Disclaimer: The Vampires Diaries is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.
~ x ~
A vague sense of discontent washed over Greta. She had been feeling it more and more lately; a restlessness, an inability to concentrate on anything. It hit her in waves, overwhelming her, slowly poisoning everything she did and everyone she dealt with.
Resentment swelled up inside her. She was not meant for an ordinary life. She knew, just knew, she was destined for greatness . . for a life filled with excitement.
So here she was stuck in a backwater small town, barely on speaking terms with her father, failing her last year in high school, at odds with her brother Luka, and bored, bored, bored!
The only activities that held any attraction for her were magic and dancing, and good old Dad had stepped in to ruin both.
The guy she had chosen, a fantastic dancer, did not meet the exceedingly high standards that Doctor Jonas Martin set for a potential boyfriend for his only daughter. Luka, the younger brother she should have expected to side with her, betrayed her by squealing to her father. "Dad, Greta's sneaking out to see him!" The little rat!
The boy her father did approve of was the boring son of her father's boring partner in his boring practice and had two left feet. She swore a dog had a better sense of rhythm. He jerked and twitched on the dance floor, and Greta was mortified when she caught several of her friends imitating him.
She loved to dance, but she was obsessed with magic. She knew she could be a great witch. She could feel the energy pulsating through her body, tiny electric currents in her fingertips, and surges so powerful that it made an area at the base of her throat beat as if there was a tiny heart tucked inside.
But Dad had cut her off from the family grimoires saying he would teach her more when the time was right. It wasn't fair! Why hold it against her just because some of her experiments hadn't ended well? And she hadn't really meant to hurt that girl that had pissed her off. She only wanted to scare her. Nobody knew she had done it. Everyone thought it was just a horrible accident.
"When is it going to be time?" She had angrily demanded, splaying her hands like a cat ready to scratch.
"When you're able to demonstrate some maturity," was the cold response. "When you learn to respect the power and not use it to amuse yourself or take some type of petty revenge."
"You don't understand," she had argued. "I feel it inside me. It wants to be used."
"This discussion is over." Jonas punctuated his remark by locking the trunk where the grimoires now resided.
So here she was, sitting at a table in the food section of the local mall, restlessly tapping her fingers, sipping on an iced coffee, occasionally twirling a lock of her hair around one finger. She paid no attention to the totally mindless conversation, punctuated by giggles, swirling around her between the two girls from her class that she sat with. She only hung around with them for lack of something better to do.
She sighed and squirmed restlessly on her chair, and then it blasted her over her. Power. Raw magic power.
She braced her arms on the table and half rose turning, searching, almost frantic to track down the source of magic. Debby frowned at her agitation while Maggie, concerned, asked, "What's the matter? Where are you going?"
Greta didn't bother answering, just got up and practically ran off, school books forgotten on the table, a distracted expression on her face. The two girls looked at each other, shrugged and then putting their heads together, burst out laughing.
"I swear she just gets weirder and weirder every day." Debby giggled. "I know," Maggie said. "I only put up with her cause we were BFFs when we were kids, but OMG!"
Greta, meanwhile weaved through the crowded mall, craning her head, sometimes rudely pushing people out of her way, not caring if they objected. She closed her eyes the better to concentrate. The power whispered to her, tantalizing her, urging her forward.
Suddenly her eyes snapped open as she pinpointed the source. It was a man, probably in his twenties, seated at a little side table against the glass enclosure overlooking the lower floor, twisting to face her. She stared at him, noting a pleasant but not especially handsome face and prominent ears. He casually raised a coffee cup in acknowledgement of their secret connection and then turned back in his chair to face forward.
Eagerly she followed the safety railing around the open area until she could get to his table. She reached for his shoulder, allowing her hand to hover over him, feeling the energy cross the gulf between them and travel up her arm.
She was so enthralled with the feeling that her mind didn't register it when he said, "Maddox."
Startled, she mumbled, "What?"
