Savior | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 89

"Why am I here?"

"She's using me," murmured Maddy, helping Lexi to her feet once she'd tucked the totem away, and The Hollow was gone. "She knows nobody in the family would ever kill me. I'm the safest person to leave this totem with."

Lexi's next question was cut off as Maddy pulled her into a hug. "But you're here," the younger vampire whispered, holding the back of the blonde's head and caressing it. "You're here... and it's been so long since I was able to hold you."

She knew Stefan had seen Lexi before the Other Side fell apart, but given that Maddy had just turned human at the time, she hadn't gotten to participate in that mission that went so terribly wrong.

Prior to that, they'd seen her when the ghosts had temporarily become visible in Mystic Falls, when Mason Lockwood had led Damon to the cave with runes outlining the history of the Originals.

Maddy sprinted to her house, and burst in, finding that Lexi and Stefan were drinking and blasting music as they danced in the living room.

"Lexi," breathed Maddy when the blonde turned to her. "You're here... you're really here."

"In the flesh," said Lexi, spreading her arms as Maddy rushed to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Hold on, what's wrong? Are you crying, Mads?"

Maddy nodded and stifled a sob as she held onto her. "Yeah, just... just give me a moment."

Lexi had been a hell of a lot nicer than Damon when Maddy told her about her relationship with Klaus.

"Well," she said, "you're a big girl, you know what you're getting yourself into. You know you can't expect to change the guy. You know you might be in danger dating him."

She nodded, to show that she was indeed aware of this. "Yeah. I don't expect to be able to change him. I just want him to be mindful of what I'm not okay with. I communicated it with him and he's alright with it. All of us have killed and done awful things that we regret. He knows that he'll lose me if he crosses one of my boundaries."

"Good." Lexi turned to Stefan. "What about you? What's your drama?"

Stefan sighed. "Well, I'm a Ripper again. I forced myself to drink only one bag today but it was hard. Then someone got a papercut at school and I had to rush out of the room. Not to mention Elena doesn't feel connected to me anymore. I made one comment about how much I hate Klaus and she... didn't like it."

"You remember your Ripper detox course," said Lexi. "You know what helps you and what doesn't. But you also need to keep in mind that you have Originals coming in and out of town. The sister, Rebekah, saw her in passing today, she's a real piece of work. Super annoying. And Klaus? Well, he may have a thing for your sister but he's still got a temper he needs to work on. So, maybe, since you're aware of how off the rails you were during summer, maybe you can continue to drink larger amounts solely to keep safe while they're here. I can't imagine it'll be forever. How about you reread your journal? The one from after the twenties when you documented your progress. That might help you ease up on the temptation. The important thing, Stefan, is that you have a connection with your humanity right now. You lacked that a lot in the twenties. This bodes well. You have a shot at getting this under control soon, and without me."

Stefan looked down. "I don't know how to do this without you, Lexi. I need your advice on more than just that."

Lexi took their hands. "You guys know me. You have for a long time. I'm pretty sure you can figure out what I'd say. Mads?"

"You'd say," she murmured, "to take it one day at a time because no battle is ever won by rushing an attack. Something inspirational like that, at least."