A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took so long - school has been crazy! But it's holidays now so I will definitely be pulling more chapters out! if anyone was wondering - I (personally, of course) picture Madelyn as Barbara Palvin (with brown eyes). You should look her up on google images haha. Here we go!

Also - really long chapter because of such long wait! Yay!


My head hung precariously off the bed, my long, brown hair swaying beneath me, the tips just touching the wooden floor boards. My legs rested atop of Davina's as both our bodies shook in laughter.

"You made him naked?" She questioned in between fits of laughter.

The blood had rushed to my head and so it took me a few moments of giggles to answer. "Technically we put a cloaking spell on his clothes but yeah, essentially. He never spoke to us again but it was so worth it."

"You and your best friend were such bitches," she was smiling as she said it and I sat up to look at her.

"You have no idea. We were even more horrible to the teachers," I chuckled. "All the witches in our community went to this little school together in the hall and oh my god - it was nightmare! For the teachers, anyway. It was hilarious for us. Lucy and I were always the worst," I grinned.

"You have to teach me how to do that cloaking spell," she commanded. "But first," the playful look on her face dropped and she reached over to her nightstand and grabbed my mother's grimoire. "This spell."

I groaned in frustration, flopping back against the pillows.

"Come on Maddy! The sooner I can do this spell, the sooner you can get out of this dusty attic," Davina said.

"How can I teach you a spell, that I myself probably couldn't perform! I can't help you if I don't have my own magic!" I protested.

Davina sighed.


"So, Niklaus, what have you planned to rescue the girl that Rebekah is currently so fixated on?" Elijah queried as he peered down at his younger, half brother, who was sitting behind his desk.

"I'm not fixated Elijah. She's my friend," Rebekah protested.

"And what makes you think I have a plan?" Klaus shot back, although his expression gave away clearly that he definitely had a plan.

Rebekah barked out a laugh. "Please, brother. You may be a miserable excuse for a sibling, but there is none more diabolic."

Klaus smirked. It was true. "Well.. my plan to free your witch friend is..to ask Marcel to release her."

The two siblings waited, staring expectantly at their brother. They waited some more.

"Please tell me that's not the whole plan," Rebekah's eyes were wide and Elijah's eyebrows had climbed high on his forehead.

"Well there's always a plan B," Klaus added.

"And what, pray, tell, is plan B?" Elijah reluctantly asked, as if afraid of the answer.

Klaus's smirk grew. "War."


"I want to trust you Maddy," Davina said, sincerely. "Really, I do…but I don't know you. The last time I trusted witches…it nearly got me killed."

"Being without my magic is killing me. I hate it! We'd still be linked and you could re-activate the repressing spell whenever you wanted!" My stomach churned with guilt. Regret. "I want to help you and get out of here. It's not like I can undo the spell that links us. Only the person who cast it can and that would be you."

Davina let out a long breath. I hoped desperately that she couldn't feel my guilt, radiating off of me in waves. I had a plan. And it did not involve behaving as well as I was implying. Tonight, a rare meteor would be passing over New Orleans. If I could get my magic back, then when the meteor was at its peak, I could channel enough power to break the link between Davina and I - and then it would a simple matter of undoing the boundary spell that was locking me in this room. No other witch would have been able to break the kind of spell that Davina used to bind us - it wasn't like an ordinary binding spell, it used both of our blood and a whole lot of power. But, I was no ordinary witch and paired with the power from the meteor…I hopefully had a chance.

I didn't want to hurt Davina - in fact it was the last thing I wanted to do. And if I was honest, I really wouldn't mind taking out the Original vamps - except that I know knew Rebekah was one of them and I wouldn't do anything until I had talked to her. Until she had explained herself. Besides, I did not appreciate being kidnapped and drugged. Not even if I was growing fond of my captors. Captor, I corrected myself. I am not growing fond of Marcel as well. No way.

"I bought you guys pizza!" Marcel called out as he walked up the stairs, carrying two pizza boxes.

Okay, I allowed myself, maybe a little.

