucet on. "Explain," I order him.
He runs a hand through his hair. Concern and exhaustion on his face. "I don't really know."
"But you know something. You knew how to save her. So, tell me. What was that?"
Stefan release a long sigh. "Look, Klaus. I know you care for my sister. I may not like it, but if this morning proves anything it's that she clearly means something to you. And if that is true, then let her tell you on her own. Do not force it out of her or me, it will only make her resent you more. Trust me." By the intensity of his stare, it is obvious to me that he is speaking from experience.
Although the desperation to know, to understand, burns me from the inside, I nod in agreement. I have to trust that Lily will tell me in due time, hopefully before this happens again. Because something tells me that it will...and I plan to be ready to aid her myself the next time it does. I will scour the ends of the earth to find the answer to her problem. If it takes the power of a million witches, I will track them down personally. I refuse to let Liliana die.
Liliana's POV:
It is like someone flipped a switch and this morning's episode disappears. My head no longer hurts, my cough is gone, and I can stand upright by myself. But the damage is done...
Klaus witnessed one of my episodes and Stefan has now seen it first hand. I know that they must be confused. I don't like people seeing me like this, seeing me weak. It's shameful. And I know that they are probably talking about me out there, but I don't want to know what they're saying.
Hopefully, Stefan will keep what he knows quiet and convince Klaus to do the same. I have no desire to explain myself to either of them. If it wasn't for the emotional charge I felt when telling Stefan the truth about Jacob Fell, I would never have exposed the herb's secret like that. But now he knows and so does Klaus, the one person I never wanted to find out about it. And now, everything is ruined...
I'm ruined.
Washing the blood from my face, I comb my fingers through my hair. The bag of herbs rests against my breast after I tuck it into my bra. I open the bathroom door to find the men no where. Thank god. Walking around Klaus's bed, I find my jeans and slip them on. His shirt is baggy over them. Then, I find my shoes. One is on top of the armchair in the corner and the other by the door. At this point, the men venture back into the room. When I see them, I freeze. Their eyes drift over me in concern, clearly checking for any symptoms of another episode. I resist the urge to scoff. I'm fine. The herbs did their job. They're working...for now.
As Klaus parts his lips to say something, I shake my head. "Don't. Please don't." He closes his mouth and stares at me with too much love. I turn my glance away. A beat passes and then I walk. As I approach, they split and I pass between them. I don't speak and neither do they as I head down the stairs and out the front door.
Now they've seen the truth. There's no going back. They know what they know. And I fear nothing will be the same...
I am ruined.