"Maddox, my name's Maddox," he repeated quietly.
"I feel you." She felt stupid as soon as she said it. Her warm complexion concealed the blush she felt heat her cheeks.
"I know you do," he responded gravely. "I feel you too." He shrugged and swallowed another mouthful of coffee. "No way I could miss you actually. You're pretty powerful."
She smiled, feeling more comfortable once she realized he wouldn't laugh at her gaffe. "I didn't know there were any other witches besides my family in town. I'm Greta by the way."
"I know who you are. I've heard of your family." He paused and then admitted. "I don't mix much with others of my kind. I'm kind of an outcast, and I know your father wouldn't want you talking to me." He waited, letting her process the information.
She pursed her lips, thinking. His words didn't frighten her; if anything they made him more intriguing in her eyes. She searched his face again, weighing him up. She smiled a crooked grin. "So, I'll ask. Why are you an outcast?"
He stared into his coffee cup, swirling the liquid around, and then calmly looked up. "I owe allegiance to a vampire."
Her mouth dropped open in surprise, but before long curiosity overcame her shock. She had heard about vampires, of course, but she never thought she would meet a witch associated with one. "A vampire." She rolled the word around on her tongue as if tasting it. She looked at the empty chair across from the warlock. "Can I sit?"
Maddox, nodding, mumbled a few words, and the chair conveniently slid back from the table. Maddox's polite response followed immediately. "Please do."
That surprised a crack of laughter out of her. as she settled herself, elbows on the table. "Useful spell. I'd like to learn it."
Maddox grinned widely for the first time. "There's so much out there to learn."
Greta beamed. "I guess there must be some type of compensation that comes with your association? Something that makes it worthwhile being an outcast?"
"You have no idea," Maddox replied.
"Spill your guts, I'm all ears."
Greta's girlfriends came over to say they were leaving and brought her school books. She never even glanced at them, just casually waving them off with her hand, similar to the way you would brush away a fly that annoyed you. They were offended, practically throwing the books on the table, and left in a huff, muttering among themselves. "Who is that guy?" "Do you know him?" "She'll be sorry if her father finds out!" "What are we? Dirt?"
"My father always told me to respect the power, to not use it for personal gain." Greta threw a challenge at Maddox.
"My father's dead, my mother's dead, and the only one who matters is Klaus, and he says what's the sense of having power if you're not going to use it."
Their eyes met and they snickered.
"I like the sound of this Klaus guy. Your vampire?"
Maddox nodded.
She gently grabbed his wrist and examined the watch on his right arm.
"Looks expensive," she commented.
"Couple of thousand.," he said gazing down at it.
A greedy look crossed her face. "What's the payment?"
He looked up at her curiously, and she responded, "I'm not stupid. There's always payment."
He shrugged. "Spells. Just spells."
Greta asked suspiciously, "What happens when you don't come through?"
Maddox grinned and boasted. "I've got the power. It's always only a matter of finding the right spell. Any grimoire I need, Klaus makes sure I get. I don't fail."
She stared straight ahead, pondering what he said. He kept silent, sipping his coffee, occasionally sending an appraising glance her way.
She abruptly announced. "I have to get going."
He nodded. "Fine. I'll give you a ride home."
She refused. "I have to call my Father. He'd kill me if he found out I got a ride from a man he doesn't know."
He laughed. "I can drop you off where he won't see the car. Can you come up with a cover story, like your girlfriend's parents dropped you off or something?"
Greta smiled slyly and bragged, "You have no idea of the spectacular stories I've come up with."
He stood up and slowly walked toward the mall exit, not looking back to see if she followed. She waited barely a moment before throwing caution to the wind and trailing him.
They left together. When he pressed the button on his keys her eyes widened in awe as the lights on a sleek expensive car flashed.
"No way!" she whispered as she walked around it, barely skimming it with one reverent finger. "Oh my God!"
She stopped and raised her eyes to a grinning Maddox who assured her, "It's a pretty good life."