"Thank God," I groaned. "I am starving!"

I practically stole the pizza box out of his hand, flinging it open and picking up a delicious smelling piece. "No wonder Davina's so skinny - we don't get fed enough!"

Marcel looked genuinely panicked for a few moments, as if he had forgotten what it was to be human and how often we had to eat - as if he thought that he may have actually been under-feeding Davina.

I picked off a piece of pineapple and threw it at him. "I'm just kidding," I smirked. He let out a breath and rolled his eyes, turning to Davina.

"I'm throwing a little party tonight at the Compound, donating a big cheque to the city, but if you need anything just call and I'll come straight away," he promised. I lifted my eyes from my food to look at him.

A party? I hadn't been to a party in way too long.

"The Compound?" I questioned.

He ran his eyes up and down my length and suddenly I felt exposed in Davina's little dress - it felt like he could see right through me, like he knew what I was planning. I shifted uncomfortably.

"The first place I saw you," he said. The Abattoir - it must have been.

Well, I thought to myself. I'm crashing a party.


"So Marcel, as predicted, denied your request for Madelyn's freedom and your plan is to use this Katie witch, whom told Marcel's right hand man - her boyfriend - that Hayley was in the quarter, to do a spell in order to save her beloved Thierry from Marcel's retribution, to create a large enough spell in order to hide Sophie's locator spell on Madelyn," Elijah summarised.

"Just listening to the complexity of that makes my head hurt," Rebekah complained.

"And how exactly are you going to convince your friend Marcel to put Thierry in enough danger that Katie will have to use that much magic?" Elijah questioned Klaus.

"Already got it covered, brother," Klaus assured him. "Marcel has ordered a rousting of the witches. I have drained and compelled one of Marcel's men to get bit…" His red lips stretched into a sinful grin. "Violent. Which should be the proper motivation for Thierry to break Marcel's biggest rule; killing another vampire. From there it's just the simple matter of planting a bit more damning evidence against Marcel's right hand man and Marcel will have to punish him." He turned to his sister. "Don't fear little sister, your friend will be safe soon."

Rebekah's eyes narrowed. "Why are you being so helpful? You don't even know this girl and yet you're going to such lengths to save her?"

Klaus feigned innocence. "I'm just trying to help my sister gain her only friend back."

Rebekah's eyebrows furrowed - she didn't believe him for a second.


"You can't tell Marcel that I'm giving you your magic back," Davina warned. "He'd never let me. He doesn't trust you."

I hesitated. "Do you?" I asked.

Please say no. Please say no. If you say no, I won't feel nearly as guilty. It'll be for her own person gain if she says no - it'll be because she wants me teaching her the spell to move along quicker, not because she thinks she can truly trust me.

Davina pursed her lips. "I think so."

I let out a long breath. I can't do this, I thought. I can't betray her.

But I had too. I couldn't trust what Marcel said - I had no way of knowing that he wouldn't force Davina to use that de-vampirization spell on Rebekah, and I wouldn't risk her getting hurt - dying.

"Do it," I told Davina.

She locked her brown eyes with my own and placed her hand over my collarbone, where the sigil was. Her palm was soft, unlike mine which was marred with scars from using blood spells.

"Exsolvo," she murmured.

All of sudden, like a punch to the stomach, the air from my lungs was driven out. I could feel as my magic returned back to me. It was like a dam had broke, after straining for far too long. It raced through my veins, filling every single one of my cells. I hadn't realised how empty I'd felt without my magic until I'd gotten it back. I could feel it at my fingertips and through my legs, it flooded my body, saturating me until I was oozing with magic. And with the magic came the bond. I had thought it was strong before, but now suddenly it was everywhere - I could feel Davina. I could feel the way her own magic was bursting from her. Her body wasn't designed to hold more than one witches power, not like mine. I was born to absorb other witches power. Hers was…destroying her.

I stumbled back and she quickly caught me, lowering me onto the bed.

My breathing was rapid and the attic began to shake.

"Madelyn?" Davina questioned, unsure what was happening.

