Hello again! Just a head's up for everybody, we're coming close to the end of the story!

*sob*

My goal is to hit thirty chapters, and as of right now my outline seems to fit that goal. I've got a couple more little goodies in store for you, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the plot!

Onward!

Chapter Twenty-Five: Calling Card

"You have got to be the luckiest damn man alive!"

Iris let out the breath she was fairly sure she'd been holding since Maya had barged in on her conversation with Klaus. The perfumer had been gone for a couple of hours, and Iris was starting to sweat with worry, when he finally waltzed back into the Antique Shop looking more than a little pleased with himself.

"Seriously, Klaus." Iris sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Someone out there must be looking out for you. You've done almost everything you possibly could to fuck up this relationship, and the girl is still with you. I can't even use it for a book it's so unbelievable."

Klaus couldn't help but laugh. Despite Iris's apparent exasperation, he knew she was happy for him. As serious as Iris could be, she'd been rooting for the couple since day one.

"Believe me Iris, I know." He assured her, brushing excess snow off of his jacket. "I don't deserve her. I'll never deserve her, at this rate."

"No, you most certainly won't," Iris huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "If you don't spend every day of the rest of your life pampering the hell out of that girl for the crap you've put her through, I will personally hunt you down. And I'll bring Marian."

Klaus gave her a pointed look, but chose not to argue. That was his plan, after all.

His biggest secret was out, and Maya not only accepted him for it, but also liked knowing that part of him. If he searched for a thousand years, he'd never find another woman like her. He wasn't about to let her go now, not after everything that had happened. Maya was his everything and he would spend his life as Iris suggested, spoiling the hell out of her.

"So where is she now?" Iris asked, suddenly seeming to realise that Maya wasn't with him. "Is she still at your place?"

"No, she ran back to her farm for an overnight bag." Klaus answered, the fact twisting his mouth into an uncomfortable frown. "I didn't want her to go alone, but she insisted."

"Leave it to Maya," Iris shook her head, an amused smirk gracing her face. "She's an odd one. But I'm sure she'll be fine- this weather is enough to deter even the most determined folk."

As Iris spoke, the front door suddenly crashed open, admitting a chilling gust of wind. Mistel yelped as snow rushed inside, coating some priceless artifacts in a thin sheen of water.

"What in the world?" Klaus muttered, approaching the entryway to assist the visitor in their task of closing the door. As his palm closed around the icy doorknob, he caught sight of a flash of red hair and instantly knew who'd been crazy enough to head outside today.

"Hey all!" Fritz announced, pushing his tattered hat off of his head and letting it fall to the floor, giving his mop of hair a good shake. Klaus could nearly see a physical manifestation of Mistel's internal groan, his normally permanent smile wavering just slightly.

"Fritz!" Iris exclaimed, her brow furrowing. "What on earth are you doing out in this? You came all the way down from your farm?"

Fritz took his time rolling up the damp edges of his sleeves and pant legs. Clumps of snow were falling off of him and forming ugly piles on the floor, much to Mistel's dismay. He fingered the handle of the mop he kept tucked behind the counter, but determined it would be a waste to use until after Fritz left.

Eventually the eccentric farmer straightened, shrugging off his coat to complete his drying. He flung it onto the coatrack near the door, coming very close to missing it and hitting Klaus instead. The perfumer bristled, but maintained his composure.

"I was hungry," Fritz pouted, pulling at his fingerless gloves. "My stove isn't working, so I was going to Raeger's for something to eat. But he closed!"

"Everyone is closed, Fritz." Mistel sighed, nodding to the window. "The weather is dangerous. You really should've stayed home."

"You're open," Fritz pointed out, jabbing his thumb to the unlocked door.

"I'm not open, Fritz. I live here."

The redhead seemed to contemplate this for a moment before choosing to move on without responding. Iris noted her brother's distaste with a stifled giggle.