She smirked and got in.
"Where to?" he asked.
She gave him directions to a spot a couple of blocks away from her home where they wouldn't be spotted and then leaned back, savoring the soft buttery feel of the leather seats and the awesome sound system.
When Maddox pulled in next to the curve, she opened her eyes and turned to him. "Are you ever bored?"
Maddox chuckled, genuinely amused. "Boredom is the least of my worries."
"Would Klaus be interested in meeting me?" Greta was pretty sure she already knew the answer to her question.
"Definitely," was the nonchalant response.
They both smiled and Greta got out of the car, saying, "I'd like to meet him."
Maddox nodded. "He'll be in touch."
"Wait!" Greta chewed her lower lip and then diffidently asked, "Is it worth it? Being kind of an outcast?"
Maddox, fingers thrumming on the steering wheel, took his time answering. "Oh, it's worth it. And it's not just for the car or the wristwatch. It's the thrill of feeling the power building in you, of not having to put on the brakes. It's the jolt you get when you let it course through your body. It's about finally giving in to it. It's about accepting who you are and enjoying it." He finally turned to her. "Yeah, it's worth it, but you gotta be tough enough." He winked at her and drove off.
She watched the car speed away and then schooled her features to her usual expression of boredom and disdain so her father wouldn't suspect she was up to something.
~ X ~
She was both scared and excited, her heart pounding from the tension. Her father wasn't usually easy to fool, but he was distracted by an emergency case and had simply nodded when she smoothly announced, "Goin' to the mall. Meetin' Maggie." She had a scary moment when Luka looked up briefly, knowing she complained constantly that Maggie was a bore, but he just gave her a knowing look and dropped his head back to his video game.
She waited at a table in the food hall with a soda in front of her, looking around anxiously, hoping against hope that none of her friends were here.
She saw a tall, lean handsome man with dirty blonde hair, pale skin, blue eyes, and full red lips approach her. He was casually dressed in a Henley, a really awesome leather jacket, tight jeans and black boots. He smiled at her, and she was amused to see he had dimples. She was totally captivated when he asked with a pronounced British accent, "May I join you?"
She looked eagerly up at him and said, "Of course. Klaus, I presume?" She immediately laughed.
"What's so funny, Luv?"
"I guess I expected a sinister looking, dark haired, evil eyed man. Definitely not one as good looking as you and definitely not with those killer dimples," she teased.
He smiled even wider. "Glad you approve." He eyed her up and down, and his eyes flattered her even more then his seductively uttered words. "And I definitely approve of you."
The blue eyes with the pronounced twinkle pleased her no end. Her first thought was, Now if only he could dance!
As he casually hooked the chair out with a foot and sat down next to her, he remarked good naturedly, "Well if you think all vampires are sinister looking then your education in vampire lore appears to be sadly lacking."
"Oh no," she responded. "My father thoroughly warned me about how devious and treacherous they were. I'll have you know you're an abomination of nature," she said cheekily, showing off.
She was taken aback when he sobered and his face turned sad. "Wha. . what did .. I'm sorry." She apologized.
"Not your fault," he muttered, eyes solemn. Suddenly he seemed to shake off his dark mood and said, "I have been accused of being an abomination before."
She reached over and pressed his hand consolingly, conscious of having hurt him. She shivered and withdrew her hand. Suddenly she blurted out, "You're old, aren't you?"
He said solemnly, "Yes, the oldest, ah, well let's say almost the oldest."
She toyed with the drink she had brought to pass the time while waiting for him and then looked up at him. "The oldest?" She made it a question.
"One of the Original Vampires."
Her eyes opened wide, impressed in spite of herself. "May I?" She reached again tentatively towards his arm, while he obligingly extended it, pushing up his sleeves, allowing her to lay both hands on his forearm. He watched her closely as she fought through the shivers, forcing herself to keep contact with his skin. She removed her hands after a moment, her eyes reflecting her awe. "What could you possibly want with me?" she speculated.