I closed my eyes and centred myself.

Control yourself, I commanded. Sometimes the magic was too much, too strong. My body may have been born to withstand having 5 or 6 witches powers in me at once, but my mind had not.

The attic stopped shaking and I opened my eyes.

"I'm ok," I assured her. "It's alright."

"You can't control it either sometimes," she looked desperate for someone else to relate to her. She had, after all, been on her own in this for so long. She had Marcel, sure, but he didn't have any idea about witchcraft, what it felt like.

"I couldn't," I admitted. "Not for a long time. But I can now. And I can teach you," I promised. Davina smiled and I couldn't look at her glowing, trusting face for a moment longer, so I stood up, glancing at my feet. "But first, I'm thirsty. Is there anymore soft drink left?"

"I think you drank it all."

I walked over to the small fridge that was tucked into the far corner, opening it. I pulled out the half empty bottle of red soft drink and poured some into a cup. I glanced over my shoulder, but Davina was busy studying the spell in my mother's grimoire.

"Somnium," I murmured very quietly, waving a hand over the cup. It cast a sleeping spell over the drink, meaning whoever drank even just a few sips would fall unconscious.

Davina's head snapped up. "Did you just use magic?"

I feigned a smile and held up the bottle and cup. "Yep. It was practically empty before. I just refilled it a bit," I lied.

"Wait, how?" Davina immediately asked.

"I'll show you! But first, you gotta try it," I held the cup out to her and hoped she didn't notice my hand was shaking. "See if I got the taste right."

She didn't hesitate before taking the cup and raising it to her lips, drinking a long sip. She looked at me and her eyebrows furrowed for a single moment before her eyes slipped closed and the cup dropped to the floor, the liquid splashing out. She fell back onto the bed, my sleeping spell taking effect immediately.

She would sleep for at least a few hours and it wouldn't affect me because it wasn't harming her in any way, shape or form. It was just like falling asleep - only with a little extra prompting.

I tucked her into the bed properly and ran my hand over her hair.

"I'm sorry Davina. This is what I had to do," I said, partially to her, partially to myself.

I would have to come back to unlink Davina and I when the comet was at its peak, so all I grabbed to take with me was my wallet and the pamphlet that Marcel had left with us to his party; 'Masquerade Gala'.

Perfect, I thought. Now all I need is an outfit and to break that barrier spell.

I walked up to the boundary and hesitantly lifted my hand, pressing it against the invisible barrier. At first a slight shock ran through my hand and up my arm - it wasn't painful as such, but something close - before it sort of just became uncomfortable. My eyes fluttered closed.

"Solvo impedimentum," I murmured, as if trying not to wake Davina despite the knowledge that she wouldn't wake for the world in the next two or so hours. I groaned in frustration when my spell didn't work. Generally only the person who put up the barrier spell could take it down. But Davina and I were still connected. If I could just channel her power…

I focussed on the link I could feel between us, the spell that tethered not only our magic together but us, as people. I focussed on her and then on the boundary spell. I could feel, beneath my still raised hand as the spell slowly began to disintegrate until, with a guilt-heavy stomach but somewhat excited, beating heart, I walked straight out the door.


"It's nice," The shop assistant said as we both stared at my reflection in the mirror.

"Yeah," My tone indicated that I wasn't really agreeing. "But it's not…"

"Killer?" She suggested.

"No," This time, I was agreeing. "It's not killer."

She grinned. "I've got just the dress for you." She disappeared out of the large changing room - big enough to be a small bedroom - and I unzipped the white, long dress, pulling it off of me.

She came back in and all I saw was a flash of deep red before she was slipping a new dress onto my body. It laced up at the back and she tightened it slightly before stepping back.

"Now that is definitely killer," she declared.

I ran my hands down the front of it. Killer, that was certainly one word for it.

The adjective I would have chosen was - well..gorgeous. It was completely crimson, strapless and the same, flowing silk all the way to the floor.

"I'll take it," I commanded. The girl reached forward to undo it but I held up a hand to stop her. "I'm wearing it." I handed her my credit card - I didn't bother to check how much it was and I didn't care. My bank account was full to the brim after all the money I'd inherited.