"Well maybe I can just hang out here with you guys until the storm passes," Fritz suggested, to the intense paling of Mistel's cheeks. "Who knows? Raeger could open up for supper! Do you have anything to eat here?"

Iris gestured to the kitchen where Fritz happily skipped, leaving the trio with mixed expressions of amusement and annoyance.

"Well," Klaus chuckled after a moment of silence, "It seems your day just got significantly more interesting."

"You don't say," Iris laughed, collecting her book from the counter and taking a step towards the stairs. "I'll be spending my day in my room, reading. Have fun Mistel."

Iris's brother took on an expression of panic, sputtering an array of syllables that didn't form a coherent word.

"Oh, stay here Iris," Klaus tutted, suppressing more laughter. "At least until Maya returns and we leave. Give your brother some solace."

Iris's opportunity to answer was taken away as Fritz returned with a peanut butter sandwich in hand, licking his fingers free of the sticky spread. Iris gave Klaus a look of contempt, while Mistel hit him with one of gratitude.

"So, what should we do, guys?" Fritz asked, putting his plate down on the counter, smearing peanut butter from the bottom of the plate onto the polished mahogany. Mistel looked physically ill.

"We were planning to have a quiet day, Fritz." Iris informed him, trying to help her brother now that they were sharing in the misery. Fritz was a nice person, and they didn't particularly dislike him, but he was clumsy by nature. More than once he'd broken an expensive product in Mistel's shop, and having him nearby was becoming a liability.

"No problem," Fritz shrugged, taking a large bite of his sandwich so that his next words were muffled. "I can do quiet."

"You can?" Mistel asked warily.

"Sure, I can!" Fritz laughed. "You guys do your thing, I'll just browse Mistel's shop!"

"I suppose that leaves us," Iris sighed, giving Klaus and Mistel a meaningful look. "What shall we do while we wait for young Maya?"

"I know you said you wanted to read today," Klaus spoke a little louder, angling his voice to where Fritz was standing. "I'm quite sorry that plan was ruined."

Fritz wasn't paying attention, skimming through the various items in Mistel's shelves. Klaus rolled his eyes, mouthing to Iris that he tried.

"So, Maya will be staying with you for a while?" Iris sighed, resigning to her fate and continuing their earlier discussion. "That should cause a stir."

"I'm sure Veronica will have something to say about it," He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. The older woman had spoken to him already about spending the night at Maya's and vice versa. She was old-fashioned in the worst way, but also seemed to understand that no matter what she wished Klaus and Maya would do as they pleased. She only requested subtlety. "But to be frank, I don't give a damn about what-"

"Hey, did you guys meet the new farmers yet?" Fritz chirped suddenly, interrupting Klaus and examining a very expensive looking vase. Mistel shuffled nervously behind the counter.

"There aren't any new farmers, Fritz," Iris raised an eyebrow, badly suppressing her amusement at her sibling's discomfort. "Not since Maya, anyway."

"No, no." Fritz shook his head, insisting. "These guys are brand new. They only moved to town a few days ago."

Klaus's hand froze on the bottle he'd been contemplating.

"A few days ago?" He repeated back to Fritz, who didn't seem to notice the suddenly cold tone to Klaus's voice.

"Yeah, last week I think. Not sure." Fritz moved from the expensive vase to an even more expensive antique horse statue. Mistel began to sweat. "I just ran into them on the mountain path. Actually they asked me if Maya was home! They were going around meeting the competition I guess!"

Fritz's laughter filled the room, but every other member present had gone deathly quiet.

"What did they look like?"

Fritz finally detected the grave note of urgency in Klaus's voice. He turned, his smile gone and replaced with an expression of innocent curiosity.

"Well, there were two guys." Fritz began, pursing his lips in thought. "One had brown hair and a beard. The other one had blond hair. But it was like, dirty blond. And he had a scar on his arm. Come to think of it, they were pretty old looking to be farmers. I wonder how long they've been in the business-"

Klaus drowned out the rest. Nathaniel and Everett. They were asking about Maya, and walking towards her farm-

Maya.