He pursed his lips and considered. "Well, for one thing, can you dance?"
His answer left her at a loss for words for just a moment, and then she chuckled, challenging him. "I doubt you could keep up with me."
He leaned back, crossing his knees, tapping the fingers of one hand on the table. "There are things you need to know about me."
"Like what you really are?" she nonchalantly asked.
He raised an eyebrow. "So you feel something?"
"Of course. There's something." She gestured helplessly with her hands, indicating her inability to define what she felt.
"I'm a hybrid." He elaborated in response to the look of incomprehension on her face. "My mother played my father false with a man with the werewolf gene. She cursed me to suppress my werewolf side. I can't change, and I can't make more like me." He sighed and rubbed his mouth with an agitated hand. "My stepfather hates me and has followed me for centuries trying to kill me. My mother sealed the curse that suppresses my hybrid side to a doppelganger and a moonstone." He laughed bitterly. "I am probably the most hated person on earth."
"Fathers." She snorted in disgust. "They do have a way of interfering in one's life."
He smiled at that. "I gather yours does not approve of you?"
"What a dainty way to phrase it." She gently mocked him.
They looked at each other and burst out laughing, thoroughly at ease.
She looked at him shrewdly. "That's why you want witches. Maddox, me. You want to break the curse."
He nodded and his voice was serious. "Yes. I want to make others of my kind so I can be so strong, so secure, I can stop running. I want to be safe." He stopped and leaned forward, his weight on his crossed arms. "I'm willing to give anything to those who help me make my new order."
She started to answer him but out of the corner of her eye caught sight of her brother on the far side of the mall. Luka looked from her to Klaus, his disapproving frown warning her he would be running to their father with this.
"Oh No!" She slammed her hands on the table. "Luka, wait. Let me explain." She jumped out of her chair but tripped and caught her foot on the leg. By the time she freed herself, her brother was long gone.
Klaus made no move to interfere, staying calm and relaxed.
"No, no, no." She sat back down, defeated, slumping in the chair.
"Been seen by someone you didn't want to see you?" Klaus shrewdly guessed.
"My brother," she said bitterly. "He'll be calling my father now. I'm doomed. I'll be grounded for life."
Klaus shrugged. "You can come with me. I'll take care of you."
Greta looked at him in disbelief. "Just like that. Leave everything and go with you?"
"Well, you'll never be bored," he replied with his most charming smile.
She laughed, startled by the implications of what he suggested. Scrambling for time she started to list objections. "My father is a powerful witch. He'll be able to find me."
"I think Maddox can handle him." Klaus was blithely confident. "And once we have you trained up, you'll be more than a match for him." Klaus watched her face, noting how intrigued she was at the prospect of being as powerful as her father.
"So, do I trade one keeper for another?"
"I just want your help. Other than that you're your own person. I'll make sure you get all the training you need to get as strong as you possibly can." Klaus twinkled at her. "Maddox is a good companion, and you can't believe how much fun I am once you get to know me."
She giggled, but then wailed as the realization hit her. "I have no clothes!"
"No problem. I'll buy you new ones." He dimpled. "We'll have such fun shopping."
The idea pleased her so she decided to push it, stating firmly. "I want a lot of things. Jewelry and shoes and a car . . and . . and . . and stuff."
Klaus pulled a wallet stuffed with hundred dollar bills out of his leather jacket and grabbed a handful of credit cards, displaying them like a hand of cards.
"Whatever you want," Klaus promised. "You help me break the curse, and I will get you whatever you want."
Her eyes sparkled and then she asked coyly, "So do you really dance?"
Klaus smiled broadly. "Like you can't believe!"
She thought for a moment. The endless boring days. The fights. The pointlessness of her life right now. Her yearning to use her power. "Let me leave a note for my father."
Klaus got up and walked over to a food booth, cutting ahead of everyone. He ignored the muttering and comments. "Hey, there's a line here."