"I'll grab you a pair of silver heels that go perfectly with that dress," She added before disappearing once more.

I rubbed my sweaty hands together and pretended it was from the heat of the bright lights above me and not my nerves.


The Compound looked vastly different to the last time I'd been there. There were contortionists and dancers swinging from ropes above, confetti raining down around the mingling people, all dressed eloquently to impress a host that more than likely wouldn't glance twice at them.

I brought my silver, detailed mask up to my eyes, tying the ribbon around the back of my head.

I strode, slowly into the throng of people, the music loud and all around me. My eyes sought out a girl on a podium, draping a yellow snake across her shoulders.

Wow, i thought. Marcel really went all out.

I looked over my shoulder just in time to see a familiar blonde walking straight out of the party. I tried to swiftly make my way over to her, calling my friend's name. "Rebekah!" But she was gone before I could reach her and, looking over the crowd, I spotted Marcel glancing around, his gaze wondering dangerously close to me. I wasn't ready for him to know I was there. Not yet. If he found a way to lock my magic up again before I could unlink Davina and I..I would be in big trouble.

I quickly turned on my heel, making my way over to the bar and leaning down, half hiding behind a man that was leaning on the counter.

The bar tender slid up in front of me. "1 Vodka please," I requested, leaning lowly on the bar, resting on my elbows. The bartender turned away.

"Hiding from someone, love?"

My gaze snapped up to the man beside me, the one that I was practically using as a body shield. My lips parted, but for some reason they didn't manage to form any actual words for a few moments.

"Um…" I trailed off. "Something like that."

He glanced over his shoulder. "It wouldn't be the man of the night would it? He is your humble host after all."

"Perhaps hiding isn't the right word," I argued, finally sorting my thoughts. "I'm.. avoiding him being aware of my presence. At the moment."

He smirked and I couldn't help thinking that he was somewhat gorgeous - red lips and blue eyes contrasted handsomely against pearl-white skin and despite his dirty blonde hair and charming (yet devilish) smirk, he felt….dangerous. Like I should be running in the opposite direction.

I didn't.

"Synonymous," he pointed out, about my previous reply.

"Probably," I agreed. "But let's pretend for awhile it's not."

"Bad history between the two of you?" He looked interested.

"Less history…more present situation," I replied, glancing over his shoulder to see where Marcel was. He was dancing with a blonde dressed as an angel. Perfectly distracted.

The bartender placed my drink in front of me and I smiled a thanks. I picked it up, the glass cold and slightly wet in my hand.

"Jealous of his new angel?" the man taunted, following my gaze to where Marcel was dancing with the girl. My eyebrows shot up.

"Hardly. Relieved even. Every devil needs an angel," I shot back.

His smirk widened and he sat back slightly, as if actually taking me in for the first time, his eyes travelling down my body and then back up again. "And that couldn't be you?"

I laughed slightly, looking down. My hair fell across my face for a moment and I reached up to tuck the long strands behind my ear. "Please..I'm hardly an angel."

"Good," he immediately responded and held out a hand to me, palm facing upward. "Righteous girls bore me."

My lips parted in something between a laugh and a gasp. I hesitated, but only for a moment, before sliding my hand into his. I met his grin with a more cautious one of my own and he led me out, away from the bar and into the throng of slow dancing people.

He gently tugged me toward him, placing a hand onto my waist, the other still grasping my own hand.

"I don't believe I caught your name," he pointed out as we slowly moved across the floor.

"I don't think you did. And I don't think you will anytime soon," I retorted. His eyebrows shot up and he chuckled. I could tell he was enjoying my resistance.

"Well…" He spun me around under his arm and pulled me back, closer than before, my chest pressed against his own and suddenly the breath was driven from my body. "Perhaps some incentive. I'm Niklaus."

My fingers curled into his black suit jacket. Where had I heard that name before?