He shoved passed Fritz and was out the door before the young redhead had a chance to catch his breath.

"Go, Klaus!" Iris called to him, rushing onto the street in his wake. "Hurry!"

"What's going on?" Fritz finally asked, rushing after Iris. She headed straight for Marian's, knowing full well that if Maya was hurt the men responsible would be in desperate need of a doctor once Klaus was finished with them.

"Just go and get Gunther," Iris snapped, shooing him. "Tell him to bring something he can swing."

.

"Man, those dogs can sleep." Maya frowned, hovering over her pets as they snored away in their beds. Normally they'd wake and greet her upon her arrival, but now they simply curled into little balls and snored away.

She was almost worried, but they were breathing normally and they were warm, so she put out some extra food and resolved to check on them again later tonight.

The rest of the animals seemed fine, if not a little spooked from the storm. Hanako was the most annoyed by it all; she'd lived through her share of winters and the panicked newbies were impeding on her mood. Maya laughed, gave her a quick pat, and went back outside.

The storm was nearing lockdown levels of danger. She would have to gather her things quickly and return to Klaus before she was trapped here- maybe she shouldn't have come by herself after all.

It was probably a stupid decision, in retrospect. But Maya didn't want Klaus to think that any part of him or his past frightened her. She was more than comfortable with him, and she certainly wasn't going to run from a few bitter young men.

Still, the utter sense of loneliness she felt traversing her farm made Maya second guess herself. If anyone was here, and she wouldn't be any the wiser if there was, she'd be in a lot of trouble. No one would hear her, and no one would check on her until tomorrow at least.

Except Klaus. Klaus would check on her within the hour if she didn't return.

That thought soothed her, and Maya continued to make her way to her farmhouse.

Of all the things she expected Klaus to say, she wasn't anticipating the truth. Gangs, thievery, fights, danger, it was like something from a book. Her boyfriend, a notorious ex gang leader. That was something to write home about.

But at the same time, it all fit. There was another layer to Klaus, one that you had to look very closely to see. He was strong, both physically and mentally, and there was a hardness behind his eyes that only came out when his guard was down. In the right circumstance, Klaus could be incredibly intimidating. He proved that when Fritz crossed a line.

Maya wanted to know more. She was hoping that, either before or after sex, he'd be willing to share some stories from his younger days. She'd love to hear them, to know him all the better. She'd even volunteer some of her own stories, as ordinary as they'd be compared to his.

The lock on Maya's front door was frozen. She jammed her key inside, twisting and pushing until she heard the gears tumble, finally admitting her to her home. Had she left all of the lights off this morning?

Maya kicked the door closed, brushing snow off of herself. She was just being paranoid- what reason would she have had to leave the lights on? As brave as she was trying to be, the prospect of Nathaniel and Everett lurking somewhere in her home was a terrifying one. She would grab a few things and then hightail it out of there, as quickly as she could.

She made it to the bedroom before she knew that something was off. Maya always closed her bedroom door- it was a habit she picked up from college. Prank wars were a serious business, and if you wanted a good night's sleep without cleaning up some ridiculous mess after class, you closed your damn door.

Now her door was wide open, almost swinging. Like someone had only just opened it.

Screw this. Pride aside, this was ridiculous. Maya was here, alone, with two men she'd never met after her. She should've brought Klaus with her, and that was what she was going to do.

Turning on her heel, Maya didn't care if she brought him back here and her suspicions proved to simply be a case of bad memory. She was going back to Klaus and they'd return together, safely.

There was one problem with Maya's plan. When she turned back to the front door, tightening her coat around her body, there was someone blocking her path.

Maya supressed a startled scream, backing up into another body hovering just behind her.

.