He compelled the young boy behind the counter to give him a pen and napkin, returning with it to Greta. She hastily wrote a note and tucked it in one of the supporting arms under the glass table top. She looked up to see Klaus watching her curiously. "Dad will be able to find this. I told him not to worry."
Klaus raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Oh yeah, that'll ease his mind."
They simultaneously burst out laughing. He stood and offered her his arm. She linked hers through his and they left.
Twenty minutes later Jonas Martin, Luka leading the way, strode over to the table, where Greta and Klaus had sat. Luka stood in front of his father, shielding him from view as much as possible. Jonas placed his hands, fingers spread on the table and mumbled under his breath. He quickly found the napkin note Greta had left. He read it and crushed it into a ball, throwing it on the floor in frustration.
He ran his hands over the chairs, speaking softly. "Greta sat here." He moved to the next chair and froze. "Oh my God!"
"What? What is it Dad?" Luka asked anxiously, his body tense.
"A vampire, but not just any vampire. A very, very old vampire." His father, an anguished look on his face that Luka hadn't seen since his mother's death, said in a panic stricken voice, "Your sister's been kidnapped. That's it. She must have been kidnapped."
Luka looked confused. "How did she write the note then?"
"She was compelled, of course." Jonas was positive his daughter would not have left of her own free will. "Let's go home. I'll do a tracking spell, and we'll find her." His expression relaxed as he regained confidence, sure of his power. "We'll get her back tonight."
~ X ~
Greta watched eagerly as Maddox opened a grimoire and chanted a spell. She had a tissue pressed to the slight cut he had made in her hand so he could obtain some of her blood. Once he saw how interested she was he turned the book slightly so he could follow along. He winked at her, and she smiled gratefully.
"This will block any tracking spells based on things that you've touched. Blood is strongest. Blood always wins out."
She nodded, determined to learn.
Klaus quickly whisked them out of the country, heading to England. Greta adored the life there. She soon realized his word was good. She had more clothes then she could possibly wear in a lifetime. He introduced her to wine, food, art, and showered her with gifts. He called her his muse, frequently drew her portrait, and his eyes when they were turned to her were always flattering.
They went out clubbing and dancing most nights, with Maddox frequently joining them.
She was thrilled when he halted her one day and said with a charming smile, dimples showing. "I fancy you."
She tilted her head to look up at him, boldly allowing her eyes to roam up and down his body. "I fancy you too," she finally admitted.
They became lovers within a month of that exchange.
He bound her to him not just with her body, but with her soul. He had the ability to make her feel she was the most important person in his world. He praised and encouraged her. It was intoxicating to be around a man who instead of chastising her for using her powers, urged to develop them to their full potential.
She worked hard, studying and training with Maddox. Klaus delivered grimoires to them so old she was afraid to touch them for fear of them crumbling. The first time she was handed one bound in human skin she hesitated. Maddox looked at her knowingly, while Klaus shrugged. "Up to you, Luv." She fought off her trepidation and took the book, so mesmerized by it that she missed the silent triumphant exchange of looks between Klaus and Maddox.
She loved magic; embracing the surge it gave her. Magic gave her a high that was addictive. The more she did, the more she wanted to do. Sometimes when she and Maddox combined their powers they couldn't help laughing out loud with sheer joy.
She worked well with Maddox. At first she was inclined to be jealous of his bond with Klaus, but she soon realized he wasn't a rival. There was no question she was the favorite. Maddox accepted it, never contesting her status. It was the perfect partnership. She appreciated his help, glad he bore the brunt of Klaus' impatience and ill humor when it surfaced. She was never the object of the hybrid's tantrums. He would treat Maddox to sharp words, but when he turned to her there was always a twinkle in his eyes. She never realized that it was deliberate, designed to keep her enthralled with him. And when they would drink heavily, and he would relive his childhood and the pain of bearing his father's displeasure, she would comfort him and tell him she would always be there for him. Together they would make a new world and a new order.