I opened my mouth to question him further when I saw Marcel was only a few metres away. My eyes widened and I quickly leaned down and buried my head in the crevice between Niklaus's neck and shoulder.

I heard a soft sound of surprise leave his lips but I ignored him, drawing myself closer to his body in the hopes that Marcel wouldn't notice me. I ignored how nice Niklaus smelt, like the forest or narcissistic self-admiration or both.

"You truly are adamant on Marcel not knowing you're here. What, did you lose your invite?" Niklaus teased.

I peered up over his shoulder and saw that Marcel's back was turned. Taking the opportunity, I grabbed Niklaus's hand and pulled us further back away from the host.

"Losing it implies that I ever received one," I pointed out, distracted as I turned to look if he had seen me. He hadn't.

"Corrupt and rebellious. I'm beginning to think you may be a bad influence," he joked.

"Do you know Marcel well?" I ignored his smart ass comments.

"You could say that," he allowed. "I've known him since he was a boy."

My eyebrows furrowed and I suddenly looked at him. "…Since he was a boy?" Vampires were immortal…I didn't know how long Marcel had been alive for - he could have been turned into a vampire last year or a hundred years ago - but the man standing in front of me didn't look a whole lot older than Marcel.

I suddenly became weary of Niklaus and was about to excuse myself when I caught sight of a man whispering something in Marcel's ear before he stormed over to another man, pinning him against the wall with a hand around his throat.

What was going on?

"Excuse me," i turned to Niklaus. "Thank you.. for the dance."

"And the disguise?" he questioned.

I bit my lip and didn't reply, simply locking my gaze with his for a few moments before slowly turning around. I made my way through the all of the people, glancing back at him once to see his gaze still firmly on me. Marcel and a few other men, including the one he had angrily pinned against a wall, had made their way up a staircase and to the internal veranda where they appeared to be having a rather heated conversation.

A swoop of power vibrated through me and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I rolled my shoulders, wondering if I was still just adjusting to my magic, but it wasn't that.

The feeling only got stronger and that was when I realised what it was. I was connected to Davina and she could tell if anyone was using magic in the French Quarter. And someone was definitely using magic.

if Marcel really did kill any witch that used magic, then who would be stupid enough to actually do it?

You, a part of me pointed out. I rolled my eyes and rubbed the back of my neck before striding up to the blonde girl that Marcel had been dancing with.

"He's got quite a temper, doesn't he?" I said, following her gaze to the vampire.

She looked at me. "Do you know him well?" Seems to be the question of the night.

"Not really," I admitted before looking to her. She looked forlorn. "Are you ok?"

She sighed and closed her eyes for a few moments, shaking her head slightly. "I just…guess this is the moment when I remember that I know better."

"Trust me," I leaned slightly against her. "It's better if you stick away from him."

She looked at me, suspicion held slightly in her blue eyes. "Is that coming from a place of jealousy?"

"No," I said sincerely. "It's coming from a place of concern. I'm trying to minimise casualties. With men like him…there's always fall out."

She took in a deep breath and put a small, fake smile on her face. "Thanks. I think you're right." She gave me one last smile before walking away.

"I hate being right," I murmured. Marcel and the other men made their way back down the staircase and headed toward the front exit.

Leaving your own party early? Something must have happened - Marcel looked upset.

I trailed behind slowly and noticed another exit, off to the side. I pushed open the door that led to the street outside. I was a little way away from where Marcel and his posse had just exited the building, hidden in the shadows. I felt her before I saw her. The girl from the little shop - Jardin Gris - was walking down the street, her arms raised and chanting.

Well, I thought, that explains the feeling of magic.

"Katie, no!" One of the men with Marcel shouted but it was too late. As the lamp post lights above them blew, the vampires fell to the ground, gripping their heads in pain. A few rushed at her but they didn't get far. She had them on the ground before they were even close. I took a few steps forward.

I was torn. Should I stop her? Or help her?

Marcel rose to his feet, anger blazing on his face as clear as day. The comet would be reaching its peak soon and I had to get back to the attic.

The girl took another step toward the throng of vampires, strengthening her spell, and Marcel feel back to the ground.

