To recap:

"Let me deal with this," Elijah rose to follow him. It was just the three of us left in the room. Me, a vulnerable little human, and possibly the two most volatile-tempered supernaturals in Mystic Falls.

Great.


Nik's POV****

"All of this talk has made me thirsty," I told Stefan, walking around the table, trying not to pay attention to Maggie's pounding heart. She was terrified. I felt a twinge of regret. She had no place here, stuck in the middle of the fight. I glanced at the blonde I'd compelled. She approached. "What do you say, Stefan? Can I interest you in a little after-dinner drink?" I brushed her hair back before biting into her neck. I heard Maggie's sharp intake of breath. I pulled away and let the girl drop to the floor. "Delicious," I grinned. Maggie's heart was pounding hard in her chest and I could smell the adrenaline flooding her veins. Stefan stood.

"Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother," Stefan remarked darkly.

"Oh, no," I disagreed, "You're doing that well enough on your own. Because of Elena, you're going to lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame."

Before Stefan could retort, Damon and Elijah came back.

"What do you say, Klaus? It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer. Now, you counter," Damon stood easily next to Stefan as Elijah took a spot to my right. I heard Maggie shift and rise, walking to the other side of the room so she could observe all of us. She always was too good at picking out emotions in people. I strolled around to Elijah's vacated seat and dropped into in.

"Ok, I offer Elena's future happiness." I had caught their attention, so I continued, "You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot and to fall in love with a human...Maybe that nice football player, you know, the blonde one."

"Matt Donovan? Really?" Damon scoffed. I had hit a nerve.

"Yeah, why not?" I mused, "They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family."

"And continue the Petrova bloodline," Stefan pointed out coldly, "Every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelganger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right, Klaus?"

"Consider it a small return on my investment in her well-being," I smirked, "See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life...You know it's what's best for her...So, what do you say, Stefan? Do we have a deal?" I started walking around to the fireplace. Stefan walked around to meet me. He reached for my hand to shake it.

"Nice try, Klaus, but no deal,"


Maggie's POV****

Nik twisted Stefan's arm and thrust it into the fire. Elijah pinned Damon to the wall by his throat.

"What are you doing?" Damon hissed. I grabbed at Elijah, trying to get him off Damon. Easily, he snatched up my arms, gripping them tight.

"I do not wish to injure you, Maggie, but you shouldn't get involved," He said conversationally. I tried to yank away from him, wishing to God that my hands would do the fire thing they had with Damon when he'd tried to kidnap me. Stefan was groaning and struggling against Nik, his hand blistering in the fire.

"Stop!" Damon demanded.

"Bring me my coffin before I burn him alive!" Nik ordered.

"Nik! Let him go!" I screamed at him. I was completely powerless. I felt the heat rising in my hands, burning him. Elijah released me quickly. Having put all my weight into pulling against him, I tumbled back onto the floor when he let go so suddenly.

"I'll get it," Damon said disgustedly as Elijah let him go.

"Go with him, brother, keep him honest, and when you return, I will make good on my promise and hand over our family," Nik pledged. Elijah stared at him for a long moment before following Damon from the room.

"You've lost it, Nik!" I snarled at him, getting clumsily to my feet. He gave me an exasperated look.

"I'm in no mood for your moral dilemmas, Maggie, so kindly keep it to yourself," Nik ordered. I shoved him hard and he actually took a step back. He looked surprised for a moment before anger crossed his features. He shoved me back, just as hard, being sure to catch my half-healed side. Pain exploded up my torso as I flew backwards, crashing into the table. I laid there for a moment, the wood of the floor cold against my cheek, my breath came in short pants. That son of a bitch. Everything hurt as I struggled to a sitting position. Nik ripped Stefan to his feet and tried to pick a fight.

"You really have given up haven't you?" He sneered, "Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?"

Before Stefan could respond, Elijah and Damon came back in, a compelled woman following them with a covered tray. "Elijah? Why haven't you left?" Nik was puzzled.

"Where are your manners, brother?" Elijah reproved, "You forgot dessert," He pulled the covering away, revealing two daggers. Oh, fu-

"What have you done?" Nik's eyes went wide.

"What have you done?" Elijah shot back, "See, I've learned not to trust you vulgar promises, Klaus, we're doing this on my terms, now."

Another man walked up behind them. He was dark haired and maybe twenty, but he had a mischievous face that made him look younger.

"Kol," Nik went white, holding his hands up defensively.

"Long time, brother," the boy, Kol, smirked dangerously, walking up to Nik.

Nik ran for the daggers, reaching for one, but another joined us, this one with finer features and long, uncut hair.

"Finn, don't-" Nik's sentence was lost in an agonized scream as the man shoved a dagger through the palm of his hand. I flinched away as Finn pulled the dagger out. Nik tried to escape through the other way, but a woman in a blood red dress got in his way.

"Rebekah," I breathed. She viciously stabbed him in the stomach, making him double over.

"This is for our mother," She spat. Her eyes fell on me, clutching my probably cracked ribs on the floor. "Hello, Maggie," She smiled cheerily, shoving Nik back into Kol who got him into an arm lock.

"You are free to go," Elijah told the Salvatores, "This is family business."

"Maggie?" Damon shot me a worried look.

"I want her to stay and see who my brother really is. Then we can have a nice little chat," Rebekah smiled at me. I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the thought of witnessing the death of yet another friend. F*cking vampires. Damon shot me an apologetic look before leaving.

Rebekah paced around the room.

"I like what you've done with the place, Nik," She sighed contentedly before picking up a glass vase and hurling it at a painting. I flinched at the noise.

"I wanted it to be for all of us," Nik said in a strangled voice, "A place we would all call home...A place we could all be a family...None of us would ever have to be alone again."

"Oh, you're right, none of us will be. You're staying behind. The only one you'll have left is your pretty little Sidhe, and even then, after the way you've treated her, I wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to see you again," Elijah said conversationally.

"We're leaving you, Nik," Rebekah stated coolly, "right after I kill that doppelganger wench. And you'll be alone...Always and forever." She moved to stand by her other brothers. Nik faced them, dark expression on his face.

"You run, and I will hunt all of you down!" Nik threatened.

"Then you will become everything you hate...Our father," Elijah noted smugly.

"I'M THE HYBRID! I CAN'T BE KILLED! I HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR FROM ANY OF YOU!" He exploded. I leaned away from him.

"You will when we have that coffin," Elijah warned softly. I swallowed hard. For a long moment, nobody moved. Everybody was watching Nik. Then the door swung open. Hoping it was the Salvatores coming to rescue me, I rose on weak knees. A tall blonde woman in a green dress strolled in. Nik looked like he was going to faint.

"Mother?" Rebekah breathed. She strode past her four children until she stood in front of a teary-eyed Nik. The four Originals all shared glances. They hadn't planned this. Nik stared at the floor, unable to meet his mother's even gaze.

"Look at me." She had a cold and commanding voice. Slowly, he lifted his eyes. "Do you know why I am here?"

"You're here to kill me," Nik whispered, barely audible.

"Niklaus, you are my son...And I am here to forgive you."

I blinked.