She was not quite sure when admiration and attraction turned into adoration, but there was no doubt that she was soon infatuated with him. Her eyes were always on him, following his every movement. She dedicated herself to him and his plans. Her eyes, whenever they chanced to fall on him, shone with love.
Years passed while she and Maddox tried and failed to find a way to break the curse without using the moonstone or doppelganger. Her father was unable to track her though sometimes she felt a spell warded off.
She returned home one day from a shopping trip to find an exultant Klaus pacing, making no effort to suppress his enthusiasm. Maddox's eyes were glowing with excitement. She looked from one to the other, immediately realizing it could only be one thing.
"You found her! You found the doppelganger."
"Yes, Luv." Klaus laughed boyishly. "In of all places, Mystic Falls."
Greta's eyes lit up with joy, excited for her beloved. This was the start of their new life; a new order ruled by Klaus with her at his side.
~ X ~
Elijah contacted Jonas Martin. "I found the doppelganger. Klaus will find her too."
Dr. Martin's voice was solemn. "Klaus will come, and he'll bring Greta."
Elijah nodded. "Yes, he will definitely bring his witch."
"Not his." Dr. Martin was quick to correct the Original.
"I apologize. He will bring your daughter."
"Then Luka and I will meet you in Mystic Falls," Jonas said.
"Together, we'll bring Klaus down," Elijah promised.
Jonas spoke softly, "We've been separated too long. Its time to reunite my family."
Elijah hung up and slipped his phone into an inner suit pocket. As he straightened his collar and jacket lapels, he murmured, "And it's time to avenge my family."
~ x ~
Stefan pulled a shovel from the truck and flung it on the ground near a large boulder. He then made two trips, each time slinging a wrapped bundle on his shoulder, bending down to carefully roll it to the ground. One bundle was noticeably smaller than the other.
"Time to bury the rest of the Martins. " He sighed as he grunted and rolled the huge rock aside and starting digging into the earth.
Damon leaned against the truck, arms crossed, watching him.
Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Am I gonna get any help?"
"I'm supervising. Someone's gotta make sure the job gets done right. Besides I took down two Martins, and you only got one."
Stefan decided to just ignore him and put his back into digging. The ground was easy to move, not having had time to pack down since they used this spot to stash Luka's body.
Damon watching him, waited until his brother's back was turned, before shifting uneasily. He could feel heat radiating from the infected wolf bite area, and he was starting to battle waves of pain and dizziness.
He didn't dare waste his strength digging dirt though part of him would have relished the physical effort. It would be easier than dealing with his thoughts.
He is not going to be able to deal with this . . .with my death. I'm leaving my baby bro to deal with this mess, and I won't be there to help. I hate to leave him alone.
He was surprised at himself. He had assumed his thoughts would have been on Elena.
Stefan finished the job quickly, rolling the boulder back over the group grave and throwing the shovel in the back of the pickup. He looked back troubled, hands on hips.
Damon put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "They're together. That's what Jonas wanted. Nobody can separate them now."
Stefan nodded and sighed. "Sometimes dying's the easy way out."
"Let's go, bro. We have two more funerals today." Damon shifted his hand to his brother's neck and gave him a gentle push towards the driver's side.
Yeah . . You're right, Stef . . it's living that's gonna be tough!
~ x ~
As they sped back towards Alaric's apartment Klaus intercepted a worried glance from Elijah.
"Don't worry, brother. I promise upon my honor that you will be reunited with the rest of our family."
Elijah, not looking totally convinced, made no reply.
As they entered the building Klaus suddenly snapped his fingers, remembering to ask, "Did Greta survive?"
Elijah shrugged. "Afraid not. She was distracted by Bonnie, and Damon snapped her neck."
Klaus grimaced, matching shrug with shrug. "Too bad. She was a fantastic dancer."
He opened the door and gestured for Elijah to enter first. Mildly annoyed, he complained, "Now, I'll have to find a new dance partner."
~FIN~