Fire On Fire | The Vampire Diaries [1]

17

Klaus was sitting at the bar in Mystic Grill, drinking a glass of red wine, Ashley approached him taking off her jacket, "Place looks pretty good considering your hybrid got blown up in it."

"Ashley. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Klaus asked as the redhead stood beside him

"I want you to give Elena back." She demanded staring at the hybrid.

Klaus smiled, "Ah, they sent you to sweet talk me. Well, good form, but I'm afraid I can't do it." He refused.

Ashley frowned, "Why not?"

"She needs my help." Klaus reasoned.

Ashley scoffed rolling her eyes, "Look, I'm not gonna burden you with the gory details, I know you have enough on your plate already. I heard about you and Damon"

"It's been a while, actually."

"Yes, well, just know that if Damon was one of my hybrids sired to me he never would have hurt you, I wouldn't have let him" He looked away for a moment, "Can't understand how he can let someone like you go" Ashley looked at him as Klaus stared up at her not taking his eyes off the redhead.

"Can I at least offer you a drink?" Klaus offered staring at Ashley, she hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Yeah. Thanks."

Klaus smiled as she settled on the chair beside him they talked for a while until Ashley received a couple of messages from Stefan "I lost Elena."

"I need a vampire to kill. I'll turn someone if I have to."

"Get an answer. Fast."

Ashley looked up at Klaus smiling innocently, she cleared her throat, "So, here's the thing, I didn't just come here to try to get you to release Elena."

Klaus smirked, "You don't say."

Ashley bit her lip confessing, "I came here to distract you so that Stefan could go to your house and break her out, which he did. And, don't get mad, but then he lost her."

Klaus got up in a fury as soon as the redhead finished explaining he was leaving when Ashley called out after him, "Klaus."

Klaus turned around looking at her, "Ashley, you're beautiful, but if you don't stop talking, I will kill you." He threatened her before turning around again.

"They figured out how to stop the hallucinations." She stated as he stopped in his tracks turning towards her again, "Okay, you have ten seconds to tell me"

Ashley explained that for Elena to stop having hallucinations another hunter need to rise so Jeremy has to kill a vampire and that vampire can be Klaus' hybrid Chris.

Hayley was asleep on the couch Tyler was sitting next to her in a stupor with a bottle of scotch in his hands, Ashley entered the room, "Tyler." She started

"It's just us. Paying our respects to Chris." Tyler said taking a swig from the bottle

"Tyler, we didn't have a choice." Ashley justified.

Tyler scoffed, "I told him we had his back. I told him if he helped us he'd be free."

"We were helping Elena, Our friend" Ashley stated not feeling guilty in the slightest.

"Yeah, we helped our friend by handing over another friend."

Ashley shook, "Chris wasn't---" Tyler cut her off before she could continue, "Chris was a friend, Ashley. He's like me. He's part of my pack, but you'll never understand that because you've never been part of any pack you don't know the feeling"

Ashley shook her head getting angry, "I did what I had to do to save my friend you're angry you lost yours, that's fine but don't you dare take it out on me, Tyler"

Tyler looked down for a second, "All he wanted to do was be unsired, Ashley." Ashley stared at her friend in sympathy, "By that disgusting piece of..." He continued before sighing.

After a moment he looked up at his friend, "How did you even get Klaus to agree to give up one of his hybrids?"

"I agreed to go on a date with him." Ashley admitted as Tyler nodded getting up he was about to say something when she raised her hand stopping him from saying anything.

"Before you flip out and give me a lesson about agreeing to go out with Klaus, it's none of your business" She turned around ready to leave, "And by the way, I'm sorry about your friend but I regret nothing" She said leaving Tyler who threw his glass against the wall in frustration.

Next day, Ashley was helping her sister in the preparation of the Mystic Falls pageant she was standing beside some girls who were putting flowers decorations on the tables, the redhead was ordering the girls around as she was stuck in the flowers duty.

"Now, how did I know I'd find you with the flowers arrangements?" She heard Klaus asking walking up to her.

She looked at him then back down at her clipboard, "Go away. I'm busy. Caroline will literally have my head if I mess anything up"

"I was wondering what time I should pick you up tomorrow." Ashley looked up from her clipboard again and over at him.

"Oh you know I was thinking about a quarter to never" She said looking away again, Klaus moved closer towards the redhead.

"I was promised a date in return for one of my hybrids." He reminded the redhead who huffed in annoyance.

"Yes, a date. Like to a movie where we don't have to talk and I can put at least three seats between us."

"Well, surely you won't go to party that big alone especially after exerting that much effort in preparations" Ashley pursed her lips finally turned around looking at him with her full attention, "And I assume you're not taking Damon not after what he did to you" Klaus tried to convince the redhead staring at her with puppy dog eyes.

"Fine. If you insist on coming, meet me here. Two p.m." She started to walk away.

"Black tie is optional but I believe it would look good on you" She quickly turned around pointing at him, "And I already have a dress, so don't even think of getting me so much as a corsage, you understand?"

Klaus looked down submissively nodding as the redhead walked up the stairs, "I'll see you tomorrow, Ashley."

"And all of a sudden Damon shows up saying red is the better color and she changes her mind and agrees with him" Caroline ranted as she walked beside her sister.

"Maybe she's just confused because of the whole being a new vampire thing"

"But being a vampire only amplifies who you already are. It doesn't turn you into a completely different person."

"I don't know, Caroline. Maybe she just needs a little bit of time to adjust to vampirism"

Caroline sighed, "Yeah, maybe you're right. I just don't like it"

After a while the redhead was adjusting some flowers on one of the tables, "And how am I doing?" She heard Klaus ask as she turned around to look at him her mouth was gaped open for a second at loss of words.

"You're...perfect. Just---" She said sighing before walking up to the hybrid adjusting his crooked tie and smoothing it, "There completely perfect"

Klaus smiled at her as they both stared at each other, Ashley seemed to realize what she was doing so she took a step back, "Just so beyond annoying, I can't even look at you."

Klaus didn't say anything looking over Ashley's shoulder at Damon and Elena who held hands as they walked out of the mansion, "They didn't waste any time, did they?"

Ashley turned around looking at them, she frowned shaking her head, "Let's just get today over with."