Then, in the blink of an eye, it was over.

With a snap of her neck, the girl fell to the ground, dead. Niklaus stood above her, smirking.

Alarm and trepidation tore through me. He was a vampire!

But that was the least of my worries.

"Oh no," I murmured. I could sense her magic as it travelled up, into my body. The pain started in my fingertips before slowly clawing its way up my arms. It burnt through me, tearing across my body and leaving me in fragments of agony. A cry tore its way past my lips as I fell to my knees, gripping my head as it began to pound.

No, not again!

I bit my lip to hold in a scream as I crashed onto my side on the cold concrete as my body began to shake from the pain.

"Madelyn?" I heard Marcel call faintly in the background and then he was above me but I barely registered him - too caught up in trying to deal with the affliction that Katie's magic was forcing upon my body as I absorbed it. "What the hell are you doing here? What's going on?"

I couldn't reply, curling in on myself further as I yelled in pain. Marcel, realising that there was clearly something seriously wrong and worried that whatever was happening to me was also affecting Davina, gently picked me up in his arms, cradling me against his chest.

"That's Madelyn?" Niklaus questioned, eyebrows furrowed, but Marcel ignored him.

And then we were moving fast, too fast for me to process, especially in my pain riddled state. I knew Marcel had to be using his vamp speed. I wasn't sure whether it was seconds, minutes or hours before we were suddenly in front of the church and then up, outside the attic.

"Davina!" Marcel called, striding into the attic. Davina was thrashing wildly in her sleep, unable to wake up but still in the same amount of torment as I was. He lay me gently on the bed beside the other witch and held down my shoulders. Tears streamed down my face and I continued to tell myself that it would be over soon.

"Madelyn you need to tell me what's happening. Why isn't Davina waking up? What's wrong with you?" He demanded.

The pain was slowly beginning to subside and I managed to regain my breath. "I'm sorry Marcel," I breathed out. "But you should know better than to try and lock up a witch."

His eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth to speak but didn't get the chance. I raised my hand and he flew back against the wall, hard. I sat up, turning to Davina. The comet was just approaching its apex and with the burst of power that my new magic would give me, I would have a pretty good chance of breaking the spell between me and Davina.

"Gaudete ait, ista maledictio, solve nobis," I chanted, drawing off the comets power, off of Davina and my new magic. The spell binding us resisted but I pushed on, repeating the words. Marcel pushed himself up and I was forced to break concentration on the de-linking spell to throw him against another wall.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be Marcel!" I shouted, before focussing back on breaking the spell. I chanted the incantation once more and felt as the connection between Davina and I snapped like a stick. I suddenly felt…empty. Alone. I had connected with Davina on so many levels, she had been one of the few people who had understood what I was going through. And I'd betrayed her.

But I had to focus on getting free. I turned back to Marcel, who's eyes were angry, black veins popping out from underneath them. I looked down at the restlessly sleeping witch and sighed. "I'm sorry Davina."

My gaze went back up to Marcel and, just by narrowing my eyes, his neck snapped and his body fell to the ground.

My head was spinning, my dress was ripped and I knew that I was going to pass out in a matter of minutes. I stumbled out of the attic, down the stairs and out of the church. I thought the night air would help me catch my breath but there was a tightness in my throat that wouldn't give up. I was fading, fast.

I managed to stagger a few metres down the street before falling to the ground. I lay on the bare cement, staring up at the beautiful, blazing comet above as my vision blurred. A shadow appeared above me, a familiar face that I couldn't place a name to because my mind was so jumbled.

"It's alright love," I didn't fully process what the British voice was even saying. "You're safe now."

I closed my eyes as arms lifted me from the ground for the second time that night, finally letting the pressing darkness swallow me whole.


A/N: YAY! They finally met! Sorry this took so long but I hope it was worth the wait - I hope you guys liked it!

Please leave a review and tell me - did you like their first meeting? Do you think it all flowed well? I hope so!

Thank you my loves!

Gute Nacht Freunde xx