The road to Maya's was impossibly long, and there was no sign of either her or Nathaniel and Everett. The storm made it nearly impossible to see all the same, but while Maya saw that as an advantage, Klaus was suddenly seeing it as the perfect cover for his old friends.

As he walked, Klaus's fear began to solidify. If the two were scouting he'd have run into them by now, and if Maya had successfully gathered her things, she would've been on her way back by now. He tried to comfort himself, insisting that the weather was delaying her, and that she was right in saying Nate and Everett would have to be insane to be hanging around in the storm, but Klaus just couldn't get rid of a horrible gut feeling that something was very wrong; he quickened his pace.

Maya's farm was disturbingly quiet. With the animals inside and all of the crops covered in a thick blanket of snow, the normally animated little sanctuary came across as a ghost town. Over the howling of the wind no sounds could be heard whatsoever, not even the always faint barking of Maya's dogs.

Klaus didn't have to think long to figure out where they might be. If Nathaniel and Everett stayed true to protocol, they'd slipped the dogs some sleeping drought and tucked them away where they wouldn't be found for a few hours. Klaus pictured the pure horror on Maya's face when she found out what had happened to her beloved pets and anger bubbled in his stomach.

Maya's house stood quiet. Shielding his face against the bitter wind, Klaus rushed to the door and began pounding on the wood with more force than was strictly necessary.

"Maya!" He yelled, pausing for only a few moments before knocking again. "Maya! Are you alright in there?"

Silence. His fear nearly suffocating him, Klaus gripped the doorknob and was prepared to push when he heard a scuffle in the porch, followed quickly by Maya's face appearing in the screened window.

"Hey," She greeted, her voice strained. Klaus could see through the window that her hair was still damp from the walk over, and her cheeks were flushed with cold. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't sound or look normal. Her words were high pitched and fast, and her eyes were on the verge of tears. Klaus internally cursed.

"I was just coming to see if you were alright," He tried to peer passed her into the house, but the room was dark. He knew it would be; Nathaniel and Everett were old pros. Still, he had to try. Even without visual confirmation, Klaus had a fairly clear idea of what was going on. He just needed Maya to confirm it.

"You're sweet," She attempted a laugh, the pitiful sound coming out as more of a cough than anything else. "But I'm fine. I'll meet you back at your place later, ok? I just need to finish packing."

I'm not ok. Please help me.

The look in her eyes confirmed his fears. Beyond his view, Nathaniel and Everett lurked. Most likely with a knife pressed somewhere into Maya's body.

Rage surged in his stomach, but Klaus fought it down. Barging in now would only worsen the situation, and put Maya in more danger than she was currently in. He had to plan his moves- he had to return to his old days of life in the city, communicating subtly with vocal inflections and meaningful glances.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?"

Tell me how to help you.

Maya shook her head quickly. "No, no. I'm ok in here. But if you really want to help, the barn's back door has been a bit loose. Would you mind taking a look at it on your way out?"

The back door to the house is unlocked.

Klaus swallowed thickly. The barn didn't have a back door, he knew, but he wasn't sure if Everett would know that from scouting. When nothing changed, he assumed that they were in the clear.

"Of course," He nodded. "Will I be disturbing the animals by going in through the back?"

Are they watching the back door?

"No, they're all sleeping through the storm. You can just walk right in. I'd hurry though, they'll be wanting an afternoon snack soon."

Not right now, but they'll check it soon. You need to hurry.

"I'd better get to it then," Klaus forced a friendly chuckle, scanning once more for a glimpse of the two men. "See you soon."

Hang tight, it'll be ok.

"I love you!"

Hurry!

Maya's eyes were threatening to spill over with tears. Her fear was evident on her face, but she was trying desperately to hide it for the sake of her captors. Klaus grit his teeth, his fingers and knuckles twitching as he flexed them.

"I love you too."

Don't worry, I will.

I'm feeling pretty bad for Nathaniel and Everett right about now. Yeesh.

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